Time. Out.

"...My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."

Hebrews 12:5b-6

Today Jackson got a time out, actually many time outs, but I wanted to discuss one in particular. Jackson kept asking for a muffin over and over again. I kept telling him he could have it once I finished washing the dishes. He proceeded to keep asking for said muffin, which, I must add, was the LAST muffin, and it was supposed to be mine (#momlife), but anyway, we're getting sidetracked. After telling him to wait for the katrillionth (any Mom with toddlers knows this is a real number) time, he proceeded to pitch a fit: screaming, crying, stomping his feet, etc. After a moment of discipline,  I sent him to his room for a time out. 

  "If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 

But if ye be without chastisement, 

whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons."

Hebrews 12:7-8

When his time out was completed, he returned to the room. I always make him tell me what he did wrong and apologize for that wrong, so that he understands his actions have consequences. Well, when he came out to apologize, he said he got sent to time out for "asking for the muffin" to which I quickly explained was not the case. I explained to him that asking for the muffin wasn't wrong, but that it was the way he acted when I told him to wait. (Anyone see where I'm going with this yet?) As I was explaining this to Jackson, the Holy Spirit pricked my heart. You see, I also have been asking the Lord to meet a need, and whereas I wasn't pitching an outward fit, I'd had plenty of pity parties over not getting the answer I wanted. 

"Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?  For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; 

but he for our profit, 

that we might be partakers of his holiness."

Hebrews 12:9-10

You see, sometimes the answer isn't just "yes" or "no". Sometimes the answer is to "wait". This isn't to torture us, or to pick on us,  although I'll admit, that's exactly how I felt. My heart's attitude was wrong. The Lord isn't necessarily saying no yet, but He IS saying to wait. Even if the answer is no, He is STILL working and it will be profitable for me to wait. 

  "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: 

nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."

Hebrews 12:11

Waiting isn't fun. Chastening isn't fun, but just as I continue to chasten my children, so that they may prayerfully turn into good, Christian young men and women,  I have to be willing to let the Lord do the same to my heart. Hang in there, Momma.

P.S. He DID get to eat that muffin. ;)

Lessons from a Nerf Gun

This morning Jackson was playing with a Nerf gun and couldn't quite figure it out. I showed him one time how to make it work, and he took the gun away in a hurry to try it out for himself. Well, he still didn't quite get it. I told him that if he brought it to me, I would show him how to do it again, but he refused. He struggled and struggled trying to get the gun to shoot, and almost had it a couple of times, but he just could not get it to work. Finally, he was distressed enough that he brought it over to me with tears starting to form in his eyes, asking for help. He knew he couldn't do it by himself, so he came to someone he knew would help him.

But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

Psalms 40:17

As this situation played out before me this morning, I couldn't help but see that the Lord was trying to teach me. Isn't it amazing how the Lord uses our kids to teach us lessons sometimes?

How often do we go to the Lord for help and then think,  "I got this" and take back off on our own? Sometimes I'm so prideful and stubborn that I would rather keep struggling on my own than admit, "I don't got this." (Man, that hurt to type.)

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18

Now, back to Jack. He may have eventually figured out how to shoot his gun,  but it wouldn't have been without tears, frustration, and (since I'm being honest) a fit, finished with a spanking and banishment from guns for the rest of the day. We can always choose to continue to do things on our own, but is it really worth it?

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  

 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28‭-‬30

Thinking we can walk the Christian walk alone is prideful. We are nothing special on our own, but our value is found in Christ. God sees us and loves us. He is a Good Father and He wants us to turn to Him for help. 

Strength

"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding." 

Isaiah 40:28

Don't you know? Haven't you heard, seen, and experienced HIS power? Remember Who our God is. He is the beginning. He will be the ending. He rules and reigns over all things, after all, He created all things. 

He doesn't get tired.

        He doesn't get worn down.

His strength is never exhausted.

        He understands and sees all things.

29 "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."

He will give you power. When you have nothing left to give, He will give you more strength to face it.

30 "Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:"

You never know who is fighting a battle, or how close to giving up someone is. Just because someone is younger doesn't mean they don't grow weary or fall sometimes.

31 "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

Wait for the Lord's timing. He will refresh your strength. One day you will be able to step back from the situation and look and see the Lord's hand guiding you and lifting you to higher ground. 

When we are overwhelmed, we need to become overwhelmed with the greatness of our God, not with how big the situation appears.

Take a minute and realize that our strength to face these situations and our daily battles can only come from Our God. 

Just wait. 

God's got this.

Friends

Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.

Exodus 18:18 

All the children of Israel were coming to Moses with their problems for him to tell them what the Lord would have them do. Jethro, Moses' father-in-law knew that wasn't the way it was designed to be and called Moses out on it. He knew that one man couldn't handle the burdens of all the people and told Moses to appoint good, God-fearing men in charge of the people to help share the burden.

Ever been overwhelmed by a burden? Ever feel like so many burdens have been brought to you by your husband, children, family, friends, and even yourself? Growing up, and still today, Mom always had all the answers. I didn't always want to hear them, but I knew I could seek her out for help when I was in over my head. Today, I'm Mom. Both my kids are under 3 and they need me constantly. My husband works weird hours, so I have to fill a lot of roles myself and that means I'm burdened down with many tasks pretty consistently.

Cast thy burden upon the Lord , and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Psalms 55:22 

The Lord is my help. I'll admit I don't always turn to Him first for help. I (stupidly) try to do things my way first to see if I can do it alone. I fail over and over again. (By the way, aren't you glad we serve a forgiving God that loves us anyway? I know I am!) The Lord never designed for us to go the Christian life alone. From the very beginning God's design was for us to have someone to help us where we are (Genesis 2:18).

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Ephesians 4:29

Let's, as moms and as women, be a help and support to each other. Let's not tear each other down, or gossip about one another for a different parenting or lifestyle choice. Let's gather alongside one another and lift each other up: in prayer, in Scripture, in encouraging words, in laughter, whatever your soul needs.

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
3 John 1:4 

The devil is out seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). The battle for our hearts, and the hearts of our children is real. Adulthood is hard, but eventually, we all have to grow up. Wife-hood is hard, but it has wonderful (and handsome) perks. Motherhood is hard, but it truly reaps some of the best harvests, when we invest time in prayer, in the Scriptures, and for me, in a good cup (or cups) of coffee.

Share the burden.

Care for one another.

Pass the coffee.

*Mug pictured available here.

Timehop

Disclaimer: This post was drafted days ago, but I'm just now getting around to posting it.

Days like this I'm especially thankful for silly apps like Timehop. Two years ago I shared this picture on Instagram. Just yesterday I was asking for the Lord's help in a certain area and again today in a different area, and this Scripture and devotional fit in both areas. God is good.

"Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 

And rend your heart, not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil."

Joel 2:12-13

First, let me just point out what beautiful language is used here! Secondly, notice the word "turn" is used twice in these verses. This is a teaching tool. Think about it. When you're trying to teach your child how to do something, you use repetition. In my case, I feel like I'm always trying to teach my son to NOT do something and I'm repeating "no" over and over again. (Terrible 2's are real, people.) My Christian life has been full of moments of turning. Turning from sin and to the Savior. Turning from the wrong path to the path of righteousness.  Turning from trying to do things in my own strength to the Lord for His Almighty strength.

"Rend your heart, and not your garments," is such a beautiful phrase, but it is so much more than that. Rending, or tearing of your clothing back in those days was a sign of mourning or grief. The author is saying that the outward sign of grief means nothing, if your heart is not also torn, or grieved, over your sin. Until our hearts are grieved by our sin, we will not strive to make it right and seek repentance. The wonderful news is that we serve a wonderful Savior Who "is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil." He will always show mercy and forgiveness and welcome us back to His fold, when we turn away from Him. 

"And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied , and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed." 

Joel 2:26

When we do turn back to God, He will fight our battles for us, and provide for us in a way we never could've done for ourselves.

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered:"

Joel 2:32

The following is an excerpt from Streams in the Dessert by: Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, but was written by C. H. Spurgeon.

"Why do not I call on His name? 

Why do I run to this neighbor and that when God is so near and will hear my faintest call?

Why do I sit down and devise schemes and invent plans?

Why not at once roll myself and my burden upon the Lord?

...
My case is urgent, and I do not see how I am to be delivered; but this is no business of mine. He who makes the promise will find ways and means of keeping it. It is mine to obey His commands; it is not mine to direct His counsels. I am this servant, not His solicitor. I call upon Him, and He will deliver."

Tasks

Hello, friends! I know it's been a little while, and truth be told, I've started several blog posts, but then decided not to post them, because I didn't have peace. Please pray with me that I'll stay tender to the Holy Spirit and let this blog be led by Him, and not just a desire to post things on my own. Since I started this blog to be a tool of blessing and encouragement, I'd like it to stay that way, and I give all the glory to God. 

That being said, I've started studying 1-2 Chronicles, and I've really been getting a blessing from it. One thing that really hit me is found in chapter 28. David calls the people together in verses 1-5, and tells them about his heart's burden to build a temple to the Lord, but because he was a man of war he was unable to build it himself. He then goes on to say that the Lord called his son Solomon to succeed him to the throne, and build the temple. Verses 7-9 lists the promises of blessings and the conditions that went along with them.

• Establishing a kingdom - Obeying the commandments and judgments of the Lord (v. 7)

• Possessing the "good land" - Keeping and seeking the Lord's commandments (v. 8)

• Finding the Lord - Serving with the right heart and mind (v. 9)

Those promises also end with the warning that forsaking the Lord and His ways would lead to the Lord casting him off.

1 Chronicles 28:10 is where everything got real for me. When I read this verse, my heart was pricked. Some days being a wife and mom (and even being an adult) is hard. Now let's throw the word "Christian" in there. Yikes. My pastor preached yesterday that dying for Christ is easier than living for Him. How true is that?Dying for Christ physically, you die once. Living for Christ, you die DAILY.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

2 Corinthians 5:17

Not once did David tell Solomon his path would be an easy one. In fact, the language he chose implied it would be difficult. David warned Solomon to take heed, and to remember that God had chosen him for a specific purpose. He also encouraged him to be strong, but most importantly to just do it. 

David reiterates some of the same thoughts from verse 10 in the 20th verse (example: "be strong" and "do it"), but he also adds some new truths. He tells Solomon to not be afraid or dismayed in his task, because the Lord would be with him until his work was completed. Solomon would not only have the presence of God thru this time, but verse 21 also tells us that Solomon would also have the help of others around him to help him complete his task. 

I love this.

No matter how daunting the task may appear, just do it. No matter how unequipped you may feel, just do it. If God has chosen you to do it, He will strengthen you in HIS might and will be with you thru it. We are NEVER alone as believers. Our Heavenly Father is always with us, and sometimes He will even bring other Christians alongside us to encourage and help us complete our tasks. God's promises are available to those who trust Him and step out on faith to be obedient to His call. If we seek Him, He will be found (Jeremiah 29:13).

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 

2 Corinthians 12:9

Momma, are you feeling discouraged that you're not getting anywhere with your kids? Are you and your husband struggling with your relationship? Maybe you feel the Lord calling you to a ministry, but something is holding you back, or are you just facing a difficult situation? Can I encourage you today? Take heed to God's Word. Seek Him and HIS ways. You were chosen by God for whatever task you are facing. He will give you the strength you need to face it. He will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). 

So what are you waiting for?

Be strong, and do it.

Pieces

Me (to Jackson):

"Hand me the broken pieces and I'll put them 

back together. "

*He hands me most of the pieces*

Me: "Jack, you missed one"

Isn't that just how we behave with our Heavenly Father? He tells us to come to Him with the broken pieces of our lives, and we do,  because who else wants broken pieces? We surrender to Him, but then upon closer examination,  we see we have kept some pieces back. Now in this particular case, the toy wasn't broken, but the toy was incomplete without all the pieces, and couldn't be used properly. All the pieces had to be handed over,  or the toy would never be whole or useful again.

I'm guilty of it. Over and over again, I struggle with how the Lord is going to provide for our bills and financial situation. I'm a planner. I like to see the big picture. I like to know exactly which bills are being paid, when they are being paid, and with what they're being paid,  etc. We weren't ever wealthy,  but we were comfortable, financially-speaking, before I quit my job. Even then, I still worried sometimes how the bills would be paid. Now that we're an one income family, that fear is hitting me again. We have medical bills,  upon medical bills,  not to mention regular bills and all with half the income we had before. But...

God is trustworthy. He cares about our finances. He cares about how our bills will be paid. I was reminded this week of that, and I shared a video on my Facebook page. (If we're friends,  check it out on my page. If we're not friends,  you should be able to watch it here.) This verse just hit me. I'm sure I've read it many times before, but I needed it, and once again,  God proved Himself by giving it to me in my time of need. If you didn't watch the above video, first,  know that you're missing out. Second, Pastor Sexton brought up the point,  that if we were willing to give up our children for someone else,  is there anything we would keep from that person?

WOW.

I LOVE my kids. There's no way I would ever give them up,  but imagine it. God did that for us. He gave up His ONLY Son for us. If He did that, and I believe He did. Why can't I trust Him to handle my bills?

He that spared not his own Son, 
but delivered him up for us all, 
how shall he not with him 
also freely give us all things?

Romans 8:32 (KJV)

Many times, while I was on maternity leave B and I would talk about bills and how we were going to pay them. After most of those conversations,  I would pray that the Lord would help me trust Him,  and then feel really silly for worrying, when the Lord provided. One morning in particular, B and I were taking about bills and when he left for work, we were both feeling down. About an hour later, if that, I received a phone call stating my short term disability claim (for having my gallbladder surgery) was approved and that I would be receiving a check the next week. God does provide. We still have bills to pay, and I have no clue how we'll ever get completely caught up, but God knows, and He'll freely give it to me,  in His timing. If I can trust Him with my life (as a Christian, I have trusted that Christ's death on the cross paid the penalty for my sins, and His burial and resurrection paved the way for my eternity in heaven, and proves I serve a Living Savior), then He can be trusted with my bills. 

Lord, help me trust you with my broken pieces,  and help me to not hold back anything from you, after all you've done for me.