Friday, July 27, 2012

Thankful Fridays....

Today is Friday, great time for thankful Fridays Today I find it more difficult to be thankful but I am sure that if I start thinking I will have an overflow of things to be thankful for....

My Children
My Savior
Grace and Mercy
Friends and Family
Peace and quiet
Financial stability
A great place to live
a car
two jobs

Thank you Lord for all you do and all you have given me, help me to be truly grateful for the one thing that no one can take away, salvation. Amen!

Happy Friday All, Have a great weekend.. 

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Frustration....

I woke up today and thought what a wonderful day, you know that feeling when you wake up to a clean house and the kids sleep in a little and everything seems to be going wonderful.  Then the morning started out just like any other we did our morning routine and as I sat down to teach the children todays bible lesson I became frustrated. Today we talked about Jesus walking on water and how when Peter stepped out of the boat in faith he was able to do the impossible, but as soon as he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the world around him he started to sink. 

The kids were great during the lesson and we sang some songs but I still felt uneasy. When i took time to think about it I realized that I am frustrated with my life. The place I am in right now, and like I talked about before every thing has a root good or bad. Whats the root of this? Discontentment. Ugh great, blah no wonder I am unhappy. I am discontent. I keep waiting for something to make me happy, or a situation to change to change my attitude. But I need to remember that its not about my timing its about the Lords. He has me where I am for a reason and I need to rest in that. Sometimes I think God can't handle me, then I am like "oh yeah, He created the whole world but He can't handle me and my issues". 

I need to remember that God is in control, He can handle me when I am happy, angry, upset, sinful, discontent. When we start to feel discontent we have to refocus our eyes on Christ and what he has done for us and what He has promised us. Not a happy picture perfect life, but everlasting life if we are faithful and believe in Jesus. (John 14:6) 
Just like Peter if we take our eyes off of Jesus we can easily become distracted by the things around us. Find joy in Jesus and our new life, be content in where God has you now because He knows and sees the whole picture not just snapshots like we do. 

For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jerm 29:11

Happy Thursday Ladies!

Friday, July 20, 2012

Thankful Fridays....

Thanks to my wonderful aunt owner of inspirational air which can be found here...  http://maryannkudera.blogspot.com/
I am starting Thankful Fridays, instead of being overwhelmed by all that we feel is against us lets focus on what we have. See the cup half full. Lets look through the storm we are walking through and see the rainbow at the end! 
Today I am thankful for many things:
My savoir 
My children
Gods mercy and grace and continued love
My family
My faith
My friendships
And everything else the Lord provided from the roof over my head to the food on the table

thank you God for your many blessings in this life. Thank you for the breath that I have and the fact that without you I can't take another.
Take today to rejoice in all you have in Christ and thank Him! 

I love you!


Those three little words that everyone loves to hear, I really want to focus on love and what it actually is. When people say I love you what do they mean. Do they mean I am fond of you, do they mean i care for you, do they mean i'd give up my life just to make sure that you survive...

I think that the phrase I love you is carelessly thrown around to make others feel better, more secure, more important. But in all reality we love ourselves and i think we sometimes say it in order to receive it. Sometimes we feel so unloved that we are longing for anyone to show us "love" and give us affirmation.

I recently did a pole on fb to see what people thought the word love meant. I got a variety of answers... there were a few that i really liked....
I love you means that I accept you for the person that you are, and that I do not wish to change you into someone else. It means that I will love you and stand by you even through the worst of times. It means loving you even when you’re in a bad mood, or too tired to do the things I want to do. It means loving you when you’re down, not just when you’re fun to be with. “I love you” means that I know your deepest secrets and do not judge you for them, asking in return that you do not judge me for mine. It means that I care enough to fight for what we have and that I love you enough not to let go. It means thinking of you, dreaming of you, wanting and needing you constantly, and hoping you feel the same way for me!


Love is an attachment that comes from deeply appreciating another's goodness. A bond that connects you into a unified link of trust, intimacy and interdependence. Love is like a force of nature, you can't command love, demand love or make it disappear. Love can't be turned on as a reward or shut off as a punishment. You can not buy love! Love is patient, love us kind, it has no envy nor jealousy and should not be boastful!

Those were some really great answers. Now what does the bible say about love? How does God love us? How are we suppose to love others?

Well the first verse that probably comes to your mind is John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everylasting life". Thats an amazing kind of love, I don't know anyone that would sacrifice a child to save someone, even if they love them. How about Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." That tells me that He loved us even when we were hating God, against God, rejecting God. Think about how hard it is to love someone who acts hateful to us.
Romans 8:37-39:  "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." I think thats its very clear that when the Lord says "I Love You". He means I love you! Here are two more verses that you can look up: gal 2:20 and 1John 3:1.  I think maybe that is why sometimes its hard to believe when God says " I love you" Because we are going by how the world uses the word. We have a hard time believing that He does because we have heard it so many times before. Just remember that this love that the Lord has for us is perfect unconditional love, we can't do anything to earn it and nothing "bad" we do breaks it. Its really important to remember that even when we let God down he loves us all the same, just like we still love our kids when they disobey. Our love for them isn't altered in anyway cause they misbehave. 


We are commanded to love each other. Even when its hard, or we feel like they don't deserve it. These are a few verses that I like about loving each other..
Romans 13:8
Gal: 5:12
Eph 4:2
1 peter 1:22
1 john 4:7
Proverbs 17:17

I have been very convicted lately about the way that I love others. I don't think I have it right. I say I love them sure, but am i doing what God says and loving them in deeds and not words? (1john 3:18) Am i loving people to my standards or am I trying to love them based on Gods? My measuring stick for my life needs to be the same stick that God uses. Not one that the world uses. Lets try to love others in the way that god intended and who knows we may even get it back. This bible verse that I am sure we have all heard many times is a great "measuring stick"...
 1 Corinthians 13:4-8  Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.


As for me I know this is an area that i struggle in. Its easy to say hey buddy love you or honey I love you or yes child I love you but do we? Next time we are about to say I love you to someone whether its a spouse, friend, neighbor, etc lets remember that it is a very important phrase and should hold great meaning. Lets go out there and love each other the way God has loved us, through trials and tribulations, disappointments, hurt feelings, anger, and frustration. Lets love others sacrificially! 



Tuesday, July 17, 2012

I wish..

Do you ever find yourself thinking I wish things were different, I wish this worked out, I wish I could be with that person, I wish, I wish...
Today is that day for me. Today is the day that I "wish" things were different, people were different, I was different. Someone who I love very much recently told me that I am too uptight and I made a thousand excuses as to why I am. But when I sat back and thought about it I realized that I am uptight because I am controlling, insecure and not able to trust people. I think when you break those things down you get sin. Yes being controlling is a sin, insecurity and the trust issues. Now it might not seem so on the surface but when you break it down to the root you find the real problem. You see every thing has a root, whether its good or bad.
Being controlling is sinful because when I sit back and think about the reasons I am controlling its because I need everything MY way, I sugar coat it and say that it works best this way, I say I'm a single mom so everything has to work just so. The real reason is selfishness. I'm selfish, I care only about the things I want and "need", how situations make ME feel. I also think I don't fully trust in the Lord, maybe I don't trust when He says "I love you", maybe I don't trust that he will supply my every need. So It comes down to do I believe the Lord and what He says in his word or am I calling God a liar! Well God is definitely not a liar. Everything He ever promised has been fulfilled. Out of the two of us I am the only one who has not been what I claim to be!

Insecurity is an interesting thing, we tell ourselves that we are secure and go to great lengths to prove it. But the truth is we are not. Woman have it tough, we have constant "competition" from the world around us. So we change how we act, how we dress, what we do, all to get validation from people that we are good enough. When in fact we are good enough, the creator of the world loves us, yes we are sinners, yes we are imperfect but yes He loves us! That should give us all the security we need! God has proven his love and we say oh that's not good enough God, give me something else! We drive our spouses, family, friends and "partners" crazy needing constant re assurance when in reality its not enough cause that's not what we actually need. We need the love of Christ cause that's the only thing that is constant and unchanging.We need to put our trust and security in the one that is always the same! The one who promises I will never leave you or forsake you!

Now Trust, that's a difficult thing, we have all been lied to, hurt, felt abandoned, etc. All I am going to say on this topic is that there is someone we can trust wholeheartedly, someone who never lets us down. Someone who takes every situation and uses it for his good. Lets trust in His love, His promises. People let us down just like we let them down. We are imperfect. If we were perfect there would be no need for a savior. Lets go out ladies and love each other like Christ commands, over looking each others shortcomings, lets try to have unconditional love like our savior has for us!

So next time we "wish" things were different lets rejoice in who we are in Christ. Lets be joyful for all He has given us from our children, to our homes, to our bff's, :) to being a new creation in Christ. For even if we had all of our hearts desires without Christ where would we be?  We would be damned and hopeless.

Hope this is encouraging for you ladies today, it sure is exactly what I needed to hear today! Have a happy Tuesday gals!

Monday, July 16, 2012

I need I need!

I have been thinking how needy I am lately. Totally exhausting my family and friends because I feel alone and insecure. People love me and say they don't mind that I call them and come over for visits but its only a temporary feeling of security. Now don't get me wrong we all need friend time as well as family time, but I think that more often than not we are looking for others to fill that void in our lives. There is nothing more I love than spending time with my best friend sipping on cherry coke and talking about our struggles and sharing our exciting moments. I came across this scripture today :


Isaiah 46:4 (NASV)

even to your old age I will be the same,
And even to your graying years I will bear you!

I have done it and I will carry you; 
And I will bear you and I will deliver you. 

Lately I have been really thinking about all the words in a bible verse so I can really understand what they mean. The word bear means to hold up/ to support, to hold or remain firm under, to hold up under/ be capable of. Wow when you think about that and what this scripture is saying its so amazing to think that the Lord wants us to know this. He makes a point in telling us that he will be the same throughout our whole life, He will carry us through every circumstance, even when we think we can't and that our strength isn't enough. God says I will bear you! I will deliver you! 

Every time we get those empty feelings or lonely or whatever we may be feeling. Remember this verse, call on your best friend who is always there and is never to busy for you. Who understands exactly how you feel in every situation, who loves you even when you feel unloved. Remember God has what you need and you'll NEVER wear him out!!

Have a blessed day ladies! 

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Tame that Tongue

So my tongue has been unstoppable lately. As soon as I open my mouth hurtful things come pouring out. It's like a weapon slaying all those who come in contact with me. All because I am going through things and somewhere along the line I decided that I was no longer going to listen to the holy spirit. Before I was "saved" I had a major attitude and I walked around and said what I wanted when I wanted. I didn't care if it hurt your feelings, in my mind I thought well you can't handle the truth! I'm not mean, I'm just truthful! Well thankfully with much prayer the Lord changed my heart and my attitude and people started to say that I was loving and kind. Those were not words that people would use to describe me in the past. Well today I realized that this ugly trait that I hate in myself was coming back and I need to put an end to it now. I have a cabinet full of bible verses that encourage and uplift me. Every time i feel overwhelmed I go to my cabinet and look and Gods wonderful promises. Well right next to them I have a note card that has my favorite saying,

Before you speak ask yourself:
Is this Kind?
Is this True?
Does this need to be said?
If so.. continue.
If NOT stop!!

Now after the few weeks that I have been having I need to have this tattooed on my arm so its always there for me to look at. So looking from a more biblical view this verse came to my mind.. 

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.Matt 15:18 ESV

So looking up the word defiles to really understand this verse even more...
de·file 
tr.v. de·filed, de·fil·ing, de·files
1. To make filthy or dirty; pollute: defile a river with sewage.
2. To debase the pureness or excellence of; corrupt: a country landscape that was defiled by urban sprawl.
3. To profane or sully (a reputation, for example).
4. To make unclean or unfit for ceremonial use; desecrate: defile a temple.
5. To violate the chastity of.

This is very convicting for me, I have to be more aware of how I speak and the things that are coming out of my heart. So the real problem is not what I say but the condition of my heart. So the only way to change that is to pray and beg God to change it, spend more time in the word and more time with other believers who love the Lord. 

Proverbs 4:23"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

Jeremiah 17:9-10 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."

Romans 10:9-10 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

So those are just a few verses, there are many more and I think its very clear that when it comes down to it the Lord cares about our hearts. He cares about the condition of our hearts and what is coming out of them. We can all "act" like good christians and put on a great show but the Lord knows the condition of our hearts, there is no fooling Him. You can't trick the creator of the universe who knows our every thought, deepest desires and every hair on our heads... Lets be diligent dear ladies. Lets spend time with the one that should be the love of our lives and watch him transform our hearts! 
Have a happy sunday!

Friday, July 13, 2012

new blog, new journey

My life has changed dramatically so i decided its time for a new blog! My life went from married SAHM of three to a divorced, working two jobs, mother of three. Its almost always a challenge but definitely worth the work. I love my boys with all my heart and consider them a blessing even when there are days when I am so exhausted I can barely walk. I know that the Lord takes care of His children and even though I think I struggle when I look back through the last two years of my life He has always been there for me pulling me through. I have always had a roof over my head, always had clothes and shoes for my children and always food on the table. Even when I wasn't sure how it was going to get there, God provided it. Sometimes I get overwhelmed at the thought of tomorrow and what that will bring but I remember Gods promises. 
"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matt 6:34
I never really understood that verse until now. 

I hope through this blog I can be an encouragement to others as well as reminding myself whats true and whats important in life. Thanks for reading!