A Must Read!

I have practially read all of this woman's blog, and I feel comfortable endorsing it. I would encourage you to read this post labeled Ministry in the Mundane. She is an amazing homeschooling mother of 5, and she always shares such words of wisdom on her blog. This post is one that hits home to me, and I pray that it refreshes your minds and encourages you.

One of those days

Do you ever leave a mess like this behind after going out to dinner? Well, this picture is the result of lunch at Johnny Rocket's in Bakersfield before Nate's badge pinning as Captain. We even TRIED to stay on top of it, and still, this is was what we left the poor girl to clean up!

I kind of had a day today that could be described by this picture. It started off great. I got up before the girls, had a quiet time, made breakfast and was, for the most part, ready for one of 7 out of the last 9 days without Nate. I was proactive. I even have a schedule, or as I like to call it, a daily flow chart....too specific of a schedule just doesn't work for me.

And yet, twice today, I had to come to Annabelle and apologize for being frustrated with her and raising my voice. How can you start off so strong and end up looking like the picture so perfectly illustrates? I forgot to seek God before opening my mouth or responding to a situation. I lost self-control of my emotions. All the things I am trying to teach my 2 1/2 year old:)

I pray that all of you moms out there can find encouragement, knowing that you are not the only one that feels like a terrible mom sometimes, and yet, I also want to encourage you to lower your voice when feeling the anger rise. Take a deep breath. Look at the big picture. Most often, if I make myself smile and speak softly, the situation calms down. I may be the only one out there that needs that encouragement, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I am not:)
Here is God's word to make it all the more penetrating to the soul:

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs
up anger."

Proverbs 15:1

"He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he
who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city."

Proverbs 16:32

I am slowly learning the difference between training and discipline. Discipline is necessary, but a lot of times, I discipline when training is necessary. A sweet voice, and time invested into training can go a long way in creating peace in a home. I hate feeling like all I do is discipline all day, and I coming to realize that if I were willing to invest the time into training, there would be a lot less disicpline to go around. I am slowly mulling over all I am learning on both, and soon, I will be able to explain it better. For now, I encourage you all to take life slowly. It is often when I am unprepared or too hurried when I am harsh with my family.

God's Will

So, Nate has become a reader. It sounds crazy, since neither he nor I ever loved reading in school, but as we have gotten older, we just love it. We are that couple that sits in bed around 10 to read and talk till midnight. Never thought I would see the day, but here it is:) Anyways, we were cleaning out our garage of old books from college, and we came across an old favorite of mine from college, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life by William Law. Here is a quote that we just love (beware, his writings are from the 17th century):

"You are therefore to consider yourself as a being that has no other business in the world but to be that which God requires you to be. You are to have no rules of your own, to seek no self-designs or self-ends, but to fill some place and act some part in strict conformity and thankful resignation to the divine pleasure. Such resignation to the divine will signifies a cheerful approbation and thankful acceptance of everything that comes from God. It is not enough patiently to submit, but we must thankfully receive and fully approve of everything that by the order of God's providence happens to us...Whenever, therefore, you find yourself disposed to uneasiness, or murmuring at anything that is the effect of God's providence over us, you must look upon yourself as denying either the wisdom or the goodness of God. For every complaint necessarily supposes this...A complaint always supposes ill usage."
(pp. 141-142)

After thinking about this quote, I am challenged to rethink my thoughtlife and my decision-making. I am making a personal vow to make no more complaints about this pregnancy, my aches and pains, my exhaustion or anything else that I am so tempted to think or say in these last three months of pregnancy.

Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

And Philippians 2:14 says, "Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God, above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you appear as lights in the world..."

So, I invite you on this journey of no more complaining and not just patiently submitting. It is my goal, at the end of this pregnancy to be thanking God for and approving of this pregnancy. I pray that my will can one day be aligned with God's.