Big Task, Big Testimony

Sorry about last week  ... I just didn't make it to posting.  I had good intentions all week long and didn't quite get to it but let me tell you, I needed this mornings devotional!

Sunday morning around 4am I walked into Paxton's nursery responding to coughing and listening to him "whimper" for a few minutes and was slapped in the face welcomed by the horrific smell of vomit.  This is a first - ever.  Spit up yes, vommit no.  This is the second time he has ever vomited and - it - was - everywhere.  My poor baby was helpless and upset - we stripped him, stripped his bed, threw everything in the washing machine and if you have a crib bumper in your child's crib YOU KNOW what its like to change a crib sheet at 4 in the morning - shoot me.  Anyway.... the gist is this... he is still sick, does not feel good, is running a temperature, won't eat, won't drink, wants me to hold him 24/7, is in a crabby mood (I don't blame him), now has a red bottom from diarrhea (tmi sorry) and I am very tired :), but smiling.    We've all been where I am at - and if you haven't you will be one day... it sucks.  Its true though.... it is the most helpless feeling.  I have an amazing husband who is a champ at changing crib sheets, cleaning up vomit and changing diarrhea diapers so I am not alone here - its just that you feel like there are very few things you can do to help your baby.  So needless to say - when we were up at 5:30am this morning - I needed motivation and lots of it. 

 

Raise your hand if you have been watching the 'Bible'?  If you haven't, I encourage you to buy it when it comes on DVD or set your dvr to 'record all epidodes' for next Sunday because they are re-playing the whole series Sunday as well as the Finale Sunday/Easter night.  I am learning so much and getting so much clarity on the Bible and the God we all love so dearly.  Matthew and I are watching it together and have many light bulb moments the whole 2 hours.  One reason I love it is because it covers all the major and minor people in the bible.  It teaches you (in a different way than words - I am a visual learner :)) by going chronologically through the Bible how each and every story is connected.  The scripture today, Nehemiah 2:4-6; 6:15-16, is a great example.  I have a frame of reference to today's scripture because of my new found appreciation and understanding of the Bible.

The king asked, "Well, how can I help you?"

       With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, "If it please Your Majesty and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Jerusalem to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried." The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, "How long will you be gone? When will you return?" So the king agreed, and I set a date for my departure... 

        On October 2 the wall was finally finished - just fifty-two days after we had begun.  When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated.  They realized that this work had been done with the help pf our God. 

 Nehemiah received alot of ridicule and threats because of what he wanted to do.  Rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem was not a one man job and he knew that, so he prayed to God that he would have the strength and tools to recruit others to help him.  The small amount of people that did faced the same ridicule and threats yet still, Nehemiah prayed to God for guidance and strength to get through it and motivate his fellow workers.  In the end, they finished the wall and God was glorified because everyone knew the job was too big to be completed without God's help. 

As moms, we all have those "I just can't handle it" days or moments.  Whether it be an obligation or job we chose to do - taking us out of our comfort zone, pushing us to the limits OR situations like mine today - having a sick baby (ok, toddler) that is wearing my butt out and testing my limits.  Either way, as moms we are going to find ourselves in situations bigger than our capabilities.  When it happens we have a choice - whine, complain and swim in self pity OR as Nehemiah did, look to God for help and use his strength to help us through it. 

Choices:

• This week I will choose to ask God for help and guidance each day.
• This week I will choose to look for what God can do through my abilities and talents.
• This week I will choose to take positive action instead of complain. 

Prayer:

"God I praise you for the guidance and ability you give me to handle the tasks you have set before me.  When I feel overwhelmed, please grant me your strength.  When I feel inadequate, please give me what I need for the moment.  I look to you and trust you for help.  May you be glorified in everything you do in and through my life.  In Jesus' name I pray, Amen"

So, after praying this morning I did find renewed strength, my brain less foggy and a new attitude towards our current situation.  This too shall pass and I can get through it.  As moms and women its important for us to remember we can and should derive our strength from God and prayer, we don't always have to be supermoms because lets be honest - I don't think any of us have been awarded capes :)   I pray my Pax starts feeling better soon so we can all go back to feeling a little more normal :)

(Wanted to mention: If you would like to receive these posts to your email when there is a new post, look on the right side toolbar and you can add your email, confirm a subscription and that's it.  I nor anyone else will know who is subscribed or not, but at least this way you can see each post as its posted) Have a great week!  

The Battle is The Lord's

We all face different battles in life.  One of my favorite quotes is "Be kinder than necessary for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle".  The truth is, we are.  All of us, at some level, are fighting something going on in our lives.  Our battles may be with fear or worry, relationships, jobs, money, faith, addiction, sickness or even potty training a toddler or dealing with a strong willed child.  We are all facing something in our lives that is beating us down or filling us with a sense of hopelessness.  Take this scripture:

As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there... He said,  "Listen, King Jehoshaphat! Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours; but God's.  Tomorrow, march out against them.  You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz, at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel.  But you will not even need to fight.  Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord's victory.  He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem.  Do not be afraid or discouraged.  Go out there tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!"

2 Chronicles 20:13-17 

 

Okay, so we don't have an army lined up to fight us, but its safe to assume we all have a battle were facing.  Its so easy to think we are in the battle alone and the outcome (aka victory) is up to us.  WRONG - "Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God's."  Read that again - I sure know I needed to hear that this week.  Last week was rough - as a family we faced a really tough battle in fact, I'm still facing it and dealing with it in a different way today.  I needed to be reminded that I need to give this battle over to God and stop trying to fight it on my own.  Just like He told the army, I needed to be reminded to stand firm, be courageous and listen to the Lord and obey.  I can trust him to give me the strength I need. So can you.  The Israelites went out the next morning, took their stand, and faced the enemy. God brought the victory!         

 

As a mom, I want to teach Paxton to stand firm when faced with battles in life and rely on the fact that he has a God who loves him and is willing to help him face his battles, no matter how big or small.  If I don't practice that with him or model it for him, he wont do it.  We can't rely on others to teach our kids what we want/need/desire for them to know.  It is our job as their parents to equip them with the tools necessary to get through life - which includes showing compassion towards others in the wake of their battles too.  

 

This week was a nice reminder that in my battles, my family's battles, I need to stand firm on beliefs, pray and ask God for help.  When I do that I know that I have God helping me fight that battle.  I am also going to practice being kind to others, realizing we all have battles, ours are no more important than others in the eyes of God  - as moms, humans.... we need to also support one another and be there to help each other.   

 

Choices: 

•  This week I will choose to give my battles to the Lord. 
•  This week I will choose to stand firm in my faith.
•  This week I will choose to cast away fear knowing that the Lord is with me.
•  This week I will choose to show kindness to others as we all face battles.   

Prayer:   
" [God] I praise you for you are able to bring victory in my life.  You have all the power I need to defeat my enemies! Help me to have the faith and courage to believe and stand firm.  Lord, I give all my battles to you.  I know I cannot win in my own strength; I need you.  Help me to do my part.  Thank you for always being with me.  In Jesus's name I pray, amen."  

I walked away from this devo today feeling renewed being reminded that we do not have to fight our battles alone.  Even in silence God knows what we're facing, no matter how big or small and he is here to help us as long as we let him!  Comment a prayer request (anonymously if you need/want to) and I will, as I'm sure other readers as well, will pray for you as you face your battle.  If you could pray for me specifically on my health I would appreciate it :)  Have a great week!         

God Is Our Provider

I'm sure we have all had days where we feel less than equipped to be a mom.  After all, everyone says 'just follow your instinct' - well, that's great and all if I had an instinct to follow :)  or if I didn't second guess what my instinct was telling me to do :)  No really though... we do have an instinct - In my opinion its also called a judgement or conscience.  Today's devotional is centered around God being our provider when we feel we need something we do not have, no matter what it is. 
 
"One day the widow of one of Elisha's fellow Prophets came to Elisha and cried out to him.  "My husband who served you is dead, and you knew how he feared the Lord.  But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves."
        "What can I do to help you?" Elisha asked.  "Tell me, what do you have in the house?" 
        "Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil," she replied.     
          Elisha said, "Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors.  Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you.  Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting jars aside as they are filled."
          So she did as she was told.  Her sons brought many jars to her, and she filled one after the other.  Soon every container was full to the brim!
          When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, "Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and there will be enough money left over to support you and your sons."

                                                                                                           2 Kings 4:1-7         

 

Wow - talk about providing a need.  If only that could happen with formula or breast milk, right?  :) Only kidding.  The lesson here though is that God took care of the family of someone who had cared deeply for him and more importantly asked him for help.  They were a household who loved and served the Lord.  I think another lesson in this scripture and how it applies to us is yes, as believers we believe in Gods provision and his ability to help us but- that doesn't mean we don't need to do our own set of work to allow his plan and work to be done.  We cant sit around expecting Gods blessings to fall in our lap.  We need to be praying about it and doing all we can to work towards our need.  Also, something that brought me more peace than anything is this from Karols book, " Finally, we can draw encouragement from the way that God took what little this woman had and multiplied it abundantly.  We may think we have little to offer.  But God can take our simple love, faith, and obedience and multiply it into significant blessings for our home". 

 

In my mind, that means even the small things count.  I don't know what you need or what your family might need but make sure God does.  He can provide for us as long as we are willing and open to accepting what he can offer.  Listen for his guidance and be willing to accept what he tells you to do. That mommy instinct I talked about above-that might just be God telling us what to do - I guess we should listen to it! :)

 

Choices:

- This week I will choose to look to God as my provider.

- This week I will choose to faithfully obey what he leads me to do.

- This week I will choose to teach my children about God's faithfulness. 

 

Prayer:    

"Wonderful Lord and Perfect Provider, I praise you for your tender love and care for me.  I praise you for your magnificent power that is able to take what little I have to offer and use it in a wonderful way.  Thank you for looking after the needs of my family.  Help me to live in faithful obedience to you.  In Jesus's name I pray, amen."