Sweet dreams

When it comes to bed time I am a no nonsense kind of gal. We have a good routine and I stick to it! We get our jammies on, have family worship, brush teeth, go potty and I have built in for all the other things that usually come up at bedtime..... having one drink of water, asking one question, giving each other hugs, giving Evan hugs......then we climb into bed and say prayers. Then, (when it all goes well) we hit the sweet spot in the routine when they want me to tuck them in. This is when I make sure they have their BB's in the right spot so they can rub that perfect, yet worn out spot. I give "fast & slow" kisses, tell whisper stories in their ears, "pet" Luke so he settles down and tell them how very much I love them.

The world slows down just a little at this moment. I breath deep as I send them off to sweet dreams and the heart molding process that I pray God will do each night as they sleep under His watchful eye. I lay them into His hands again at the end of the day, for I am not promised tomorrow and I cannot keep watch over them through the night, but He does~


I sneak back in every night before my own head hits the pillow and I stare at them. I take in each little breath and snore, their sweet faces so peaceful and still. I pray over them and ask God to use them in great ways for His glory. I smile and whisper something that I love about them into their ear, then I linger just to listen to them breathe.

Tonight I am quiet in thought.... God says in His word, "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5) The darkness around me as I sit in the middle of their room and listen. The warmth I feel when I think of God's presence here in this room, filling the space. I also think of His words.... "the whole earth is full of His glory..."

This space is full of His glory, His tender creations, His precious gifts to us. Each breath is His and He knows the number of their days, so I am reminded to simply enjoy them and lead them to Him. Let them see why living for Him alone has no comparison, for it matters the most and will satisfy all longings of the heart.

Thank you Lord for this sweet spot each night that I am so privileged to experience. Thank you for giving me another day with them~

Out of the mouth of babes...

I have always called Wesley "my Mr. wonderful"~ yes it may be cheesy, but it just came out one day in a sincere way and it has stuck. So when Wesley comes home, we are making something for him or Eli is writing him a card he refers to him as "our wonderful daddy." I am sure this has been influenced from my calling him "my Mr. wonderful" for as long as Eli has been around!

Which of course, then led me to think about all that comes out of my mouth and how my boys use what they hear~ for example:

"Now Mommy, please don't get fussy with me; Evan was crying and needed to be walk-holded." (Luke)

"Well, actually....." (used for many things by Eli)

"Sanctification only happens through Jesus" (Eli)

"Now Eli, we don't say never because we have to try!" (Luke)

"Well, we will all be in heaven, except for Luke~ we need to pray for him to give his heart to Jesus." "And our baby, because Evan was born with a black heart." (Eli)

"Mommy, is God bigger than the sky?" (Yes, baby He is) "Oh right, he's omnis....oh you know...I can't remember... what is that word?" (Luke)

"Mommy, you have to have the verse in your heart, so you can whip it out and shoot the enemy!" (Eli)

"Eli, what were you asked to do?" (Luke)

"Who do I smell so beautiful back here?" (Luke)

"You need to be on God's team, not Satan's team." (Eli)

So this kind of thinking naturally led me to focus more on what I was saying and how I was imparting life with my words. Being a mama has moments where I have to take many deep breaths before I speak. A very dear friend of mine was talking about how she was really working on keeping her tone and inflection the same with her children. She made such an important point that her children needed to obey right away to the same voice all the time. So very true!

They also need to hear the kind of speech that you want them to use, because what they hear is what they will say! We all know how very true this is! :) So my challenge to all of us is to be intentional is using words that impart life, encourage and build up those around us.

Luke 6:45 says, "The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."

Journal Writings 2

Lies. They creep in and slowly begin to control your thoughts, your point of view and eventually your actions.

Lies. They can lead you astray so quickly. They set you up to fail, because they are rooted in evil.

Lies. We have all believed them.

Lies. They destroy us from the inside out. They cause us to feel defeated.

Truth. It changes us from the inside out. It sets us up for success because it guides in a way that cannot fail because it's God's way.

Truth. It needs to be the plumbline that controls our actions and words.

The Truth I am clinging to right now is that God is My Sustainer, My Refuge, My Refiner, My Sufficiency, My Strong Tower.

Cling to the Truth and know that it will never fail you. Abide in His words today and bask in His everlasting love and steadfastness.

My heart will not know a better place to find rest than in the quiet and stillness needed to hear God and feel His presence around me. I will not know better encouragement than what I find as I scan the verses of a Psalm. Thank you Lord for being the unchanging, immovable God that you are~

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end~ they are new every morning; Great is thy faithfulness!"