2 Peter 1:5-7~Priorites

The following is a compilation of thoughts I have printed to remind me what my priorities are as I teach and train my children. 

"And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity." 2 Peter 1:5-7

 

"We raise educated fools when we don't follow God's priorities in the teaching and training of our children. We need to first instill in our children the blessing of wisdom. The ear of the wise, then seeketh after knowledge! "

"We can work hard, so that our children know the wonders of academics; but if we do not teach them to have faith and to be faithful, to be self controlled, to be patient, to be compassionate, to be forgiving, to be humble, to be honest, to be obedient, to be benevolent and to be kind to his own brother...then we have taught him nothing." 

Puting First Things First:

(a list to live by!)

#1 Faith
#2 Virtue
#3 Knowledge
#4 Temperance
#5 Patience
#6 Godliness
#7 Brotherly Kindness
#8 Charity

"If you have to make the choice, choose:
*attentiveness over algebra
*compassion over chemistry
*generosity over geography
*humility over humanity
*obedience over optimology
*self control over sociology
*truthfulness over trigonometry"
 (The quotes are not my own words, but I do not know who they belong to. Feel free to let me know if you do!) 

Thankyou For the Hard Days

I am not really sure what happened, but the moment my feet touched the floor things were falling apart all around me.  My children were at each other, the phone was ringing off the hook, my toddlers were grouchy and into everything....I was grouchy too!

So.....I could find no better day to speak out in thankfulness to my Heavenly Father.

Lord, thank you for these days when everything seems to go wrong.  For it is on these days that I remember I am nothing without you, yet with you I can do all things! 

Thank you for humbling me, showing me when I am trying to rely on my own strength and understanding.

Thank you for a little nursling needing my arms around her.

Thank you for healthy, active, sometimes “into everything” 2 and 3 year olds.

Thank you for dear friends, whom I may not have much time to call, yet I know they are out there living the same (wonderful) life that I am.

Thank you for kitchen gadgets that make life a bit easier. I certainly wasn’t feeling thankful in the moment that I had hot bean juice shooting out of my bosch all over my kitchen this morning, but I truly am thankful for such a delightful tool, given to me by my dear husband as a gift, to bring more ease into my kitchen work.

Thank you for the sweet hearts of my older children, who rush in to help clean up such a terrible mess!

Thank you for a husband, who can come in famished at noon for a meal, and see past my smile and know I need a hug.

Thank you for water, it is nourishment to our bodies, and readily available for a new cup of coffee when I have spilled the fresh one I just made all over the nice wood floor!

Thank you for my bed, for on days like today it beckons me to come back to it and try again tomorrow. Though I cannot succumb to its calling at this moment, I surely know it will feel so comforting at day’s end! Even more comforting knowing there is a warm body next to me, who loves me endlessly and sees past all my faults...who shows me Christ like love.

Thank you for a mother who I can call on or write whenever I need her....and thank you for being the Daddy I never had.

Thank you for taking my frustrations, my imperfections, my mess ups into your hands and using them to mold me into something you will be faithful to complete it in me.

Too Little Time to Rush Right Through

Our world stopped last night. Uh oh, did your heart skip a beat?  No, don't worry, nothing tragic has happened.  We were simply walking through the store, when an elderly gentlemen stopped to visit with us.  From that moment on, for over a half of an hour, we listened to this man tell us story after story.

At first, I thought we were blessing him by listening.  You know, "if you have done this to the least of these, you have done so to me"???  As I was tempted to notice the world quickly moving about around us, and when thoughts of supper, babies, baths and bedtime stories kept entering my mind, I kept reminding myself of this scripture.

Yes, we were going to stand there and be a blessing to this man.  Onlookers gave me looks of pity and sympathy as they passed us by.  Then suddenly my heart became sorrowful for them.

So busy.

No time.

No room in there hearts.

 I then looked deep into this man's eyes and realized that God sent him to bless ME...to bless my children.  It was up to us to receive this gift!

He told us about his Godly heritage and his love for children. It was like his toothless smile held a secret about Heaven that I haven't even come close to knowing in my short thirty some years of life!  I even noticed a Heavenly aroma and a feeling of the Lord's presense as we listened to this man laugh and tell his stories of old!

He eventually stopped and told me that he was sorry to have kept us so long.  I told him that we were thankful that he did and that he blessed our lives by giving us his time.

The ride home was quiet. I was thinking of the old man.  My children were too, I suppose.  Suddenly my 7 year old says, "Mama, the months go by too quickly." 

A tear slid down my cheek.

Yes, I thought, and how am I spending that time?  Am I rushing through it, missing the blessings God has for me along the way?  Minutes went by and my 9 year old son spoke up, "Mama, the Holidays just wouldn't be the same without you to make memories with us."  His statement took my breath away.  What kind of memories will I be leaving with my children as these months pass by us so quickly?  Will they have stories, beautiful stories, to tell an eager eared young person when they are old?

I tucked my children into bed last night and didn't want to let the moment go. 

 I wanted time to stop so I could capture it and make it last.

But time does go on. The world keeps spinning.   People keep rushing and life goes on.  I will never forget this moment in my life, though.  Today I am going to take that promised tromp through the woods with my children, so when they are old they can tell the story of it....and maybe those times that just seem to fly by, will be filled with memories that seemed to last us a lifetime.

 "It's been said that when an old person dies, a library dies with them. Avail yourself and your children of their years of wisdom at the same time that you are providing a source of joy in the final days of their life."~Marily Boyer "Parenting From the Heart"

 

Keeping the Lamp Lit

Her Lamp Does Not Go Out At Night
written 6 years ago

I awoke at 4:30 this morning to a baby needing comforting. Once I had her back to sleep, I crawled back into bed only to hear a deep sigh escaping my husband's lips. I could tell in the darkness that he was lying awake, obviously deep in thought. I took his hand and asked him what was on his mind. He shared with me his worries before him and we prayed. He has had much to sigh about lately, though one seldom will hear it, as he is not one to complain.

I tried, once again, to go back to sleep after we visited some, dreading how tired I might be by 10:00am if I DIDN'T get more rest.........but I just couldn't sleep, so I went to making a breakfast of cinnamon rolls for my family. I lit the candles all around the house, thinking it would be a lovely welcome to the day for my children.

 As the candle light danced across the darkened walls, it got me thinking on the scripture, "And her lamp does not go out by night."Proverbs 31:18b

 

The girls and I have been discussing Proverbs 31 alot lately. My oldest had asked when the Proverbs 31 woman ever got to sleep if her lamp never goes out. I came to the conclusion that she is always on call, lamp lit, ready to be there at any moment she is needed by her loved ones. Whether it be a nursing baby, a teething toddler, a fearful five year old, a sighing husband.....she is always ready to be a servant to those gifted to her.

This is a challenging thought for me, as I know that my lamp has not always been lit, especially within. I am sad to say, that sometimes I have put that lamp out at night and selfishly prayed I could receive some sleep for a change and then when wakened, went about the task begrudgingly.

 

I am finding, that those times when I lay down completely exhausted at night, that there is a certain strength in simply praying for the Lord to give me what I need throughout the night. And then, if I awake, realizing I have slept a night through, I thank Him right away.

 

But, why not thank Him when my sleep is little? Thank Him for the wonderful reasons why I had a sleepless night!

 I wanted to share a bit of what the Lord is working on in my life. I am longing to be the kind of woman who has her lamp going in her home AND in her heart. A woman who finds delight, even in the dark hours of the night, at the opportunities to love, nurture and care for her family.

 

I want to be a woman who keeps her lamp lit.

 

A Joy The World Does Not Behold

I soaked in every breath of my children today. I look into their eyes and am saddened greatly by the views the world now holds of children. I wonder how so many can view this life I behold as one of “settling”.

I look out the windows of my home, and I just can’t see it.   It doesn’t have a hold on me.  It doesn’t beckon me or tempt me.  It only makes me all the more grateful that I am woman.  I am woman and I am blessed. The joy and fulfillment that I have in my life comes from doing my very best at living out my God given role.

Many days I find myself falling way short, yet still have joy because God is my guide.  He forgives and He leads me into a brand new day.  A brand new sunrise, with fresh dew upon the path I am on.  I am thankful to be challenged daily, in this life, to set myself aside and to live for others.

My joy comes from the things that this world has grown to hate.  Serving my husband and creating a haven for him.  A warm, fresh place to lay his head and find rest away from the wearisome world.

Loving, caring for, nurturing, educating my children.  Being sure each night, before they fall asleep, that there is no doubt in their precious little minds how very much they are loved and wanted, knowing they are safe, secure and children of a God who has had a special plan for their lives, even BEFORE they were conceived!

Caring for my home. Finding the joys in the “mundane” things of home life.  The laundry, dishes, diapers, messy faces, dirty little hands, floors needing swept several times a day.  Yes, I certainly can go about these tasks with a smile and a song because they are gifts.

God loved woman so much that He wanted to give her a fulfilling life in her home. Even when my heart, my body, my soul or my mind are tired and weary, I can still hold a song.

Thank you Father, for it is in the dirty dishes, endless meal preparations, floors to mop, a husband to serve, a messy face to wash, grimey fingers to scrub, lessons to teach, little boys to train, new babies to welcome and babies to let go of, that I have learned of your love and sacrifice.

I have learned to love in a way that I would have never learned, had you not given me this life. I have learned, what it means to live a life that is not all about me.

Dirty dishes piled in a sink mean a family was gathered minutes before. The dining area was more than likely filled with laughter and jibber jabber of the day.

Endless meal preparations, shows signs, that you have continued to provide food that we may eat and fellowship together. It means my little ones are growing healthy and strong.

Floors to mop is evidence that 24 feet have scampered about them all the day long, some rushing for an owie to be kissed, some running to present mama with a flower picked just for her. Or maybe it is left with sticky residue representing the precious time spent between mama and her children making cookies and discussing life....and You.

A husband to serve means I have a man to love.  It is a reminder to me that he is not my creation, or what I think he ought to be, but is your creation and is becoming what you intend him to be.  In knowing this, I also know that I have the power to build this creation up, or to tear it down. Having this man to serve and to honor, and yes, to submit to, means I am not alone.  I am protected and I am loved.  Oh, how I feel your love, when I love and honor my man.  How I feel protected by you, when I submit to my love.   Nothing feels better than being in your will.

Messy faces to wash mean I am still needed.  How can I pass up that silly little grin as a face is being scrubbed clean and then planting a mama kiss on that soft little face, knowing it will be back momentarily for another washing?

And those grimey little fingers? That shows I have a little hand to hold. A little hand that is reaching up to mine, embracing mine....and without words, pleading with me to lead him/her on in the right way.

Lessons to teach...what reward I have in seeing the delight in my child’s eyes in learning new things about God’s creations and design. When my eyes are focused on my children and not distracted by worldly things, then I notice the sparkle in the learning of new things each day!

Little boys to train...OH! But what would my life be like if I weren’t busy with little boys! They are the key to keeping me busy and unselfish! They, along with my precious daughters, are the reason why I faithfully hit my knees and ask the Lord to lead and guide me. I wouldn’t know God, as I know Him now, if it weren’t for the responsibility in the daily training of my children!

Little babies welcomed. Yes, I welcome any babies the Lord sends my way. I cannot say it better than Elizabeth Prentiss in Stepping Heavenward:

Here is a little mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God, and the body in which it dwells is worth all it will cost, since it is abode of a kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother’s heart, welcome to her time, her strength, her health, to her most tender cares, to her life~long prayers! Oh how rich I am, how truly, how marvelously blest!

The babies my husband and I welcome into our lives have each offered a tiny taste of Heaven.

Little babies lost. This is one of the greatest griefs I have ever experienced in my life. It leaves me literally speechless at times. It is something that is so very painful to speak of, yet, at the same time, I am not convinced that I would ever know my Heavenly Father the way I do now, if it weren’t for the trusting Him with those babies gone from me.  It also might not be as easy for me to keep things in perspective when the Lord wills to grant us a baby soon after another. It is in this grief that I have learned the most valuable lesson of all in this life.  That is to cherish those we hold today, knowing truly tomorrow might never come.

This is how I can go about these things that others might find as dull and “mundane”, or even uncomfortable and unsatisfying, because God has allowed me to see the joy that lies beneath the surface of such things. There is no way that I would know the joy I know today, without these things.

They are gifts and we only have a short time to accept them, before that time is gone.

The King's Daughter?

“I wonder, I really wonder, what would happen in my life….if I started really living like the King of Kings loves ME. What would happen in my life…if I started being okay with being me, because I am TRULY a daughter of the Almighty Creator!?”

My wonderful husband has learned over the years, to simply smile at my thinking aloud, such as I was that night. But the Lord knew that it was a question He had planted within my heart.

 

Have you ever wondered, …”what would happen in my life….if I started really living like the King of Kings loves ME. What would happen in my life…if I started being okay with being me, because I am TRULY a daughter of the Almighty Creator!?”

Try not to analyze it. We make things so much more complicated than they really are. Simply allow yourself to think simply.

I AM A KING’S DAUGHTER.
THE KING LOVES ME.
THE KING CREATED ME.

 I am a woman with wounds. It is hard for such a woman to believe she is loved and valuable. Do you happen to feel this way? Do you feel like you are walking around, trying to conceal gaping wounds in your spirit? Here are some amazing thoughts taken from Beth Moore's study on Esther.

Do you have a painful history?
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (NKJV)

Do you feel weak and weary?
You are chosen.
1 Corinthians 1:27b~29
…..God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. (NKJV)

Are you broken?

Psalm 147:3~4
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the starts; He calls them all by name. (NKJV)

Look at the stars. Really think about this.

 The God who created you, the God who is reaching out to heal your broken heart, is the God who, not only created those stars, but He is the God who NAMED them all.

If you still do not get the great importance of this, get your hands on Louie Giglio’s How Great is Our God. It will change your life.

Colossians 2:10

And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. (NKJV)

You are whole ONLY in Christ! Nobody else will ever complete you. He is the only way to ever being whole. The world leaves us broken. He heals the brokenness, binds our wounds and makes us whole IN HIM.

God is attracted to weakness because there is more room for HIS strength!

Are you beautiful and lovely?

Psalm 90:17

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hand for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands. (NKJV)

Let the beauty of the LORD be upon your face!

 So, what would happen in your life if you started living like the King of Kings loves YOU. What would really happen in your life…if you started being okay with being you, because you are truly a daughter of THE ALMIGHTY CREATOR!? If you saw yourself as His little girl.

Your life would never be the same.