Everything in its time...

Today is the start of Spring Break for us. My youngest is out of school until the Monday after Easter. My older two had their break a few weeks ago. Thank goodness they go to the same school so that we don't have three separate breaks. Even though everyone this year is headed off with friends, I still like that I get a few days with each one all alone. I cherish my one on one time with my girls.


My sweet husband slipped out of the house this morning without waking me up. For me, that is big. I never sleep in. He made coffee before he left so I woke up to that wonderful smell. I really wanted to sleep past 8:30. That was my goal. It didn't happen. I woke up a little before 8:00 with my head spinning with a to-do list. My heart racing with everything that had to be accomplished today. The things on the checklist that did not get checked off yesterday popped in my head. I was awake. And I was already behind before my feet touched the floor.


I poured me a cup of coffee and headed back upstairs to get dressed and start the checklist frenzy. I sat in my chair and pulled out one of my devotion books. Since I was already behind from sleeping in, I didn't pull out my journal. Just a quick peek at the devotion and I would keep moving along with my day.


Then I read this: "Stop trying to work things out before their times have come. Accept the limitations of living one day at a time. When something comes to your attention, ask Me whether it is part of today's agenda... there will be a beautiful simplicity to your life: a time for everything and everything in its time."


God is not constrained by an agenda or by time. Time is for us. So that we can put our world and our lives in order. But if we live our whole lives constrained by our checklist, we miss so much. Give yourself a break today. There is time enough in your day to do what He has for you. On His agenda with your name on it. Ask Him what belongs on the to-do list and what doesn't.


I laughed at how personal God is. He knew my heart and the frenzy in my head. As I decided to write down the words in my journal, I glanced at the heading. This was yesterday's devotion. I had not read it because I was busy. Too busy. But He knew. Everything in its time.


We don't have to perform for Jesus. He created us. He knows us. And we are headed into a week that reminds us just how much. Don't take Holy Week off of your agenda because it is Spring Break. The Passion that surrounds this week belongs on our agenda. Clear the unnecessary distractions off the calendar but leave room for the reflection. Everything has its time. Read the story. Jesus knew that as He rode into Jerusalem that day. His time had come.

"After Jesus had said this, 

He went on ahead, 

going up to Jerusalem." 

Luke 19:28.

Be a Blessing today!

Today is a blessing. If you are reading this post, it means that you woke up and are breathing. You have another day ahead of you. Don't take it for granted. Don't waste it. And don't miss the opportunities that today will present to you.


I do that a lot. Forget. Zip through the day with little attention put on the fact that I actually have the day to zip through. Every day is a blessing. Live today like you know that. Be a blessing to someone. Simply smile. Give a hug. Make a phone call that you have put off. Respond to that email. Send a quick text just to say hi.


I was reminded yesterday that a little act of blessing from me made a huge impact on someone's life. I did not even know that I had been a blessing. Honestly, I did not intend to bless that person. But God did. And He knew exactly what they needed to hear. He knew the exact time they needed to hear it. And He used my words without me even knowing it. Because I shared what He had taught me. And His words did not return void. They blessed. 


I would love to hear some of your stories about how God has blessed you or how He used you to bless others. I love to hear other people's stories! So if you have time today, comment with a blessing story. Or send me an email or a Facebook message. But tell me your stories! They will bless me!

The unthankful heart discovers no mercies;

 but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, 

as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find,

 in every hour, some heavenly blessings! 

~ Henry Ward Beecher

Insulating our Foundation...

As I am writing this post, there are men here blowing new insulation into my attic. It is messy and noisy and a little inconvenient. But it is necessary. We live in an older house. It is a solid house. Built very well with the best materials. My husband always says that new houses just aren't built like this. The old way. The more time consuming way. The way that it used to be done. Our home was built to withstand time.

Isn't that the way we should build our lives and our families? To withstand time. To withstand the storms of life. To withstand the cold of winter and the heat of summer. Shouldn't we take the extra time and effort to build the solid foundation. To use the right materials. Shouldn't we take a maintenance walk around our lives every now and then to make sure we are taking care of the foundation. We might find that we need a little more insulation.

My oldest daughter has been going through pre-marital counseling with her fiancé. They are meeting with a husband and wife team that are pouring into them from every angle. There is an agenda and a purpose to what they are doing. And it is not a one time meeting. They are preparing the materials that Katie and Trey will use to build the foundation of their home and family. It is necessary to insure that their home will withstand time.

It is not always easy to live in an older home. I don't have the high ceilings or the large, open rooms that the new houses have. Our home requires maintenance and upkeep. Just like our lives. Too many homes are falling apart because we are neglecting the foundation. We aren't building from the ground up. We want the picture perfect house so we just keep painting the rooms and buying new stuff while the foundation is crumbling around us. 

All of my girls are at a season in their lives where they are needing a little more insulation to maintain their lives. We can't pour into their foundation when they are young and then expect it to last. Their lives and our own require maintenance. Sometimes we need to offer a little more insulation to certain areas of their lives that are lacking. We can insulate them with Truth. With blessing. With gratitude and with thanksgiving. We can also insulate them with boundaries and with discipline and with tough love.

As I insulate my own life with God's Word and with His Truths, it will spill over into my children's lives. I want my foundation to be strong. To withstand time. To offer a solid footing to my children and to their children. All of our foundations have a few cracks and some may even be in danger of crumbling, but God offers us a chance to pour some more insulation in. To do a maintenance check. To ensure that our own lives are full of the right building materials and then to offer to our children the same.

They finished blowing in the new insulation before I finished writing this post. It only took a few minutes. Take a few minutes today to do a walk through in your life. It might be a little messy and even a little inconvenient to add a little extra insulation where you need it. But it might also be necessary to insure that your foundation will withstand time. If you need a little help, I know a great Home Inspector that can offer some great Insulation. His services are free. And His insulation is eternal.

Abraham was confidently looking forward 

to a city with eternal foundations, 

a city designed and built by God. Hebrews 11:10

A Heart Divided...

We spent the weekend in Athens for a sorority event with our middle daughter. It was Parent's Weekend. We had a wonderful family dinner then went to a gathering of parents and families complete with a live band. It was a quick peek into her world. The world that we don't live in. The next day we joined her for a 5K race that supported their philanthropy. It was a full two days.


The older my girls get the more I realize how very different they are. Each one unique. Each one with their own bent and their own ideas and their own love language. It is enough to stretch a mom's heart to the breaking point. Is it just me or do all of you get stretched to truly understand and love each of your children with the wisdom that they are fearfully and wonderfully made with a plan and purpose that is just for them? A path stretched before each one that has their individual name on it.


Our girls range seven years from first to last. Each one is in a very distinct season that does not cross over the others. None of my girls did the same sports or ran in the same circles. They each have very distinct strengths and desires and motivations. One is very dependent on our approval. One is definitely not. One is so laid back that she just takes life in stride. Each one on their own unique path toward their future.


As I watched and listened this weekend, I was struck at how they each loved one another. Even if they were annoyed at behavior or ticked at a comment or trying to tell their story from the day, they loved each other with a fierce loyalty. Protective. Proud. Encouraging. They will always be there for each other. That part I am so very sure about.


But my mom heart is living in a season of divided emotions. Trying to meet each of my daughter's love language needs. Keeping in mind where they each are in their lives. Stretching from releasing one from the nest to understanding one who is living a life apart from us to staying engaged with one who is forming her plans and ideas about her future. There is no way to maintain those kinds of emotions without the One who holds me together.


As I prayed for my girls this morning, I was reminded that I am to live each day in a posture of waiting and trusting. Their future is not mine to determine. Their decisions are not mine to carry. They each are fearfully and wonderfully made. I can love them most from my knees. With my prayers. And if necessary, and only with His leading, with my words of advice.


I am so proud of each one. So thankful for who they are and what God is doing in each of their lives. So humbled that I get a front row seat to watch His plan unfold. That is the privilege of being a parent. Our hearts may stretch and pull and do somersaults along the way, but the One who created them has a plan. The best gift we can give our children is to love unconditionally, to plant our own feet firmly in Trust, to focus our own eyes on the place where our Help comes from, to wait with expectation for the plan to unfold and to pray without ceasing for our own hearts and for theirs.


I am learning to direct my attention in hopeful anticipation to what He will do. To trust Him with every fiber of my being instead of developing my own theories and plans. Instead of trying to figure it out for myself. He designed me to wait on Him. Each moment of each day. (inspired by Jesus Calling) With Him my heart is whole. With Him my yoke is easy. With Him my children get everything they need.

He tends his flock like a shepherd: 

He gathers the lambs in his arms 

and carries them close to his heart; 

he gently leads those that have young. 

Isaiah 40:11

Lent lingers on...

The time has changed. The pollen is here. The spring schedule frenzy has begun. The pull of the sunshine and the warmer weather is beginning to take our focus off some of the darkness of winter. But Lent lingers on.


I love Spring. Everything but the pollen. I love the longer days. I love the color and the renewing feeling of life springing back. But it also makes me forget that I am still in a season of surrender. How quickly our emotions and our physical well being can take our focus away from God. We tend to forget our need when our comfort level goes up. When our darkness begins to be glimmered with light. When our schedules began to push out any chance of down time or alone time.


As I continue to be in a time of preparation spiritually, I find myself buried in a time of preparation physically. So much to be done. So much screaming for my attention. So much noise drowning out that still small voice.


I tried writing this post 3 different times this morning. I stopped to take care of the dog and eat breakfast. I tried again. I stopped to do some laundry and make up the bed. I tried again. I stopped to get in the shower so that I could tackle the mile long do to list of the day. And there I heard it. That still small voice loud and clear. You told Me that you were going to surrender it all to Me during this time of Lent. You asked Me to teach you to hear more clearly and to act more quickly. 


I am a master at ignoring the nudge. Justifying the conviction. Going in another direction. Finding something more important that has to be done. But during this time of preparation, in spite of myself, I feel my heart and my mind being drawn closer to His. He is teaching me that sometimes the words that I write or the hug that I give or the smile that I offer is enough to make a difference. No matter what anyone says or does not say. No matter how I feel. No matter what else I have to do. Surrender is being aware of the nudge.


So as I stop once again to listen and to write and to reflect, my heart is at Peace. I don't know who needs to be reminded today or if it is just me, but Lent lingers on. I want to intentionally stay in my place of surrender and preparation to receive fully what He has to offer.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, 

and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 

Do not cast me from Your presence 

or take Your Holy Spirit from me. 

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation 

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. 

Psalm 51:10-12 

Refocus and Renew

I don't know about anyone else but I struggle with insecurity. I can work myself into a frenzy over the smallest thing that I allow to find its way into my mind. If left unchecked I will be off and running with thoughts that feed the feeling. This morning was one of those times.


When I find myself emotionally drained and physically tired is when I am at the greatest risk. You know the thoughts. The ones that try and convince you that the grass is greener or that if only. It is not a productive place to allow your mind to go. It is a slippery slope with very little traction. Before you know it you will be sliding at full speed into places that you do not need to go.


As I sat down to write in my journal, I was struggling to reign in the thoughts. I opened my journal to today's page and the title made my laugh out loud. Literally. "The Comparison Trap". That is exactly what it is. A trap. A snare. A way to turn the focus inward. As I read the words on the page, I was reminded that He knows my thoughts. Even the ones that aren't nice. But He is not shocked or hurt or taken aback by them. He simply offers a gentle warning sign that gives me the chance to reign the thoughts in before I begin sliding down that hill.


Thank goodness His mercies are new every morning. Fresh Grace. New Mercies. Amazing Love. Today is the first day of spring. The birds are singing. The trees are bursting with new color. The flowers are peeking through. The grass is turning green. All a reminder that the dead is coming to life.


Each of us has so many blessings each day. Even in our hardest times. Even in our darkest times. If we renew our minds with thanksgiving, He will pour the mercy over the feelings. He is faithful that way. When we walk in newness of life with the Creator, we find ourselves reigning in those thoughts a little quicker. Being more aware of the trap. Looking up instead of looking in. Freedom is found in gratitude.


Thank you Lord that Your Mercy is available. That Your Grace is sufficient. That Your timing is perfect. But most of all that in You there is freedom. Help me today to rise above my feelings. To offer thanksgiving in my circumstances. To live abundantly in my blessings. And to rest in the Truth that You have a plan just for me. Help me to walk in it.

Make a careful exploration of who you are 

and the work you have been given, 

and then sink yourself into that. 

Don't be impressed with yourself. 

Don't compare yourself with others. 

Each of you must take responsibility for doing 

the creative best you can with your own life. 

Galatians 6:4-5

A foundation of faith...

I am so very humbled this morning. Humbled by the love of so many. Humbled by the outpouring of generosity. Humbled by the way God knits together the strands of our lives over the years. The friends and the family that hang in there in spite of the hurts and the pain and the emotions that come along with families and children and day to day life.

I have been reading again about Abraham this morning. About what faith looks like lived out. Abraham believed God. And it was credited to him as righteousness. He believed God through all of the mountaintops and the valleys of his life. And it was a long life. Through it all he believed. By faith. Not because he could see the end.

We celebrated a lot of family events this weekend. Enough events to leave me emotionally drained and physically tired. But my heart is so full. All the girls were home. We had family dinners. Another wedding shower with family and neighbors and sweet friends. We celebrated my nephew as he received his Eagle Scout award. How very proud we are of him. We welcomed home our future son-in-law from a mission trip. And at the very end of the weekend we celebrated with him as he received the official call that he has been selected to serve on the staff of Young Life. So very proud of him too.

Walking in faith isn't something that happens overnight. It isn't a one time thing. A life of faith is lived over a lifetime. We continue on our journey day in and day out. Trusting each day that the One who is leading is worth following. Even when we have no idea where we will end up. The older we get the more  hindsight we have. The paths behind us are rich with faith lessons. As we continue walking forward, those lessons build our character.

We have the same promises that Abraham had. We can trust the One leading us. With our families. With our children. With our future and with theirs. The character that comes from faith is not developed in the mountaintop experiences. Although those times, like mine this weekend, are so worth celebrating. Those emotions fade. But the everyday life of consistent trust and blind belief is what builds our foundation of faith. It is those years of trusting. Of believing. Of seeking. Of asking. By faith we walk forward each day. By faith we pour into the next generation. And by faith we trust Him to take that foundation into their lives as they too walk each day with the One who leads them.

Abraham believed God. For his family. For his future. For the promises that took years to see. He continued to build a foundation of faith that held a nation. All because he believed God. I want to believe Him that way too.

 "A life of faith is not a life of one glorious 

mountaintop experience after another,

 like soaring of eagle's wings,

 but is a life of day-in and day-out consistency; 

a life of walking without fainting. (Isaiah 40:31)"

~oswald chambers 

Morning Reflections

As I drove my daughter to school this morning, I was thinking how much I do not like this dark morning stuff. But after I returned to my neighborhood, I saw it. This perfect moon illuminating in the sky. It was a perfect half. Just sitting there against the darkened sky. I went into my back yard to get a better look.


As I looked at the moon, I found myself having a heart to heart with its Creator. There is nothing like being outside on a beautiful morning. Alone and quiet. Darkness hiding you from the world around you and allowing you to see the heavens displayed in their splendor above you. The created with the Creator. At those times His still small voice echoes loudly.


I am tired this morning. It is a good tired but there is some stress surrounding the good also. Life keeps going no matter what is happening in our little world. The good. The blessings. The stress. The emotions. Other people in our life's emotions. It all happens at the same time.


I spent a few moments outside. Just me and God. So refreshing to block everything and everyone else out for a just a minute. After I came inside and continued with my morning routine, I could not get that image of the moon out of my head. So, of course, I googled the phases of the moon. And this is what I found:


"The Moon produces no light of its own. It merely reflects the sunlight. Therefore, at any one time the Moon has a night side and a day side that depends upon the position of the Sun. We can see the Moon only from the Earth and as the Moon orbits the Earth its position with respect to the Sun changes. That is what causes the various phases of the Moon. As the Moon continues in its orbit it moves into a position in which it makes a right angle with the Earth-Sun line. This causes half the Moon to be lit. Some folks call this a "Half Moon" but astronomers prefer to call it a First Quarter Moon to remind us that there is another quarter illuminated on the Moon's far side."


As I read that I was reminded that today I am in that first quarter moon stage. I produce no light of my own. Any light that illuminates from me is merely a reflection of the Son. When I choose to live my life in an angle that lines up with Him, my part shines brightly. He is the other part illuminated on the far side. He has my back! Always. He reminded very clearly that He is always there. And He is always illuminated brightly. I just need to stay positioned with Him.

Fear not, for I am with you; 

be not dismayed, for I am your God; 

I will strengthen you, I will help you, 

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  

Isaiah 41:10

Dresses and Dreams

Her Aunt gave her a box of dress up clothes one year for her birthday. The box was full of dresses and gloves and hats and scarves. Jewelry and tiaras and sparkly things. She loved it. All of it. She dressed up from head to toe. She dressed her sister from head to toe. They went to pretend parties and pretend dinners. And of course, they went to their pretend wedding. Laughing and giggling and dreaming. I can still see her at that age. So happy. So full of life. So sure of what she wanted.


I stood in the corner watching as they pinned and tucked and talked about making everything perfect. She was standing there in a dress. The dress. The most beautiful long white lace dress I have ever seen. And there she stood looking and watching. Talking about how she wanted it to look. Still so sure of herself. So grown up and confident. So amazingly beautiful.


I just watched. Amazed at the woman she has become. Blessed to have been a part of the last twenty one years. So excited about the next few months. Blown away by the mercy and the grace of God. Humbled at the awe of it all.


As I looked at her, I saw the little girl and the woman all rolled into one. Playing dress up for real this time. My heart was so full. Overflowing. I just looked at her with the pure love that fills a mother's heart.


That is how He looks at us. He sees us pure and white. Washed in the blood and covered in His love. He loves us so. He delights in us. Amazing, isn't it?


Remember that today. How He loves you. How He sees you. How He adores you. Let that truth wash over you and fill you to overflowing.


You are fearfully and wonderfully made, sweet friends. Rest in that promise.

And we are His portion and He is our prize. 

Drawn to redemption by the Grace in His eyes. 

If His Grace is an ocean, we're all sinking. 

Oh, how He loves us!

For such a time as this...

If you do not know who Kony is, then you either do not use the Internet or you do not have teenagers or college students. If you have both and still do not know who he is, then you might want to catch up. No offense. 


As parents at such a time as this, we must be relevant in our children's world. If we want them to embrace their world and affect change, then we must model it. I continue to be amazed by the passion that young people have today. In this world of social media and instant communication and worldwide understanding, our young people are responding. Their world is within eye shot and ear shot. They can have friends all over the world and never leave their bedroom. My girls have friends in several countries that they met during mission trips. They continue to communicate with them through their computer. Something we could not have done when we were their age.


I have researched this week the KONY2012 campaign. I have read the pros and cons concerning the financial giving surrounding the organization. I have read the stories and watched the video. Twice. Both times my heart ripped in two. The images are terrifying and heart breaking and are designed to invoke a reaction. And it works.


No matter what your opinion is about the way the organization is run or where the money is going, there is a lesson here for our generation. We live in a country where we have a choice. A choice to give to any charity or organization that we choose. A choice to be active in any movement or cause. A choice to voice our opinion about each other. About whether we agree or disagree. About what we think. We also have a choice to just read about this stuff in the comfort of our own homes and we have a choice to actually do something. This organization chose to do something.


Agree or disagree, they are out there. They are active. With a voice. With the media. With action. They are choosing to be the difference. Isn't that what Jesus taught us? To take the gospel into all the world. Last time I checked, the world is much bigger than the United States. 


I am not making a stand for this particular organization. In fact, there are several other Christian organizations that I choose to support. But my choice is to give. To act. To stay informed. To make a difference and to encourage my girls to make a difference too. Out there in the world. The real world of flesh and blood. The real people. The real problems. The real messes.


Our children are going to live in the world. The real live messy world. They will see things and hear things that are going to cause them to think. They will have to decide what they believe. Who they believe. And what they are going to do about it. Isn't it our jobs to help them? To teach them. To prepare them to affect change. Didn't Jesus come to set the captive free? To protect the orphans and the widows. To feed the hungry. To clothe the naked. To heal the sick. If we do not model and teach and share with them, there are plenty of voices out there that will. And they will listen. Help them to be informed and to train their ears to hear and their eyes to see. With the mind and the heart of Jesus.


As a parent in this time in history, I want to make sure that my girls understand. That they know Who they are and to Whom they belong. And as hard and scary as it is as a mom, I want them to know that they were born for such a time as this. It is their choice. They can be the hands and feet. And they can make a difference. Open the eyes of our hearts, Jesus.

"Don't think that just because you live in the king's house 

you're the one Jew who will get out of this alive. 

If you persist in staying silent at a time like this, help and 

deliverance will arrive for the Jews from someplace else; 

but you and your family will be wiped out. Who knows? 

Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this."

 Esther 4:14 the message

A transParent's Heart ~ Repost

As we slide into Spring and look toward the end of another school year, I can't help but think back. I read my post from back in August 2011. The emotions are still so bittersweet but the reality of living those feelings has been an unseen blessing. Oh how He loves us. And how much I have learned and cherished during the past seven months or so. The blessings and the lessons learned and the insights and the understanding has been so much more than I could have ever thought or imagined. Open the eyes of my heart, Lord, and bury the memories deeply inside...

Everything is changing...

She is moving back into her apartment for her senior year of college. Nothing too new except that she will never really come back home. She will move back for a few weeks to get ready for her wedding but she will be preparing for her new home and life during that time. She will be living out of boxes and busyness! Everything is changing...

She is moving into her dorm room. Her room is empty now. She will come back but it won't be the same. She will be a  young woman making her own choices, her own decisions, living her own life. She will be full of new adventures and stories that we aren't a part of. Everything is changing...

She left for high school this morning. Yes, she is coming back but her world just got bigger. She is surrounded by new things, new people and new choices. Her life at home will be different. There won't be someone down the hall to look at her outfit or to listen when mom just doesn't understand. She lives at the very end of the hallway upstairs. It will be a very quiet walk to her room now. Everything is changing...

Thank goodness their daddy loves me! It is all changing but it is all good. God is good. Life is good. Change is good. We are aliens in this world passing through to our permanent home. I have been given the privilege of loving, nurturing, teaching, exhorting, and molding these 3 incredible lives. It is a gift and I know it.  Just a season. The next part will be just as exciting and just as fulfilling but everything is changing...

She is ready. All the she's in my life. It is time. They are on the runway. Spread your wings sweet girls. It is time to fly! But know this... I will be standing on the sidelines cheering like crazy as I watch you go~

For I know the plans I have for you,” 

declares the LORD, 

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 

plans to give you hope and a future.

 Jeremiah 29:11

Impacting a Life

Since I have been writing this little blog, I have connected with so many people from my past. College friends and high school friends. Friends of friends and people that I don't even know. Several of them have contacted me over the past few months just to say hi. One of those messages posed the question, "I don't know what prompted you to begin blogging..."?


I have thought about that a lot for the last four months. She asked me what prompted me. And the person who asked the question had an impact on me that probably played into the prompting. Although I doubt she knows that. So, here is a glimpse at how someone in our past can impact us in our future.


I went to a college that had a lot of rules. It was a military college. One of the rules was that as a first quarter freshman you had to be in your dorm by 8:00pm each night. If you wanted to go to the library or any other approved locations to study then you had to sign out of your dorm. My roommate had college hours coming into our freshman year so the rule did not apply to her. So when she and a few friends asked me to go out with them after 8:00, I just pretended it didn't apply to me either. My RA felt differently. I got introduced to Dean Saus.


I got put on probation. But I met an incredible woman. Well, let's just say that I met her several other times also. We got to know one another. She never judged me. She never treated me like a child. She asked questions. She got to know who I was and what I was about. She cared. She followed up. She listened. And she made an impact on me.


I became an orientation leader. It was a big deal position. And she believed that I could make a difference. She, along with other key administrators of the college, encouraged me. They gave me leadership roles. They trusted me with administrative tasks. The gave me a voice.


Before that time in my life, I did not have a voice. I did not believe in myself. At all. There have been so many other people that saw the potential in me and encouraged me since that time. Mainly, my sweet husband. But that visit to the Dean's office opened my eyes. Opened my heart. Prompted me to speak and to lead and to move forward.


Dean Saus~ you cared. And that matters. As I look back on those years with God's eyes, the path He laid out is so clear. Thank you for being at the beginning of it. Even if you did not know that you were impacting me, He did.


How we treat others matters. We have a profound impact on the next generation. An impact that can prompt something as small as writing a blog or as large as changing a nation. We may never know how our words or our hugs or our willingness to believe can impact another person. But He does. Ask God to show you how you can impact the next generation and then be willing to sit back and wait to see what He will do.

The words of the reckless pierce like swords,

 but the tongue of the wise brings healing. 

Proverbs 12:18

Live the fruit today

My youngest daughter has loved being an "only child" this school year. She has the whole bathroom to herself and she has access to the all the bedrooms upstairs. She misses her sisters but she is really loving the attention and the freedom. Danny and I have loved getting the chance to see a different side of her. We have the blessing of having that one on one time with her. It has been different but wonderful.


With all of that one on one time, she has seen us differently too. Lately she has been singing us the "Fruit of the Spirit" song when we need a little extra patience or kindness or gentleness in a situation. She usually nails it at just the right time. Gotta love that childlike perception. From the mouth of babes. Even the teenage versions.


She reminded me just the other day, through her little song, that I was not being patient. And she was right. She knows me. She watches me. Even if no one else heard what I was saying or saw how I was responding, she did. Our children know.


So today I am being intentional about her song. I want to live out the fruit. It comes from the Spirit. Not from my own strength. But I do have to be intentional about it. Intentional about loving well. Considering it all joy. Resting in the peace. Making sure that I am patient and kind and good to those around me. I want to let my husband, my children, my friends and those I encounter today see that I am faithful. I want to interact with others with gentleness. I want to respond today with self-control not out of emotion or instinct. That kind of fruit does not come natural to me. I have to have help and rely on that Help to lead me.


Sing the song with me today. Walk in the Spirit.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is 

love, joy, peace, 

patience, kindness, goodness,

 faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

Against such things there is no law." 

Galatians 5:22-23

Change

Do you feel the pace quickening? Midterms. Spring Break. Easter. Sunshine. Spring flowers. It is that time of year when things begin to change. The weather is changing. The trees are changing. The time is getting ready to change.


I always feel the surge this time of year. And as much as I love the warm weather and the push toward summer, it always catches me a little off guard. The change. It is like waking up from a good nap with someone handing you a to do list.


But God doesn't change. He is the same. Always. Yesterday. Today. He will be the same tomorrow. Do we forget that sometimes? We get caught up in the changes of life and frantically try to figure out what to do. Where to go. How to get there.


But Lent is about recognizing that God doesn't change. We do. As we remember what He did for us and acknowledge our need for Him, we again change a little. The chains begin to loosen. The awareness of our sin that separates us. The repentance of our part in that separation. The fasting from the things that widened that gap. It is not a time of self loathing or guilt but of relief. Relief that in the recognition of our need we see clearly that He never changed.


As we continue to walk through these days of Lent, remember that the story hasn't changed. The gift was given freely. And the One who never changes is offering us yet another chance to change more into His likeness. Newness. Freedom. Righteousness. We get the chance to change because He never does.

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." 

Hebrews 13:8

Prayer is Powerful

I have the privilege as a Bible study leader to pray for some wonderful women. I get to hear their hearts and then lift them up to the One who knows their groanings. Last night we had a dear friend whose husband had heart surgery. He had complications and things got bad fast. We were able to immediately call on prayer warriors. Even through social media we could ask for prayer from anyone.


Prayer is powerful. It works. It heals. It calms. It calls to the One who is the great Physician. The Healer. The Protector. The Provider. He hears our cries. He sees our hearts.


If you do not have access to prayer warriors. To those who would drop everything and pray right then and there, reach out and find some. Don't go this life alone. We were created for community and for relationship. Find a small group. Get connected to your church's prayer line. There is someone around you that will pray with you and for you. I promise. Just ask.


God hears our own prayers but how wonderful it is to have an audible voice to pray into our situation. Real arms to wrap around our pain. A sweet small and calming voice to speak over our fears. Another person to remind us that God is there. He hears.


Send me a message. I will pray for you. It is a blessing to storm the throne room of heaven!

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. 

Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 

Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church 

to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 

And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; 

the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, 

they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other 

and pray for each other so that you may be healed. 

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 

James 5:13-16

Wisdom and Understanding

I am doing a Bible study on the book of James. Last night we were discussing the various scriptures that talk about wisdom and understanding. Beth Moore states that wisdom is the what while understanding is the why. That really made me stop and think.

We are clearly told in scripture that if we lack wisdom then we should ask for it. Boldly ask and it will be given to us in abundance. As parents, the wisdom of the basics is pretty clear. We know, for the most part, what is right. What is wrong. What can harm. What big things to say no to. At least when they are younger.


But as they get older and the circumstances get bigger the wisdom of parenting becomes a little less clear. The voices screaming about the wisdom of this world get louder. And our children are surrounded with those voices sometimes more often than our voice of wisdom. A lot of times they respond to our wisdom out of the influence of the world's wisdom. That is where the understanding comes in.


Each one of my girls has had a moment this week that they responded to me out of emotion. Each response was big enough to get my attention. Each one was in response to a "word of wisdom" that I had shared with them. I have been really thinking this morning about what prompted their emotional response and the Lord reminded me that my wisdom was not wrong but I was dismissing the understanding.


I have a perspective of parenting all females. So I have had a crash course in understanding over the years. Without understanding you will drown in their emotions. But understanding is something that has to be intentionally pursued. And this morning the Lord reminded me that I was not paying attention to the why because I was so focused on getting the point of the what across.


As I began to ask God for understanding as a parent, it became easier to pray for the girls. My understanding of the response led me to pray differently. More effectively. Maybe even more boldly.


I never cease to be humbled by how the Creator of the Universe can meet me in my own little world and impart wisdom and understanding directly into my circumstances. It is because He is relational. He knows me. He understands me. He loves me. That is the kind of mom I want to be. 

You don't really understand human nature unless 

you know why a child on a merry-go-round 

will wave at his parents every time around - 

and why his parents will always wave back. 

 ~William D. Tammeus