Learning from the Little Things

The sound of a small person thumping and rolling down the stairs is a terrible one.

A few minutes ago I help my precious 2-year-old and thanked God for her cries. She was bumped around a bit, but really okay.

But it made me wonder: How many moms are holding a precious child in their arms who can no longer cry? Whether having succumbed to disease, cut short by starvation, or brutally killed because of persecution or other evil, how many mothers will weep over a baby today?

I am so grateful for every moment with my children, even the frustrating ones.

And I also wonder: What can I do to make a difference to those other mothers around the world? What little thing would I have to give up to donate a few meals? What time in prayer could I sacrifice for safety? In what ways can I help promote the spread of the gospel of Christ Jesus, the only true source of hope and peace?

Thank you, God, for protecting my child from serious harm and using such a small thing to draw me closer to Your will.

http://www.gfa.org/

http://www.compassion.com/

http://www.watoto.com/

A Mom's Set Free

Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Galatians 3:3

Last time I wrote, I was getting ready to go to what I knew would be a fantastic conference: She Speaks -a writers, speakers, and women’s ministry leaders conference. I’d been wanting to go to the conference for years and this year finally got the go ahead – from both God and my hubby.
Long before the time for the conference arrived, I got to know many (almost 300 were members) of the to-be attendees through the conference Facebook page. We shared anticipations, fears, prayer requests and an overall excitement about descending on Concord, NC all at the same time (with a total of 650 registered ladies and almost 100 staff and volunteers to run the conference!) There was no doubt in my mind that I would be blessed by my time there.
I was in no way, however, prepared for all that God would do. Throughout the weekend God blessed me with little gifts. A surprise roommate who was as warm, welcoming, and encouraging as I could ever ask for. Friends made, contacts received, networking going on, positive feedback from my publisher appointments (even if no closer to getting my nonfiction book published) and a fantastic speaker evaluation group experience. I was confident, prepared, and all around having a great time.

Then the Saturday worship session came along. We were blessed to have Ann Voskamp, the author of One Thousand Gifts, as the speaker. Her stories touched hearts, moved people, and made you think. Then something totally unexpected happened, something I was completely unprepared for. God used the words of Ann, along with my own words and scriptures I’d used in my speaker evaluation talks, to reach down deeper into my soul than I knew existed. He grabbed hold of hurts and false beliefs I thought I’d gotten rid of a long time ago, pulled them up to the surface, let me feel them, and then healed them. Yes, I was one of those snot-slinging, tear-wracked women in the prayer room. Sometimes that’s what happens when God reaches down deep and changes you.

One thing that I came out of that prayer room with was a sense that instead of knowing God’s truths (that I had myself quoted and talked about) only in my head, I now have them firmly planted in my heart. I also came away with knowing that while I’m a fairly transparent person, it’s only of those things on the surface, those things that don’t truly make me vulnerable.
But do I really want to show the real me, God? Isn’t it too ugly, too dark, too odd? No, He whispers. You are real and you who I made you and are becoming the person I desire you to be.
So as I take a deep breath, I vow to give up everything to God. Even my short-comings. My pride. My belief that I have to do everything perfectly. My belief that I have to earn love. My belief that without working at it, I deserve nothing, not even God’s love. My willingness to only allow the surface stuff to show.

I am grateful for all the little gifts God gave me, but am blown away by the biggest gift of all: freedom. Freedom from the bondage of my own false beliefs and the idea that I at least have to attempt to do everything perfectly. Freedom to truly trust in and rely on God. That He’s in control and I simply have to submit. Freedom to let these truths travel from my head to my heart and let God do the work in me that I know is yet to be done. Freedom to live – in Him, through Him, and for Him.

Today I’m grateful for: the sound of sealing jars, healing from yesterday’s migraine, today’s journey to my first mission trip, God’s word at my fingertips – and everything listed above!

What if

My recent reading of Max Lucado's book OutLIVE Your LIfe has inspired me to ask some new questions of myself. Questions that would be good for all of us to ask. The main one is:

What can I do to make a difference?

In some ways, I've been asking these questions for a while now. I try to share life with others, giving in small ways. Passing on maternity clothes. Donating or consigning at reasonable prices children's clothes. Cooking a meal. Exchanging child care. While I think I have been obedient in serving those in my immediate circle (some days more than others), I am now being stretched to see how I can serve those that would cause me to step out of my comfort zone.

Many of us believe, say, and reinforce that we dont' have time? But is that true? How much time do we spend in front of the television? How much time to we spend surfing the net? How many activities do we sign our children up for? How often do we get together to have fun? We all have time, we choose how we spend it. We can choose to spend it differently.

What if

* We signed our child/ren up for one less activity and instead did some family volunteering each week/month?

*We gave up eating out once a week/month and donated that money to a feeding program for some of the millions of starving children in the world?

*We watered our lawn one less time a week and donated that money to a clean water well drilling program?

*We spent a "ladies night out" serving the poor a healthy meal?

*We used a family vacation to go on a mission trip instead of going to a theme park?

There are probably many other quetions we could as ourselves. Many other ways we can give. Won't giving to others teach our children all the things we wish to teach them? Isn't that what Jesus taught us?

What impact on our personal world and the world at large would we have if we decided to give a little more, and then followed through on it?

Out LIVE Your Life

Sometimes God makes things as clear as the full moon on a cloudless night. Lately, I feel like that's what He's been doing. In several different ways, He has been whispering to me to look to the possibilities of what I can do instead of my limitations as a homeschooling mom of four under 8. There are a lot of things I don't do - including go to the grocery store very often. I can do it, I prefer not to.

However, through two different books, one fiction and one nonfiction, a personal experience, and a special speaker at our church, God has been calling me out of my box that I've firmly planted around me and my children.

Now, there are things I shouldn't do. It wouldn't be wise to try to do every conference, girl's night, and fun opportunity that comes along. Nor would it be wise to be in a different homeschooling group every day of the week. These are good boundaries to have. I don't need to limit myself in what I can do for other people, though.

In reading Max Lucado's newest book - OutLIVE Your Life - I was deeply enouraged to ask what difference I can make on a daily basis. One of the final statements sums it up: "None of us can help everyone. But all of us can help someone." Using personal stories and scripture in a way that it becomes relevent to everyday life, Lucado lays the foundation for a life that will be dynamic and full of love. He does so in a way that is entertaining, heartfelt and God-focused. This is definitely a five-gold-star book!

Get it, read it, then live it. You'll be amazed how God will use you. What He will make of your life. I'm excited to see what He does as I strive to be obedient and make the difference He made me to make.

First Week of School

I thought that having school start on a holiday week would be a good thing. A shorter week. Woohoo! But, here it is Friday, the week's almost over and we've gotten almost nowhere. I should add that: I homeschool, missed doing laundry on Monday because of the holiday, started a new homeschooling group {Classical Conversations} Tuesday, had a Dr.'s appt. and shopping for my mom's wedding to do on Wednesday, found out I'm anemic (on top of having low Vit. D - no wonder I crash in the afternoons!), and had a play date for the kids w/some other homeschoolers Thursday morning. I feel like a week in, we're already behind!

I am glad that the onslaught of other activities haven't started, putting more into our schedule. Maybe easing into all the activities (Awana, children's choir, dance, and Ladies' Small Group) is a good thing. Time to get myself organized. So far, I haven't made a good transition back to school.

The factor that makes it all work - we homeschool! I don't have to have it all together all at once (Thank God!.) We can get a slow start, like the tortiose, but if we rev up and keep going steady, we'll still win the race. That rabbit that took off out of the gate sprinting will have nothing on us!

Now, I'm going to go get ready for another day of teaching, running the house, and trying to keep everyone healthily fed! It works for us (even though some days it just works us :).

For all those moms out there working their own schedules and managing their families, I send blessing, grace, mercy, and peace as you lead your children into the world one step at a time - no matter whether that's by way of homeschool, private school, or public school. Take time to drink a cup of coffee (or tea, or smoothie) and keep in touch with your mommy friends as the school year takes off like the space shuttle - on a holiday week.

Ahhh...Quiet

Yesterday I had one of the best gifts ever for a mommy - I had a day off! A true day off. 24 hours with no kids. No demands. No whining. No arguing. No interruptions during dinner, or a good book, or in the bathroom. It was marvelous.

I love my kids, but I also cherish time by myself to recharge. This may sound repetitive (as several of my posts in the last couple of weeks have been about Mommy Time), but it is still true. I tried to think back to the last time I had a day completely by myself and I came up with that it's been 23 months. That would be 9 months of pregnancy and the first 14 months of my littlest one's life. That's a long time. I've had afternoons off and a few hours here and there, but there's nothing quite like spending a whole day in your nightgown uninterrupted.

I also got to go to a Thirty-One party (the night before, after dropping the kids off), which was great gal time. So, I had a little bit of both types of mommy time.

I was very happy to see all my sweet ones when they arrived home around dinner time last night, and was recharged and ready to go again. And today, I am reaping the rewards of my time off in feeling much more capable of doing what is demanded of me day-in and day-out to raise four children under 8, take care of my house, and homeschool.

I had plans to get all sorts of writing, revising and submitting done on my day off. I did a little. However, I don't feel like I wasted my time at all. There is definitely something to taking a day of rest. There's a reason God called us to do so. As moms, we aren't able to get a day off once a week, even if we dont' do anything but parent and throw some cold cereal at them to eat. No, we need to be deliberate about making that time. I am fortunate enough to have a mom close enough and willing to keep all the kids for me once in a while. I know not everyone does. I can think of several other moms I know personally who don't. So, after my wonderful, fabulous, restful day, my main thought is, "Who can I give this gift to?" That's what I'll work on next.

Tell Me About It: by Carolyn Hax

I don't always agree with what Caroline Hax says, but this time, she's hit the bullseye.

Great Deal at AMF

had a good time at the AMF bowling alley this morning - two moms, 7 kids! (I couldn't have done it without you, Leigh Anne!) kids get 2 games free all summer long. go to: www.kidsbowlfree.com to register.

Trade Mommy Time

Invaluable as a mom is other moms. Just yesterday I got to have some good Mommy Time with some wonderful mommy friends and their little ones. These days I cherish, but I also cherish time by myself. Mommy friends can also come in handy for this. For years I have been trading off time with other friends. I will admit, it becomes more difficult with more children (and is almost impossible when they're under 3), but when you have faithful friends with whom you don't mind watching your children and don't mind watching theirs, you can do some trading.

This time can be used to do housework, run errands alone, or catch up on some much needed rest. Your child comes to my house for a few hours today, and mine will come to yours a few hours tomorrow. These play dates occur more naturally as they get older, but it's good to have the foundation set early through some planning and intentional swap time.

So, call a mom, set up a date, and enjoy your time!

Mommy Times

Now that we've discussed getting time alone as a Mommy to recharge, we will move to another important version of Mommy Time. That's time with other mommies! These times I relish as much as my time by myself. And there are many ways to do this.

There have been innumerable "Mommy and Me" classes and times popping up everywhere in the last few decades. I think that moms used to get together and hang out, but our current culture is so scheduled and organized, that we now have to schedule this time with each other.

A beautiful picture I have in my head is of cultures such as many of the Native American cultures. The men and older boys went out on hunts and the women worked together and watched the children - together. They was often a central place where the work was done so that women could visit, teach, and encourage each other as they worked. I think we are missing something by being isolated in our personal, family, and work lives. We are missing natural fellowship.

But, there are ways to get it. For me, one of the best ways is joining a women's Bible study. These times of growing in the Lord and in relationships with other women are priceless. There are also Mom's time out, MOPS, and many other groups that you can find in most communities. Lisa Welchel (author of Taking Care of the Me in Mommy) talks about getting together with a group of mommy friends weekly in their house. However it happens (whether you find a good group or start a good group) these times are a wonderful way to encourage and receive encouragement from other moms. We all have different strengths we can play off of as we converse and learn from each other. And, the fellowship is usually awesome.

Romans 1:12 ... that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.