Thoughts, Mouth, Life

You know those days...  Where every thought is how someone forgot this, or didn't do that... Or didn't clean this or pick up after that...  Those thoughts running/sprinting around in my head affect my mood and without fail eventually come out of my mouth.  Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” It’s just true. Good or Bad, sometimes very bad... Understanding this, I don’t want negative, ungrateful, disrespectful,mean or hurtful words building up inside me and spilling out!!   If I think it, it becomes a part of my heart, which becomes what I say, which becomes what my husband, kids, friends and coworkers hear. If our thoughts line up with God's word, then our words will spill out blessings and honor to our Lord, and in turn our husband, children, friends, coworkers.... What thoughts do you (or can/should you) CHOOSE to think upon so that your mouth will honor God and build up your family?  Proverb 15:15  All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.

Jealous Love

Hosea. The story of a man trusting God. The story of an undeserving woman receiving unconditional love.


This story is powerful and an amazing example of God's love. Hosea married his wife, a prostitute... And he loved her. Even though she left him numerous times to return to her old life... He never held her sins against  her. Even though he suffered he had a forgiving love that would not give up!

How perfect of an illustration of us and our loving Father! Gods love is so strong for us that even if the mistakes we have made or are making are painful for him... He is always holding his arms wide open patiently waiting for us to run to him with naked abandonment!

God desires us, just as Hosea desired his wife...a jealous, raw, no comparison kind of love! The question to ask is... "I'm I allowing  God's love to penetrate my every thought? My every action?"  

I am remind of the words to a worship song... #myfave... I am a tree bending beneath the weight of his love and mercy!  How far are you bending?

Last Week

Last Thursday we were celebrating Thanksgiving....How fast a week can go by! There is a lot of planning, organization and money that goes into that awesome lunch (or dinner). There is such a build up when it comes to thanksgiving. Our Tv, movies, commercial, our families, our church,our work places.... do such a great job of putting us in the mind set of being thankful. We are asked who/what are we thankful for. We evaluate our lives, to thoughtfully consider who/what we take for granted. And then.... comes Black Friday. A day filled with pushing, shoving, being the first in line, getting the deals, buying what we don't need. (Now don't get me wrong I was up at 4am shopping too! :p )
BUT...how!? How can we make thanksgiving a natural reaction in our everyday?
My 2year old is a perfect example for us! You make him lunch, take off his shoes, unbuckle him, hand him a toy, read him a book,change his diaper...whatever it is he ALWAYS says thank you! Sometimes twice! If he is crying, mad, happy, sad,throwing a tantrum, he still ALWAYS stops and says thank you! I don't even have to remind him anymore, it is so natural for him. He thanks family, friends, strangers, our dog...No matter how cute this is (and what a good mom I seem like because of my well mannered son) The best part is he makes eye contact and the look in his eyes is so sincere you can't help but feel happy to receive his thank-you:)
Who can you touch by your thankful attitude today?

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Building Requires A Plan

The wise woman builds her house, the foolish woman with her own hands, tears it down. This is one of my life scriptures! As I was reading this morning I was challenged with a different angle of this verse. ***Because I have found that this is the way God works....He takes your favorite scripture, the one you know the best, the one you have perfectly memorized, the one that you are comfortable with....and He shows you there's more to it :) *****
In light of this scripture I have set in my heart to be that wise woman! No one wants to be foolish, right!? I have made a choice to be ever mindful of the words I say and my actions towards my children and husband.
Great! And this is a nice start.... but what is my plan, my blue prints, my vision?
Am I building a nice house for now, or one that will last for generations? How will my house hold in the storms, or even during a little rain? Any house that is built requires a Plan! The plan to be a Godly/Wise women, wife,sister,mother... demands your whole life and much sacrifice. It is not and will not be simple or easy. Do not let this discourage you or scare you, because as with any successfully built house the results will be worth the efforts. Take time this week, today, or right now to revisit or start your plan. There are many stages of life... and whatever stage you are in it is never too early or too late to evaluate your plan! Consider your time in prayer/meditation,your flexibility to the Holy Spirit, your education/resources, available mentors/role model, daily preparation, self evaluating, and/or training do you need? Who can you talk to? What books can you read? As the old cheesey but true cliche says: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!

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Faith in times of Fear

Fear, such a powerful little four letter word. Lately I have realized that I fear more then I realize. Its easy to get caught up in worry or to start planning for things to go wrong, we like to have another option if things don't go the way we want.

But did you ever stop to think that maybe those thoughts are what is keeping us from what God has for us? If we say we believe in God and his plans and purpose for us, then we have to take our hand off the situation. We have to stop trying to manufacture the blessing we want to recieve from God.

Abraham was quite guilty of this, we read in Genesis all the times he started to doubt, he started to take things into his own hands and then asked where God was at, and why the things he promised were not coming to pass. God told him, He would be the father of many nations yet he was old and without a child. But God wasn't surprised by this!!

And Abraham realized that it was God's faithfulness that proved true. He failed and failed and failed, but God came through in the end.

Jesus wants us to have unlimited faith...he doesn't need our advice or plan he just wants us to trust him and believe for the impossible!

milestones

Today is my Nephew's birthday! He is ONE year old TODAY:) I can't believe how fast life can go by sometimes... but like my own son who will be turning two in the coming month, I have enjoyed seeing them hit their milestones. They didn't always hit their milestones at the same time... My adventurous nephew started walking at 9 months, whereas my cautious son was still (barley) crawling at that time.:) As my sister and I would tease eachother over which child was more advanced...we knew that basically their were equal. They both hit their important milestones, and they both continue to grown and learn together everyday.
BUT.... what if they stopped growing, what if they regressed from walking back to crawling, or not moving at all. Or what if the solid foods they both ate were replaced with bottles once again? This would be a big cause for concern!
In Hebrews we see that this exact thing has happened:
Hebrews 5:12 NIV
"In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!"
When you read this passage you can feel the disappointment, but also the concern. This passage is not about regression in the physical sense, but in the spiritual sense! They should be teaching others The Word, instead, they resorted back to their spiritual infant stage.

Where in our own lives have we slipped back to our comfortable bottles?
The words we say, the people we hang out with? Skipping church or bible study, not reading our bible? Not spending time with God?
Reflect this week on your spiritual growth, is there someone who can tell you the truth or help mentor you, like the writer in Hebrews.

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Understanding the Why?

Well again its been awhile!! We have found out its hard to juggle work, family, church and blogging!

But anyways as we continue to try harder, I wanted to share what I have been learning this last month...

At times I have felt very far from God, with no hunger or ambition to dig deep into him or to spend time in prayer, week after week I have been struggling!

There are some things in my life right now that aren't really going as planned and I seem to get frustrated and impatient. Then in starts the wrong thinking of ,"c'mon God can't you see me here! Aren't you hearing my prayers- why aren't you answering!" But the thing is, he is answering, just not the way I want him to!
I am reminded that things do not always go as I planned, and of Jeremiah 29:11-13:

For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with ALL your heart.

God knows he sees all and he is not surprised! He knows my struggles, my pain, my longing and he does not take it lightly. Sometimes we get so caught up in ourselves that we don't see the way he is patiently drawing us to him. Even if we shrug him off, or don't acknowledge it, he still continues to encourage us, to help us. The verse above says seek me with ALL your heart! What does All mean? Its means with every fiber of your being! Everything!

He has everything figured out, he knows our desires and he knows what is best for us. We might not understand the why? but then again why do we have to? Aren't we supposed to trust that his plan is perfect, that out of everything he brings good?

So again, I am encouraged that even though my life might not be going as I had hoped. God's got me, and he is patiently working on me to help me become the person he wants me to be. His plan and purpose is way better then mine!
He sees eternity, I only see right now!