WHY?

My lil darling is in the "why?" stage. You all know it. "Do this..." "Why?" "Don't do that..." "Why?" "Put your dress down..." "Why?" "Do you want to go play outside?" "Why?" It is the most frustrating stage I have been through with her yet...I would rather scrub lipstick off the bathroom wall! (ok, so admittedly the standing up to pee stage wasn't so great either...)
But I got to thinking...How similar is this to how we are with God? He lays out very clearly principles in the Bible for us to live by. Simple things. Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. And do we say, "ok!" Like we would love for our children to say to us?? Nope. We say, "why?" "Why does God do this? Why does God allow that? Why do we have to...? and Why does this happen this way?" I know what you are thinking..."Sometimes, it is really hard to understand why. It would be nice to just know." Well, I am sure that my 3 year old would love to really truly, completely understand why I won't fix macaroni and cheese for breakfast or ice cream for dinner. It is beyond her comprehension. But my point is...one day she will understand. One day she will be glad that I laid down the rules for her that I did, and believe it or not, one day she will not allow her own daughter to draw on the walls or squeeze the living daylights out of her brother. And as time goes on, we too learn to understand the mind of God, and we will understand everything one day. So next time you have the urge to ask God "why," just remember how silly and totally annoying it sounds, and just say, "ok, God, if you say so."

Love Letters

So sorry that it has been so long since I have posted. I was living the adventure, we could say. Turning another chapter in my fairy tale. I read something the other day that took hold of my heart, something that keeps returning to my consciousness and speaking to me over and over again. A message written for me, and ironically it is about messages for me...ok, you will understand as you read...
"Every song you love, every memory you cherish, every moment that has moved you to holy tears has been given to you from the One who has been pursuing you from your first breath in order to win your heart." Captivating, by John and Stasi Eldredge, pg 116
Love letters! from He who loves you more than anyone could ever imagine loving you, who very litterally loved you more than life itself! So you see, this quote speaks of God sending messages to me all the time, but the quote itself was a message to me, to open my eyes to the other things! And I have been thinking of it non-stop ever since! I hope that I will always think of it.

The most gorgeous sunset I have seen in a long time, postcard-like: a painting designed for me.
Incredible soul piercing worship music: composed as a lovesong for me.
A tear-jerker romance movie: directed and written for none other than me, about me!
2 beautiful, heartwarming children: created and designed for me
An incredible, beyond words to describe husband: created, molded and led to me, to reflect the ultimate love God has for me day after day.

And there are love letters out there for you. Just look around and open your eyes, everything beautiful, everything that speaks to YOUR heart, it was made and brought to your attention that very moment, by the creator of all things, the lover of your soul, God himself. Let him know how much you love them, how much you love Him.

Pondering the Proverbs 31 Woman

I was thinking, so many women dread hearing the passage of the Proverbs 31 woman. They get convicted by it, or they feel inadequate or inferior to her. I do not think this was the purpose of this passage at all! This was a "check list" from a mom to her son. Wouldn't you want your son to marry the perfect woman? But the thing is, she isn't some wonder woman of the early civilizations, she is a picture of womanly beauty in its fullest. I believe that as women we should see this passage as an empowerment, a goal to strive for. Could you ever see a man taking all this on? (j/k) Seriously, we cannot use these verses as checklists, it just wouldn't work. We don't have the same obstacles before us in life as she did; we don't have to wait around for merchant ships, make our own clothes, or feed our handmaidens! But we do have to find the local bargains to save enough to take care of the fam; we have to make sure our kids have clothes, preferably clean; we have to cook healthy meals and aim for less than 2 times a week at McD's! Most of us are in charge of the family budget, the family schedule, the home, the errands, and even responsible for keeping the extended family checked in on from time to time. Our task, just like the 31 woman, is to give ourselves wholeheartedly to seeing our family well taken care of, to be a good steward, to bring up the children in the teachings of God, to do our husbands "good" all the days of our lives (read that as you will), and to fear the Lord. We are to be the type of woman that makes the leaders in town want our husband around, he must have good judgment since he married us! We want him to be proud of us and we want our children to "rise and call (us) blessed."
The Hebrew used in verse 10 for a virtuous woman, or woman of virtue, or woman of noble character, whichever translation you use, is literally the word used for warriors, soldiers, men of valor. It is saying, this woman is a fighter! She is out conquering the world on behalf of her loved ones. So the bottom line is, are you a fighter? Are you giving this wife/mom thing all you got?? If so, then chin up! YOU are a Proverbs 31 woman. Read that passage, covet that passage, and become that passage. Have no fear.

Such A Time As This

One of my favorite women in the Bible is Queen Esther, and her story one of the most dramatic I’ve heard. She is the portrayal of a faithful woman. Her uncle wisely tells her, “Who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14, NIV). And at this our leading lady steps up to the plate. She could have been terrified to the point of hiding her background and trying to escape it all. But she did not. The very first thing she did was call upon God with fasting and prayer. Then, bold Esther placed her life on the line by going in to the king. This was completely against customs and could result in her being put to death if the king did not hold out his royal cepter to her. She did not know for sure if he would do this, but she placed it in God’s hands. “And if I perish, I perish,” (Esther 4:16, NIV) were her last words. What an amazing woman! She was willing to die for her people, God’s people. I think the most amazing part of this story is how she allowed God to use her. God crowned her queen for just that purpose, and she did not back down to the task. This is a lesson for us as well. Recently a dear loved one of mine attained the position of youth sponsor. Not long after there was a tragedy that happened to this group of teens. This loved one, who could have melted under the pressure of dealing with this trauma, stepped up and ministered to these teens through this trial. I know that she had “attained (this position) for such a time as this.” And she proved capable. What position of influence have you attained? Are you now a mother? A manager? A president or committee chair? A new friend? Whatever it is, or however powerful it is, I guarantee you that you have “attained (this position) for such a time as this.” Some are very fearful with the direction our nation is going. But the question is, are you prepared for it, however it turns out? I would like to say that we all, as daughters of the King of kings, have “attained ROYALTY for such a time as this,” today, right now. This is our time. Esther did not know how her story would end, but she followed faithfully. So shall we. We must be wise, bold and committed to following the Lord. We must step up to the task before us! And the outcome of our tale will be incredible!

Rebekah - A Fairy Tale Gone Wrong

So, I borrowed this book from a lady at our church entitled All of the Women of the Bible, by Edith Deen and it is so good I had to order it off the internet. This week I have been reading and thinking a lot on the story of Rebekah, Isaac's wife. Most often when we read this story we focus on Isaac, Jacob, and Esau. However, I think that Rebekah paints the perfect picture of a typical woman of God, with all the mess-ups we can produce.
We first meet Rebekah by the well. Isaac's servant, sent to find him a wife, has prayed that God would give him the sign of a woman offering water to his camels as well as himself to show this is the woman for Isaac. Then, along comes Rebekah. Isaac's servant relays this story to her and her family, and Rebekah, trusting that the Lord is in this agrees to go with him to marry a man she has never met. What faith! She doesn't have children until she is old, and then she has twins! God tells her that the older will serve the younger. As her two boys, Jacob and Esau, grow into young men, she is naturally drawn to the younger. He is not the rough and tough man that his brother is, but possibly the more spiritual minded. She may have also seen that her husband, Isaac, gave more attention to Esau because of his love for hunting and cooking, etc. Maybe it was because Esau had married women who did not share in their faith or because he cared so little about his birthrights to begin with. At that point Rebekah decides to take God's word to her about her sons into her own hands. She plots and plans and devises a scheme to get Isaac to give Jacob Esau's blessing, buy disguising him as his brother. It works, but causes so much family strife that she must send Jacob away for good in order to save his life from Esau. Talk about family drama! Instead of letting God unfold his plan before her, she took matters into her own hands, something we all do at times. But because of this Rebekah did not get her happily ever after. Instead she lived the rest of her life with a husband who no longer trusted her, a son who resented her, and another she could never see again.
One thing that I see that we can learn from Rebekah is that no matter what we do, God's Will will prevail. Jacob was meant to have the birthright, and went on to become Israel, the father of the nations. He had 12 sons, the 12 tribes of Israel, and through him the story continues. We often mess up this way. But, sister, no matter what you have done, be confident in knowing that God will work it out in spite of you!!! Let it also be an encouragement to trust Him, so that you can gain blessings from outcomes instead of sorrow.
But what do you think about Rebekah? I believe she was a mother that was seeking to do the best she could for her children and a child of God who wanted badly to have the Lord's will done in her family. But I believe she was way off base on what God had planned for her and she hurt a lot of people with her failure to trust and let go. Maybe you see it differently? It is difficult to imagine a mother choosing one son over the other in this way. Why did she not have Esau's well-being in mind also? Or why did she not talk to Isaac about the whole thing instead of using his weakness (blindness) against her own husband? What was she thinking? I would love to know what your thoughts are about this key woman of the Bible.

A Song that Touches my Heart

I wanted to share the lyrics of a new song with you, because I think it is really good, esp for you mommies!
In My Arms by PLUMB

Your baby blues
So full of wonder
Your curlicues
Your contagious smile
And as I watch
You start to grow up
All I can do is hold you tight
Knowing
Clouds will rage and
Storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms
Story books
Are full of fairy-tales
Of kings and queens
And the bluest skies
My heart is torn just in knowing
You'll someday see
The truth for lies
When theClouds will rage and
Storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms
Castles they might crumble
Dreams may not come true
But you are never all alone
Cause I will always
Always love you
Clouds will rage and
Storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms
In my arms

Holiday Togetherness

I remember holiday traditional activities being one of the biggest, excitingest (is that a word?) things as a kid. Every year the anticipation of those things was great! And looking back, the memories it created and the family bonds that were formed during those times were irreplaceable. Now that I have my own family, I have tried to come up with family traditions for us as well. Each family has its own personality, so they won't always be the same as you did as a kid, but it is so important to try to do these things! Here are a few that we do:
Bake holiday cookies or brownies with decos related to that holiday.
Carve a pumpkin and take pics with it.
Go to Harvest Fest (or other).
Cook and Eat together on Thanksgiving (using special china!)
Bake holiday pies.
Do stockings (at a different time than presents).
Do the Christmas tree together.
Have Christmas coffee with special creamers with candy and cookies!
Have a "Christmas Surprise" waiting under the tree on Christmas morning (unwrapped) or a gift from Santa if that is what you do (I am a selfish mom and want my kids to know who really bought it!)
Christmas Bible readings.
Make a Card or Cake or Cookies to celebrate Jesus' Birthday (find SOME way to keep the focus where it should be)

I am so excited that the holiday season is here! I just hope I can do a good job conducting here in the new place! Something we are going to try to do also is find some outreach that we can do together as a family every couple of months to teach the kids about giving and reaching out. Right now we have just begun a Shoebox (most of you know what that is). I encourage you to find things like this that you can include your kids in.

What are your traditions?