God cares about the little things. I have no doubt in my mind about that fact.
In seasons where I've felt pressure or frustration (which we ALL have), He always gives me little surprises or seeds of hope that remind me that He never abandons or forgets about His kids. The important things always are taken care of, but what blesses my heart even more, is when He gives attention to the tiny, seemingly insignificant things....and those moments are priceless.
A"Papa Loving on Me" moment happened today...can I share it with you?
Every girl loves to smell pretty. I ran out of perfume about 2 months ago and have gotten by with some cheap body spray that was a stocking stuffer from about 3 years ago. My thinking was, "I'll wait until Christmas! I can get by just fine until then!" We weren't broke or anything...but we have been on a tighter budget, and with the holidays approaching, I put a few "wish list" items on hold.
It really wasn't a big deal. It's not like I would wake every morning with this cloud of doom over my head because I didn't have perfume! Did I go to the mall and mooch a few samples from the Dillards counter? Absolutely. I almost caved one day and used my husbands cologne ...but I thought that might send the wrong message to some people!
Today was a normal Sunday. Get up. Get the kids breakfast and dressed for church. Out the door by 9:00. Prepare for service.
About 5 minutes before service started, a sweet friend caught me in the hall. She reached in her purse and with a sparkle in her eyes, she handed me a dark purple perfume box. Her only words were, "I just want to give you this." She didn't know my need/want. She heard from her Father...my Father...and followed through with His idea. I was taken by surprise and thanked her, but after she walked away, tears filled up my eyes. I felt so loved.
He cares. What's important to you is important to Him. I like to think that in those moments God is saying, "Baby girl, I'm taking care of every little thing. This is how much I love you. You wouldn't ever ask me for something this trivial, but I care enough to show you I see the little things."
So I don't sweat the big stuff. Do I have moments of fear, frustration or anxiety? Sure! But they are moments. I immediately remember all the hundreds of times that my Father came through for me. It's all in His hands and I trust Him 100%.
Be blessed!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Boundaries
*A simple study was conducted to discover the effects of a fence around a playground and the consequent impact it would have on preschool children. Teachers were to take their children to a local playground in which there was no fence during their normal recess hour. The kids were to play as normal. The same group was to be taken to a comparable playground in which there was a defined border designated by a fence.
In the first scenario, the children remained huddled around their teacher, fearful of leaving out of her sight. The later scenario exhibited drastically different results, with the children feeling free to explore within the given boundaries.
The overwhelming conclusion was that with a given limitation, children felt safer to explore a playground. Without a fence, the children were not able to see a given boundary or limit and thus were more reluctant to leave the caregiver. With a boundary, in this case the fence, the children felt at ease
to explore the space. They were able to separate from the caregiver and continue to develop in their sense of self while still recognizing that they were in a safe environment within the limits of the fence.
* (above is from an online article)
Imagine a flat Texas prairie with tall wheat shifting in the wind. The hot air rushes past dried Mesquite trees and blows a wisp of hay from a nearby leaning bale. A few black cows are standing in the shade with mosquitoes buzzing around their eyes. The mixed smell of manure and fresh crops fill your nose with a strangely comforting aroma. Now turn your eyes to the fence. It could be a crickety picket fence that is just barely in place. Perhaps it’s an intimidating electrical barbed wire fence. Maybe you see solid wooden posts set securely in position. Any way you see it, it’s made to keep the cows inside and protected from the terrain beyond the fence. These fences seem inconvenient and pointless to the cows because they have no idea what kind of trouble they could get into past the boundary. Perhaps there is nearby raging river rapid or a steep cliff drop-off. Whatever it may be, the point is that the rancher is protecting the cows.
Now, I would never refer any child to an animal, so please don’t read this and compare your precious one to a slobbery cow. I am simply taking some invaluable information and applying it to parenting. You might be surprised at just how much we can learn from these cows. I asked a local Rancher to tell me everything he could about fences, boundaries and cattle behavior. Here are some key points I want to touch on.
“Before I let the cows in the field, I make sure my fence is secure”
Parenting can begin before your child is even conceived. You can begin to determine the standards and principles on how you want your child raised.
“The first thing cows do when placed in a new environment is check the fences.”
The cows literally walk the entire fence line to see exactly what they are up against and how much space they have to move around in. If the cow discovers a weakness or gap in the fence, she would probably go ahead and walk right through it. This is why a lot of ranchers these days have electric fences that send just enough shock and pain to the cow that they remember not to push their boundaries.
Apply it to parenting:
Children will push to the limit you set for them. My term of “limit” is when action starts and discipline begins to take place. If your limit is when your child begins kicking and screaming while thrashing on the floor, then you can pretty much expect that happen quite frequently. If your limit is the first defiant “NO!” then for the most part, that is as far as a temper tantrum will go. This is your responsibility as a parent. I’m not going to tell you where you need to “build your fence”. That’s up to you. I encourage you to keep in mind that children will rise to the standard you set. If you have high standards for them, it may take a little longer for those standards to be set in place, but after consistency, it will stick.
Public consistence is crucial. If you child knows that you are a softie at a restaurant or in front of your friends, then the second you step out of your fenced-in home atmosphere, they will feel free to break through those weak "public atmosphere" fences. The same rules, principles and boundaries should always apply in every place, circumstance and setting.
“Smart ranchers check their fences often”
Fences get damaged a lot. A routine part of ranching, is checking on the fences. Cows may look boring and stupid, but this Rancher was quick to tell me that it doesn’t take long for a cow to notice a broken fence and plow right through their escape route.
Storms play a huge factor in damaged fences. High winds may displace a once firmly set post. When a storm hits, the rancher does not spend all his time staring at the storm cloud, but quickly gets to work on how he can protect his cattle and his land.
Apply it to parenting:
We all have storms in our life. Stressful work situations, family issues, a locational move, or even a family illness or death. These storms can easily sway us from our firm and consistent parenting and cause our fences to move or even fall down. Watch and keep your parenting fences fresh and sturdy.
Happy ranching..err..parenting!
In the first scenario, the children remained huddled around their teacher, fearful of leaving out of her sight. The later scenario exhibited drastically different results, with the children feeling free to explore within the given boundaries.
The overwhelming conclusion was that with a given limitation, children felt safer to explore a playground. Without a fence, the children were not able to see a given boundary or limit and thus were more reluctant to leave the caregiver. With a boundary, in this case the fence, the children felt at ease
to explore the space. They were able to separate from the caregiver and continue to develop in their sense of self while still recognizing that they were in a safe environment within the limits of the fence.
* (above is from an online article)
Imagine a flat Texas prairie with tall wheat shifting in the wind. The hot air rushes past dried Mesquite trees and blows a wisp of hay from a nearby leaning bale. A few black cows are standing in the shade with mosquitoes buzzing around their eyes. The mixed smell of manure and fresh crops fill your nose with a strangely comforting aroma. Now turn your eyes to the fence. It could be a crickety picket fence that is just barely in place. Perhaps it’s an intimidating electrical barbed wire fence. Maybe you see solid wooden posts set securely in position. Any way you see it, it’s made to keep the cows inside and protected from the terrain beyond the fence. These fences seem inconvenient and pointless to the cows because they have no idea what kind of trouble they could get into past the boundary. Perhaps there is nearby raging river rapid or a steep cliff drop-off. Whatever it may be, the point is that the rancher is protecting the cows.
Now, I would never refer any child to an animal, so please don’t read this and compare your precious one to a slobbery cow. I am simply taking some invaluable information and applying it to parenting. You might be surprised at just how much we can learn from these cows. I asked a local Rancher to tell me everything he could about fences, boundaries and cattle behavior. Here are some key points I want to touch on.
“Before I let the cows in the field, I make sure my fence is secure”
Parenting can begin before your child is even conceived. You can begin to determine the standards and principles on how you want your child raised.
“The first thing cows do when placed in a new environment is check the fences.”
The cows literally walk the entire fence line to see exactly what they are up against and how much space they have to move around in. If the cow discovers a weakness or gap in the fence, she would probably go ahead and walk right through it. This is why a lot of ranchers these days have electric fences that send just enough shock and pain to the cow that they remember not to push their boundaries.
Apply it to parenting:
Children will push to the limit you set for them. My term of “limit” is when action starts and discipline begins to take place. If your limit is when your child begins kicking and screaming while thrashing on the floor, then you can pretty much expect that happen quite frequently. If your limit is the first defiant “NO!” then for the most part, that is as far as a temper tantrum will go. This is your responsibility as a parent. I’m not going to tell you where you need to “build your fence”. That’s up to you. I encourage you to keep in mind that children will rise to the standard you set. If you have high standards for them, it may take a little longer for those standards to be set in place, but after consistency, it will stick.
Public consistence is crucial. If you child knows that you are a softie at a restaurant or in front of your friends, then the second you step out of your fenced-in home atmosphere, they will feel free to break through those weak "public atmosphere" fences. The same rules, principles and boundaries should always apply in every place, circumstance and setting.
“Smart ranchers check their fences often”
Fences get damaged a lot. A routine part of ranching, is checking on the fences. Cows may look boring and stupid, but this Rancher was quick to tell me that it doesn’t take long for a cow to notice a broken fence and plow right through their escape route.
Storms play a huge factor in damaged fences. High winds may displace a once firmly set post. When a storm hits, the rancher does not spend all his time staring at the storm cloud, but quickly gets to work on how he can protect his cattle and his land.
Apply it to parenting:
We all have storms in our life. Stressful work situations, family issues, a locational move, or even a family illness or death. These storms can easily sway us from our firm and consistent parenting and cause our fences to move or even fall down. Watch and keep your parenting fences fresh and sturdy.
Happy ranching..err..parenting!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Sarah
I met a precious friend about 6 years ago on a cool, crisp fall evening. Her fiance and Thomas were close friends at the time, but us girls hadn't met yet. The minute I met her-let's call her Sarah- I knew we would be dear friends. Sarah was the most genuine, joyful and absolute sweetest girl I had ever met. Her laughter was contagious and her smile could light up the room. She could tell a simple story with such passion and glee. Tender encouragement was always coming out of her mouth. I was so intrigued by this young girl, only a year or two older than me, and longed to have a deeper friendship with her. We didn't live close, so our friendships stayed at the "let's keep in touch" level.
Three years or so later, Thomas and I met up again with this precious couple. We met for breakfast one morning, and as we began talking, I started noticing something about Sarah. She was talking happily and smiling, but something was strangely different. Her guard was up. Her smile seemed too thought out. I noticed she chose her words very carefully during our conversations. I could see hurt behind her eyes and her smile was masking what I discerned was....pain.
As we finished up our small talk about children, ministry, family, etc, we started asking more questions. How were they doing? What they shared next truly broke my heart.
Sarah had just come out of a very tough season. Several women in their church began to confront her about her personality. They just plain didn't like her. Whether it was triggered from vicious gossip, jealousy or anger, it didn't matter. When Sarah asked what she was doing that was offensive, they just beat around the bush. The only thing they ever specifically put their finger on was this: Sarah smiled too much.
After hearing that, I was ready to fly to their hometown and slap some ladies for their cruelty to this precious gem! If they only knew the damage they caused to her heart. The Lord had given her such a unique, beautiful spirit and someone had the nerve to try to subdue that. Thankfully, Sarah's heart and ears turned toward what her Father had to say. She walked in forgiveness and moved on. I've seen her once since that breakfast conversation and her smile is back. Her real smile. I can see that protective shell around her heart has broken away, and once again she walks in joy and genuine passion that never should have been abused.
Why that story?
I hadn't thought about Sarah's story in awhile, but yesterday the Lord put it on my heart and started speaking to me about it.
I've heard my Pastor talk about the church being "one body." In a body, there are hundreds of parts. Feet, hands, eyes, and even armpits! A church filled with feet would not be effective. A church full of eyes would go nowhere.
Think of all the Pastors, Teachers, Preachers, Speakers and Ministers you know. What vast personalities! Benny Hinn, Lisa Bevere, Billy Graham, Kay Arthur, Joyce Meyers, Joel Osteen. Bold, bubbly, humble, tender, direct, gentle.
God created you unique. You will not be like anyone else. Some people may not like you for who you are. Some may try to intimidate you to try to change your personality. A mentor of mine told me once that "...even Jesus got criticism and He was perfect. It is only when we meditate on the criticism that it becomes a problem. If we are quick to give it to Jesus and let Him teach us what to learn from it, we remain tender. Some criticism, even if we don't like the instrument, is for our growth. Other times, it is from the enemy to harden our hearts. Taking it to Him and letting Him sort it out is the only healthy way to deal with it."
What wisdom!
Grow where you need to grow, be open to correction, but be free to be who He created you to be. Guard your actions and your spirit from tearing down someone just because they aren't like you. Listen to what your Father has to say about you or another person. That's really all that matters anyways.
Hope this stirs your spirit! It does mine! :)
Be blessed.
Three years or so later, Thomas and I met up again with this precious couple. We met for breakfast one morning, and as we began talking, I started noticing something about Sarah. She was talking happily and smiling, but something was strangely different. Her guard was up. Her smile seemed too thought out. I noticed she chose her words very carefully during our conversations. I could see hurt behind her eyes and her smile was masking what I discerned was....pain.
As we finished up our small talk about children, ministry, family, etc, we started asking more questions. How were they doing? What they shared next truly broke my heart.
Sarah had just come out of a very tough season. Several women in their church began to confront her about her personality. They just plain didn't like her. Whether it was triggered from vicious gossip, jealousy or anger, it didn't matter. When Sarah asked what she was doing that was offensive, they just beat around the bush. The only thing they ever specifically put their finger on was this: Sarah smiled too much.
After hearing that, I was ready to fly to their hometown and slap some ladies for their cruelty to this precious gem! If they only knew the damage they caused to her heart. The Lord had given her such a unique, beautiful spirit and someone had the nerve to try to subdue that. Thankfully, Sarah's heart and ears turned toward what her Father had to say. She walked in forgiveness and moved on. I've seen her once since that breakfast conversation and her smile is back. Her real smile. I can see that protective shell around her heart has broken away, and once again she walks in joy and genuine passion that never should have been abused.
Why that story?
I hadn't thought about Sarah's story in awhile, but yesterday the Lord put it on my heart and started speaking to me about it.
I've heard my Pastor talk about the church being "one body." In a body, there are hundreds of parts. Feet, hands, eyes, and even armpits! A church filled with feet would not be effective. A church full of eyes would go nowhere.
Think of all the Pastors, Teachers, Preachers, Speakers and Ministers you know. What vast personalities! Benny Hinn, Lisa Bevere, Billy Graham, Kay Arthur, Joyce Meyers, Joel Osteen. Bold, bubbly, humble, tender, direct, gentle.
God created you unique. You will not be like anyone else. Some people may not like you for who you are. Some may try to intimidate you to try to change your personality. A mentor of mine told me once that "...even Jesus got criticism and He was perfect. It is only when we meditate on the criticism that it becomes a problem. If we are quick to give it to Jesus and let Him teach us what to learn from it, we remain tender. Some criticism, even if we don't like the instrument, is for our growth. Other times, it is from the enemy to harden our hearts. Taking it to Him and letting Him sort it out is the only healthy way to deal with it."
What wisdom!
Grow where you need to grow, be open to correction, but be free to be who He created you to be. Guard your actions and your spirit from tearing down someone just because they aren't like you. Listen to what your Father has to say about you or another person. That's really all that matters anyways.
Hope this stirs your spirit! It does mine! :)
Be blessed.
Monday, October 4, 2010
BOWS EVERYWHERE!!
Well, if we are friends at all, then you already know about my newfound hobby! :)
BOWS BOWS BOWS BOWS!!!
On a whim, one Sunday afternoon, I opened up YouTube and searched "How to make a Hair Bow". I watched it once, headed to Hobby Lobby the next morning, and haven't stopped since.
I've discovered the breath-holding moments of trying to tie the thin embroidery thread just right, the burn of hot glue sticking to my finger and the giddy excitement of finding my favorite ribbon is plentifully stocked and ON SALE!
At first I wasn't sure how to start! I knew this was something that I enjoyed, and knew that the demand for quality & affordable bows is high, but I felt a little frazzled about where to begin. After settling on starting with a Facebook page and Etsy.com, I have been very pleased with the results. A friend told me to avoid eBay because of the billions of products available for dirt cheap and sneaky fees they attach after your item sells. Etsy hasn't had any selling action yet, so not sure how long I'll stick with that. Facebook, surprisingly, and word-of-mouth have been the easiest and most effective tools in selling my bows. I've sold several to friends, out of town and local, and recently a local high school cheerleading group placed an order to match their cheer attire. That's gonna be a fun and BIG project!
My encouragement for YOU: Don't hold back on any dreams you have! It could be photography, painting, jewelry-making, writing, singing, teaching or baking. Your unique talent may bring in thousands of dollars, or be an incredible encouragement and inspiriation to those you reach.
Be blessed!
BOWS BOWS BOWS BOWS!!!
On a whim, one Sunday afternoon, I opened up YouTube and searched "How to make a Hair Bow". I watched it once, headed to Hobby Lobby the next morning, and haven't stopped since.
I've discovered the breath-holding moments of trying to tie the thin embroidery thread just right, the burn of hot glue sticking to my finger and the giddy excitement of finding my favorite ribbon is plentifully stocked and ON SALE!
At first I wasn't sure how to start! I knew this was something that I enjoyed, and knew that the demand for quality & affordable bows is high, but I felt a little frazzled about where to begin. After settling on starting with a Facebook page and Etsy.com, I have been very pleased with the results. A friend told me to avoid eBay because of the billions of products available for dirt cheap and sneaky fees they attach after your item sells. Etsy hasn't had any selling action yet, so not sure how long I'll stick with that. Facebook, surprisingly, and word-of-mouth have been the easiest and most effective tools in selling my bows. I've sold several to friends, out of town and local, and recently a local high school cheerleading group placed an order to match their cheer attire. That's gonna be a fun and BIG project!
My encouragement for YOU: Don't hold back on any dreams you have! It could be photography, painting, jewelry-making, writing, singing, teaching or baking. Your unique talent may bring in thousands of dollars, or be an incredible encouragement and inspiriation to those you reach.
Be blessed!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Time for an update!
I haven't written about our sweet kids in awhile! So here you go...
Aaron begins "school" next week! Once again, his Tuesdays and Thursdays will be filled with fun activities, crafts, music and friends. Since he is now in the Preschool class at his Mother's Day Out, he gets to embark on field trips such as the zoo, fire station, pumpkin patch, etc. I'm really excited about this new program that he is in because they have so many different activities during the day. Music class, excersise class, arts and crafts and eating lunch in a cafeteria are all fun things he gets to participate in. Most likely, we will enroll him in full-time Preschool next year, so for now this is perfect amount of time away from home getting used to a "school" atmosphere.
Aaron has started showing off his witty side lately. He loves to laugh and tell jokes. Right now his favorite saying is "Ladies and Jellyfish, Boys and Squirels!" when he announces anything. Then he doubles over and laughs at his sillyness! He is such a happy boy.
Aaron had to tell Miss D'Nae goodbye a couple weeks ago when she moved back to "Calwiforna" for school. D'Nae has babysat Aaron since he was itty-bitty and we've pretty much adopted her into our family as a sister.
Aaron adores this precious young lady and they have spent many hours together constructing forts out of blankets, conquering "bad guys" and dragons on the backyard playset and creating funny characters from his Mr. Potato Head collection. She gave him an early birthday present that he hasn't been able to put down!
Ella Bear took off walking about a week after her birthday and hasn't slowed down since!
She loves playing "hide-and-seek" with her big brother. He runs and hides in one of 4 obvious places around the house and she happily squeals and chases after him. When she finds him they both scream and tackle each other. It's adorable.
Ella's vocabulary has expanded as well! "Yes, cheese, juice (oohs), shoes, Opa, night-night (na-ni), Aaron, snack(nak), bye-bye", are all new ones as of recently. Somteimes she just babbles away in her little baby language and I have no idea what she is saying, and it sounds SO cute.
She still takes two long naps during the day and sleeps 12+ hours at night. She now owns 4 baby dolls and loves to pick them up and smother them with kisses then push them in her little baby doll stroller. Ahhh...I love having a girl!
I've recently began pursuing my passion of encouraging young moms through a group I began called "Stroller Moms". Right now it's simple. I've put together a Mom's group that meets every week at kid-friendly locations just to laugh and encourage each other. I've come to realize that all of us Moms have insecurities and questions, but yet we feel like we have to look so "put together" in front of people. I want mothers to feel like they can open up and be real with other moms in a safe place. We can laugh together at potty-training obstacles, groan together about horrific trips to WalMart and cry together about sweet milestones.
Usually when we think about being a Mom, we think of how crazy and hectic our schedules can be (especially working Mommies), but I really think that loneliness and depression has become so common in young mothers. There has to be a balance of prioritizing our husbands, homes and children but also having that much-needed friendship and support!
So I'm excited about this! Not sure what it's going to look like...but it's going to be good. :)
Eventually I would love to own and operate several online sites dedicated to parenting encouragement, advice, deals and steals, etc.
That's all for now! Be blessed.
Aaron begins "school" next week! Once again, his Tuesdays and Thursdays will be filled with fun activities, crafts, music and friends. Since he is now in the Preschool class at his Mother's Day Out, he gets to embark on field trips such as the zoo, fire station, pumpkin patch, etc. I'm really excited about this new program that he is in because they have so many different activities during the day. Music class, excersise class, arts and crafts and eating lunch in a cafeteria are all fun things he gets to participate in. Most likely, we will enroll him in full-time Preschool next year, so for now this is perfect amount of time away from home getting used to a "school" atmosphere.
Aaron has started showing off his witty side lately. He loves to laugh and tell jokes. Right now his favorite saying is "Ladies and Jellyfish, Boys and Squirels!" when he announces anything. Then he doubles over and laughs at his sillyness! He is such a happy boy.
Aaron had to tell Miss D'Nae goodbye a couple weeks ago when she moved back to "Calwiforna" for school. D'Nae has babysat Aaron since he was itty-bitty and we've pretty much adopted her into our family as a sister.
Aaron adores this precious young lady and they have spent many hours together constructing forts out of blankets, conquering "bad guys" and dragons on the backyard playset and creating funny characters from his Mr. Potato Head collection. She gave him an early birthday present that he hasn't been able to put down!
Ella Bear took off walking about a week after her birthday and hasn't slowed down since!
She loves playing "hide-and-seek" with her big brother. He runs and hides in one of 4 obvious places around the house and she happily squeals and chases after him. When she finds him they both scream and tackle each other. It's adorable.
Ella's vocabulary has expanded as well! "Yes, cheese, juice (oohs), shoes, Opa, night-night (na-ni), Aaron, snack(nak), bye-bye", are all new ones as of recently. Somteimes she just babbles away in her little baby language and I have no idea what she is saying, and it sounds SO cute.
She still takes two long naps during the day and sleeps 12+ hours at night. She now owns 4 baby dolls and loves to pick them up and smother them with kisses then push them in her little baby doll stroller. Ahhh...I love having a girl!
I've recently began pursuing my passion of encouraging young moms through a group I began called "Stroller Moms". Right now it's simple. I've put together a Mom's group that meets every week at kid-friendly locations just to laugh and encourage each other. I've come to realize that all of us Moms have insecurities and questions, but yet we feel like we have to look so "put together" in front of people. I want mothers to feel like they can open up and be real with other moms in a safe place. We can laugh together at potty-training obstacles, groan together about horrific trips to WalMart and cry together about sweet milestones.
Usually when we think about being a Mom, we think of how crazy and hectic our schedules can be (especially working Mommies), but I really think that loneliness and depression has become so common in young mothers. There has to be a balance of prioritizing our husbands, homes and children but also having that much-needed friendship and support!
So I'm excited about this! Not sure what it's going to look like...but it's going to be good. :)
Eventually I would love to own and operate several online sites dedicated to parenting encouragement, advice, deals and steals, etc.
That's all for now! Be blessed.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Just a day at the beach.
When I lived in New England, every summer we would take countless trips to the lake or ocean on the weekends. Saturday morning would roll around and my brother and I would scramble to find our swimsuits and sand castle buckets for another fun day in the New Hampshire sun. Mom would always pack a picnic lunch and I have distinct memories of eating delicious purple plums while wrapped up in a beach towel, waiting for the chill of the cold water to fade.
In my younger kid years, I didn't like the ocean. I much preferred calm Lake Winnipesaukee over the Plum Island waves. The ocean scared me! Sometimes the waves would get so big, I would get knocked over and find myself panicking, not knowing which way was up or down. Of course throw in a couple local shark attack rumors that would close down an entire beach- any 6 year old kid would freak out!
No, I liked the calmness of the lake. The water was quiet and smooth. If the wind caused any waves, they would be like a gentle nudge against your body.
As I got older, I began to realize that the ocean was way cooler than the lake. I found activities like body surfing, exploring sea rocks at low tide and trying to keep the most incredible sandcastle in tact as the waves started to come in. It was fun! Adventurous! I still enjoyed our trips to the lake, but after experiencing a true "day at the beach", I never went back to being scared.
Sometimes in life, it's the same way. We have the calm, safe places that we feel comfortable in, but never truly experience all God has for us because of our timidity or fear of the unknown. Trust Him. Step out and try new things! Maybe you'll begin to experience something so wonderful that you'll never go back.
Be blessed.
In my younger kid years, I didn't like the ocean. I much preferred calm Lake Winnipesaukee over the Plum Island waves. The ocean scared me! Sometimes the waves would get so big, I would get knocked over and find myself panicking, not knowing which way was up or down. Of course throw in a couple local shark attack rumors that would close down an entire beach- any 6 year old kid would freak out!
No, I liked the calmness of the lake. The water was quiet and smooth. If the wind caused any waves, they would be like a gentle nudge against your body.
As I got older, I began to realize that the ocean was way cooler than the lake. I found activities like body surfing, exploring sea rocks at low tide and trying to keep the most incredible sandcastle in tact as the waves started to come in. It was fun! Adventurous! I still enjoyed our trips to the lake, but after experiencing a true "day at the beach", I never went back to being scared.
Sometimes in life, it's the same way. We have the calm, safe places that we feel comfortable in, but never truly experience all God has for us because of our timidity or fear of the unknown. Trust Him. Step out and try new things! Maybe you'll begin to experience something so wonderful that you'll never go back.
Be blessed.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Stones
I have heard the story of Jacob’s Ladder at least a hundred times over my lifetime. But there is something so important that I have always overlooked in that story. The Stone. I recently heard a speaker talk about this subject and ever since I heard her speak, it has stirred something so deep within me! Hope you enjoy...
This story begins with a journey. Jacob was leaving his hometown of Beersheba and traveling to Haran. On the way, the Bible says “he came to a certain place.” Then he stopped for the day and decided to camp out because the sun was beginning to set. The weirdest part about this whole story is the fact he took a big lumpy stone and decided, “Hey! This rock would make a great pillow!” I mean, wouldn’t the flat earth serve as a better situation than a hard rock? Then, he sleeps. He dreams. He gets a vision. He wakes up and blesses that place. Then, he moves on. (Genesis 28:10-22)
Nugget 1: Jacob was leaving a comfortable place.
We know Jacob was the baby. He was the spoiled child who was loved by his parents in a very special way. We know he was even favored over his brother Esau. I can imagine that Jacob lived a very comfortable life. He probably had every luxury imaginable in his days. The finest linens, the richest wine and the coolest, triple-humped camel. But then it came time for Jacob to grow up. Move on. Get a wife. Get a life. He was leaving the comfort of his mother’s arms and his secure home and traveling to his place of destiny and purpose.
Nugget 2: The Stony Place-between your comfortable place and your destiny.
The Bible says there were stones in the place where he halted his journey. Instead of walking even a few more feet to a grassy spot, he chose to stop where the stones were. Stones are uncomfortable. They are inconvenient, bulky and frustrating. We usually swerve to avoid stones, but Jacob stopped where the stones were and then did the most interesting thing. He maximized the potential for the hardest thing in his life at that moment. He made a pillow out of a rock.
Nugget 3: In the midst of what could have been the most uncomfortable situation, he gets a vision.
When Jacob wakes up from his dream, he exclaims, “Surely the Lord was in this place and I did not know it!”
Because Jacob chose not to focus on the annoying and frustrating aspects of this place, he experienced the presence of the Lord and got energized by a dream. He then blessed that “awesome place” and even called that place the “house of God” and “gate of Heaven.” How interesting! Most dusty travelers probably walked that same road, but rushed by that stony place without hesitating. They missed out.
Here is an interesting aspect to consider:
For a young girl, you cannot wait to become a teenager. To have the “awkward pre-teen phase” stay in your past and have the official “cool teenager” title sounds like the most amazing thing to an 11 year old girl. Then when she becomes a teenager, she cannot wait until she can drive! Then she cannot wait until college! Then she cannot wait to get married! Then she cannot wait to have kids!......
We are constantly trying to look beyond the season/place we are in. There are times where we need to stop wishing we were in that next season and realize that this is the place for the Lord to show up! Is it possible that we could miss out on an incredible opportunity for God to show up because we are so intent on “getting where we need to go?”
Embrace the stones in your life. Choose to look at hard places as opportunities for the Lord to show up and give you an incredible dream or vision for your life. You may find yourself blessing that hard place you once cursed.
This story begins with a journey. Jacob was leaving his hometown of Beersheba and traveling to Haran. On the way, the Bible says “he came to a certain place.” Then he stopped for the day and decided to camp out because the sun was beginning to set. The weirdest part about this whole story is the fact he took a big lumpy stone and decided, “Hey! This rock would make a great pillow!” I mean, wouldn’t the flat earth serve as a better situation than a hard rock? Then, he sleeps. He dreams. He gets a vision. He wakes up and blesses that place. Then, he moves on. (Genesis 28:10-22)
Nugget 1: Jacob was leaving a comfortable place.
We know Jacob was the baby. He was the spoiled child who was loved by his parents in a very special way. We know he was even favored over his brother Esau. I can imagine that Jacob lived a very comfortable life. He probably had every luxury imaginable in his days. The finest linens, the richest wine and the coolest, triple-humped camel. But then it came time for Jacob to grow up. Move on. Get a wife. Get a life. He was leaving the comfort of his mother’s arms and his secure home and traveling to his place of destiny and purpose.
Nugget 2: The Stony Place-between your comfortable place and your destiny.
The Bible says there were stones in the place where he halted his journey. Instead of walking even a few more feet to a grassy spot, he chose to stop where the stones were. Stones are uncomfortable. They are inconvenient, bulky and frustrating. We usually swerve to avoid stones, but Jacob stopped where the stones were and then did the most interesting thing. He maximized the potential for the hardest thing in his life at that moment. He made a pillow out of a rock.
Nugget 3: In the midst of what could have been the most uncomfortable situation, he gets a vision.
When Jacob wakes up from his dream, he exclaims, “Surely the Lord was in this place and I did not know it!”
Because Jacob chose not to focus on the annoying and frustrating aspects of this place, he experienced the presence of the Lord and got energized by a dream. He then blessed that “awesome place” and even called that place the “house of God” and “gate of Heaven.” How interesting! Most dusty travelers probably walked that same road, but rushed by that stony place without hesitating. They missed out.
Here is an interesting aspect to consider:
For a young girl, you cannot wait to become a teenager. To have the “awkward pre-teen phase” stay in your past and have the official “cool teenager” title sounds like the most amazing thing to an 11 year old girl. Then when she becomes a teenager, she cannot wait until she can drive! Then she cannot wait until college! Then she cannot wait to get married! Then she cannot wait to have kids!......
We are constantly trying to look beyond the season/place we are in. There are times where we need to stop wishing we were in that next season and realize that this is the place for the Lord to show up! Is it possible that we could miss out on an incredible opportunity for God to show up because we are so intent on “getting where we need to go?”
Embrace the stones in your life. Choose to look at hard places as opportunities for the Lord to show up and give you an incredible dream or vision for your life. You may find yourself blessing that hard place you once cursed.
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