Helping Others
“Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
-Galatians 6:2
Our Fallen Hero
This morning started VERY early!
I had to leave the house at 5 a.m. to get to a 7 a.m. meeting out of town. On the way back, in the small town of Hico, people were lined up along the highway along with many American flags. Hico was welcoming their fallen hero home.
U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Shawn Hefner gave his life in Operation Enduring Freedom on Friday, November 13, 2009 in Afghanistan when he stepped on a mine. He was only 22 years old.
I am blessed to have men overseas protecting my freedom!
Please pray for the Hefner family & the town of Hico!
Foster2Forever is giving away an autographed copy of Spoken from the Heart signed by Laura Bush, the former First Lady herself! (I had to stand in line for over an hour for this!) Go to this GIVEAWAY link and register by July 31, 2010.
Going Through the Motions…
I don’t want to go though the motions,
I don’t want to go one more day,
Without His all-consuming passion
Inside of me.
I don’t want to spend my whole life asking
What if I’d given everything
Instead of going through the motions!
Faithful Sunday
Leave the examination room and said,
‘Doctor, I am afraid to die.
Tell me what lies on the other side.’
Very quietly, the doctor said, ‘I don’t know.’
‘You don’t know? You’re, a Christian man,
and don’t know what’s on the other side?’
The doctor was holding the handle of the door;
On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining,
And as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room
And leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.
Turning to the patient, the doctor said,
‘Did you notice my dog?
He’s never been in this room before.
He didn’t know what was inside.
He knew nothing except that his master was here,
And when the door opened, he sprang in without fear.
I know little of what is on the other side of death,
But I do know one thing…
REWARDS!!!
This week I purchased a Reward Chart for my 2-year-olds. I especially wanted to use it in potty training, but was hopeful that getting a sticker for “picking up toys” would be an fun incentive for both of them. (They are so competitive!)
It was both a success & a failure. At 2 years, my little ones just can’t see the reward in chart form; however, the good news is that they LOVE to get a sticker on their hand. A reward that they can feel & touch & show!
Stickers are GREAT! So far, Stinkpot has #2 in the potty TWICE! Both of them will now eat almost ANYTHING for a sticker! Later, I may find these stickers all over the place – but who cares? – they are currently model children. No more “terrible twos” hopefully!!!
Wouldn’t it be great if as mothers, we got stickers everytime we had a great “mommy moment”? Wow! I caught the vomit in my bare hands before it hit the sofa! “STICKER!” Boy, I did a great job in cleaning up that diarrhea all over the bed! STICKER!
But, honestly, the reward stickers we get as moms last a lot longer than a sticker. The hugs, the kiss good-night, the smiles & giggles will be in my memory forever!
As with motherhood, the rewards of following Christ can come with some sacrifices. As Christians, our labors & sacrifices will be rewarded. “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!” (Ephesians 3:20, The Message) So God promises us rewards more than we can imagine! The best of these is eternal life through Him. We may have suffering in this life, but the blessings will outweigh our difficulties 100 to 1! (see Matthew 19:29 & Mark 10:30) Have a BLESSED week!
Frustrations of a Working Mom
Today Walgreen’s had a WONDERFUL special to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Breast Cancer Foundation. They were offering photo DVDs for only $1 and donating that to the cure. I put together a DVD of 80 pictures of my foster girl to give to her mother this week. My hope is that it will give her the motivation to get her life on track, if not for herself, but for her little girl.
Lately, I’ve been struggling with trying to juggle it all! I have responsibilities at my job, at home, at church & even by being part of a local cancer non-profit. I want to be the best mother to my 2 toddlers & don’t want to short-change them. Sometimes I feel as if I’m spread too thin & feel insufficient in every aspect of my life.
I found this handy little chart that I’m going to print & start using these verses to turn around those negative thoughts & lift my spirits when I am feeling insufficient. My hope is that God blesses you this week!
HANDY LITTLE CHART – GOD HAS A POSITIVE ANSWER:
YOU SAY |
GOD SAYS |
BIBLE VERSES |
You say: ‘It’s impossible’ |
God says: All things are possible |
(Luke 18:27) |
You say: ‘I’m too tired’ |
God says: I will give you rest |
(Matthew 11:28-30) |
You say: ‘Nobody really loves me’ |
God says: I love you |
(John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 ) |
You say: ‘I can’t go on’ |
God says: My grace is sufficient |
(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15) |
You say: ‘I can’t figure things out’ |
God says: I will direct your steps |
(Proverbs 3:5- 6) |
You say: ‘I can’t do it’ |
God says: You can do all things |
( Phil ippians 4:13) |
You say: ‘I’m not able’ |
God says: I am able |
(II Corinthians 9:8) |
You say: ‘It’s not worth it’ |
God says: It will be worth it |
(Roman 8:28 ) |
You say: ‘I can’t forgive my self’ |
God says: I Forgive you |
(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1) |
You say: ‘I can’t manage’ |
God says: I will supply all your needs |
( Phil ippians 4:19) |
You say: ‘I’m afraid’ |
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear |
(II Timothy 1:7) |
You say: ‘I’m always worried and frustrated’ |
God says: Cast all your cares on ME |
(I Peter 5:7) |
You say: ‘I’m not smart enough’ |
God says: I give you wisdom |
(I Corinthians 1:30) |
You say: ‘I feel all alone’ |
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you |
(Hebrews 13:5) |
On Being a Christian Working Mom
24! It’s the same for everyone. 24 hours is what each of us have in each day. But to us mothers that work outside the home – it just isn’t enough!
At one time I was a stay at home mom (SAHM) & even homeschooled my teenage stepson. Although we struggled financially, our home life was very satisfying. Homeschooling did keep me quite busy, but I could multi-task my home duties at the same time. Dinner was ready when my wonderful husband came home on most days. It was a peaceful homelife.
However, my struggles with infertility & an incredible career opportunity, made me realize that God wanted to change my focus for a while. The move and the new job were exhilarating, but the desire to have a child still left an emptiness.
Eight months later, an 8-month-old foster baby was delivered to us one evening. Stinkpot’s arrival was a blessing that totally overwhelmed my life. It took a solid 6 weeks before I didn’t feel incredibly frazzled. It was then that I began to think about leaving a career I enjoyed to stay home again, however, because he was a foster child, we didn’t know how long he would be with us. We delayed any decisions until we knew he was ours.
We adopted Stinkpot in August 2009. Our life with a 2-year-old, although hectic, was managable. However, a week & a half before the adoption, we were brought a 2-year-old foster girl. We only had thought our life was hectic before then!!!
Since then, I struggle each day as I try to get 2 two-year-olds off to daycare, prepare dinner, keep the household together, get everyone (including myself) ready for bed & the next day. All the while, wondering, “Lord, am I a good parent? My time with my children is so short – Am I short-changing them?”
I know that there are other Christian working moms struggling as I do & I plan to use this blog as an outlet to possibly reach other Christian working moms that struggle with the same issues. Hopefully, we can support & encourage one another.
TAKING OUT & GETTING AWAY
I’ll start today’s blog with a quote. I love this quote by Jay Leno:
‘With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?’
As a country, we’ve become so intent on taking God out of everything – which right now would be the worst thing to do. We now need God more than ever.
I have been blessed this week reading the devotions of Proverbs 31 Ministries. So down to earth & so relevent! Lysa’s blog today was the best!
I haven’t had a chance to do much scrapbooking lately – being the working mom of 2 two-year-olds – but was so thrilled that Shutterfly has announced a quicker way to create a photobook with a program called Simple Path. The best thing of all is that the photobooks are on sale for 20% off until October 14th! YEAH!
This weekend, our family is going camping for the first time since spring. We are renting a cabin on the lake (easier to “camp” when you are in a bed). I’m hoping to take advantage of getting away from it all, but with the “dueling toddlers” – we’ll just have to see how the relaxation thing will work out.