tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89589385577543787822024-03-19T09:15:22.390-03:00My Heart at HomeKristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.comBlogger220125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-45721846000695407492012-03-12T23:12:00.001-03:002012-03-12T23:15:37.641-03:00THE COMPARISON TRAP<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwG3QNsg1Ny-9igjd7oDSDKjCkDyzU-9iDjun_-2eb1T8NIEqrO9OHHoHbDX0eRDsLxD3DfDvENibRnYcc35JLp6YpOztp6P8OvlFEjgdoT7PYOHpYCDAPPU0c8fZLd4bnJ-5LMdpxCb7m/s1600/IMG_8783.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwG3QNsg1Ny-9igjd7oDSDKjCkDyzU-9iDjun_-2eb1T8NIEqrO9OHHoHbDX0eRDsLxD3DfDvENibRnYcc35JLp6YpOztp6P8OvlFEjgdoT7PYOHpYCDAPPU0c8fZLd4bnJ-5LMdpxCb7m/s320/IMG_8783.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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The snags in the blue-stained carpet held my rapt attention, as I tried to find anywhere to rest my eyes, except on the women talking near me. It was impossible not to hear their private sharing; and I had nowhere else to go but the seat I occupied in the waiting room. <br />
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Although their conversation had begun with weary words of how exhausting their lives were, it soon had led to the details that left me surprised. The first woman shared her "busyness" which consisted of pedicures, hair appointments and back massages. The second description was not very different.<br />
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Within moments, it seemed the air became more stale than it had been and the sunlight streaming in the windows dimmed its bright and cheery effect. What changed? Only my heart and its response to some strangers description of busyness...you see, I fell feet first into a comparison trap.<br />
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What's a comparison trap? A device that is used frequently in our lives -- so often, that we may not even notice its stellar effectiveness that leads us away from the things with which we are already blessed. In fact, there are traps of this nature set around our lives daily and we must navigate them with extreme caution.<br />
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Ease of life? Children? Personal dwellings? Spouses? Wardrobes? <br />
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These areas and many more can either be examined with a warm heart of thankfulness for what we have, or a cold heart of emptiness that comes from what we don't have. Our attitude will determine whether we fall into the trap of comparison or step over it with a giant step of gratitude.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"> You must know your own weaknesses for the comparison traps in your world and be as vigilant as a soldier on duty.</span></b> <br />
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How did my blue-stained carpet afternoon end? I quickly sensed God remind me that my life, too, would have aspects of ease to it also, depending on the person that would overhear one of my conversations. It was not for me to judge, nor wallow in self-pity; but to stand up and recognize the greatness of EVERY good thing I enjoy...even if it's not over a pedicure.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"Make a careful exploration</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>of who you are...don't compare</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>yourself with others." </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Galatians 6:4</b></div><br />
Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-81320217027826736202012-03-04T22:26:00.000-04:002012-03-04T22:26:40.535-04:00OUR WANTS VS. THEIR NEEDS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrD-djdJX-DatRoEYA7KltlHD9-4l5NOerXICtImYa35V0-z0E9L1ZyKzWVYDVOP7gurq-aPCfZEwWx5UsVTK_KM43KofHHXurbZRkg6tbo1CURGQHB-UzN5oTJTxOZxYlKg-S3DqUwe8S/s1600/IMG_7996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrD-djdJX-DatRoEYA7KltlHD9-4l5NOerXICtImYa35V0-z0E9L1ZyKzWVYDVOP7gurq-aPCfZEwWx5UsVTK_KM43KofHHXurbZRkg6tbo1CURGQHB-UzN5oTJTxOZxYlKg-S3DqUwe8S/s320/IMG_7996.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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I had "my" day all laid out...like a garden planted in perfect rows, the hours of "my" day were going to flow in ideal order, <b>UNTIL...</b><br />
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The "<b>until"</b> came early on a Saturday morning, as my youngest child stood beside me in the parking lot of a store and gazed dreamily up at a snow covered hill. "Mom," he asked softly, "wouldn't it be so fun to sled down <u>that</u> hill?"<br />
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My honest answer would have been, "No, I don't like getting cold nor wet, and I have a numbered list of things I am going to do today." <br />
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BUT, my heart stepped in to speak before cold-hearted honesty did, and my real answer to those captivating, baby-blue eyes was, "Yeah, it would, but we're not allowed to sled there. How about we go to an even bigger hill where we are allowed to sled?"<br />
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In an instant <u>my list</u> flashed before my face and I knew all those boxes waiting to be checked off in systematic order were going to remain empty today. I grieved silently for a moment, then loaded my kids in the van and headed home to grab sleds and snow-pants.<br />
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The hours that followed were filled with smiles, laughter and bone-weary hikes up the tobogganing hill -- and you know the ending, right? I wouldn't have traded it for the world when we were done!<br />
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Then <u>why was it so hard</u> to leave my tick-boxes blank if I was trading them in for such perfection of experience?<br />
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<b><span style="color: blue;"> I see it as an ongoing challenge of motherhood...it's the never-ending balancing act of blending "our" wants with "their" needs.</span></b><br />
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The reality is, we couldn't live our lives on the snow-covered hills every day; but for me, my tendency is to err on the side of responsibility over and over, and forget to have the fun. <br />
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<b>Chances are, you are either nodding your head up and down vigorously at this moment because you know exactly what I'm talking about OR you're shrugging your shoulders with a "what's the big deal" response, because you're the one who needs more time with tick-box days.</b><br />
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God has created each of us uniquely, as moms, and yet we are all called to do a similar job. A job that consists of raising children, keeping a home, making multiple daily meals, caring for injuries, shuttling lesson-goers, and on and on.<br />
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Where do you land, Mom?<br />
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Do you know how to discern your wants from their needs? Do you see that the truth is we will NEVER get this perfect as a balancing act, regardless of whether we are "box-checkers" or "shoulder shruggers"?<br />
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Every day is a new day -- one to be delicately balanced with memory-making and real-life working. Don't beat yourself up trying to get it perfect. All we can do is our best; to evaluate what each day needs AND what you are reasonably able to offer it...then enjoy it, while you make some memories along the way.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"> <b>"There is a time for everything,</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>and a season for every activity</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>under the heavens."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Ecclesiastes 3:1</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
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</b></div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-11953462684785314792012-02-25T11:44:00.001-04:002012-02-25T11:51:11.310-04:00TUMBLED<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvXHHmfPky3KetDFVXqsdeyNf32MqSEtlxBi9d_jFknKW0uLYuuslFvit4rF7QTUZOxlxWVpQr-ddBVRjj5OR1BD8UBSY_R5prI4hO1aWeLS9h41BA0ZzhCo5sRGFda8E_zJj_yctGZ3z/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNvXHHmfPky3KetDFVXqsdeyNf32MqSEtlxBi9d_jFknKW0uLYuuslFvit4rF7QTUZOxlxWVpQr-ddBVRjj5OR1BD8UBSY_R5prI4hO1aWeLS9h41BA0ZzhCo5sRGFda8E_zJj_yctGZ3z/s320/photo+1.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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I love "before and after" pictures! Maybe it's because my husband has a renovation company -- I've watched with wonder, for years, what happens when permission is given to tear down the old and replace it with new. The results are always amazing (and so is my renovator).<br />
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But this week, I experienced a new type of "before and after", while visiting with a friend. She introduced me to their rock tumbling machine, showing me what the rocks look like before they go in and then the gorgeous examples of what comes out at the end. The "after" is so stunning, it's hard to fathom they came from the "before" rocks. <br />
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When I learned the process takes a whole month of their machine running non-stop, 24 hours a day, only pausing to add different grades of grit, I was even more impressed. That's 720 hours of being tumbled.<br />
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Have you ever felt "tumbled" as a mom? I have. In fact, I relate to the 24 hour a day feeling too, don't you? <br />
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Sometimes I feel like one of the rocks in my friend's machine. I think these tumbling experiences will never end...I'm sure the "grit" I'm dealing with couldn't possibly do any good in my life...and I'm positive the end result may look worse than the beginning. But that's because I'm the rock; not the operator.<br />
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God is the "operator" in our lives and He allows us to be "tumbled" from time to time because He's in the process of making something very unique and beautiful in each of us. Often we can't see past the grit and chaos to appreciate the beauty; but it's there. The "before" and "after" pictures promise something stunning...but we can't quite see that far yet.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;"> <b>That's the joy and challenge of motherhood. We're often being "tumbled" but our wildest dreams can't conjure what good could be in this for us...but God can!</b></span><br />
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As I've stumbled through certain weeks, I sometimes find myself wondering if God remembers that He's left His tumbling machine <i>turned on, with me in it</i>. But the Bible tells us in Romans 8 that, "<u>In ALL things</u> God works for the good of those who love Him," and this truth reminds me that God never tumbles anything in my life without reason and purpose. <br />
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If you're feeling "tumbled" this week, take time to stop and reflect on some truths from God's Word that will remind your heart that God is in charge. He will not let you be tumbled longer than necessary. But He is in the process of creating a masterpiece of a mom!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"So (Jeremiah) went down to the potter's house, </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>and I saw him working at the wheel...</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>then the word of the Lord came to me. </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>He said...'Like clay in the hand of the potter, </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>so are you in My hand.'" </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Jeremiah 18:3&6</b> <span style="color: purple;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple;"><br />
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</span></div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-59112487964274066712012-02-23T22:58:00.002-04:002012-02-23T23:08:19.438-04:00HOORAY FOR WEAKNESS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkWhHrKiG0GHP4967bBpHkLghLPFbbKniLCij9kS7_5WUgJ3YDMRqishDGP7-5gMgW9IBXsd2Fi8QBp06xX3bR01pYUM9RGM4WPsgSKtC0O_PXoIAl-Y2aT3iVDCjPGQwAdNHXLEIm-zTl/s1600/January+2012+049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkWhHrKiG0GHP4967bBpHkLghLPFbbKniLCij9kS7_5WUgJ3YDMRqishDGP7-5gMgW9IBXsd2Fi8QBp06xX3bR01pYUM9RGM4WPsgSKtC0O_PXoIAl-Y2aT3iVDCjPGQwAdNHXLEIm-zTl/s320/January+2012+049.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <br />
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You've sat in one of those groups of moms, haven't you? You know, the circle of chatting women who are sharing the heroics of their perfect kids, modeling the perfect hair-do, while all you seem to be able to pull off is trying to subtly check your breath to see if you remembered to brush your teeth before staggering out the door this morning?<br />
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I've been there. In fact, I own a few different sizes of that t-shirt, because you know what? <b>Life can be hard as a mom.</b><br />
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Every stage of mothering brings new challenges that we've never been through.<br />
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Every child brings new difficulties that we've never faced.<br />
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Every day has problems of its own.<br />
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So...do you want to know how to conquer the emotions of those circles of seemingly "perfect" women? Do you want to know the secret of silencing the lies that <strike>whisper</strike>, no SCREAM, in your ears on those hard days? You need to say HOORAY FOR MY WEAKNESS!<br />
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I don't give this advice lightly. In fact, it's taken me a long time to reach the point of confidence in my own weaknesses to say this. And, it's not just my own opinion; it's actually biblical.<br />
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Paul, the "super-apostle" of the New Testament, experienced an epiphany moment with God of this very same nature, in II Corinthians 12:9. Look at the conversation that occurred between God and Paul...<br />
<b>"But He (God) said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I (Paul) will BOAST all the more gladly about my WEAKNESSES, so that Christ's power may rest on me."</b><br />
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Do you hear Paul's determination swelling as the excitement in his heart grows? He got it! And as moms, we need to get it!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #20124d;">God will rush to our side, bringing His awesome power to our situations when we are, ultimately, bragging about our failures and struggles...not when we are touting about the greatness of ourselves or our children.</span></b><br />
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Be honest with yourself -- who do you enjoy hanging out with more? The mom who tells you how you too can "have it all together" if you just do X, Y & Z, OR the mom who shares with a humble smile how she forgot to pick up her child from the bus stop three afternoons this week? It's a no-brainer, we all find safety in the honest, real mom.<br />
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We all have strengths and weaknesses; and both are needed in our homes, our marriages and our friendships. Share from your strength in gentle ways to help a friend, but be equally willing to let your hair hang down - long and shaggy - and be real about your weaknesses. You may be amazed at the doors that will open, the lies that will stop pounding in your head and the joy that will return to your steps.<br />
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<u>You</u> are an AWESOME mom! <u>You</u> are the one God chose for your children! <u>You</u> have what it takes IF you combine it with God's amazing power as you say HOORAY for weakness today.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"If I must boast, I will</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>boast of the things that show </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>my WEAKNESS."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>II Corinthians 11:30</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
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</b></div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-14960253816791568602012-02-15T21:52:00.000-04:002012-02-15T21:52:17.717-04:00THE GIFT OF HEARING<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY13Silkvbt5qJkkiKp95jcI4dhhWXV25QqmpysYXVyx2jQGe8bjsWrDFbjBjigd2i1VP-JjubDLdQjy-fXbIXd6omjXJ4HLJWk-ZgrUJpEDjBAvRML3Fg7FvfxwaYkAnbcjhLgZKm35Ev/s1600/IMG_0895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY13Silkvbt5qJkkiKp95jcI4dhhWXV25QqmpysYXVyx2jQGe8bjsWrDFbjBjigd2i1VP-JjubDLdQjy-fXbIXd6omjXJ4HLJWk-ZgrUJpEDjBAvRML3Fg7FvfxwaYkAnbcjhLgZKm35Ev/s320/IMG_0895.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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The ability to hear...what a gift that I often take for granted. Until recently. Our youngest has had some minor issues with his ears, and though it looks like it will resolve itself in the near future, it has brought a new outlook to life lately.<br />
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"Did you put away your toys?" demands responses like, "What boys?"<br />
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"Did you finish your Math?" comes back with, "I don't want a bath."<br />
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The worst, though, is certainly when my questions are followed by nothing. Silence. Not because of being ignored but simply an inability for him to hear at all.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #351c75;">It's caused me to ponder something on a deeper level -- how often does God speak to me and find a similar experience?</span></b><br />
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He speaks to my heart and shows me someone who has a need and I respond with going to the store and buying something for myself.<br />
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Maybe He prompts my heart to call someone on the phone and I click on my email to see if there are any messages.<br />
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Or worse, He waits for me to take time with Him and I rush through my busy day never stopping to acknowledge Him at all.<br />
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God has made each of us for relationship -- not just with those around us that we can see and touch, but with HIM! He speaks to our hearts and wants to tell us that we are loved. He offers important tasks that He wants us to carry out on His behalf, but we sail on by missing the opportunity altogether.<br />
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How can we clear our ears to "hear" what God has to say to us?<br />
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Often it's by pausing and simply remembering to listen. It's also in taking time in His Word and asking Him to speak to us. And just being willing to follow that still, small voice when you know you're being encouraged to take a step.<br />
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May our ears be open and our hearts be ready to hear from our God.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"Listen and HEAR my voice;</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>pay attention and HEAR</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>what I say."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Isaiah 28:23</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
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</b></div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-77425126428981257412012-02-09T16:12:00.001-04:002012-02-09T16:13:24.550-04:00ONE THING...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEqJ0ka2VY3XOR1WUD-JhJTDzaSrmnHqDw_-ah02TuSMfHJavYWD_6mzZDnubfZOFccQhuU_VNINKW8WjQA9j-lNq6LS3TcVT-yDs-CwT3poNxue2QmuhbCxhaA5EHwlT0gQHeJWpmK-Lh/s1600/January+2012+055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEqJ0ka2VY3XOR1WUD-JhJTDzaSrmnHqDw_-ah02TuSMfHJavYWD_6mzZDnubfZOFccQhuU_VNINKW8WjQA9j-lNq6LS3TcVT-yDs-CwT3poNxue2QmuhbCxhaA5EHwlT0gQHeJWpmK-Lh/s320/January+2012+055.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Have you ever noticed that one thing leads to another? It seems to work with both the good and the bad. <br />
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Think about a choice of a cookie for breakfast or a banana -- which one leads to a healthy lunch? Usually the banana. <br />
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What about speaking to our kids in a gentle voice or losing it -- which one leads to a calm response later in the day? Usually the gentle voice. <br />
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But when we're totally honest, it's hard! There are "cookie days" when it's just easier to reach for a cookie than a banana. There are "losing it" days when it's just easier to let it out than hold it in. <br />
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Those are the days I see my desperate need for God and His grace and I'm filled with wonder and thankfulness for who He is<u> because of who I'm not</u>!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0c343d;"> Have you experienced God's grace pouring out in your life, Moms, or are you too busy dumping heaps of guilt over your head like buckets of icy, cold water?</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"> T</span>he enemy of our souls is thrilled when we berate ourselves for our weakness and failures, but God is NOT -- He sent Jesus to cover all the "cookie" days and the "losing it" days! He loves us as much after the cookie package has been ripped into as He did before. He loves us as much after we've let our voices reach loud levels, but we don't get it, do we? <br />
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We live in a culture that tells us <u>value and worth are based on our performances;</u> whether we realize it or not, we are all holding a red pen in our back pockets getting ready to tick the "F's" on our own report cards. Take out that red pen and snap it in half -- it's mocking the grace that God extends and wants to extend in our lives.<br />
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Yes, when we are His, God continues to call us to holiness - to becoming more like Him - BUT He does not condemn us when we fail, He pours out grace like sweet smelling bubbles in a warm bath. May we listen for His voice in our lives and not the voices of everything else that surrounds us. <br />
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Sink into those bubbles and let Him heal your heart. As we accept His grace, we'll become ready and wanting to reach out for His help -- then those days will slowly become fewer and further apart, and we'll discover new levels of grace and blessing.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"From HIS fullness we have</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>all received, grace upon grace."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>John 1:16</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
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</b></div> Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-30012615578317801732012-02-04T08:39:00.001-04:002012-02-04T08:39:51.402-04:00THE NEW BIG<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtBX5o5flD6Np02hPZgCKtMaMgoMsl0vrQW2XdNnHGxT58RMb8xN1pB0X33sj1N6q7hgJIh0CmY7LEm2lSdcc1uHKt6juENSxXXaxvVPqGnEYsU5oRLjzEP5FS7eDPSFR4wl0ni3ZIdvE/s1600/CIMG1552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtBX5o5flD6Np02hPZgCKtMaMgoMsl0vrQW2XdNnHGxT58RMb8xN1pB0X33sj1N6q7hgJIh0CmY7LEm2lSdcc1uHKt6juENSxXXaxvVPqGnEYsU5oRLjzEP5FS7eDPSFR4wl0ni3ZIdvE/s320/CIMG1552.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <br />
We clean toilets. We scrub juice stains. We kiss little cuts. And every once in a while we wonder, <i>Am I really doing anything of importance? Is there any lasting value in my life?</i><br />
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In one of those recent moments I sensed God's whisper in my heart -- "What if small is the new big?"<br />
<b><span style="color: red;"><br />
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<b><span style="color: red;"> What if all these little things that we do in the daily grind we call motherhood really are HUGE? </span></b><br />
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We carry out millions of seemingly trivial tasks every day and yet rarely pause to reflect on how we are affecting the future. Each step, each act of love is investing in a whole new generation. <br />
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God sees each effort...each occasion that we feel is insignificant. Yet, He sees with different eyes. In Luke 16, Jesus tells us that whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.<br />
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<b> I want to be trusted with much. So do you. </b><br />
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<b> That makes this the season to be trusted with little.</b><br />
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<b> </b>Faithfulness is the foundation of life. We are changing the world, when we change diapers with love. We are impacting the world, when we impact a four year old heart. We are positively influencing the world, when we positively influence our homes and families.<br />
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Don't let discouraging thoughts darken your small tasks -- think of them as the new big! You are making a difference in the world, one faithful moment at a time.<b></b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"Take a good hard look at Jesus.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>He's the centerpiece of everything</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>we believe, FAITHFUL in everything</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>God gave Him to do."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Hebrews 3:1&2</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
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<b> </b>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-15433384759429381292012-01-29T15:31:00.000-04:002012-01-29T15:31:21.308-04:00CONDUCTING OUR ORCHESTRAS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfSJte3_Qo0yo979EBGqqZfoIeeRCfhiiQVmNXNzzBe56X_Nr_2hs72SMxDi38Mk8oVT61-1QfNUidx84l6y5Vthg185aep0dda7K9f1Z8W281Dhsqv-kdHkF3bIAVyeqw3bjl_eo5FnDw/s1600/IMG_4396.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfSJte3_Qo0yo979EBGqqZfoIeeRCfhiiQVmNXNzzBe56X_Nr_2hs72SMxDi38Mk8oVT61-1QfNUidx84l6y5Vthg185aep0dda7K9f1Z8W281Dhsqv-kdHkF3bIAVyeqw3bjl_eo5FnDw/s320/IMG_4396.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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If our homes are "music pits" and our families are the "orchestras", then we, as parents, are called to be the "conductors". What is it that we are "conducting"? The "music" that God has called our family to play together.<br />
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And there's great news -- <u>each family is designed to play a unique "score"!</u> No family should try to imitate the "music" of another, but instead learn and savour the "music" that flows from their own "orchestra".<br />
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Once we grasp the value of our "music" being individual to our family, then we need to see how important our roles are, as "conductors". Just as an orchestra would never play from completely different scores at the same time, we've learned that neither should our families.<br />
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Our "score" is made up of the values that God has called us, as the "conductors", to build our homes upon. We must guard this "score"!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #351c75;"> We live in a time in history where our values -- the "musical scores" -- are being tossed out windows and discarded on street corners; where a "score" is viewed as something negotiable at best, or useless at worst. </span></b><br />
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As "conductors", we can tend to feel unpopular and badly for the decisions we have to make and things we have to say no to, <u><b>because</b></u> we forget what a beautiful treasure our "musical score" is meant to be. We've been entrusted with a legacy that is meant to bless our children, those around us and the generations to come, but we this will only transpire IF we take our roles seriously.<br />
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Examine what your "score" should look like, in light of God's Word and the "musicians" He has placed in your home. What "areas of music" have you been letting slide that need to be brought back into alignment with God's plan for our "orchestras"? What questions are your children asking that need to be answered in a bold <b><i>no</i></b> instead of a soft, uncertain <i>I guess so</i>?<br />
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God made us, as parents, to "conduct" with all the passion, heart and conviction that He has placed within us, and what we find in His Word. Don't ever shy away from the loveliness that God wants to flow from your home just because you are afraid to be the "conductors" that He has called you to be!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"My heart, O God, is</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>steadfast; I will sing and </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>make music with all my soul."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Psalm 108:1</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
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</b></div> Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-73932929673692944452012-01-21T22:30:00.000-04:002012-01-21T22:30:38.104-04:00DON'T NEED ANYONE TO TELL ME<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeynFPXg3_X8KFTOI5-nUVJ-b_eO9tVhqPMuUoipkGh2XESpdCFvkPhdhXWLzAF2tqaAJlxTxSiVFXAnerhqAEcRHlmJcm0mApwjKqa4WUFxdNpmK9uEEDw1NKjQB_l828WQ9o-oyomwqn/s1600/IMG_4284.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeynFPXg3_X8KFTOI5-nUVJ-b_eO9tVhqPMuUoipkGh2XESpdCFvkPhdhXWLzAF2tqaAJlxTxSiVFXAnerhqAEcRHlmJcm0mApwjKqa4WUFxdNpmK9uEEDw1NKjQB_l828WQ9o-oyomwqn/s320/IMG_4284.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Each snowflake that falls to the ground is unique in its design -- that boggles my mind every winter! Yet we don't look at individual snowflakes and think God made a mistake; we celebrate His creativity. So, why are we so quick to look at others around us and make ourselves feel inadequate? <br />
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I've learned I don't need anyone to tell me what I'm not good at! It glares at me, sometimes all day long. As moms, we're so good at reminding ourselves of what we DON'T do well, aren't we?<br />
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Why is that? How can we be <u>exactly</u> who God has created us to be and yet be so dissatisfied with our strengths and abilities we possess?<br />
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Often skills that come easily don't seem to hold any true value in our minds. And yet, <b>the irony lies in the fact that it can be those same skills in us that will stare someone else in the face and make them feel so incapable.</b><br />
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Are you tracking with me? <br />
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YOU are talented.<br />
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YOU are gifted.<br />
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YOU are skilled.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #274e13;">When you focus your discouraged eyes on the person who does well with that which you can't, you lose appreciation for what God's placed within you. </span></b><br />
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DON'T beat yourself up about what you can't do!. Stop! Realize that what you do well is what God has gifted you to do. What they do well is what God has gifted them to do.<br />
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In I Corinthians, Paul shares the comparison of the physical body with gifts and abilities. He asks how foolish it would be if all of us wanted to the eye, because then we wouldn't hear. Or in the case of the ear, then we couldn't smell. Likewise, we must recognize our value as we have been created.<br />
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Some are created to make music, while some are created to make cookies; some are created to bring order, while some are created to bring excitement.<br />
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None of us are irreplaceable -- not one! Only the lies that pound on the back door of our hearts will whisper that message. God has fashioned each of us with a specific plan and purpose; find out what that is for you and embrace it, celebrate it...but whatever you do, DON'T COMPARE IT! <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"God has placed the parts</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>in the body, EVERY one of them,</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>just as He wanted them to be.<br />
If they were all one part,</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>where would the body be?"</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>I Corinthians 12:18&19</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
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</b></div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-9051965980084382742012-01-16T18:55:00.006-04:002012-01-16T19:46:53.108-04:00A DEADLY LIE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisu7TxcYir6D8Dd502iw-KiN6HIwqDVSHnYfZByicTOg-WSnkN9-rIR43QsIJv7vkVkuCL0w-n8CrtTu4b1rXhvPWcY-xsEda6B47izajBbSqJ67x_Gf6AaH04whhFx2OR7XYVH7w3N6jH/s1600/IMG_4257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisu7TxcYir6D8Dd502iw-KiN6HIwqDVSHnYfZByicTOg-WSnkN9-rIR43QsIJv7vkVkuCL0w-n8CrtTu4b1rXhvPWcY-xsEda6B47izajBbSqJ67x_Gf6AaH04whhFx2OR7XYVH7w3N6jH/s320/IMG_4257.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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So many lies are being served up to us daily on a silver platter -- they look tantalizing, they sound convincing and seem so real!<br />
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We lift the lid and indulge; then wonder later why we're battling unwelcome thoughts in our hearts and minds.<br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c;"><b>Certain lies appear innocent enough in the moment, but once they slip in the back door, it's hard to control where they roam.</b></span><br />
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If we were sitting on my couch, sipping tea this afternoon, and I asked you what you felt was one of the most deadly lies, what would you say? <br />
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I know what I would say...I would look you in the eyes and tell you, "One of the most deadly lies is <u>the lie that your situation at hand doesn't have any hope!</u>" <br />
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In our heads, it's so easy to say, <i>Sure, I know there's hope</i>. But it's not just our heads that the enemy is targeting and sometimes it's harder to convince our hearts!<br />
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Maybe the lies seems silly, like; "There's no hope...this baby is NEVER going to sleep through the night." I say silly only because we all know in our heads that eventually this baby won't be a baby and of course, they will sleep through the night, but...it FEELS hopeless in the moment, doesn't it?<br />
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What about a lie, like; "There's no hope...this toddler is NEVER going to master potty training." Again, we know in our heads that eventually this toddler will be able to use the toilet because it's part of growing up, but...it can FEEL utterly impossible in that stage, can't it?<br />
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Then there's the more serious lies, like; "There's no hope...my husband's the way he is and it will never change. Marriage is NEVER going to get better." Depending on the challenges you face, that can feel like a very real possibility, and we can be completely unsure of how things could change, and...it FEELS like nothing will ever improve, doesn't it?<br />
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If you go back and scan the three examples above what two words do you see each time? <br />
1) NEVER<br />
2) FEELS <br />
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Do you know why it's so important to recognize those two words? Because they are the key that unlocks the door from our head to our heart for the deadly lie of <b>hopelessness. </b><br />
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When we hear ourselves thinking <u>"never"</u> and evaluating our momentary circumstances based on how we <u>"feel"</u> that should be like a flashing, red warning light! "Emergency, emergency; we are determining our future based on what we see and feel, not on what God says!!!"<br />
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We can't see what's around the corner! We don't know what God's about to do! We have no idea how things can turn out IF we give them over to God!<br />
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He's the One who gets to write the endings and His Word promises us that...<br />
<ul><li> In ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28)</li>
<li>God will be with us in trouble and deliver us (Psalm 91:15)</li>
<li>God's plans are to prosper us and give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11)</li>
</ul><div> <br />
Reflect on the areas that are causing you stress or concern -- babies, money, teenagers -- whatever it is, God is MORE than able to write the ending, but we have a part to play. We have to give these areas over to the Lord and ask Him to be in charge. Once we commit our ways to Him, He is freed up to work in very real, intimate ways in our lives, but He won't push His way in, He's waiting to be asked, trusted and invited.</div><div><br />
</div><div> Don't buy the deadly lie that there is NO HOPE! There's always hope when God is invited into the middle of our worlds! Go to the Bible, dig for the truth that applies to your personal situation of hopeless feelings and smother it in God's truth. Hold it tight and don't let go -- you have no idea what's just around the corner!</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"You will KNOW the TRUTH</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>and the TRUTH WILL set you free!"</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>John 8:32</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
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</b></div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-13860743166648614442012-01-08T21:25:00.000-04:002012-01-08T21:25:07.962-04:00LEADING FROM MISTAKES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFzXu71aZmUUsdQy0uVK7UxieFSpAuWZR37MS_aG-oYOb_PBq_E4vHuIqLxewck6PpKiBH4jlhIigQBE5stGu2MKf39wVzW_Jj7aRgPdZGkuJhHrMuvxwGkNsyVdsNhCsU9qxTrQJ4Rab/s1600/IMG_0422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVFzXu71aZmUUsdQy0uVK7UxieFSpAuWZR37MS_aG-oYOb_PBq_E4vHuIqLxewck6PpKiBH4jlhIigQBE5stGu2MKf39wVzW_Jj7aRgPdZGkuJhHrMuvxwGkNsyVdsNhCsU9qxTrQJ4Rab/s320/IMG_0422.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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I like to do things well. Really well. But I've realized something over these years of parenting that has stretched me as a mom --<br />
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<b><span style="color: #b45f06;"> The best leading I do isn't from my perfection; it's from my mistakes.</span></b><br />
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God knew this long before I began stumbling down this winding road of parenting. It's one of the many reasons He told us that when we're weak, He wanted to be strong for us. But let's be honest, <u>we'd rather lead than lean</u>, wouldn't we? <br />
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We're an independent type of people, but if we are going to truly "succeed" at motherhood, and by definition of succeed I mean become all God wants us to be as moms, then we can't stay stuck on reaching perfection. We need to discover the contentment of making mistakes despite trying our best and find the joy of leaning on our Father. <br />
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God longs to give us all we need to lead these little, and not so little, ones who require direction. But we have to accept that we can confidently lead from the mistakes we've already made, far better than the perfection we may aimlessly chase after. <br />
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The irony of our feeble attempts is that the less we TRY and the more we LEAN, the more laughter bubbles up in our homes and the bigger the smiles are that fill the faces of our children. <br />
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Only God is perfect and because of Jesus, we're on a journey that leads to better and better things. Hebrews 10:14 reminds us of this, "By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." Do you hear the verb tenses jumping up and down in that verse? Has made -- means already accomplished and Being made -- means we are a work in progress. God doesn't expect more of us than we are able to do but He is ready to use us exactly where we are at! <br />
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So next time you mess up and you find yourself wishing for more perfect outcomes, remember God uses us, mistakes and all, to lead these children He's entrusted in our care.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"My grace is sufficient for you,</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>for My power is made perfect</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>in weakness."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>II Corinthians 12:9</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
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</div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-44492132560934028322011-12-31T09:01:00.000-04:002011-12-31T09:01:23.681-04:00RESTLESSNESS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FY1kb9xd9Ec/Tv8F6QQcjVI/AAAAAAAAAd4/Gn9m_FvW6wQ/s1600/IMG_6854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FY1kb9xd9Ec/Tv8F6QQcjVI/AAAAAAAAAd4/Gn9m_FvW6wQ/s320/IMG_6854.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Restlessness.<br />
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As your eyes glance over the word, do you find you've shifted in your seat already? Does it cause you to feel flutters of caution inside? None of us like to experience restlessness, and yet it seems unavoidable at times -- what's important is what we do with those feelings.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #20124d;"> Restlessness can come upon us furiously, like a tidal wave out of the ocean or it can creep up on us almost silently, till we look around and wonder how we came to feeling the way we do.</span></b><br />
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It may be the job we're in seems to call out for freshness, or harder yet, the job we're not in calls out to pull us from the home and place us back in the workplace. Reasons abound. <br />
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Sometimes change is demanded of us, but often, we thrust change upon ourselves because of our restlessness. <br />
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While one looks at change as a reason for the turmoil of restlessness, another will look at looming sameness with the same emotions of a caged lion. We're created differently but most of us can relate to the chords within that are struck and cause us to itch wildly on the inside.<br />
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What are we to do, when, not if, these feelings come? Only one solution can be true -- we must press in to the only One who knows us completely, Father God who created us. He alone has the answers for which our souls so restlessly search.<br />
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As we look ahead to a whole new year, let's carefully lay out our restlessness and examine it as a doctor would a sickly child. Take time. Pray. <u>Ask the Lord what He has for us in the new year, not just inform Him of what we plan to do.</u><br />
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God can use restlessness in our lives to draw us closer to Himself and do wonderful things in us and around us, but if we don't allow these stirrings to be used for that good, then there are many a dangerous path we could stumble down in the days ahead without the direction of our Father who loves us.<br />
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Let us not be as the scriptures describe in Deuteronomy 28, where the people refused to listen to the voice of the Lord and couldn't find a place to rest. It says no home could be found nor could they settle down...God gave them a restless heart, longing eyes and a homesick soul because they would not let God lead them.<br />
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Find a quiet place and release your restlessness. Peacefully wait and ask the Lord to bring His direction to your decisions. To shed His light on a dark and windy path -- He has promised that when we seek Him, He <u>WILL</u> make our paths straight. Then we can go into a new year with the confidence and rest that only He can bring.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"Now may the Lord of Peace</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Himself give you peace at</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>all times and in every way."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>II Thessalonians 3:16</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
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</b></div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-7360138808345296802011-12-21T11:17:00.001-04:002011-12-21T11:19:57.272-04:00TOSSING & TURNING<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrtbm6b_aPTPzfhmmFeKOB2oZj6WUAuWziioS3tlTihV7qz39TB99Mh_MCZ0ots93I_oEqCSDD3owgBCpuyXQqx8t7iWGDKXKUTRw-RZ6uUjkap90a8M6cV4gawHT6azjq4Y1weiSTIWJ/s1600/IMG_9044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrtbm6b_aPTPzfhmmFeKOB2oZj6WUAuWziioS3tlTihV7qz39TB99Mh_MCZ0ots93I_oEqCSDD3owgBCpuyXQqx8t7iWGDKXKUTRw-RZ6uUjkap90a8M6cV4gawHT6azjq4Y1weiSTIWJ/s320/IMG_9044.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Sheets were wrapped and wrinkled about my legs.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Pillows had been tucked, fluffed and puffed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Positions were shifted a hundred different ways.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> It was no use -- sleep wouldn't come. My mind was filled with the "must-do's" and the "how will I do's"; the clock mocked me as the minutes ticked on and sleep remained unattainable, and the tossing and turning continued.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> The truth that rested in my head, couldn't seem to find it's way to my heart -- God is sufficient. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> We're promised rest, true rest, in God's Word. Not just in the sense of sleep, but pure and perfect rest as when our <u>hearts lay calm despite the tornado that swirls in our world</u>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> How do we grip hold of that rest? What do we do when rest eludes us?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> There's only one place to find escape from tossing and turning. It's in the One who created rest. Of Him, David, the psalmist of old, said, "My soul finds rest in God alone...my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken....Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge." (Psalm 62)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Do you hear those truths? Do they resonate in your deepest being? Do they bring peace to your heart?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> God shows us through David's life three key things in this passage:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ol><li>The only place where rest is found is in God alone</li>
<li>The only way we will avoid being shaken is in Him</li>
<li>The only way to receive that rest is by CHOICE</li>
</ol><div> </div><div><b><span style="color: #274e13;"> We must lay at God's feet what is heavy and burdensome to us this Christmas; but then we have to leave it there!</span></b></div><div><br />
</div><div> We are to pour out our hearts to God, but then we must choose to leave the things we've poured out to Him, in His capable hands -- don't pick them up again . . . <i>"God, I don't know how we are going to deal with ______, but I trust You have the answers and I'm choosing rest. God I don't know where time will come from to accomplish ______, but I trust You to provide for what really needs to be done and I'm choosing rest."</i><br />
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</i><br />
<i> </i>Missionary, Amy Carmichael, was quoted saying, "God is willing as light is willing to flood a room that is opened to its brightness; willing as water is willing to flow into an emptied channel." May He flood over us today!</div><div><i><br />
</i></div><div><i> </i>My prayer for each of us this Christmas is that we find true rest; not because our circumstances fully resolve themselves, but because we find rest from the Source of all rest -- God alone.</div><div><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>"Come to me, all you who</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>are weary and burdened,</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>and I WILL give you rest."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Matthew 11:28</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;"><br />
</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGniRk_GcLs"><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;">A Song for Today -- "Blessings"</span></a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;"><b>(click this link to hear an awesome song)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-90335133988661548932011-12-17T21:59:00.002-04:002011-12-17T22:07:32.144-04:00CHRISTMAS PERFECT?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmCL73GtsOjvAJdBLUtTggDX1oECMIqLid4Dmf243p64CIiWGMgHDp53OewWTN01w2cdySyKijXDYfscV_r950tbci0SmjCL0C0gvrIeZuBJa4PC98O9G-CebqPQb0p9CM_tOHDMVMRZp/s1600/IMG_3315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVmCL73GtsOjvAJdBLUtTggDX1oECMIqLid4Dmf243p64CIiWGMgHDp53OewWTN01w2cdySyKijXDYfscV_r950tbci0SmjCL0C0gvrIeZuBJa4PC98O9G-CebqPQb0p9CM_tOHDMVMRZp/s320/IMG_3315.jpg" width="240px" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"> I have this problem. It's a big problem but God's been working on me long enough that I can now say -- five kids later -- there's hope! You see, my heart tends to feel warmer and my smile tends to grow bigger when everything is, well, in its place. You know, <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><em><strong>perfect</strong></em> ! </span> But the problem is, nothing robs happiness at Christmas (or any other time of the year) faster than a mom, or dad, whose goal is perfection.<br />
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A traditional, sticky gingerbread house is an excellent image of one of two things -- either perfection or child-like pleasure. We can't have both! If we are going to make eyes light up and hearts remember joy-filled, childhood moments, something has to give.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"> <strong><span style="color: #990000;"> The challenge is, it's not possible to have "perfect" anything with children -- and even if we could attain it, we'd have to achieve it by stealing joy from the ones we are trying to bless.</span></strong></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="color: #990000;"><strong> </strong></span><span style="color: black;">When it comes to Christmas, I've learned that I need to put God, family and others first and remind myself that perfection is not important. In fact, it's not even found in a hint of how Christmas began.</span><br />
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Travel back with me, to the night the King of Heaven and Earth came to dwell among us...</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"> - Imagine Mary, giving birth in a stable . . . where is there any perfection in that, dear moms, who've experienced childbirth?</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"> - Imagine, Joseph, not even being able to provide a humble hotel room . . . where is there any perfection in that, dear dads, who live to provide for their wives?</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"> - Imagine, brand-new, infant Jesus, wrapped in old rags to try provide some warmth . . . where is there any perfection in that?</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"> <strong><span style="color: #274e13;">God's plan was never perfection -- His plan was provision!</span></strong> </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"> Nothing has changed in the last two thousand years . . . <u>God still desires provision over perfection</u>.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"> I came across a beautiful adaptation of I Corinthians 13 this week, written by Sharon Jaynes, that I wanted to share with you ~</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><em>If I decorate my house perfectly with lovely plaid bows, strands of twinkling lights, and shiny glass balls, but do not show love to my family - I'm just another decorator.</em></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><em>If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals, and arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family - I'm just another cook.</em></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><em>If I work at the soup kitchen , carol in the nursing home, and give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family - it profits me nothing.</em></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><em>If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties, and sing in the choir's cantata, but do not focus on Christ - I have missed the point.</em></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><em>Love stops the cooking to hug the child.</em></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><em>Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.</em></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><em>Love is kind, though harried and tired.</em></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><em>Love doesn't envy another home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.</em></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><em>Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way.</em></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><em>Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can't.</em></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><em>Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.</em></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><em>Love never fails.</em></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><em>Video games will break; pearl necklaces will be lost; golf clubs will rust.</em></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><em>But giving the gift of love will endure.</em></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"> Let's give our families the most wonderful Christmas ever -- full of love, selflessness and joy found in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ -- the greatest gift ever given. And let's leave perfection out in the cold, where it belongs.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="center"><strong>"Mercy, peace and love be</strong></div><div align="center"><strong>yours in abundance."</strong></div><div align="center"><strong>Jude 1:2</strong></div><div align="center"><br />
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</div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-65017427445178570682011-12-13T23:08:00.001-04:002011-12-13T23:15:41.286-04:00IT STARTS WITH US Are you feeling it, too? The hustle, the bustle, the rush that God never intended us to drown under this time of year.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #274e13;"> Interesting that Jesus came to bring PEACE to earth and yet it remains one of the hardest things to hold on to as we prepare to celebrate His birth. It's as if we can watch it slip through our fingers as we hurry from store to store.</span></strong><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"> </span><span style="color: black;">Isn't it just like the enemy to try to steal from us, especially at this season, the gift of peace that Jesus came to bring? Do you know that we have to fight to receive it? It doesn't arrive packaged under our tree each year, without some very intentionally choices on our part.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpLbWffHA8X7RFky8S3vv7aibshV3Wa5N7y1JX6Gp38WyIHZeb_vl9M69S_BapGB_IsP9vPhjeZpR__BLTN0Utm7Vc_pGDDMap4bheVqrutZawoFQ4KpihC7wJM-WDBx56eufAMXffvIuf/s1600/IMG_3343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpLbWffHA8X7RFky8S3vv7aibshV3Wa5N7y1JX6Gp38WyIHZeb_vl9M69S_BapGB_IsP9vPhjeZpR__BLTN0Utm7Vc_pGDDMap4bheVqrutZawoFQ4KpihC7wJM-WDBx56eufAMXffvIuf/s320/IMG_3343.jpg" width="240px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Is there an easy solution? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A wand that we can wave to make life fall into simple order for the season? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A way to bring the peace back into our days before Christmas?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Well, yes and no, but it is possible! It's found in putting Jesus first regardless of how long our lists of "things-to-do" grow long. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> The Bible tells us <u>The Word became flesh and dwelt among us</u>! That is Jesus Christ, Son of God -- with skin on -- came to earth as a baby. Ironically, the reason for the rushing rests heavily in that phrase. Do you hear the hope? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> I know, that still doesn't get your lists ticked off to completion, so how does it really help?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> When our hearts focus on Jesus and we begin our days in His presence, we are fed. We are nourished, strengthened and equipped for every good work -- even shopping, cleaning and Christmas baking! BUT we have to get the order right!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Remember the song, <u>Let There Be Peace on Earth</u>? Do you remember who the peace was supposed to start with? Here are a few of the words ~</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em> Let there be peace on earth,</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em> And let it begin with _____ (WHO?) me (OUCH!),</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em> Let there be peace on earth</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em> The peace that was meant to be...</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em> Let this be my solemn vow.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em> To take each moment</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em> And live each moment</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em> With peace eternally.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em> Let there be peace on earth,</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em> And let it begin with me.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><em> </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> It's not too late, my sweet friends, to make that same solemn vow. In our homes, peace genuinely can and should begin with us, as moms!!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> I have a little plaque in my room that is just for me. It says, "If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" It serves as my daily reminder that my attitude greatly affects our entire household and I take that very seriously.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> More than any other season, I want our children to remember the joy and happiness that centered around the celebration of our Saviour's birth, NOT the stress and the grumpiness. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> I hate to say it, moms, but it does begin with us! And that means it begins with God and His Word. </div><br />
If we surrender our mornings, despite all the decorations and tinsel that are yelling for us to put them first, we will find Jesus meeting us there and giving us everything we need to make this season truly peace-ful and joy-ful! His Word is always proven true -- with Him we can do anything, even Christmas.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>"I (Jesus) am the vine; </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>you are the branches.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>If you remain in me and I in you,</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>you will bear much fruit.</strong><strong>"</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>John 15:5</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-64763784135536655742011-12-06T06:39:00.000-04:002011-12-06T06:39:51.059-04:00IMAGINE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRafUflY1Pnb-1nd2965UdF5WBtN2Lt8yJrnIVIthPQFbwnJ62ii0tpSLyHyGvj1Ssai6vu3T-PZlt4O2Aw6KTyllNprW6NDq39ZcT0E4VCgAUjPMjseM36HH2wW6qR_aSCeqbJFxIM7q/s1600/IMG_6600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHRafUflY1Pnb-1nd2965UdF5WBtN2Lt8yJrnIVIthPQFbwnJ62ii0tpSLyHyGvj1Ssai6vu3T-PZlt4O2Aw6KTyllNprW6NDq39ZcT0E4VCgAUjPMjseM36HH2wW6qR_aSCeqbJFxIM7q/s320/IMG_6600.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
We hang their pictures on our walls. We tuck them into bed each night. We care for them when their sick and laugh with them when they're well. God has designed us to care about <u>our children</u> with all the passion He's placed within us. And yet, do we ever stop and IMAGINE? Imagine what it feels like to be them?<br />
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I'd wriggled under one of my daughter's cozy pink blankets a little while ago, waiting for her to get ready for bed, and a question jumped into my mind and slapped me in the face . . . What does it feel like to be my daughter? <br />
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Then, other questions followed -- What does it feel like to be my son? How did it feel to live in our house today? Did they feel truly cared for as I rushed around with busyness? Heat rose in my cheeks as I sadly reflected on a few ways I'd hurried through the day instead of savouring those closest to me.<br />
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That moment deeply affected my outlook. I began to watch for other opportunities with my other children . . . how does it feel to be YOU right now? I didn't ask it out loud, but began to imagine what I would feel like if I were in their shoes at various moments in the day.<br />
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You already know what comes next, don't you? It's not always pretty. God seems to surface the question to my heart over and over, as if to say, "Would you want to be treated this way? Would you feel treasured if someone you loved brush past that fast? Would you want to be spoken to with that tone?"<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"> I'm not advocating perfect parenting, because that isn't achievable by anyone except our Heavenly Father, but I am promoting PAUSE -- <u>IMAGINE</u> -- RESPOND.</span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span"> Just stopping for a few breaths in the day, to examine how our children must feel in the moment, to be part of our homes where God has chosen them to be. Remember . . . they didn't choose us; they were placed in our arms by God's provident design!</span><br />
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As we rush about this month (and every other one ahead), let's pause to imagine how it feels for them today. <br />
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Respond with all the love, or grace, or energy God would want us to. None of us want to experience the irony of losing out on the quality of daily, precious moments with our children because we are so busy preparing for future days to be special! Ask God to bring the balance -- and the tenderness to our hearts -- for these sweet, and sometimes not so sweet, ones we love most of all.<br />
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<div align="center"><strong>"Imagine a person who lives</strong></div><div align="center"><strong>well, treating others fairly,</strong></div><div align="center"><strong>keeping good relationships...</strong></div><div align="center"><strong>This person who lives upright</strong></div><div align="center"><strong>and well shall live a full and true life."</strong></div><div align="center"><strong>Ezekiel 18:5&9</strong></div><div align="center"><br />
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</div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-50388025075832633572011-12-02T07:11:00.000-04:002011-12-02T07:11:50.724-04:00MAKE YOUR VOICE LOUDER<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuTVzFHA5_GBezQHfVCZNowmkuJFTGWzWKeK3Sa66HfFcfTCH5xzSFJx90bj2MH7Dh1KNPpAGpFn-2r91pv3BQ7iCe34Cf1Cqyhh7Tu8v60Kyb9H0fdHxaoZqfCLaJN7PZs9hepukqEAz/s1600/IMG_5860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVuTVzFHA5_GBezQHfVCZNowmkuJFTGWzWKeK3Sa66HfFcfTCH5xzSFJx90bj2MH7Dh1KNPpAGpFn-2r91pv3BQ7iCe34Cf1Cqyhh7Tu8v60Kyb9H0fdHxaoZqfCLaJN7PZs9hepukqEAz/s320/IMG_5860.JPG" width="240px" /></a></div><br />
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"He said I'm not good at running!"<br />
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"She told me I can't play with them!"<br />
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"They laughed at me when I was singing!"<br />
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It doesn't matter where we live or where we go, life is not always easy when you're a kid (or an adult, either). Day in and day out, other kids are planted smack-dab in the middle of the path that our kids have to walk down. Criticism drips off the tongues of their peers -- in many shapes and forms, life can be just plan hard for them.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #bf9000;"> How do we offset all the negative that our children absorb in a day?</span></strong><br />
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First, we need to be sure the message they get from home speaks value, worth and merit. <br />
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Second, we need to feed them with more than flighty compliments . . . they need to be nourished with God's truths. <br />
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Third, we need to be sure we are heard above the din of discouragement they face.<br />
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How do we get our voices louder???? How can we be heard over the roar in their heads????<br />
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When I think of being louder, I think of ensuring our <u>God-given, motherly voices of encouragement</u> are heard above the shouts of cruel voices that echo at our children every day.<br />
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Whether they are testing out their singing voice and an older sibling laughs at them or they are on a playground and a scruffy bully tells them they're puny -- we have a job to do! Our voices need to be in our children's heads to help them ward off these lies that threaten to plant themselves within our children's hearts.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #990000;">The enemy will do <u>whatever</u> it takes to tear down our children and he will use <u>whoever</u> is available with the words they'll happily spit out of their cruel mouths.</span></strong><br />
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I'm so thankful, that as a mom, I have the privilege of being louder than all these other voices.<br />
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The role we play, as moms, is of utmost importance. We have to see that our LOUD VOICE in the ears of our children is one of the most beautiful tasks we get to carry out. Sharing words of hope when they feel low. Sharing truths from God's Word of their value when they feel rubbish-like. Sharing arms to hold and ears to listen, when their hearts are needing to be mended. <br />
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Don't ever let the enemy tell you that your voice isn't important in the life of your child! Even on the days that our chidlren may "pretend" they don't care what we say, they do! No one else is going to encourage them like we will! Get your voice heard and see it as the divine assignment that it is!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>"Don't be intimidated by all this</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>bully talk. You are worth more</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>than a million canaries."<br />
Matthew 10:31</strong></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><u></u></div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-80691419378943143942011-11-29T21:03:00.001-04:002011-11-29T21:05:37.023-04:00FEELING RUN DOWN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKH3_2rvz7H3EDH_kAL6xIZpvNstkmcFd06zSQ5PYyLxBPn7GYacw420TJHD_4PcM0VmRpR-fjMFD4tiSyBIIpFI1M7ZijNjOStnqLDJGsKHIcSYtfBeSlazux250Je7LAGgEBklSAI_j/s1600/July+2011+090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTKH3_2rvz7H3EDH_kAL6xIZpvNstkmcFd06zSQ5PYyLxBPn7GYacw420TJHD_4PcM0VmRpR-fjMFD4tiSyBIIpFI1M7ZijNjOStnqLDJGsKHIcSYtfBeSlazux250Je7LAGgEBklSAI_j/s320/July+2011+090.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <br />
There are just those days -- you know the ones -- where you just feel like you don't have what it takes to make it through the next hours, let alone days, that lie ahead. That's just the reality of life, isn't it? Somehow being told that those days are "normal" can make it seem more manageable, but something more is available to us that we shouldn't ignore...God's strength.<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;"> This is true strength -- the kind that only God can pour into our lives when we've reached a low point, a hard place, a dark time. </span></b><br />
<br />
Our God, Creator of all things, who is so intimately involved and concerned with EVERY detail of life, cares. He truly cares. And He's promised in His Word that when we are weak, His power will be made perfect in us (II Corinthians 12:9).<br />
<br />
I have a poem that hangs on a wall in our home and I stop to read it word for word every so often. Alone, it's just a poem, but combined with God's promise to fill us with His strength, it becomes of great encouragement...<br />
<br />
<i>When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,</i><br />
<i>When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,</i><br />
<i>When the funds are low and the debts seem high</i><br />
<i>And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,</i><br />
<i>When you care is pressing you down a bit,<br />
Rest! if you must -- but never quit.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>Life is queer, with its twists and turns,</i><br />
<i>As every one of us sometimes learns,</i><br />
<i>And many a failure turns about</i><br />
<i>When he might have won if he'd stuck it out;</i><br />
<i>Stick to your task, though the pace seems slow--</i><br />
<i>You may succeed with one more blow.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>Success is failure turned inside out --</i><br />
<i>The silver tint of the clouds of doubt --</i><br />
<i>And you never can tell how close you are;</i><br />
<i>It may be near when it seems afar;</i><br />
<i>So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit --</i><br />
<i>It's when things seem worst that YOU MUSN'T QUIT.</i><br />
<br />
Quitting can feel like the easiest solution -- it may be with our toddler who won't obey, our teenager who's pushing hard or our spouse who's not home enough. Whatever is causing us to be run down or overwhelmed, we can take it to God. He wants to join us in the middle of the mess, not stand back and watch us quit. <br />
<br />
Tell God where you're at and ask Him to come, in His power, into your dark moments and He will. He really, really will!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"Don't quit in hard times;</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>pray all the harder."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Romans 12:12</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-84553528489901833392011-11-25T23:35:00.002-04:002011-11-25T23:43:24.077-04:00LIFE-GIVING WORDS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbCBoQuvGwqZY2EETC7zwBY4OK-MW78ZO2JFCzR85aqGl9HgftSUC5bsn2i8V8wfclkQ8HlhFoMMkOqsIMLqKE9ClhuT49t8O7ee7oGB5pn3f08aW7Rqkl2MD2G9BBo1yr0nPaQ4L7tV-/s1600/July+2011+077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbCBoQuvGwqZY2EETC7zwBY4OK-MW78ZO2JFCzR85aqGl9HgftSUC5bsn2i8V8wfclkQ8HlhFoMMkOqsIMLqKE9ClhuT49t8O7ee7oGB5pn3f08aW7Rqkl2MD2G9BBo1yr0nPaQ4L7tV-/s320/July+2011+077.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Words that give life are often not easy to find, but they're out there; and for the sake of the deepest parts of our beings, they must be found. They are the food for our souls that we desperately need! Although we may deliver beautiful words of life to our families each day, we also need to receive them, don't we?<br />
<br />
But what if we're not receiving life-giving words back in the measure our hearts seem to call out for? <br />
<br />
Each day is different; one morning your preschooler may snuggle in and whisper, "Mommy, I love you so much I want to marry you," and we'll find the meter rise on our life-giving word tank. But less than 12 hours may pass before our ears hear our older child stomp out of the room, saying, "Mom, you're just not fair - I wish I didn't live here," and we watch the same meter dangerously plummet near empty.<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47;">How are we, as moms, supposed to stay fed on life-giving words when there isn't any way we can predict the next words that will flow from our husband's, friend's or children's mouths?</span></b><br />
<br />
First, we treasure each loving word that is shared and tuck them away safely in our hearts.<br />
<br />
Second, we ask God to help us calmly release each negative word that is thrown at us and quickly forgive the offender from our hearts.<br />
<br />
Third, we do our best to find safe places where life-giving words flow that we may have a source outside those who may be draining our tanks on a regular basis.<br />
<br />
Fourth - and <b>most importantly </b>- we go to THE SOURCE of all life, Jesus Christ. Not just when we're low, but daily, regardless of where our meters are at. Isaiah 55 calls out to us, when it says...<br />
<i> "All who are thirsty, come to the water...buy without money-everything's free!</i><br />
<i> Why do you spend your money on junk food...fill yourself with only the finest.</i><br />
<i> Pay attention, come close now, <u>listen carefully to my LIFE-GIVING, life-nourishing words</u>.</i><br />
<i> I'm making a lasting covenant commitment with you...</i><br />
<i> You'll go out with joy, you'll be led into a whole and complete life."</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i> </i>There's only one source where we can be guaranteed to find LIFE -- we must plunge ourselves into the words of God and let it speak to the places deep inside that hurt, ache and are withered. Only our Creator can bring the lasting, LIFE-GIVING words that we need to hear, so that we may be found complete and whole, not lacking any good thing.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"Lions may grow weak and hungry,</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>but those who seek the Lord lack NO good thing."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Psalm 34:10</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-81610317097848350702011-11-22T15:15:00.001-04:002011-11-22T15:18:43.801-04:00ON-TIME OR ON-HAPPY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJ7KxuXjvyhATDLX9zhtsI8Z764ufEJ9zYsC37X_JtJAcsZh996o2iJUvNlWUIAP0bXu3eiIOzpeYz-XpMkCRHwz8h98JDd6YCTU5z9GtK4Ye-WTYNbBwtijgEBcoPNGjOibjvyQmGeO7/s1600/IMG_7382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJ7KxuXjvyhATDLX9zhtsI8Z764ufEJ9zYsC37X_JtJAcsZh996o2iJUvNlWUIAP0bXu3eiIOzpeYz-XpMkCRHwz8h98JDd6YCTU5z9GtK4Ye-WTYNbBwtijgEBcoPNGjOibjvyQmGeO7/s320/IMG_7382.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
The speedometer rested below the speed limit and my relaxed husband was sporting his "not-a-care-in-the-world face". His nonchalant demeanor greatly reminded me of my children's attitudes when they couldn't see any reason that "hurrying" was needed either. I knew I should be thankful for his great mood but it just seemed to add to the swelling emotions I was experiencing, of being late. And, although, the chatter in the back of our van did nothing for my sour mood, it at least reminded me that I was modeling actions for an audience of five!<br />
<br />
My foot tapped the passenger-side floor more anxiously than it should have . . . late again! I growled inside and tried to chew on my tongue to keep from showing my frustration. Being late means far more to me than it should, even though I keep chalking it up to being the "detail" person in the family.<br />
<br />
<i>I refuse to spoil this day,</i> I reminded myself, <i>a few minutes will not make a big difference. </i>And as much as I knew I was right, I was bothered that I had to put out SO MUCH EFFORT to control my tongue for something so seemingly petty. <i>God, please help me,</i> came the silent cry.<br />
<br />
This is growth for me -- one small choice at a time; while asking God to strengthen me!<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;">A choice not to vent the frustration that I feel inside. A choice to smile when my shoulders hang heavy. A choice to invite God into the mundane realities of daily life.</span></b><br />
<br />
Many times, we have a choice . . . we can either be ON-TIME or ON-HAPPY but we're not guaranteed both! <br />
<br />
<b> I ask myself, "Am I going to treat today like the gift that it is or am I going to be the one responsible for destroying the potential happiness that's locked within these moments?"</b><br />
<br />
Some may say I'm being to hard on myself, but I don't believe I am. I know the sound of God's still, small voice, reminding me to<u> love at all times</u>; not just when it suits me. And the end of the story? We arrived at our destination safe, (mostly) happy and the appointment we were late for . . . well, they weren't ready for us yet anyway. One small victory, thousands more to go -- one day, one moment, at a time!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"Troubles can develop </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>passionate patience in us."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Romans 5:3</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-47388202381179455602011-11-19T19:17:00.004-04:002011-11-19T19:22:55.349-04:00DO I HAVE TO GROW OLD???<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPihrzhoZuyWDMxYP0M0yQkjoEoelIWlMF7OwbM1Mvjp7lk5jD5DS5knv3XxE9RTu-JnLAWY1VIp0nVkgj2Cj7b1GQ8-yizJrGJYx54b4Mo2TvMsJ-YWPNrLHXX81-l8a2BC3B9OWjD68/s1600/May+2009+045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPihrzhoZuyWDMxYP0M0yQkjoEoelIWlMF7OwbM1Mvjp7lk5jD5DS5knv3XxE9RTu-JnLAWY1VIp0nVkgj2Cj7b1GQ8-yizJrGJYx54b4Mo2TvMsJ-YWPNrLHXX81-l8a2BC3B9OWjD68/s320/May+2009+045.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
The wispy, grey curls tucked her face into a beautiful blanket of age. Her wrinkled, red lips opened and wisdom poured out with each word that came. I felt my heart stir deep within -- <i>God, do this work within my life too. </i>But do I know what that will require of me? I'll have to grow old!<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"> Society has caused us to believe that aging is a curse . . . that getting old is the worst thing that can happen to anybody. </span></b><br />
<br />
According to market research, we spend <u>72 billion dollars on anti-aging products alone</u>. That doesn't even include hair colouring products, make-up and apparatuses to hide the sags. <b>What are we so afraid of?</b><br />
<br />
We're afraid of the one of the biggest lies of the century -- That we're NOT of value if we are aged. It reminds me of another tragic lie that our society is currently promoting -- Children are NOT a blessing. It seems anything that God promotes as good, is twisted into something that should be avoided. How else could we be deceived into missing the blessings God has planned for us?<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>We desperately need God's truth.</b><br />
<br />
This leads us to the Word and we discover . . .<br />
<br />
<ul><li><i>"The silver-haired is a crown of glory." Proverbs 16:31</i></li>
<li><i>"They will still yield fruit in their old age." Psalm 92:14</i></li>
<li><i>"Gray hair (is) the splendor of the old." Proverbs 20:29</i></li>
</ul><br />
<br />
Aging is the culmination of God's work in our lives. The place where, if we have followed hard after Him, we have sagacity that abounds and can be shared with others.<br />
<br />
<br />
I don't know where YOUR birthday falls on the calendar for the coming year, but go to that date in your mind and ask the Lord what blessings He has for you. Ask God to encourage your heart. Remind yourself that you can only age at exactly the rate God has deemed best and He's doing a great work in you. <br />
<br />
Celebrate exactly the age you are TODAY and don't dread the good things God has planned ahead! Remember we are modeling for our children the ways they will anticipate aging too.<br />
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>"Abraham was now very old,</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>and the Lord had blessed him</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>in EVERY way."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Genesis 24:1</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-66531880493160371102011-11-16T15:22:00.004-04:002011-11-22T14:41:09.999-04:00WANTING THE BEST<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAoRbylv2oKwlg1gubZo0HdvIWhK5LDP0dSbWTEOO6CElPpbHTHBwakE-Ibn4TRmDGZRFJHMzT2PHhY_5W9awhHbpe0rxp0APeKGwQILR3PzLV0k4OgNqgzazfeuX62awGkkT6AyDKh46w/s1600/October+2011+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAoRbylv2oKwlg1gubZo0HdvIWhK5LDP0dSbWTEOO6CElPpbHTHBwakE-Ibn4TRmDGZRFJHMzT2PHhY_5W9awhHbpe0rxp0APeKGwQILR3PzLV0k4OgNqgzazfeuX62awGkkT6AyDKh46w/s320/October+2011+005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Every day, I watch eyes twinkle and flash . . . faces smile and frown . . . feet run and stomp, and I feel awestruck and sometimes overwhelmed! I'm amazed that God trusts me to raise these children. Do you ever feel the same way? Like your head is spinning with the reality of the task in front of you?<br />
<br />
You and I, as moms, know something that most of our children will not discover for years -- we know that from the very core of our being <u>we want the best for our children</u>. But the irony is we don't always know what "BEST" is supposed to look like, do we? <br />
<br />
For all the time we spend pouring over parenting books, scanning through relevant websites and devouring the latest magazines on child-rearing; sometimes we feel further behind than ahead. That's nothing new . . . how do you think Dr. Spock sold 50 million copies of his child training book? We're not the first generation of parents to wonder what's best, but we're definitely the generation most inundated with information!<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"> Information is at our fingertips and sources drip with opinions and theories, but how do we know if it's the "right" advice?</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><br />
</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span">If we genuinely desire the best for our kids, we'd better be sure we have a filter in place that all this information can flow through -- do you know what that filter should look like? It's <strike>a book</strike> -- no, it's THE BOOK! It comes in all different shapes, sizes and colours -- and although New York Times bestseller's lists don't acknowledge it anymore, it's been on the #1 best seller's list for years. It's the Bible, God's words to us, and it offers every bit of the direction we so desperately need for discerning what is really BEST.</span><br />
<br />
A quote, that dates back 2,000 years ago, says it well . . .<br />
<b>"We ourselves are rather an example to many than imitators of others." Pericles, 5 BC</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b> </b>The "best" that we seek to discover for our children begins here -- not seeking to imitate others, but to boldly put all the knowledge we discover through the perfect filter of God's Word and choose to be examples, rather than imitators.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"Keep company with God,</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>get in on the BEST."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Psalm 37:4</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-3830442497174842962011-11-12T12:27:00.001-04:002011-11-12T12:29:53.834-04:00WHY DO I NEED TO BE RIGHT?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvctRD6XPE12iLI8Qo5Cjq57y8ulun2uW8_03DBm9v_TgDJ4p3kI6FcKk9Gg_yNuzTHu78OyhFulEo7X_E92XXmhk-w2Vz0dednkhRW4TDGPdVRDj3OdDkeabeE-nj0TD1QMGPicZO2jYZ/s1600/IMG_7023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvctRD6XPE12iLI8Qo5Cjq57y8ulun2uW8_03DBm9v_TgDJ4p3kI6FcKk9Gg_yNuzTHu78OyhFulEo7X_E92XXmhk-w2Vz0dednkhRW4TDGPdVRDj3OdDkeabeE-nj0TD1QMGPicZO2jYZ/s320/IMG_7023.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Close your eyes and see if you can you hear a recent conversation in your head . . . Someone you love, probably your husband, is telling a story in a group of friends and you observe that he made a small mistake on a detail -- well, of course, you do what any "good" wife would do -- you jump in and "fix" it for him. <br />
<br />
Ohhhh! The second I do that, I find myself mentally stomping my foot and physically biting down on my tongue. <em>Why did I do that again?</em>, I fume at myself. <em>Why do I think I need to be right??!!</em><br />
<br />
A vicious cycle continues on . . . more "husband" stories, more "wifely" corrections . . . I keep learning the same lesson over again but it doesn't seem to stick in my head. (And I'm the same mom who feels frustrated when my kids have to be told something more than ONCE?)<br />
<br />
<strong><span style="color: #20124d;"> I know my husband needs my honour far more than he needs my corrections.</span></strong><br />
<br />
In fact, if I could replay all those conversations, I'm sure I would experience heat flooding my face and tears slipping down my reddened cheeks for the embarrassment of how TRULY TRIVIAL all my self-important corrections were in hind-sight. I've heard that hind-sight is 20/20 and I'm sure my source of wisdom is correct.<br />
<br />
I love my husband too much to keep on correcting -- "God, you've got to help me humble myself so I can keep my lips still in these moments of life." I'm capable of so much harm and so much good ~ all wrapped up in the package of one wife.<br />
<br />
Do you know what's worse? Now my oldest children are getting to the age where I have more of the same opportunities with them. <em>Oh, they just don't realize they're a little off on the detail, I'll just interject a bit of my "wisdom". </em><br />
<br />
<em> </em>Oh, Kristen, don't you realize you don't offer anything but shame and embarrassment?<br />
<br />
I desire to honour these precious people that God has placed in my life, but it requires self-control with my words. Who really cares if I'm right or not? Honestly? Only me. I need to decrease so that Christ may increase in my life.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><strong>"Don't be selfish; don't try</strong></div><div align="center"><strong>to impress others. Be humble,</strong></div><div align="center"><strong>thinking of others as better</strong></div><div align="center"><strong>than yourselves."</strong></div><div align="center"><strong>Philippians 2:3</strong></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div align="center"></div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-41958868734972790952011-11-09T20:52:00.000-04:002011-11-09T20:52:06.735-04:00NOT PROVERBS 31 AGAIN!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgxhLrMOnnzdTVA-s6edxWrl7iIsBFGmfVeyT7Iv6QaomZTb1lxhGNybA-5iIprnS00VWCnHbGbxPtwQ_JqW5gsmJLD0DOrVrayCK83QecQ6ZyBfUqJmDmzi3np9IJarPoftX_HumwTl6/s1600/June+2011+253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgxhLrMOnnzdTVA-s6edxWrl7iIsBFGmfVeyT7Iv6QaomZTb1lxhGNybA-5iIprnS00VWCnHbGbxPtwQ_JqW5gsmJLD0DOrVrayCK83QecQ6ZyBfUqJmDmzi3np9IJarPoftX_HumwTl6/s320/June+2011+253.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Any mom who's been around the "church block" a few times has probably heard of the Proverbs 31 woman -- some look to her for inspiration, some look to her with confusion and many look to her with disdain. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> "Another way I don't measure up!!!"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> "Another list of things to do, when I can't even finish the one I have now!!!"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> "Another reminder of all the ways I've failed as a woman!!!"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> To these thoughts, and the many more that may race through your head, I want to stand up on the tip of the tallest building with a giant, red megaphone in hand and yell . . . </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>"NOOOOOO, don't believe those lies! God's voice doesn't sound like discouragement; that's the enemy of our souls trying to get us to give up completely on doing this motherhood thing!"</b></span></div><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">God's voice sounds like </span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> VISION, </span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> HOPE and </span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> LIFE! </span></b><br />
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<b> </b>The purposes embedded within the words of Proverbs 31 are meant to show us the direction God wants us to go (VISION), to show us that with God's help things will get easier (HOPE) and to show us that when we follow God's ways there is blessing (LIFE).<br />
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Think about the Ten Commandments -- who can read that list and confidently call out, "Check, check, check, yep, I've kept all those!"? We need to look at the dreaded Proverbs chapter in the same way -- it may be God's ultimate goal for us but He doesn't hold lists over our heads -- that's not how He works. That's how the enemy works to twist God's truths and <u>make us feel ashamed of what we yet are not</u>!<br />
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We know from many of the references found in Proverbs 31, that this woman doesn't fall into the category of an exhausted, new mom drowning in wet diapers; nor is she a young mom of toddlers making another round of PB&J . . . she's a woman with years of practice, training and experience under her belt. Over years of walking with the Lord, she has found the ways to gain rest in God's presence and wisdom from His Word -- she is at the other end of this crazy ride called mothering, looking back.<br />
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<b> IF we keep pressing into God, someday we'll be there too; and <u>by His grace alone</u>, our children will "rise up and call us blessed", but for now they may just call us MOM.</b><br />
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So take a few minutes to pick up your Bible tonight -- somewhere between changing over another load of dirty laundry and that midnight feeding that's still to come -- and look at the words that flow from Proverbs 31, fresh again. The book of Isaiah says the Lord<b><i> gently leads</i></b> those that have young! That's us, moms. No extreme expectations, no ridiculous check lists -- He leads us gently!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"There has never been the slightest</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>doubt in my mind that the God who</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>started this great work in you would</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>keep at it and bring it to a flourishing</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Philippians 1:6 MSG</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
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</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> P.S. If you think another mom needs to hear this, please click "share" and pass it along...I'm praying for you!</span></i></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"> </span></b><br />
Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8958938557754378782.post-11035265633539294832011-11-07T15:00:00.002-04:002011-11-07T15:03:02.180-04:00GIVE YOURSELF A LITTLE GRACE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLY4QPkY3HgOGwG6qI3L0U9Z4_rM2NdO1rDlUDznKS1Yvnq8NYFduUKmvY04WqUo4VL5j-5mkvosSbz0XyMjUqMdIGJATp2tFl3IzKXKYpwlTvE5WRmbqr0wwy9uQqMvu-fu7u6j3MBIw/s1600/IMG_7568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLY4QPkY3HgOGwG6qI3L0U9Z4_rM2NdO1rDlUDznKS1Yvnq8NYFduUKmvY04WqUo4VL5j-5mkvosSbz0XyMjUqMdIGJATp2tFl3IzKXKYpwlTvE5WRmbqr0wwy9uQqMvu-fu7u6j3MBIw/s320/IMG_7568.jpg" width="240px" /></a></div><br />
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Something unique happens in our lives when we become moms of little ones – we find ourselves in a season of dirty diapers, feedings, fussing, and being in constant demand. It’s a stage of life that we’ve most likely never been in before, and once those little ones grow up a bit, we’ll likely not be there ever again.<br />
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Since the youngest of my five children has departed from the preschool years, I often find myself reflecting on what I've left behind. <br />
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I LOVED my babies; the smell of sweet skin, the fuzz of their little heads, and the way only a baby can snuggle into the warmth of your arms. I miss that SO MUCH! But, I also remember the exhaustion, the feelings of being alone and overwhelmed, and wishing my family wasn't three borders away!<br />
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Could it be that the "babies stage" is one of the most challenging seasons in our entire lives?<br />
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In those moments of juggling babies, diapers and doctor's appointments; we do what most moms would -- <u>we frantically search for wisdom!</u> We look for those who have gone before us and can make it easier, tell us how it should be done and offer us hope that this WILL get easier. And that's good, BUT...<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #a64d79;">When you read the words of the wise that have gone before you, please remember something…<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">you need to give yourself a little grace. </span></span></b><br />
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My guess is 9 times out of 10 our sources of wisdom are further ahead in the journey than we are -- and God tells us to search them out (Job 12 tells us that wisdom is found among the aged and long life brings understanding) -- they are wonderful places to learn from. But remember, those same sources may sometimes forget the detail; the intensity of the tiredness, the extreme busyness of a toddler and reality of daily demands. You need to combine grace with whatever you read / hear / see.<br />
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God’s Word is our primary source of survival in every stage, and when our babes are in arms, that's where we'll find <b>direction mixed beautifully with grace</b>; everything else that comes to us by way of information, is secondary, if anything at all. Even as I type these words I am so aware that my memory fails me on the details of countless sleepless nights, although I know I will never forget them completely.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #741b47;"><b> Don’t neglect the words of the wise that come from so many sources, but if necessary, DO take them with a grain of salt.</b></span><br />
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Be patient with yourself – God is patient with you – and you WILL get to where you need to be, one “grace” day at a time. (And if you are struggling with good 'ol Proverbs 31 mom -- we're going to talk about her next time)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>"If any of you lacks wisdom,</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>you should ask God, who gives </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>generously to all."</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>James 1:5</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
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</b></div>Kristen Dawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16848181992908944737noreply@blogger.com0