Our Eyes are Upon Thee

In life we all go through trails. But how we deal with them is what really matters. I was reading in 2 Chronicles 20, last night, and I realized some things. When Jehoshaphat had a problem, he turned to the Most High. The example he set is one that can bless us when we are going through life's trials.

...Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the Lord... {vs 3}

Jehoshaphat got everyone together, stood before the Lord, and he 
-Praised the Lord {vs 6-7}
-Thanked the Lord and claimed promises from the Lord {vs 8-9}
-Pleaded with the Lord for help {vs 10-12}

He didn't go to the Lord with an ego, or pride. He didn't blame the Lord. Instead is trusted in Him! The end of verse 12 he says "neither know we what to do: our eyes are upon thee." He was totally surrendered to the Lord. How often when we are in times of turmoil do we have pity parties or let it rattle our trust? I know I am completely guilty of that! But not Jehoshaphat. He fixed his eyes, just as we should, on the God of the universe. 

Not only did he fix his eyes. He included all of Judah, even wives and children! {vs 13} We like wise should include our children. Don't be afraid to share the truth with them so that they may pray and have their faith strengthened! 

Once all this happened, God appeared. What He said totally changed me...

"Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's....Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you..." {vs 15 & 17}

That may not be the case for every battle we go through. There will be times we need to act. But more often than not the things we worry most about, are out of our hands! I know when things seem overwhelming to me I loose complete sight of all that God has previously done for me. I get panicky and fearful. But it's in those times that the Lord says, stand ye still. Because it is His battle, His name on the line. If you are His child and are called according to His purpose, then there is no need to worry. Because He will work it all out for good, for His glory! {Rom 8:28}

There is freedom there!!! Don't allow the enemy to steal your peace! If you are worrying about something, or afraid, set your eyes upon your Redeemer. Fix your eyes on Him and stand ye still. He will not fail you. 

...Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established... -2 Chron 20:20

Behind The Scenes God

I've heard countless stories about how things have come together for people and they could see how HaShem was at work "behind the scenes". We can see this very clearly also in the book of Esther. How things all come together by seeming coincidence. But to the believer there is no such thing as coincidence. My family was able to experience this recently as we walked through some health issues with one of our daughters.

Our 2nd born daughter, B, has been battling eczema for awhile now. Most people don't realize how serious of a condition this can be. It's not just dry skin. Especially not for her. Her whole entire body is covered in this itchy scaly rash. This is not a put some lotion on it kind of situation. We realize that her eczema is wrapped up in all her food allergies and sensitivities, so we had scheduled an appointment with a naturopathic allergist. But that appointment was months away.

A few weeks ago we noticed that she had some severely swollen lymph nodes in her legs. I know lymph nodes swell but these were like plum size! So we took her into the pediatrician who also was concerned. She sent us to get an ultrasound and from there to a hematologist. B is such a sweet little girl, while we were getting her ultrasound she looks at me and asks "am I having a baby?" lol. She was half joking and half concerned.

I didn't do a whole lot of googling during this time because I just wanted answers. I realize now that was a blessing because I would have been even more worried had I known what I needed to be worried about! In the time between the first initial doctors appointment and all the specialist appointments the allergist called and we were able to move her appointment up significantly. Which meant that we could get answers to her allergies while also dealing with what ever else was going on.

When we got to the hematologist we waited for a bit and as I waited I read some tehillim, in particular tehillim 34 stood out. So I just tucked it away in my heart and knew that it was a gift to me. When it was time for the blood draw I had to try to console B as well as hold her still. That was hard. But what was even harder was hearing the doctor say "ok I will run theses and then we will know in about 15 minutes if it's Leukemia."

Leukemia!? Cancer!? What!?

My head was spinning. I came in thinking the blood work was for something that.... was not as scary as leukemia. I began replaying tehillim 34 in my head and prayed silently. The angel of HaShem encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that HaShem is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him. {Teh 34:7-8}

The doctor finally came back in and said there was no sign of infection and that B did not have leukemia. I let out a huge sigh of relief and then she said, "I'd like to get a chest x-ray so we can determine if we should move forward with a biopsy to check for lymphoma"

Lymphoma!? Didn't we just rule out cancer? I felt like I couldn't breathe again. The doctor assured me that it was just something they needed to check but that didn't ease my mind any. So off we went to get an x-ray. The next day after waiting all day for the results I finally got a call back telling me her x-ray was clear! BARUCH HASHEM!! 

So now we have ruled out cancer. But what's wrong with my baby?

The time had finally come to meet with the allergist. we told her everything that was going on and then she tested her for over a hundred things. Her allergies were even more severe than we thought. Turns out that the swollen lymph nodes are all part of her allergies. She is allergic to:

Tomatoes
Potatoes
Bell Peppers
Corn 
Eggplant 
All beans and legumes 
Tree nuts 
Peanuts 
Gluten 
Eggs 
All animal dairy 
Bananas 
Peaches 
Papaya 
Goji berries
Cacoa beans (chocolate)

Yes you read that list correctly. Yes it is A LOT. This means that we have been unknowingly giving her an allergic reaction at every meal. But we know, b'ezrat HaShem, that we will get through this and she will be healed. Since seeing the allergist we already are seeing some changes in her. She is taking probiotics twice a day, as well as some homeopathic medicines. We are also giving her fish bone broth, and will begin giving her aloe. 

This all came at a time when we really needed to know what as going on. We needed to get into the allergist early and we needed to have some second opinions. We were able to discuss everything and have her checked out by multiple doctors and really get some solid footing. To the average person this is all coincidental. But for us we know it is so much more than that. We thank our Elohim for His guiding hand in all of this, we thank Him for showing us the truth and walking with us through it. 

At the allergist there was a sign up that said: 

"We don't believe in miracles, we rely upon them"

I wholeheartedly agree! 

O magnify HaShem with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought HaShem, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. -Teh 34:3-4

(This all happened a few months ago and B is doing a lot better)

Serving a Faithful Elohim

photo credit

It wasn't that long ago that I was on my knees begging Abba for fellowship and friends. When we left our church it was scary and hard, but we did it by faith. The same is true of our prayers for a son, our home, and a plethora of other things. By faith we made the necessary steps to prove that we trusted and would accept what ever came our way. 

Now our lives are in a place that I honestly never could have imagined. We've joined a great congregation and are able to dig into the Word, as well as fellowship with like-minded believers every Shabbat.  We are happily raising 3 children to love YHVH and to serve Him with their lives. I see my 2 oldest children thinking of others and trying to be helpful and loving. One of my biggest concerns has always been that my children would be close to each other and it's just so amazing for me to watch how they try to take care of each other. Not that they're perfect but they love each other, and really what more could I ask for?

This past month we've had so many answers to prayer it's been mind blowing. It's just kind of been one thing after another and it's times like this that strengthen us all the more for times when things are really hard. 

After the birth of our son we had to make some decisions about circumcision. Not whether to do it, but who to have do it and how to afford it. Since it had to be done on the 8th day that made things slightly more complicated. Thankfully our midwives recommend a wonderful mohelet to us. This whole process has given me a whole new understanding of Tzipporah's struggle with circumcision {Exodus 4:24-26}. 

Once we called the mohelet and got everything set up the realization of what was going to happen set it. I told my husband "my inner momma bear came out". Because that's truly the only way I could describe it. I did a lot of praying and seeking in those few days before the brit and then on the day of I felt at peace. I knew we were obeying and so Abba would take care of us, which He did! From everything down to the financials we were taken care of in a way that only a loving Abba could. It was amazing. 

our son after his brit milah

We are just so happy and blessed and I truly believe that it is the fully undeserved chesed {loving-kindness}that a merciful and loving Abba pours out on us. We do our best to reciprocate that love by obeying but in all honesty we fall short SOOOO many times. But nevertheless HE IS STILL FAITHFUL! He has never forsaken us, even though truly we have deserved it! 

So that is what is going on around here. We are so thankful for the way Abba manifests Himself to us and we are forever indebted to Him. He is our all in all! 

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of Elohim: I trust in the mercy of Elohim for ever and ever. I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints. Psalm 52:8-9

More Than We Purchased

Tonight we were supposed to go to a Journey to Bethlehem event. As we were driving we decided to call and make sure we weren't going to arrive too late. Turns out we were two weeks late! I was really sad about it, but my hubby said we'll try to find something similar to go to over the weekend. I still wasn't fully cheered up but I was getting there. 

We decided we should go and get some groceries. So off we went and I was glad that I'd still have people to give tracts to. Of course the tract queen (my 4 year old) decided that it was her job to hand them all out, so I let her. She gave one to a lady who was so excited about receiving one that she said (kind of loudly) "Oh yea, that's my man Jesus!" Which of course made our girls laugh. After that we all went about our business. 

Once it was time to check out we got in line, and it just so happens we were behind the lady who got excited  about the tract. She finished checking out and then walked around the other isle behind me. Then she grabbed a few of our items and said "I'll pay for these". Totally shocked we said thank you and continued checking out. She then preceded to tell us that the Lord was about to bless us. She very specifically said it was going to be a financial blessing that there wasn't going to be room enough to receive it {Malachi 3:10}. 

After we were all done checking out she came over to where we were standing and asked to pray with us. Right there in the store she prayed for our family and our finances, not knowing that my husband is still looking for work. Then she told me I need to be praying for my husband and children. Now I know this, but I haven't been very faithful in keeping them covered in prayer. She reminded me that I am my husbands helper and that I need to stay before the throne! She encouraged us to just stay faithful and that God would come through. 

We left the store complete shocked by all that had just happened. We had a rough start this morning and were a little worried about some things financially. But we decided to just leave it up the Lord, He knows how best to handle it anyway. Then this happened. I don't know if it means anything. I don't know if there is something big coming. But I do know I left feeling encouraged. 

I left home thinking I was going to experience Elohim {God}one way and He revealed Himself to me in another.  

The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. -Deuteronomy 29:29

TBOC: Taylore

Today I want to share with you all an interview with a friend of mine who is trusting the Lord with her family size. Taylore and her family are still small and I hope that reading about her will be an encouragement to you! So here you go:

1.       How long have you been married?  Just over 3 years now

2.       How did you meet your husband? We met through a mutual friend

3.       How many children do you have? We have two children and are currently expecting our third child in November 2012

4.       What are their ages? I have a 2.5 year old - Ariel and a 1.5 year old - John  Our third child is a little girl that we are naming Daisy

5.       Did you ever think you’d have this many children? I've always wanted a large family and my husband and I made a committment to the Lord and each other that we would leave our fertility solely up to the Lord

6.       Is your family involved in any ministries? My husband is currently training to be a Deacon at the church and I am in the nursery and sunday school minstries. Also, we are currently completeing our Bible Degrees and have surrendered to be Independent Fundamental Baptist missionaries to the people of Mongolia.

7.       What made you and your husband decide to trust God with your family size? Did you both agree at the same time or was one of you ready before the other? We believe that total surrender to the Lord means EVERY area of our life and if we can trust the Lord to save our souls, then we can surely trust te Lord to know what is best for us! We both committed to the Lord and each other before our marriage that we would leave our fertility solely to the Lord!

8.       Was there ever a time when you questioned your decision? There has not been so far! The rewards and blessings are so sweet and precious!

9.       What advice would you give to a young mom just starting out with maybe one or two children? I only have two and would be considered young, but I would say committ yourself to the Lord and work to be the best mother and wife that you can be by Biblical standards. Enjoy your babies while they are small and laugh at the messes they make rather than stress!

10.   Do you keep a strict schedule? Nap time we always try to have at the same time as well as bed time, but we do breakfast, lunch, baths and anything else at random times, but once we start homeschooling I believe our schedule will get more structured!

11.   How do you manage financially? I budget each bill according to due date and then we pay something towards our bills each week.

12.   What kinds of foods do you normally feed your family? We try to stick to all organic all natural foods!

13.   How do you find time to give individual attention to each child? This has not been a hard thing for me yet, but I read with them and hold them individually throughout the day.

14.   How do you fit in alone time with your husband? The kids go to bed at their bed time....one reason we stick to a strict bedtime and then that gives me and my husband a few hours before we go to sleep after he gets home from work and also on the weekends we get nap times as well!

15.   Do you have an encouraging verse or quote you’d like to share?  I just would encourage others to search God's Word and their own hearts and pray for guidance. Also, trust the Lord and He will bless you beyond measure! When you start to feel overwhelmed let out a little laugh and then begin to sing "Count Your Blessings"

Update and Praise Report

It's been awhile since I posted, hope ya'll didn't miss me too much :o)

These last few weeks have been very interesting. I didn't blog about it, but my husband lost his job a few months ago. So we've been spending lots of family time together. We've probably prayed more during these last few months than ever. All that has kept us going is God's AMAZING GRACE. We've seen the Lord provide for us time, and time again, and it's been amazing. We had the random money experience a few times and were just totally overwhelmed with His provision. When we thought the well must of surely run dry, He would do something to show us just how much He's in control. 

After we came back from the conference money was tight and I just knew we had exhausted all of our financial resources. Well that night, after I kind of broke down a little, my husband went and checked the mail. To our surprise there was a check in their from a totally unexpected source! God had come through again. All that's been left for us to say is PRAISE YHVH!!! 

Now you would think I was done right? Nope. The Lord has come through yet again and provided my husband with a job! He starts this week, and we are sooooo thankful for what God has done! He get's ALL THE GLORY in this story! 

The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. -Psalm 126:3

This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. -Psalm 118:23

Feel The Love

Ladies I have been having a GREAT WEEK! I've felt a renewed closeness to the Lord and just finally got it into my heart that Jesus loves ME! (He loves you too, but for the purpose of this post we're just going to be focusing on me lol)


I've known that God loves me ever since I got saved. But sometimes I struggled because it was a head knowledge. I know this, scripture says this, and my pastor preached it. But God has done something in my life. He's done the same thing for you too, and if you don't know about it you need to go and have a chat with Him. 


You want to know what He did? 


He died for me (and for you)! Thinking about this reminds me of the hymn that goes: For ME, He came and to death pursued, AMAZING LOVE! How can this be? That thou my HOLY GOD shouldst die for ME???? 


John 3:16 says: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.


Whoseoever is ME!! (and YOU!!!!) It's a totally open invitation! God loves with a HOLY love. He became a man and took on all of my sins. ALL past, present, and future. 


Do you know why He did that?


Because He is SO Holy that in my own strength I could not come into His presence. But He wanted to fellowship with ME! With ME (and YOU) He wanted to have a relationship and I was so filthy and sinful that He couldn't. It was impossible, SO HE MADE IT POSSIBLE! Do you understand that? He wanted me, so He came and got me! He came here to earth for ME! 


I've struggled with this and questioned it from time to time. If that's you I encourage you to keep asking questions. But ask the ONE who truly has the answers. 


...be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive -Ephesians 4:14


Don't be turned to and fro by the philosophies of this world or of other religions. Don't worry about "religion"!* Put your focus on the One above and HE WILL DIRECT YOUR STEPS. 

I don't want to make this sound over simplified, because it takes time and we must wait on the Lord for His guidance. But man oh man having a heart knowledge of the love of God is an unbeatable feeling! Nothing compares to it. Having God's unconditional love means I don't have to look anywhere else for love. He provides it all. Having my husband love me, and my children love me is just bonus! I don't have to worry if people like me, because guess what? GOD LOVES ME! He cares about me and my life and my day to day. 


The best part about all of this (for you) is that He loves you too. If you don't know that you need get alone with God and grab hold of Him! Ask Him to show you the truth of His PERFECT LOVE so that you can know, that you know, that YOU KNOW, God loves you! 


Do you feel as on fire for the Lord as when you first got saved? If not you need to re-examine your heart. Do you really believe that God loves you? If you really believe that, and feel that, then you should be FIRED UP! Not lukewarm, but on fire! You shouldn't be able to contain what God has done for you. If you REALLY comprehend how much God loves you then you should be on a roof top somewhere! Because it is an AMAZING, PERFECT, UNTOUCHABLE LOVE, that no one can take away! This is my ONLY praise this week because truthfully.... It is more than enough!!!!! 



For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. -Romans 8:38-39




 *Just so you don't get the wrong message, it's not that you don't need to go to church. Just that you don't need to worry so much about religious titles, and the doctrine's of men. Any church you attend should preach THE WHOLE Word of God and should be governed by the scriptures not doctrines made up by men. You shouldn't need any extra Biblical books to tell you the will of God. I just wanted to clear that up lest anyone think I'm encouraging them to leave church and just stay home alone and read their Bible alone. :o)

Preparing For Rain

Ladies.... This has been another long week for me. I've heard it said that when we purpose to do something for the Lord, that the enemy attacks us even more. I don't know if that's what's going on but I'm glad this week is over! 


Something that helped me in getting back to feeling better was watching the movie Facing The Giants. That movie makes me cry EVERY TIME I watch it. I know what's going to happen and I still cry! lol 


But I needed it, I needed those Biblical truths that the movie reminded me of. There are so many amazing things in that movie that I can't even begin to share them all. I will, however, share this one thing that really hit home for me.


There is a scene where this story is shared:

"Two farmers desperately needed rain and both of them prayed for rain. But only one of them went out and prepared his fields to receive it. Which one do you think trusted God to send the rain?" 

This story just touched my heart so much. There are so many things that I ask God for, but how many of those things am I preparing to receive? It's so easy to say "Lord, please bless me" but are you in a position to be blessed? Are you asking Him to bless sin? Have you made sure that you are in His will? 


I'm so guilty of this. I ask for what I want, and I don't always make sure that it's what GOD wants. If we're honest with ourselves, then we all have done this before. So my challenge to you is to go and prepare your fields. Think about the one thing you've been asking God to do in your life and make sure that it lines up with His will and with Scripture. Then if everything is in order prepare to receive that blessing. 


I can't promise that it will happen instantly, or quickly, or even at all. But I know that your preparations can be a blessing in and of themselves. The important thing is to trust God, and believe that He has your best interest at heart.

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.    -Matthew 21:22

Ok now for my picture!


This week my picture isn't one that I took. We went to the zoo, but my camera died so I didn't get any good pictures and am using one that my husband took on his phone. This peacock was just roaming around the zoo property. Isn't it gorgeous? God is just the most amazing artist!

God ALWAYS Knows Best

Photo Credit

I hope you had a great weekend! Ours was very, very, busy but a lot of fun.


On Friday I posted about how we can give thanks in all things, but this topic is still on my heart and I thought I would share a story with you all that has been a huge inspiration to me. I don't know if any of you have read The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom, but if you haven't read it you need to! It's the heartbreaking, inspirational, and motivational story of two Christian sisters who tried to help Jews during the holocaust. These sisters were later arrested and sent to concentration camps. The book shares the highs and lows of their life prior to and during the holocaust, and today I want to share with you just one story. It is an amazing example of God's provision, and how He always does what's best for us: 

Suddenly I sat up, striking my head on the cross-slats above. Something had pinched my leg.  

"Fleas!" I cried . 'Betsie, the place is swarming with them!' 

We scrambled across the intervening platforms, heads low to avoid another bump, dropped down to the aisle, and edged our way to a patch of light.  

"Here! And here another one!" I wailed. "Betsie, how can we live in such a place!" 

"Show us. Show us how." It was said so matter of factly it took me a second to realize she was praying. More and more the distinction between prayer and the rest of life seemed to be vanishing for Betsie.  

"Corrie!" She said excitedly."He's given us the answer before we asked, as He always does! In the Bible this morning. Where was it? Read that part again!" 

I glanced down the long dim aisle to make sure no guard was in sight, then drew the Bible from its pouch. "It was in First Thessalonians," I said. We were on our third complete reading of the New Testament since leaving Scheveningen. In the feeble light I turned the pages.  “Here it is:  ‘Comfort the frightened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.  See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.  …’ “  It seemed written expressly to Ravensbruck.  

“Go on,” said Betsie.  “That wasn’t all.”  

“Oh yes:  ‘…to one another and to all.  Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus–’ “ 

“That’s it, Corrie!  That’s His answer.  ‘Give thanks in all circumstances!’  That’s what we can do.  We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!”   I stared at her, then around me at the dark, foul-aired room.  

“Such as?”  I said.  

“Such as being assigned here together.”  

I bit my lip.  “oh yes, Lord Jesus!  

“Such as what you’re holding in your hands.”  

I looked down at the Bible.  “Yes!  Thank You, dear Lord, that there was no inspection when we entered here!  Thank You for all the women, here in this room, who will meet You in these pages.”  

“Yes,” said Betsie.  “Thank You for the very crowding here.  Since we’re packed so close, that many more will hear!”  She looked at me expectantly.  “Corrie!” she prodded. 

“Oh, all right.  Thank You for the jammed, crammed, stuffed, packed, suffocating crowds.” 

“Thank You,”  Betsie went on serenely, “for the fleas and for–”   The fleas!  This was too much.  “Betsie, there’s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea.”  

” ‘Give thanks in all circumstances,’ ” she quoted.  “It doesn’t say ‘in pleasant circumstances.’  Fleas are part of this place where God has put us.”

And so we stood between piers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas.  But this time I as sure Betsie was wrong. (pg 180-181)

The conditions grew increasingly worse, but yet during this time the women were able to continue reading their Bible. Then one day the sisters found out the reason for their fleas. 

 Betsie was waiting for me, as always, so that we could wait through the food line together.  Her eyes were twinkling.

“You’re looking extraordinarily pleased with yourself,” I told her.   

“You know we’ve never understood why we had so much freedom in the big room,” she said.     

“Well–I’ve found out.”  

That afternoon, she said, there’d been confusion in her knitting group about sock sizes and they’d asked the supervisor to come and settle it.  

 “But she wouldn’t.  She wouldn’t step through the door and neither would the guards.  And you know why?”  

Betsie could not keep the triumph from her voice:  “Because of the fleas!  That’s what she said, ‘That place is crawling with fleas!’  

“My mind rushed back to our first hour in this place.  I remembered Betsie’s bowed head, remembered her thanks to God for creatures I could see no use for. (pg 189-190)

 This is why it's so important to thank God regardless of what we see. He loves us and though things may seem awful, if we are His child then He is looking out for our best interests! Even if that means we have to deal with fleas from time to time. 


What fleas are you dealing with in your life? Are you ready to thank God for them, even if you'll never know why they were there? Can you trust that God knows what's best for you?

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 

Thanking God In All Things

I don't know about you all but I had a LONG week! It seemed to just drag on and I had some rough days. Maybe I've just been not responding correctly to the things the Lord has brought in front of me, maybe it's hormones, maybe it was a test (that I don't think I did too great on), or maybe it's just life. But either way it was rough and I am so glad it's almost over and am looking forward to Sunday so I can hear great preaching and get to fellowship with my church family. 


This week I've been trying to focus on yielding my rights, and realizing that everything I have is from the Lord. I watched a teaching, by Bill Gothard, on responding to irritants, and I made a huge effort to have right responses. But of course it was a struggle, that I failed at many times. I'm just very thankful that the Lord led me to a place of being receptive to the idea of giving everything to Him and thanking Him in everything. 


Before I share my picture with you all I just want to share some of my notes on thanking the Lord in all things. I've heard people say that so many times and I've thought, "oh yes that is so great" and then I purposed to do that. But fail because honestly, I've never known how to do it? But now I have a much better grasp on just how to get our minds wrapped around praising God no matter what.


First we have to recognize that most times when we are angry or annoyed it's because we feel that our personal rights have been infringed upon. One example that really helped me to understand this concept is, getting woken up too early for whatever reason. Some of us are really flexible and would just roll with it. But for those of us (namely me!) who would be angry and grumpy about this, it's because we felt we had a "right" to a full nights sleep. But ultimately if we believe that God is truly in control, then we need to recognize that He is bigger than what ever is "bothering us" and that He can change it. 


Now that we've recognized that God is in control then we can examine the situation, and ask ourselves "am I at fault?" So in the above situation it would be, did I stay up too late last night? If not then ok, but if yes then I need to accept my fault in it. 


If it's a situation that needs to be addressed and corrected (like if you did something wrong to someone) then you need to do that. For example: Say you borrowed something from a friend and then never gave it back. You forget all about it and ask them to borrow something else. Well when they say no of course you're going to be annoyed. But if you reflect on it, or ask them about it, you'll see where you were at fault in this situation. Then you can take the proper steps to reconcile the situation. 


If you were totally faultless then you have to go to the next step in examining the issue. You should think about what God wants to show you from the issue. What character traits is He trying to bring out in you? What lesson is He trying to teach you? We can see the truth of God using a circumstance to teach us about something else in us or for us in the beatitudes found in Matthew 5:3-12. 

-Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.-Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.-Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.-Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.-Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.-Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.-Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.-Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.-Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Now that you've thoroughly examined the situation it's easy to thank God. You can thank Him for bringing clarity to a situation that could of gotten worse had you not corrected it, or you can thank Him for presenting you with a challenge to help you grow. Once you get good at discerning an irritant, thanking the Lord will be easier and happen more quickly. 


So although I had a rough week, I'm thanking the Lord for His mercies. I've had to repent and go back to Him about things, but through it I am getting a softer heart for my Lord and seeing when I need to repent for a wrong thought or action MUCH faster. 


Now for my picture :o) this was from a day that was actually very good:

Strawberry picking at a local farm

Flowers Not Eggs

This past Resurrection Sunday I was struggling with the feeling of depriving my children. We don't celebrate easter the way that the world does. Actually we don't really celebrate easter at all. We teach our girls to say happy Resurrection day to people who may say happy easter to them and we talk to them about why we are celebrating. We don't do dyed eggs and we don't do egg hunts. But as a kid I did do all those things and we had fun. 


My mom, who would be over the moon if I let her do those things with the girls, asked me why I wouldn't dye eggs with them? I try to be gentle with my mom. Because if I were to go into detail about the pagan rituals I know she'd throw her hands in the air and conclude I'm even crazier then she thought. So I just simply replied "well we don't even eat eggs". Which was a perfectly fine answer for her! Praise God! But then I got a brilliant (or at least brilliant to me lol) idea. We'll start our own tradition! Instead of dying eggs we'll dye flowers and give them to grandmas and aunts at our family dinner. I grew up giving flowers to the women in my family as a child so it's a way to keep part of a tradition alive and add out own flair to it. 


I decided I might as well use it as a science project for homeschool and as the girls get older it can continue to be a science lesson as they learn more and more details about it. This what we did:

I used 3 glasses, food coloring, white carnations, and water

We added the dyes to the glasses

Then added water, plant food, and the flowers

We did three colors: red, blue, and teal (mix of green and blue)

We let the flowers sit for a day, but that ended up not being enough time. One flower came out well so we took that one and gave it the grandma that was hosting the dinner. A few days later the rest of the flowers adorned our dinner table :o)

I'm finding that the more we choose to seek the Lord the more He gives us ways to accomplish the things we desire. I don't want to deprive my children of any fun, but they don't have to do things the world's way. God's way is just so much better! 

Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. -Psalm 37:4

P.S. have you signed up to Soak in the Son with me?