forgiveness
the stillness of a new morning
fresh dew
laughter
conviction
provision
new opportunities to serve
the simple acceptance of a child
fresh beginnings
The darkness of the human condition, the knowing of your own shortcomings and barriers to complete allegiance to Him, makes HIS goodness hard to grasp. His grace is extended to me at all times, yet in the stimulation of all that surrounds me, I forget that GRACE is what sustains me. From sun-up to sun-down I serve, love and pour myself out, often missing the small moments to refresh my soul in the warmth of His goodness.
details being worked out years in advance
protection
an encouraging husband
daily learning moments that stretch me
healthy active boys
accountability
His Word...steady, reliable, true
When life begins to feel like an endless cycle of stuff, lists, chores...I feel the pull. My heart is being tugged at for change.
Simplicity. Stillness. Focus. Intentional actions.
The desire of my heart and the reality of our daily routine do not match. The "everyday life" takes up so much space, it seems hard to shift. Oh Lord, that you would make room and help me to see the narrow path on which to lead my boys each day. Thank you Lord for knocking, for being there ready. You are always ready. Am I? Do I greet each day basking in the stillness of your new mercy, savoring the moment of quiet before the house becomes all abuzz with the activities of my precious little men. Life can be complicated by so many things, Oh Lord, help me keep my vision clear and simple. You have called me to much....
dirty laundry
messy beds
boo boos and band-aides
oatmeal in bowls
spilled juice on the table
papers to be filed
ministry
training in righteousness
home-schooling
help-mate
cleaning floors
This is the life with which you have blessed me, called me, and equipped me to partake in. The journey of my soul to hunger for you more deeply. The process in which you are refining me to look more like You ~ and you call me....
"But to do justice, to love kindness; And to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
I'd like to thank the Academy....
Ok, just kidding! My sweet friends Corrie and Anna over at My First Friend and Me awarded me the Master of Karate and Friendship Award...
So I am now supposed to share six things that I am a master at doing~ so, here goes! By the way, this is really out of my box, because I do not like to toot my own horn....even saying master is giving me heart palpatations! But, I love Corrie & Anna and so I do this for them :)
1. I am a Master Visionary~ God has gifted me with the ability to see a plan, organize the plan, put it into action and see it through to the end. This is a curse and a blessing, because sometimes when things are not going like I see in my head it is sometimes hard to let go of the vision. For example, when planning my wedding I had drawn out pictures of the flowers, my dress, the church~ then I had to find someone who could catch the vision and help make it a reality! It took some time, but God sent all the perfect people into my path :) I have learned a lot in my life about letting go and learning to flex!
2. I am a Master for Details~ I LOVE the little things that most people do not notice. This comes very honestly from my mama. If I am planning a party with a beach theme, I love to add the smallest of details that no one else will even notice, but I feel better knowing it is done. For example forks that have a seashell on the end of them. :)
3. I am a Master at keeping traditions/sentimental things~ I LOVE traditions. I am sentimental and so I love the passing on of stories, objects and traditions. When I got married my cake topper was my grandparents. They were married in 1936 and I was married in 1999. (A detail no one else really noticed, but that made me smile when I saw it!) Sitting on my armoire is a small pink pitcher that my mama made when she was a young woman, that I absolutely love. Every Easter morning I wake up my family singing "Up From the Grave He Arose," because my mama used to wake us up with this on her trumpet. I keep a lens for a "real" camera in a special box b/c it used to be my daddy's. We went camping this past October with our boys and now I am certain this is something we will continue until they are all bringing their own families along with us :)
4. I am a Master at understanding kids~ I get kids, they are right at my level. I understand that when they are at pre-school and daddy packed their lunch and gave them ham that they need to cry because this feels like the worst thing that has every happened! I can see nervousness in their sweet eyes and help them warm up to a situation. I can see the joy in doing something absolutely senseless because it is so very very silly! I LOVE spending time with children, life seems not so big and crazy and lost when I get into their world. I can only give credit to God for making me this way~ it is a fun thing to know how to do.
5. I am a Master planner~ Yes, I love a plan! (Although I can be completely spontaneous at times...which when feeling this way I will not be calling Anna to go to the movies....TONIGHT! HaHa Anna, that was just for you :) ) Planning includes list making, which I am obsessed with, and yes I add things to my list, just to cross them out!
6. I am a Master Bread Burner~ This one is for my husband :) It never fails that when I have bread in the oven, I get occupied and forget and burn the bread. I NEVER set timers when cooking (which not a good habit) but nevertheless.... I wish my Grandmother Olga was still alive, because she loved burned bread! So technically, I inherited this master ability!
Don't forget to check out Anna's fun list here !
So I am now supposed to share six things that I am a master at doing~ so, here goes! By the way, this is really out of my box, because I do not like to toot my own horn....even saying master is giving me heart palpatations! But, I love Corrie & Anna and so I do this for them :)
1. I am a Master Visionary~ God has gifted me with the ability to see a plan, organize the plan, put it into action and see it through to the end. This is a curse and a blessing, because sometimes when things are not going like I see in my head it is sometimes hard to let go of the vision. For example, when planning my wedding I had drawn out pictures of the flowers, my dress, the church~ then I had to find someone who could catch the vision and help make it a reality! It took some time, but God sent all the perfect people into my path :) I have learned a lot in my life about letting go and learning to flex!
2. I am a Master for Details~ I LOVE the little things that most people do not notice. This comes very honestly from my mama. If I am planning a party with a beach theme, I love to add the smallest of details that no one else will even notice, but I feel better knowing it is done. For example forks that have a seashell on the end of them. :)
3. I am a Master at keeping traditions/sentimental things~ I LOVE traditions. I am sentimental and so I love the passing on of stories, objects and traditions. When I got married my cake topper was my grandparents. They were married in 1936 and I was married in 1999. (A detail no one else really noticed, but that made me smile when I saw it!) Sitting on my armoire is a small pink pitcher that my mama made when she was a young woman, that I absolutely love. Every Easter morning I wake up my family singing "Up From the Grave He Arose," because my mama used to wake us up with this on her trumpet. I keep a lens for a "real" camera in a special box b/c it used to be my daddy's. We went camping this past October with our boys and now I am certain this is something we will continue until they are all bringing their own families along with us :)
4. I am a Master at understanding kids~ I get kids, they are right at my level. I understand that when they are at pre-school and daddy packed their lunch and gave them ham that they need to cry because this feels like the worst thing that has every happened! I can see nervousness in their sweet eyes and help them warm up to a situation. I can see the joy in doing something absolutely senseless because it is so very very silly! I LOVE spending time with children, life seems not so big and crazy and lost when I get into their world. I can only give credit to God for making me this way~ it is a fun thing to know how to do.
5. I am a Master planner~ Yes, I love a plan! (Although I can be completely spontaneous at times...which when feeling this way I will not be calling Anna to go to the movies....TONIGHT! HaHa Anna, that was just for you :) ) Planning includes list making, which I am obsessed with, and yes I add things to my list, just to cross them out!
6. I am a Master Bread Burner~ This one is for my husband :) It never fails that when I have bread in the oven, I get occupied and forget and burn the bread. I NEVER set timers when cooking (which not a good habit) but nevertheless.... I wish my Grandmother Olga was still alive, because she loved burned bread! So technically, I inherited this master ability!
Don't forget to check out Anna's fun list here !
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Full Hands
So, it was about a month ago and I went into Lowes with my three little men. As we approached an aisle, the two big boys stopped in front of me to let a lady pass by in front of us and as I approached she said, "No you go ahead, you have your hands full." This of course was said with "that look." I of course just smile and say thank you every time I get "that look." Fast forward about 2 1/2 weeks to when I was keeping my very dear friends three boys and went to t-ball practice with all six of them! I really got "that look!"
As I have thought back to these two times, as well as many others when I hear the comment, "You sure do have your hands full," I began thinking about what they actually see. My boys are not throwing fits, running around crazy, climbing the shelves (although that has happened once before!) or screaming their heads off. I have never taken the time to stop them and ask, "Why do you say that?" I am thinking someday I might, so I can learn more about why I seem to have my hands full. But, as I read in a blog (cultivatinghome.com) one-time from a mother of five, "Better full than empty."
We home-school and my boys do not attend a mother's day out, so most of the time anywhere I go, they go! Some places take more planning than others, but I have decided that having my sweet men with me will always be an opportunity for showing Christ. Whether they are on their best behavior or having trouble and needing help, I can be a witness in how I deal with how we all handle ourselves when out and about!
So whether or not people think positively or negatively about the fact that "my hands are full," I am going to purpose to show that that fullness is a wonderful thing! These past few days, I had many plans for accomplishing some big tasks in our house, but things have gone a very different direction. So I had to flex and sit more than I had planned, so I have been taking note of all that fills my hands in a week and here are some things I remember....
my Bible...a sick baby...dirty dishes...clean clothes to fold...oatmeal....little dirty hands....a caterpillar....lots of glasses of water....band-aides.....the telephone....books.....home-school folders...paint....a broom....laundry detergent....diapers.....towels....hairdryer....milk....blankies....tylenol arthritis.....stamps.....checkbook....bills.....camera.....cards....sticks.....the steering wheel....a pen.....BLESSINGS!
My hands could be full of many other things, but oh how grateful I am that God has chosen my hands to be full of everyday ordinary kinds of love. That is why "my hands are full"~ because I have been chosen to serve with love everyday of my life to my family. So, that is what I hope others see when they see that my hands are full. I also pray that God will grant me the opportunity to share why having full hands is such a wonderful thing!
As I have thought back to these two times, as well as many others when I hear the comment, "You sure do have your hands full," I began thinking about what they actually see. My boys are not throwing fits, running around crazy, climbing the shelves (although that has happened once before!) or screaming their heads off. I have never taken the time to stop them and ask, "Why do you say that?" I am thinking someday I might, so I can learn more about why I seem to have my hands full. But, as I read in a blog (cultivatinghome.com) one-time from a mother of five, "Better full than empty."
We home-school and my boys do not attend a mother's day out, so most of the time anywhere I go, they go! Some places take more planning than others, but I have decided that having my sweet men with me will always be an opportunity for showing Christ. Whether they are on their best behavior or having trouble and needing help, I can be a witness in how I deal with how we all handle ourselves when out and about!
So whether or not people think positively or negatively about the fact that "my hands are full," I am going to purpose to show that that fullness is a wonderful thing! These past few days, I had many plans for accomplishing some big tasks in our house, but things have gone a very different direction. So I had to flex and sit more than I had planned, so I have been taking note of all that fills my hands in a week and here are some things I remember....
my Bible...a sick baby...dirty dishes...clean clothes to fold...oatmeal....little dirty hands....a caterpillar....lots of glasses of water....band-aides.....the telephone....books.....home-school folders...paint....a broom....laundry detergent....diapers.....towels....hairdryer....milk....blankies....tylenol arthritis.....stamps.....checkbook....bills.....camera.....cards....sticks.....the steering wheel....a pen.....BLESSINGS!
My hands could be full of many other things, but oh how grateful I am that God has chosen my hands to be full of everyday ordinary kinds of love. That is why "my hands are full"~ because I have been chosen to serve with love everyday of my life to my family. So, that is what I hope others see when they see that my hands are full. I also pray that God will grant me the opportunity to share why having full hands is such a wonderful thing!
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