I Am A Princess

I am a Princess of the Most High King

From the tip of my crown to my wedding ring

Gentleness, kindness, mercy and grace 

Are gifts in my heart He surely did place

The jewels in my crown are peace joy and love

And I show them to the world for my Father above

My King loves His princess more than silver or gold

And reminds me daily I am a beauty to behold

I'm a princess of the Most High King,  it's true

And once you meet Him, you will be one, too.

How Do You Define Yourself?

I woke up yesterday morning feeling anxious, emotional and annoyed for what seemed like no reason at all.  I did not want to get out of bed and face this day that the Lord had made.  "Please let it be an 'ice day' as the news was predicting the night before.  I rolled over and clicked on the news in hopes my prayer was answered. But alas, no, school was on and my day must commence. I dragged myself out of bed too late for quiet time (which was needed more than usual on a day such as this) before waking the kiddos.  I managed to keep my emotions in check while hurrying 4 kids off to 3 different schools at 4 different arrival times. (crazy, I know)

When I returned home, I immediately sat down to have that quiet time.  While reading my devotional, I had the hardest time focusing! I had to stop in the middle of reading my devotional and ask God to quiet my mind and refresh my spirit right then. You see, the hustle and bustle of what needed to be done  had already grabbed hold of my mind and was invading my ability to seek Jesus wholeheartedly. God granted me peace and cleared my mind of my immediate distractions.  

However, it was blatantly clear that it was one of those days where I was going to have to choose to live beyond my feelings. I had to choose to allow God to trump my emotions.  Mother Nature and Satan were trying to wreak havoc on my heart.  But I am not defined by feelings alone, and neither are you.  Countless times yesterday I felt overwhelmed, angry, like I could cry, or like eating and eating and eating FOR NO APPARENT REASON!!!!  

In the end, I can say that God gave me the grace I needed to handle the day much better than I would have on my own.  Was I perfect?  NO!!!  None of us are ever perfect.  Whenever I felt the tension rising in me, I prayed.  I am sure I was still a little sassier than necessary at times, and I ate more than I should have in one day.  But I did not eat anything that is not on my chosen food plan.  I do not define myself by how I am feeling at any given time, I define myself by who I am in Christ Jesus.

A couple of scriptures come to mind in reflection of this day:  Psalm 139:14a "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made."  and Romans 8:5 "Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires."

Today I am not the emotional bundle I was yesterday.  Back to normal.  Still defined by who I am in Christ and thankful for his grace and mercy to get me through each and every day.  How do you define yourself?

Ramblings of a Broken Mom

This mom thing is so much more than I bargained for.  As much as I try to do the right things for my kids, I know I fall short.  I desperately long to be all they deserve to have in a mom.  Still, I find myself discouraged, overwhelmed and angry that this is so hard.  It is so, so hard!!!  Organization and consistency are not my forte.  I am being brutally honest here.  Unfortunately, this has rubbed off on all 4 of my kids.  They are suffering because of my shortcomings.  So not fair!

Even so, in the midst of struggle, I know, just as I live and breathe, that this season will make all of us better people.  My kids see that this is every bit as difficult for me as it is for them.  And although this pales in comparison, Christ could have quit on us.  Up on that cross, He could have stopped the plan of salvation, grace and mercy.  But he did not.  He endured all our pain and suffering. 

 In a way, I feel like I am carrying all of this sturggle that my family is going through.  Not that they are not suffering too, but I feel all their pain as well.   I could quit, and they would follow suit.  But then nothing would change.  In fact, things would most certainly get worse.  By not quitting, like Christ, I am saying, "I am with you all the way, no matter what".  You can say you quit, or that you hate me, or this is too hard or you can't do it.  When the fact is those things are not true.  I am here and I have got your back.  Even when it feels like I am your worst enemy, the truth is I couldn't love you more.

And know this as well: I would not be capable of this love if Christ had not first love me.  I would not know how to fight for you, if He had not fought for me.  He loves you and fights for you, my sweet babies, and always will.

Father God,
I am your humble servant.  Somehow You saw fit to entrust these four precious beings into my care.  I can never be all they deserve, Father.  So I am on my knees, seeking Your face.  Please God, smooth over my rough exterior, reveal my tender heart and make whole this inadequate woman Baleigh, Dottie, Lee and Jodhi call Mom.  Show them Your love, show them my love.  And may they rest in knowing we will never give up on them.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Worship Without Ceasing

It seems I have experienced a 2 month writing block.  However, as we all know, trials provoke inspiration.

Recently, I have experienced a new kind of anxiety.  While I continue to quote scripture both in my head and out loud, proclaiming the promises I know to be true, I also go from simply being edgy to crying at the drop of a hat. Crying out to God in prayer always helps.  And grabbing the book of truth and reading promises such as "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Php 4:6-7, word for word is comforting.

However, the thing that has calmed my spirit the most these days is not any of the things I listed above.  What has eased my anxieties and given me hope during a time of legitimate fear, has been worship music.  It comes over me like a wave of comfort and I fall into the arms of Jesus. Songs that don't even speak of His comfort or protection still give me peace.  Because no matter what the specific subject of the song is, I am always reminded that nothing is greater than my God.  He loves me no matter what, and I should praise him in  times of trouble, times of victory and all times in between. Worship without ceasing. 

Music is my favorite form of worship. Everyone has their own preference.  One person told me this week, they like reading.  Whatever works for you.  Music is easy, because you can listen while you drive, clean, work, blog, etc.  I would like to challenge you to listen to praise and worship music regularly.  Even if music is not your first choice of worship.  It will have a powerful impact on your life. 

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort." 2 Cor 1:3-7

Before The Morning

Birds are chirping
It's early morn
My coffee is waiting
Steamy and warm
Alone in the kitchen
We sit there we two
Jesus says lovingly
"Tell me, what's new?
How are things going?
What do you need?
A hug? A kiss?
A shoulder to lean?"
He knows my burden
He knows my worry
There's so much to do
I'm always in a hurry
"Be quiet, be still"
He whispers so clearly
I feel His presence
I love Him so dearly
"Give your burdens to me
Do not stress or worry"
So I lay it all down
Before little feet start to scurry

Follow up to teaching from Saturday

This morning while I was in the shower something occurred to me.  What is the difference between getting up at 7am to get the kids to school on time or to get to work on time, and getting up at 6:30 for a little devotion before getting ready for work and/or school?  I mean besides the 1/2 hr of sleep.  We won't be late for anything if we miss our devotional time.  There aren't any immediate tangible consequences.  If you don't pay the cable bill, you can't watch the Red Wings tonight.  If you don't pay the water bill, no shower for you.  But if you don't read your bible and pray, there are no concrete ramifications.  I believe this is why it can be such a challenge for us at times.

When Satan Attacks - Pt 1

Satan is a manipulator and an opportunist, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.  So, for the next several weeks, I am going to share about times when we are most likely to fall victim to Satan's dastardly tactics and what we can do about it.

Number 1 on my personal list is exhaustion.  When I am physically and/or emotionally spent, I am not myself.  No one is.  People tend to react to situations emotionally, irrationally and perhaps do not choose words very wisely.  Both relationships and responsibilities suffer.

Let's take a look  at Elijah in 1Kings 19:1-3.  He had just defeated 450 men in the name of God!  How amazing that must have been!  And yet, the very next day he is afraid, discouraged and even wanted to die.  But God came to Elijah and basically said, you need a break.  Get some food and get some rest.  How simple is that?  Sleep and nourishment.  Good for the body AND the soul.

So, the next time you find yourself out of sorts, overreacting, emotional, short tempered,etc., consider how drained you are.  Is Satan taking advantage of your "weakened" state and giving you an excuse to behave poorly?  Sometimes it's ok to take a break.