Oh the kindness of our God.

Oh the kindness of our God. 

The faithfulness He has shown is infinite. It was His goodness that brought us to repentance, His love that cleansed us, & it is His mercy that keeps us. 

In our struggle and our fight, He is rest. 
In our pain, He is healing.
He is joy. 
He is hope. 

He is every answer to every question & He is ever faithful as we work out our salvation. 

From the wobbly steps of a new Christian, to the stubborn & prideful thoughts of the aged. He is there to prune. He is there to bring us into the right places, to bring us into strength & humility. He will never stop loving you, & He will never stop growing you. 

Oh the kindness of the One who took our place & Who, regardless of our failures, declares that we are His beloved. 

With a love that never fails, He loves us.
With a salvation that makes us completely new, He has saved us. 

Oh the kindness of our God that never gives up, never lessens, never changes. He is the One who has saved us, He is the One we are trusting with our lives. He is God & we are His, 

Now let us rest in the kindness of our God.

short, but encouraging

Some thoughts...

When everything falls apart, your strength will not be enough. 
Lean in to Jesus.
For He is your Shield & Buckler, He is round about you. 
He is the One who is strong enough & His strength never fails or wears out. 
He cannot become weary or tired. 
He is your constant, He is your stay. 
Encourage yourself in the Lord, in His promises & in His truth,
For the joy of the Lord is your strength, not the joy that's found in life. 
Life changes, God does not. 

-behavior-

I'm learning more and more that kids are just little humans.

Weirdest sentence ever, right?

What I mean by that is, they need to be trained. So many of us look at a child that's acting up & automatically sum them up. We anticipate all the trouble they will have as a middle-schooler, teenager, adult...

When really they are no different than us, we've just learnt to hide our "issues" better.

We all go through different seasons in our lives. We go through rebellion, pain, stretching, happiness, excitement... our seasons are ever-changing and hopefully we are ever learning.

As parent's/adults we need to learn that the kids in our lives aren't defined by their behavior, they have time to change, & they will grow if we put in the effort & don't get discouraged. We need to learn to give children room to learn. No one comes out perfect & no one learns good behavior without guidance. A seed doesn't become an oak tree overnight. It takes water & sunlight & sometimes a rod to keep it growing straight, but eventually it's strong enough to grow right & "suddenly" it produces fruit.

Don't let your child's behavior create their definition...in your mind or in theirs. Never stop training, loving, encouraging, correcting, & instilling into them what's right.

Think about it, your parents had all the same fears & concerns you do (at least to some degree). Everyone wants to raise a good human being....you turned out ok! Trust God & His method.

Oh & just a quick note to the adults in the room...that's why we have pastors! They "never stop training, loving, encouraging, correcting, & instilling into US what's right." See... we all get to keep growing.

Comparison

Comparison was never meant to define you. 

I believe that looking at someone else's life is a good thing. You can use it as a guide or an encouragement or even an example, but we find out identity & purpose in the Book! God wants to build your specific life according to His plan for you, not through the plan He has for someone else's life. 

Your road is different than someone else's. It has different hills & valleys, different turns & potholes. Using someone else as a map will only cause you to get off course. 

I've used a few different women as examples & as encouragement as I navigate this bump in the road called grief. It's so encouraging to see that others have made it out stronger & more like Jesus than when they started, but I also know that He's the only one that can actually do the work in me. So I keep my eyes on Him & His plan, and just allow other people's lives to be like a billboard advertising encouragement as I go along. 

There's a whole lot of driving analogies happening in this blog today, but I think it gets the point across! 

Keep your eyes on Jesus & His Word & what His plan is for you. Don't try to live your life based on someone else's road map. 

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, 

thoughts of peace, and not of evil, 

to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29:11

happiness

There is a happiness in His presence & no circumstance of life is able to cast a shadow on it. 

It wells up inside of you & carries you forward. 

The longer you remain in His presence, the deeper the well goes. 

It's Him & only Him that causes me to grow.

He calls us to prayer & to His word because He knows the result. He understands the process. He has all the answers. He is the answer. 

In all that life throws your way, find yourself in His presence & you'll find yourself covered. 

Life affects us all, but He is our shield & our buckler. He is our foundation & our source. He is our stay when everyone else fades away. 

Being a Christian doesn't make you exempt from bad things in life, but it does make you invincible. You can be hurt & knocked down, but you know your future is secure. You can go through the trials of Job & know that your end will be better than your beginning. You can go through the persecutions of Paul & know that even if they take your life, you have eternal life with the Master. 

He chose you for this time in eternity, trust that He knows what He's doing & live in obedience to whatever He says. That is where your happiness is. 

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High 

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; 

My God, in Him I will trust.

Psalm 91:1-2

Joy is on your horizon

I know sometimes it feels like it's impossible to walk, but you can put one foot in front of the other. 

I have a new revelation of Jesus walking to Golgotha. He was beaten, bruised, bleeding...so much so, that someone else had to carry His cross, but still in all the agony & pain He put one foot in front of the other. 

That's how I know I can make it, because He did. 

You might be broken & hurting, but keep walking. Keep moving towards the cross. You'll get there. & then once you get there, lay everything down at that cross & let God consume it, and watch and see the new, abundant life that He brings you. 

It seems like such a contradiction to bring your pain to the cross, but if we do not lay it down how could we ever bear it? It is not ours to bear, for He already did. He took the pain we could not heal & healed it. He took the hurt we could not bear & bore it. He did it all.

No one ever told me that I'd want to hold onto my grief. Somehow in my twisted human emotions it made me feel close to my daughter, but Jesus took that grief & turned it into joy. That's His promise. I'm not losing memories of my little girl, I'm gaining healing & the ability to remember her without sorrow in my heart. I'll always ache for her, but that aching is not painful because I know I'll see her again. 

The sorrow you are facing is not your destination. Joy is on your horizon, keep putting one foot in front of the other & let the cross do it's work. He will not fail you. 

The argument fizzles...

A little nugget I've discovered...

The argument fizzles when I stop trying to defend myself. This works whether I'm right or wrong in the situation. 

It's the moment when I reel in my emotions & understand that I love this person more than how I'm treating them right now & there is a better, more productive way to have this discussion. 

When did proving my point become more important than loving this person? 

Discussions can be had without arguing, but arguing never produces real discussions. It can only produce hurt & confusion because arguments are all based in pride. The pride of being right or defending your own actions.

Pride is sneaky & insidious. It sneaks into your life disguised as hurt feelings or justification. It wants to keep the argument alive until the other person either apologizes or concedes.  

The Bible on the other hand tells us that pride brings destruction & that God resists it. It also tells us to be offended at nothing.

That's the goal we move towards. Letting him love us, so that we can love others. 

It doesn't mean we'll never have a spirited discussion, but if we can learn to discuss out of love then not only will our topic most likely get resolved, but our relationships will flourish. 

People are worth our patience & our relationships are worth our self-control. 

1 Cor 13:4 

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

James 4:6

But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, 

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

That's my hope.

His grace is sufficient for you.

That means that no matter what you have to face, the ability HE GIVES YOU is enough to win over it. 

Whether or not the outcome is what you preferred, you have the ability to outlast & not just maintain, but overcome.

Paul said that he gloried in his tribulation. I'm not there yet, but I have hope that as my relationship develops with the Lord, I too will gain the kind of revelation Paul had. 

That's the promise of it all. As I decrease, He increases & God's way of thinking & seeing is so much better than I could ever fathom. 

Jesus didn't just die on the cross. He made an impact before, during & after the crucifixion. Regardless of your tragedy, if Christ is in you, you have the power to make an impact before, during & after it. 

That's my hope. That is His faithfulness.

I know the pain will continue to heal & I know God's grace will continue to be sufficient. 

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

but the LORD delivers him out of them all. Psalm 34:19

It was a Wednesday.

This time last year, I didn't know it, but it was going to be the worst time of my life. 

Abigail was getting ready to go to Heaven. We spent all night loving her, being with her & in the early morning she went to be with Jesus.

We went back to the Ronald McDonald House & slept for a few hours, packed up our stuff & headed home.

I remember that long drive home. It was a Wednesday. 

I remember it was a Wednesday because as we got closer to home we both looked at each other & said, "I kind of want to be in church." 

We parked around the back of the building, went through a side door & sat in the back office on a couch & just listened to the message being preached. There was a lot happening in that dark, quiet back office. We didn't hear all of the message, we didn't participate in praise & worship, we had no offering to bring, but we just needed to be in church. 

I don't think we knew it at the time, but I truly believe that was the foundation of our healing. It was as if we slammed a stake in the ground & said, "We're going to keep doing what we know to do."

It wasn't always a pretty road to walk. We didn't always feel like continuing to do what was right & sometimes we just didn't. But we never stayed there long, we knew the only way out was by doing what was right.

I can't imagine my life without my church. Not only is my church family the very best of the best, but the truth & the standard & the hope that I have gained from immersing myself in church life has kept me. 

We weren't meant to do life alone. We weren't meant to go through the hard stuff alone. We weren't meant to celebrate alone. God wants to bring us into a family. There is strength in numbers. Don't run away from the one place that tells you the truth & helps your faith. Even if the words feel like they sting, don't remove yourself from the House. Faith comes by hearing & hearing by the Word of God. Stay where the Word is preached, stay where your faith can grow, & you'll see your healing come. 

Psalm 133:1-3

A Song of Ascents. Of David. 

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! 

It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, 

on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! 

It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! 

For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

< forgiveness >

Here's a fun lesson,

Being wronged in life entitles you to nothing, rather it demands that you grow. 

It's a hard one to swallow, I know. BUT...

If you grow & forgive & move on, YOU become stronger. If you hold on to the wrong, IT will hold on to you & IT will become stronger. 

Think about Jesus as He hung there on the cross. After all the miracles He had done, all the people He had helped & all the love He had shown...they crucified Him....they tortured Him. Some of His final words were, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Not too long after those words were spoken, the suffering ended & He rose again to new life. 

Today, no matter what wrong has been perpetrated against you, you have the choice to forgive & become stronger through it. Don't let someone else's actions keep you from rising up out of the ashes into resurrected life! Power comes from laying it all down & trusting that God knows what He's doing. 

To forgive doesn't mean to subject yourself, rather it means to free yourself. Sometimes that freedom looks like a restored relationship & other times it's a severed one. Either way, when you forgive you no longer allow a circumstance to dominate you. We're called to be servants of God, not our situations. Simply obey, He will never lead you astray.

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, 

Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, 

as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. 

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: 

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 

Matthew 6:9-13

well-oiled

Thinking about "the anointing" today!

It seems like such an epic word...& it is, but it's also very simple. Maybe it's the simplicity of it all that makes it epic!? 

The word anointing in the Bible has to do with oil & lots of it! God's plan is for us to live our lives like well-oiled machines! 

Without oil you're machine might run for a little bit, but eventually it'll seize up. Oil is designed to smooth out the friction & keep the parts moving. Oil keeps your machine from over heating & helps clean out impurities. 

You were made to run & run well. Running well depends entirely on your oil supply. Life will try to drain you of your oil. The devil wants you to try make things work by your own strength, except we weren't built like that. We were built to rely on the oil. 

It's His anointing that destroys yokes & breaks off bondage's in our lives. It's His anointing that sets us apart & enables us to accomplish what He has designed for us to accomplish. No calling was ever meant to be fulfilled without His anointing, & in fact it cannot be. 

What does it mean to have the anointing? It's really the simplest of all things. It means that you have God with you. It's not some super-special-secret-code, rather it's a super-special-cultivated-relationship between you & the Father...something that everyone can have.

Acts 10:30
"how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him."

Jesus had a specific mission that He accomplished because God was with Him. Why would we try to do it any other way? His life is that perfect example of how to make through both the good & the bad. Stay close to the Father. 

It's easier to keep an engine running on a regular basis than try to start one up that's been sitting around for years or fix one that's seized up. Do yourself a favor & stay oily! Ups & downs will come & go, but the oil will keep you running smoothly. 

where to look

What do you do when everything around you reminds you of the battle you're in?

The song "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" sounds off in my heart. 

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

I'll be the first to admit, it's not always easy when life is smack in front of your face jumping up & down like a crazy person & yelling "look at me, look at me!!" 

But the good news my friends is that we don't have to do it in our own strength. When you feel like you can't look away from life, tell Him that! When you feel like you can't hear anything but life, tell Him that. & when you feel like you just can't muster up the faith....tell Him that. 

Rest in the fact that He said His strength is made perfect in our weakness. He'll help you look to Him. 

We were never made to deal with life on our own. The plan from the beginning was that He would walk & talk with us. He wants to hear when we're struggling & He wants to hear when we're winning & He wants to be involved in both. 

He doesn't expect us to muster anything up in our own strength. In fact, He says the opposite,

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

So come to Jesus, no matter how you feel. & by "come" I simply mean begin to tell Him where you're at & what you're feeling. Open up a dialog with Him, that simple act is walking by faith - it means you believe He is real & He is listening. Continue to walk in faith by believing that He will answer. 

He will.

every part of you

Never forget that the God who created the universe, created every part of you. 

It's not just a warm fuzzy saying, He really does know every hair on your head, every beat of your heart, every cell in your body & all the good/bad things you face. 

He's closer to you than the wind on your face, He knows you deeper than your deepest place & He loves you more than you can imagine. 

You were purposefully made by His hands. He wanted you & His plans for you are good. 

Trust Him with all your good & your bad, He is faithful & He will not fail you. 

Never let the "bigness" of your problem make you forget the GREATNESS of your God. 

I hope this photo inspires you to remember that the God who created such majesty & beauty & life, is the same God that designed you & He is loving you & fighting for your best right now. 

photo by Amie Willoughby

But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work,

chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him,

 to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—

from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

1 Peter 2:9-10 MSG

Philippians 4:8

I just can't seem to get past this verse today.

Remember: either you control your thoughts, or they will control you.

I've included a couple of translations for you, I just love the context & content they give you.

Philippians 4:8

ESV
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

TLB
And now, brothers, as I close this letter, let me say this one more thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about.

MSG
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

NKJV
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

the flowers & the weeds

There's nothing quite like the start of a new day.

It can either hold sadness or hope & it's all up to you.

New days are a funny thing. They make you feel like you've got the chance to start all over again & make something good happen...you know, until reality hits & you're dealing with all the same stuff that you've been dealing with for some time now. 

But really, IT IS A BRAND NEW DAY! & you've got the choice to deal with "your stuff" with a new & refreshed attitude or a stale & worn-out attitude. Because your attitude is a choice. 

I never said it was easy. Emotions can be big, but they can be beat. & if they happen to win over you for a day, guess what...you get to wake up tomorrow & show them who's really boss. You win by never giving up! 

--- I was doing a bit of gardening the other day & because I had left it off too long the weeds had gained quite a lot of ground. Their roots were hard to pull out, & I needed a special tool to dig them out. At one point, I accidentally pulled out a plant & I was amazed at how easily it came out without having to dig...it's root wasn't nearly as strong as the weed. ---

What am I saying? 

Keep dealing with yourself! Never stop dealing with the hard things because the longer you let them go, the harder they get to pull up. 

Keep building up the good things in your life. Spend time daily with God & in His Word, pray, worship, give, communicate with godly people, etc. Take care of those good root systems & give them time to root themselves strong! 

You can't only take care of the flowers in your garden & let the weeds run wild, or else soon you'll have a bunch of dead flowers in a weed garden. 

Pour into your life spiritually & let God tend to your garden...the flowers & the weeds.

John 15 

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 

2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, 

and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 

3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 

4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, 

unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 

5 I am the vine; you are the branches. 

Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, 

for apart from me you can do nothing. 

making it

So it's been 2 days. 

We celebrated Abigail's 1st birthday on 5/26 & it was both happy & hard.

Honestly, I didn't handle it as masterfully as I had hoped. I could have easily spent all of the weekend curled up in bed & crying. That's just how I felt. (*makes me ever more grateful for a strong & supportive husband*)

But hey, guess what, I'm still here! I made it through. 

& hey guess what's more...

You're still here too! You've made it through today & yesterday & the day before that! 

I know sometimes the pain feels overwhelming & the future seems daunting, but we can't let ourselves get caught up in all of that. 

Don't let the battle make you forget how strong you've been & how far you've come.  

I remember so very clearly a message preached by one of the best, Mrs Zane Johnson. She preached on scars. & yeah they hurt, & yeah they take time to heal, BUT they also prove you're stronger than whatever you're facing. 

So even if your process has been messy, don't lose sight of the fact that you're making it. Let God continue to heal those hurt places. He can & He is & He will continue to.  

He is our hope & our strength. In the midst of the battle, we find our rest in Him.

Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. 5 You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— 10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. 12 On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. 14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. 15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” 

dedicated to my girl

Happy Birthday to my sweet little love. 

Abi Gwyn, you're the best of the best. You took our hearts & made them explode with love. The days we spent with you were beyond words. 

You were beautiful & strong & beyond sweet. We loved the moments we shared & we'll never forget. You will always be in our hearts.

You changed our lives forever & we're thankful we were chosen to be your mommy & daddy. 

We ache to be with you again & hope beyond hope to make you proud with this time we live apart. 

We know that God will use your life to touch the world around us. You have & will continue to change & affect people & bring them closer to Jesus. 

As much as we miss you, we're so happy for you to be with Him. We're so happy you get to be perfect & pain free. & we're so excited for the day when we will all get to be in His presence together. 

Until then, we'll be here... loving you big, living out the plans He has for us, sharing your story & His hope to this hurting world.  

xoxoxoxoxoxo forever

every. time.

Thinking about the book of Ruth today. 

The tragedy & triumph. 

It's a fantastic love story, but it was born out of real sorrow.

There is no heartbreak that the Father cannot recompense. 

Life won't always make sense or feel good, but if we continue to walk in obedience & have faith in God, He will make straight our crooked path. 

His faithfulness is boundless.

You might ask, if He is so faithful then why do bad things happen? I can't tell you why bad things happen, but I can tell you that I would rather have Him helping me in the aftermath than try to face it alone. He's the foundation that won't crumble no matter what I have to face. So I know that when the hard times end, I'll still be standing...not because I am strong, but because He is strong (2 Cor 12:9). It certainly takes the pressure off. 

Life comes to us all; it's our decision to walk through it with Him or alone. & I'll take Him every time. 

Isaiah 42:16 

And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; 

I will lead them in paths that they have not known: 

I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. 

These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

Limits

Everyone's limit is different. My busy doesn't make your busy any more or any less. Everyone is learning to handle their own busy. 

Let's give each other space to grow.

Just because you've mastered something doesn't mean someone else has. & just because you see something as a big deal doesn't mean that someone else will see it that way. 

That's okay. We need to stop holding people hostage to our definitions & ask God what He says.

It's His Word that helps people deal with their busy & expand their limits, not my opinion. It's His Word that puts things into perspective, not my experience.

Let's be busier praying for people, & less busy criticizing. 

It's really a win-win...praying helps them with their life & makes you feel happy. & we need more happy people in this world! 

Isaiah 26:3-4 

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, 

because he trusts in You.

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

It's His perfect love.

I'll tell you what, life does not take it easy on you just because you are going through something. 

That's why it's so important to run to God, otherwise you can get swallowed up.

This weekend was packed full of reminders about Abigail. One right after the other. I couldn't get away from it. Every where I turned there they were. What am I supposed to do? Go crawl under a rock?! 

I'll be honest, there are times I've wanted to do that, but that's not an option. Why isn't that an option? Because I've still got a life to live, a family to love, a destiny to accomplish & my God to serve! But those precious things are not the things that motivate me. It's His perfect love. 

He loves me beyond measure & He's pursuing me out of that love. I can feel it shake me & move me & pull me up out of pain & sadness. I'm not trying to sound like super woman, sometimes it takes a little bit for me to come around, but He never stops. 

He's not waiting around for me to try & conjure up some emotion out of my own strength, He's just there, loving me intensely & perfectly & then the sadness breaks off of me again. & the more times I let Him in to love me, the less times I feel sad. That might seem like the most obvious statement in the entire universe, but when your wading through the murkiness of life sometimes you forget. 

For me, it mostly happens during times of worship. The moments when I'm singing every word by faith & honoring Him by believing regardless of what I'm feeling & then suddenly it changes & He's made all things new again. It's amazing the life that comes to your mind, your emotions & even your physical body when He begins to minister to you.

Other times He uses my husband. He lets me cry on his shoulder & then speaks the truth to me about our situation. I can't tell you how many times & how many ways God has used that man. 

Why am I telling you all of this? 

Because I want you to know that there is hope. There is healing & that God loves you just as passionately as He loves me. He's looking to pour Himself out into your life & help you through the hard times & celebrate with you in the good. Have faith.

Don't allow yourself to be swallowed up by the pain. Don't allow the devil to use a tragedy to take your life away as well. Keep running back to God, over & over, never lose hope.

Don't ever quit... He'll never quit on you. 

Fragrance

Your worship impacts the atmosphere.

John 12:3 niv

Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; 

she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. 

And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

In your good times & in your bad times, learn to worship. Learn to turn your eyes on Jesus & let all the big things of this world fade in His presence. Let the fragrance of your worship fill the room, you cannot help but be changed as He receives your love. 

Honor Him above your circumstances & He will honor your faith. 

Our God is generous. He will not leave you to fight alone. Only believe.

Confidence is a decision, not a character trait.

I've gotten a lot of things into perspective throughout this time in my life. 

Life-Events tend to do that to a person, whether they are good ones or bad ones.

One of the things I've thought long & hard about is what my parenting style would have been like with Abigail. I also think a lot about it when I interact with my 2 beautiful, wonderful, adorable, strong, energetic nieces. So much of what they do (good, silly or naughty) makes me think about how I would respond if I was their parent. 

Something that weighs heavily on my heart is the idea of "bullying." I see it all over the news, the internet, etc. I see the effects it has on children & how horrible it can be. 

Something has to be done. 

Yet, I feel like I have a very different perspective than most. I agree with the masses that bullying should have consequences, but I also feel like there's a more powerful solution. 

If our children were raised with a true sense of self, what someone else had to say would not matter so much. I'm not saying it wouldn't hurt their feelings, but it would not define them. 

I realize by saying that, I've probably stirred up some emotions...good, bad & ugly ones. But that's part of being a parent, taking a long hard look at how we've been raising our children, how they are growing & what we need to change to help them. 

I say all this because I remember vividly my first & my second encounter with bullies. People who tried to tell me I wasn't good enough, they didn't want to be my friends, & even one who threatened to hurt me. I still don't know why they wanted to hurt me, as far as I know - they just didn't like me. & you know what, it hurt, but it didn't define me & it didn't stop me from making other friends. 

I understand that today's children face many more challenges & extreme situations, but for the majority of children...if they were raised to know who they are & that their importance is not based on their popularity or what other people think/say about them, their lives would be drastically different. Becoming a victim is a choice. Give your child enough right information so they can combat the emotional toll that life takes.

I know because I lived it. I'm not saying it didn't hurt my feelings, but that was temporary. I simply went about my life, choosing to ignore those people (not hate them), & find my friends because I knew who I was. 

That's how I want to raise my kids. I want them to know they are strong & beautiful regardless of other people's opinions. They don't get their value from society. Feel free to look at others & take away things you like - character traits, styles, hair, makeup, abilities, etc - and apply them to your life, but know that you don't need to make yourself into anyone else. Confidence is a decision, not a character trait. Choose to be confident, choose to stand up & be who your are. It's okay to be silly, it's okay to be different, it's okay to not have all the answers. Keep learning. It's okay to fail at something & get embarrassed, but being embarrassed only lasts as long as you let it. Laugh it off & tackle life again. What's the worst that could happen - people might laugh, but what's the best that could happen - you might succeed! Feeling scared isn't a deciding factor, right or wrong is the deciding factor. 

Don't let society put it's demands on you. It's all just their opinion anyways. Don't take offense every time someone says something mean. Their words do not make or break your life. 

I'll say it over & over no matter how cliche it might sound. Your true self is found in our Savior... you, me, our children, every single human being. He will keep you through all of life's storms & through middle school for that matter. 

His Words are the ones to base your life off of. His Words will never change, they are life & truth. 

Psalm 144:12

That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth;

That our daughters may be as pillars,

sculptured in palace style.