Word Filled Wednesday

Walk with Him Wednesday

Parenting...oh the daily and momentary thoughts of my life. Even as I sit here now in a quiet house filled with sleeping eyes and peaceful hearts I feel the child stirring within my womb and consider my calling in his life.

Days and hours my husband and I have spent contemplating our calling as parents.  There is no question we believe children come directly from God, blessings in the purest form, given to us only to be directed back to the Father. Given to Him wholly and completely by continually inviting them back to God's throne.  It is our duty to reflect His Love, His Grace, His Mercy, His adoration for them. 

We've come to imbed into our hearts our calling as transformers, teachers, shepherds.  Truly to know what shepherding our children is about and to then put into practice, consistently and lovingly with kindness and tempered hearts, has been our hearts desire. Heart transformation in our children rather than behavior modification is our newly coined term. They must be molded into servants. 

How can we do that when we are sinful still? Their models?  God has called us so we listen and we go. But I often wonder if I spoil the very thing my heart desires to do in my children?  Can God call them unto Himself despite my fallen and redeemed state?

Patience I must pray for.  Kindness I must seek in times of trouble, mess, or frustration.  Understanding, listening, lingering, holding, seeking their hearts desire, redirecting, and refocusing.  Then to do it all again come morning.

I am my own mountain. If I could have confidence in what God has been teaching me, prayerfully seek His strength to do it, and then trust in His ways...
That is the key. Prayerfully Parenting my Children.  Why do I so often forget that.  Where does prayer go in my day?

My Lord has laid out a perfect plan for me to raise my children.  To offer them unto Him.  I must seek Him first in order to find it.

Father help me to parent in your light, in your path, with your kindness and grace. To keep voices soft, words eager to encourage and uplift, transforming hearts for you and unlocking biblical truths for my children.
Amen

Blessings from My Father

Holy Experience has challenged me in ways I cannot explain. As I read Ann's words I come to my knees. I feel she is speaking into life My HEART.  On Wednesday she wrote this telling piece:

Sometimes we may have nothing to show for our work but much to show to our God.

Too often, sadly, I want product, others to see product, so they can see: I have worth. Stinking idols.

This, I think this is why I struggle to stop to pray at fixed times throughout the run of a day.  This is why I struggle to play and love and make kids memories and laughter the priority.  If I stop doing, will I have merit? Will I still exist if I stop the producing?

How do I forget that I actually exist more, fully, wholly, when I do that which I was made for?The things done in love, this the only work in our lives that will last forever.

So Abba Paul knew. The product is secondary…. Perhaps even pointless. It’s the prayers, the relationship, the love  while doing the work, that hold the meaning, the merit.  I have time to read another chapter, tell another story, make another batch of cookies because the process of prayer and love in our work is our only real product.

That process may not be seen when walking in the back door. Worship. Communion. Love. Prayer, hidden and intangible, it is the day’s true product, it’s ultimate purpose. 

Today, a thousand times again today, I will preach the truth to this soul prone to wander. I will seek the affirming smile of Father, of these kids.

I'll whisper the mantra that orders all priorities: 

“Unseen. Things Unseen. Invest in Things Unseen.”

Could her words express my heart any clearer?  Could she find the words to say any clearer that I am only at a loss for?  And, why do I seem to fail in my own eyes each day to do what my Heart Aches for so much? 

My children are small but ripe and ready to infected with Christ's love, patience, graciousness, and mercy. I am challenged to make each day ripe and full with Him; His word, His love, His desire.  I sometimes let the days go idle by because I find the challenge too rich. I allow the quiet voice of God to disappear as I shout to myself.

Have I always been a quitter?  Where did my determination, energy, and loving care go?  We only get one time around with our children, one day at a time and that time passes by.  If I could only hold tightly to each moment and find something to inspire, teach, and breathe into their lives.

Reflecting upon God's blessings allows for a softness in my heart to recognize that I may fall short but God's holding me up, pressing me forward, urging my progress, and allowing things to develop, unseen (both in me and my children).

 

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

~ 2 Cor. 4:18

Blessings of the Unseen

106. Forgiveness

107. Unfailing Love

108. Tender Hearts

109. Hope Filled Eyes 

110. Hearts of Laughter

111. Joyful Spirits

112. Security and Safety 

113. Trusting 

114. Listening Ears

115. A Soul of Beauty

116. Innocence

117. Quiet, whispers of Faith

118. Soft whispers from God

119. Delicate Instruction

120. Stillness

 Job 5:8
..go straight to God... After all, he's famous for great and unexpected acts; there's no end to his surprises.  

 

 

Thursday Favorites

Since I'm back in the swing of things, so I hope, it's time for Thursday's favorites. I can't deny that today seems an odd day to meditate upon favorites considering I spent my morning grocery shopping! I literally just sat down after about a 3 hours process start to finish. But, if I dig down deep and put on my joyful eyes I'm sure I can think of at least 8 things that I LOVE about grocery shopping. Maybe!

Grocery Shopping
1. Checking in my older children at the Kids Korner where they can play and make crafts making shopping a fun time for them.
2. Spending time with my little girl, who is too little to go to Kids Korner, and talking with her while we walk!
3. Finding fun things on sale that my family will enjoy.
4. The quiet
5. Taking my time
6. Sneaking a sample from the candy bin...isn't that allowed so long as you put in $.05 or something?
7. Having a fridge full of groceries (even though they don't last too long).
8. Fresh Fruit
9. A plan for meals (whether I stick to it or not)
10. Having my boys help me unload when we get home. They are just starting to help mommy bring in the groceries!

Wow I found ten and I didn't have to think too hard! I don't want to forget that we are blessed we can afford groceries and most often get to pick and choose what we want without much ado. It is God's faithfulness that puts meals on the table. The Glory be His.

One Thousand Gifts

After 4 long months away I'm finally back and ready to settle into the routine of blogging again.  There has been much going on and we've stayed very busy and as I look back on it I realize I've simply napped through my blogging hours!  There was the morning sickness and the early aches of being pregnant while having 4 children.  Then vacations and events with the kids including a trip to Sacramento for the Easter Holiday.  Suddenly here we are 4 months ahead in the middle of what seems to be a scorching summer heat here in Phoenix, Arizona and the days and months are flying by.

I don't want the speed of life to keep me from taking time out to reflect on my Lord, my Loves, and the One whom I'm doing it all for.  Although it seems to easily wisk me away.  That is in fact why I started this blog.

So, I'm back and hoping today begins a new beginning to taking time out to Honor Christ and what He is doing in our lives. After all, He is daily providing, loving, soothing, planning, and preparing our lives.

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I have many thoughts in my mind today as I begin my journey here at Taking the Challenge again.  Over the past 4 months God has revealed himself to us daily and we've undergone quite a few changes.  He has reminded of us of His always faithful provision even when things may appear hopeless and covered us in His love.

On our way home from California in early April our "new to us" conversion van broke down just 80 miles outside Phoenix.  We could literally see the lights from the city taunting us in the dark from the side of the highway.  After much ado and lots of time in the shop our van needed a completely new motor.  This as you can imagine, is quite expensive but entirely necessary.  So we took what was almost half of our savings to fix our "new to us" van.  Only the quiet whispering from God that I managed to hear through the noise and laughter that is our children did we decide to hold on to our old van until we were sure the "new to us" van was properly working.  So, fortunately for us we had another vehicle to drive while our "new to us" van was being fixed.

Blessings number 1.  It took nearly a month to get our "new to us" van back from the shop.  All that time we were able to continue on with life and activities in our old van.  Praise God right.

Well no sooner had we picked up the "new to us" van, made a stop at the baby ultrasound shop to see that we were in fact having another Little Precious BOY, did the "new to us" van break down again.  My heart sank.  We had taken such a hit with the cost of replacing the motor I was just praying this break down was a simple problem.

I was in fact wrong.  The Transmission was gone and irreplaceable.  We would again have to tap into the rest of our savings to fix the "new to us" van in order to get it into running order.

Blessings number 2.  We had savings left!  This might seem funny but we are thankful we could even afford to do the repairs necessary on the van so that it was not an entire loss.

This put us in an extremely vulnerable state financially.  A place we hadn't been in a very, very long time.  It has been years since we've had absolutely no savings to speak of.  I began praying again that God would protect us from further expenses and show us the path to gaining ground.

If it wasn't the very next day that our Air Conditioner went out.  Not out like needed to be fixed but needing to be replaced completely.  Could the timing be any more challenging.

In trying to make a long story short, there have been several more instances over the past months in which we have seen God's provision in remarkable ways as we've endured much hardship.  It has been challenging to struggle financially as we have never struggled before and to also realize that it was not our savings that was keeping us from emergency but rather our Hope is in Christ and His ultimate provision in our time of need.  I confess that I had much confidence placed in our emergency fund that should have been solely in Christ alone and His plan for our growing family.

We have been forced to our knees, seeking God's will and plan, prayerfully and mindfully aware of our spending and our habits, and seeking to honor Him with our time, funds, and family.  There is still so much to be thankful for!

91. Steady and secure employment
92. A God that sees and hears all things related to our lives
93. His Love that stirs us
94. The children He has entrusted to us that we might teach them His faithfulness
95. Prayer
96. Hope
97. Grace and Mercy
98. Tomorrow
99. New Beginnings
100. Being Humbled by the Work of God in our lives and reminded that comfort can easily lead to complacency.  Oh to have a heart filled with JOY in all circumstances of life that we might not take even a second for granted.
101. Finding our purpose at the Cross
102. Glorifying Christ with all He gives us even when it might be little.
103. Stewardship
104. His Word
105. Victory in Jesus


Father thank you for helping me come face to face with the reality that YOU are ALL we NEED and through you we can do ALL THINGS. Continue to remind me daily that this world does not dictate blessings, abundance, and status but that YOU ALONE have determined our value, placement in the World and Daily pour out your blessings of Mercy and Grace upon us.  That every breath is a gift from you.  Help me to teach my children that it is not things, money, savings, travel, or the other items our culture has determined of value that make our lives JOYFUL and WONDERFUL.  That Father YOU are our purpose.  Help us to wage the battle against the evil one, against modern culture, against paganism, and relativism that we might change the world for YOU.