Happy Saturday Friends!

A Thankful Heart

*Photo by my hubby

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God which passes understanding shall ground your hearts and minds in Jesus. " - Philippians 4:6-7 

Throughout scripture, we are commanded to offer praise to God from our thankful hearts. Once again, I have to quote Robert McGee. I’ve been studying this passage of scripture but he broke it down beautifully.

“Be anxious for nothing …”

Whatever it is you are going through it could take time. Thank God anyway.

“…but in everything by prayer and thanksgiving…”

Thank God for the situation. 

“…let your request be made known to God…”

Tell God where you are in the process and ask him to meet your need right there.

“…And the peace of God which passes understanding shall ground your hearts and minds in Jesus.”

This is peace. Notice how it will affect both your heart and mind. At times you may not feel as though you have made the progress you should have. Just remember that this is a process.

So in the midst of the problem we are facing we are commanded to offer praise to God. Here are a few PRAISE reminders:

• Praise says, “Thank you God.” 

• Gratefulness is an important part of praise. 

• Praise also changes the attitude of the heart. 

• It is so easy to praise God when things are going well. But when times are difficult praise does not come easy or naturally. In those moments we have to practice the sacrifice of praise. 

I realize doing all these things could be frustrating especially when you are hurting or discouraged, but let praise come from a grateful heart. God will accept it and bless you for offering it up to Him. 

Obedience is Joy

Most days teaching my kids to obey is like herding a group of cats. I want to pull my hair out and get them to understand that I’m not trying to be cruel there’s a reason why I need them to obey. “Don’t you know that when I yell STOP it’s because there’s a car coming and I’m concerned for your safety,” sound familiar?

When I get overly frustrated I can’t help but wonder about how God feels with my lack of obedience. Obedience is opportunity. Opportunity to show me some lessons, to see His goodness, to feel joy. Some people don’t see it that way. They think obedience means I will have to do something I don’t want to do. In previous situations He’s put up a sign warning me of my consequences if I didn’t stop doing what I was doing. There were times I obeyed and there were times I’ve failed. Obedience comes out of a true relationship with God. Our willingness to obey is a change of response out of love that we should be eager to undertake. 

John Piper in his book, The Dangerous Duty of Delight says, “Joy is not just the spin-off of obedience to God, but part of obedience. It seems as though people are willing to let joy be a by-product of our relationship to God, but not an essential part of it. Because joy is an act of obedience, we are commanded to rejoice in God. If obedience is doing what God commands, then joy is not merely the spin-off of obedience, it is obedience.”

I’ve been doing a bible study by Robert McGee and he says this, "Obedience is co-active. To obey, we have to act. It is a requirement that we do something. Working co-actively with God is not a common approach for most Christians. Most Christians are passive in their faith. Obedience is taking responsibility for our part of the process. God values us so much that he chooses to allow us to work with him. In the co-active process, God demonstrates the great value he has put on us and on our free will."

Throughout history, God has worked through individuals’ willingness to obey. The thing is this, God sees the big picture and we don’t. He has a reason for everything. Our minds can’t handle all of what God sees so we have to trust Him and obey. Just like our relationship with our kids. We want them to trust us; trust our decisions. A good parent trains a child and teaches him/her to do things for themselves and allows them to experience the consequences of their actions. Yes, they will make mistakes and when they do we can be there to help solve the problem and learn from it. We give them healthy boundaries. But they don’t have to be alone. It’s a co-active relationship. The more we obey the more victories we have under our belt. 

Additional Resources:

The Dangerous Duty of Delight by John Piper

Search for Peace by Robert S. McGee

Power Verses:

Psalm 40:8

I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.

Isaiah 26:8

Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name. 

Finding Your Passion & Pursuing It - Part 2

Yesterday we talked about the crazy and busy life a mom faces on a daily basis. If you missed Part 1 you can catch up by reading yesterday's post.

As I mentioned I love to blog. I just enjoy writing and I just felt like there never was the “right time” to get a blog going. The last four years I’ve been in baby mode and I felt way too tired to focus on me. But the days seemed endless and I was feeling tired, lonely and desperate. A few months ago my family moved to another city and I finally decided it was time. I discovered writing was a key ingredient to fueling my day. It keeps me accountable and sane. I was enjoying the neat truths and treasures God was showing me and I wanted someone to share it with. 

So how do you know when is the “right time” to pursue your passion? Sometimes it takes prayer, advice from a trusted friend or your spouse, and sometimes just a step of faith. You have to be wise and you have to discern the situation you are in at the moment. What are you willing to sacrifice? For me staying at home with my kids is important. So blogging from my recliner while my kids are napping works perfect.  I have tried juggling work and kids and I couldn’t do it. It stressed me out. I knew I would be a better wife and mom if I was able to give my attention to one of the two. So I am not dissing the working mom. Others are good at it, I wasn’t. 

When I first became a full fledged stay at home mom my church did not have any type of moms group. I knew that if I hungered for a support system there had to be other moms who desired it too. I was able to meet with the leadership of my church and organize a group for moms with my schedule in mind and what I knew would work best for my family. However, be aware, not all good ideas are meant for you so think things through in its entirety. Luckily I had a few other moms who were just as passionate as I was and they helped me start up this group. I could not have done this on my own.

So do you know what fuels you? Do you like to cook, sew, garden or craft? Whatever it is you enjoy doing find a way to pursue it. It is YOUR job to find your passion and pursue it. I read a great blog post on this you can read about it here. I knew another stay at home mom who loved to cook and she was a good cook too. She put her passion into action and she’s a part of a hospitality group at her church that makes meals for those who are sick or mammas who just had babies. There are a ton of opportunities to put your passion into action you just have to look for them!

If you are still stuck I want you to listen to this sermon. It shares some great practical ideas on how to approach this if you still don’t know where to start. I already shared what fuels me daily but I also know that I need a weekly family night that brings my family together for some fun times. I also know that 1-2 times a month I need a date night with my husband. It’s important to me that we are strengthening our marriage by having time alone and away from the kids. What fuels you daily, weekly, and monthly? Journal it out and make it happen.

This is not being selfish. It is being smart. A better you means a healthier home!

Additional Resources: 

Desperate, Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe by Sarah Mae & Sally Clarkson

http://desperatemom.com

Steady Mom Blog
http://www.steadymom.com/2011/05/your-job-is-to-find-your-passion-and-pursue-it.html

Velocity Series by Rick Gannon at Palm Valley Church 
http://palmvalleychurch.com/sermons/oldsunday/

Power Verses:
Philippians 4:9
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice.

Philippians 4:13
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Finding Your Passion & Pursuing It - Part 1

As a stay at home mom it can be very easy to put your passions and dreams on the back burner. Diaper changing, meal making, and house cleaning consumes your day and before you know it you’re so exhausted all you can think about is your bed. So someone please tell me when will I find time to read a book, try a new recipe, or paint my toe nails??? There are days when all I want is to eat a meal in silence with no little hands picking off my plate or returning to a plate of cold food due to some sort of dramatic melt down that needed my attention. Yes, all true stories and I’m pretty certain some of you reading this can feel my pain. 

This is only a season. Temporary. You will survive, I promise. By the way, I say this to myself all the time, I don’t have this down! I have a four year old, a two year old, and a five month old so I am still in this and I'm still learning. I know some moms who feel like failures for feeling the way they do. You are NOT a failure. You have the toughest job in the world and it is okay to have a bad day. It is hard and difficult. Quickly, a few things you can do to prepare yourself before you have a melt down.

• Wake up before your kids and have some quiet time. Read your bible, journal, and pray. God will give you the strength you need for that day.

• Take a deep breath and take a time out. For five minutes lock yourself in a room and just breathe. 

•  Find a support system. It could be your spouse, a good friend or a mom’s group. I’m sure they’d all be willing to pray for you during the tough times or give a lending hand.

Do you know what fuels you? What gives you energy for the day? What do you enjoy doing? There are a few things I know I need daily or I will be grumpy and mean. I need time to read my Bible, I need my coffee, I have to read at least a chapter or two of one of my books I'm reading, and I need some writing/journaling time for myself. For a long time now I’ve been wanting to blog. I enjoy writing and for me it’s something I’m passionate about. I see it as ministry. This fuels me, it gets my creative wheels turning, and it brings just pure joy to my heart. 

There’s a lot to be said about this subject and I think moms don’t allow themselves the freedom to dream  because they feel it’s selfish. It is not. Your children and your spouse need a healthy mom (physically, emotionally, spiritually). Tomorrow I will talking about the following:

• Practical ways to figure out what fuels you daily, weekly, and monthly.

• When is the right time to pursue my passions?

• Ideas on putting your passions into practice/pursuing it.

• Resources that have helped me in this subject and could help you.
  

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9

Happy Veteran's Day

Philippians 4:5 says, "Let your gentleness be evident to all." A special thank you to those who have served and are serving our country! Extend gentleness by giving a solider a hug or a handshake. We are blessed by those who have sacrificed so we can have freedom!

Shining Stars

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become  blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.” Philippians 2:14-15

Thanksgiving is a few weeks away; the season of thankfulness. I’m glad we take time to pause and reflect on what we are grateful for but if the habit is good for a month why not make it a daily habit. 

Philippians 2:14 says do everything without complaining or arguing. This can be a challenge. It can be a challenge because our human nature wants to do that, complain and argue. The opposite of that? Thankfulness. 

So at 3 o’clock in the morning when my five month old is wide awake while I’m in a dead sleep I should not complain? When I get a flat tire on the highway I should not complain? We are still human with human tendencies but I think in those moments what we need is a mentality shift. Instead of complaining or arguing we should be grateful. Grateful that I have a healthy baby boy. Grateful that even though I got a flat tire I’m safe and I have a car to drive around in. 

Verse 15 says, “so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.” 

We live in a world where it’s all about ME and MY rights. So when we take the road less traveled like gratefulness, we stand out like shining stars. Some people will not understand where the peace of your decisions come from but our lack of complaining should be a testimony to the world we live in.