Archives for June 2013

God’s Best or Mine? The Price of Being a Wanderer

“I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.” Isaiah 44:22

Do your children ever wander? Maybe at Target or in the grocery store? Have you had a moment when you couldn’t see them or a moment when you could and you could plain as day tell that they were heading in the wrong direction?! Maybe your kids are older and are wandering down a path that has you concerned. We all WANDER…sometimes we wander with good intention, other times out of ignorance or simply because WE WANT WHAT WE WANT.

The Israelites wandered off course willfully. God had a plan for them, instructed them how they should go, but they went their own way and by their own method(s). God STILL blessed them with His plans of providing a new land and gave them what He said He would, but not until they came back to His side and re-focused their attention on Him. Sadly, they did not, and as a result, God’s very best plans were delayed in their lives.

God couldn’t give the Israelites what He had for them until they were ready to choose Him. Hhhmmm…sounds like a parallel relationship we have with our kids at times! Making poor choices can have its consequences. The thing to note is that even in their waywardness, God still cared for His people and led them through their journey. He still provided for them and made sure they had what they needed. But it wasn’t His best. I often wonder, In what ways am I going my own way and missing out on God’s best plans for my life? As moms and as women, we can have hope that even in those moments of wandering, God is there to redirect us and breathe new life into old steps so that we are walking at His side in a new direction where we are certain to receive His very best for our lives. Wander no more, moms. God is your faithful guide.

How has motherhood made you aware of your own tendency to wander or to stay focused? What might be God asking of you so that He can give YOU His very BEST?

Image credit: <a href=’http://www.123rf.com/photo_13375627_image-of-a-an-old-bearded-man-walking-with-a-lamp-in-a-woodblock-print-style.html’>xochicalco / 123RF Stock Photo</a>

Lost & Found

“But in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, and he was found by them.” 2Chronicles 15:4

We look for so many things each day, don’t we? When we can’t find something, we stress and worry yet when our children lose something, stress and worry, we do our very best to help them through their anxiety, comforting them by letting them know that it’s okay, they’ll find what they are looking for, what’s missing will turn up. As moms, we travel around the house searching for the toy that appears to have hidden on its own, for the other flip flop that looks as if it hopped away or for the homework that is by your child’s every recollection, complete and thought to have been placed in the backpack. Lost things….sigh. Usually found, sometimes not.

We don’t have to scramble when looking for God. He is always there, always waiting for us and always available. He may not be visible, He may not always speak to us in an audible voice, but He is present. We find Him in prayer, in the scriptures and within our hearts and spirit. He is near and can always be found–for the big things and the small, and for everything in between. We just need to look.

So look for Him today in all that you are doing, Mom.

He may even know where that flip flop is hiding.

Who am I? Finding Your Identity in Motherhood @ Carey Scott’s Let’s Get Real Ministries

So excited to have been over at Moms Together today discussing identity with SO many of awesome moms. The talented Author/Speaker/Life Coach, Carey Scott, got the ball rolling today as we explored the big question that moms so tirelessly grapple with: Who am I in My Role as Mom? So encouraging to read what other moms are feeling on this and how we are living out the answers. Come take a read at both places if you get the chance…you’ll be encouraged!

(Click here) Having left my career to step into my role as mom….I had a nagging question hovering like a helicopter. It wasn’t which mommy group to join or how to get my baby to sleep through the night….

Finding Rest in Unrest

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.” Psalm 62:5 Even in the carefreeness of summer, there can still be an unfreeing feeling of unrest and at times, hopelessness as we continue through the different seasons of our days. There are still struggles, there are still challenges we battle as moms, as women. Some of you battle with a habit that seems to plague you over and over again and you are tired of it–wanting it to change or to just stop. Perhaps it’s the battle of not yelling, or the battle of waiting something through until it ends. You may be experiencing unrest in feeling just plain old worn out. Today, if any of this describes where you are at, perhaps you can find rest not in your circumstances changing the way you need them to, but in God–for in Him, we can find true restoration, correction and hope for that something new needed in our circumstances. See what He has for you today as you put your trust in Him for the hope and newness you are needing in your life. He will meet you where you are at and surprise you in new and in unexpected ways!

Related Scripture References:

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” Psalm 62:1-2

“To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God.” Psalm 25:1

“You hem me in–behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.” Psalm 139:5

The Shaping Challenge — Patience

Good Morning Moms! So happy you are here. For those of you who expressed interest, we are starting our shaping challenge–that one thing we want to be to our kids and developing it on a daily basis. So introducing our first guest attribute….patience…ta-da! It seems to be a popular condition we moms struggle with not having enough of, yes? So grab your journal, a piece of paper or even a sticky note and just quickly jot down the situations or the times of day when you are needing patience or when it seems to be riding at really low tide on your beachfront property (we wish, right?) Go ahead, I’ll wait. I think seeing an area you want to be strengthened in written on paper in your own handwriting is effective and makes us more aware and mindful of those traps we fall into.
Now look at what you wrote down. Is the time or situation typically the same? Is there a pattern or does impatience strike at any time? What are your triggers? What works against you? If you are comfortable, please share, we are all in this together and there is no judgment. You can also go to my Shaping Your Identity in Motherhood FB page and see that live discussion. Either way, I hope you will be encouraged through prayer, the support of others and God’s hand as He actively works to help shape this quality in your life.

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