Our Good Shepherd

As a reminder…

Isaiah 40: 11  “He tends His flock like a shepherd:

He gathers the lambs in His arms

And carries them close to His heart,

He gently leads those that have young.”

           As you are caring for your little lambs, be assured He is gathering, caring and gently available to lead YOU!  You matter to Him.  He knows what you are dealing with.  He will never leave you or forsake you.  Trust Him.  He’s got this!

One On One Time

On Good Friday, I saw my 15 year old off for an eleven day missions trip to Uganda. I put on a brave front but hours after she had left I missed her terribly. I had plans (with my new found freedom) to catch up and encourage a back-sliddend friend over lunch. After lunch, I was upset. It SEEMED as if she was getting what she wanted in life and I (being a saint, by comparison only) was getting the short end of the stick. I began to question and I began to think that God forgot about me. I questioned if my prayers were ever going to be answered.

 

Then, feelings of guilt set in. I know my God and I know He loves me. I know He is faithful and I know He is true. Why did I question and why did I doubt? I went directly to church. I had already planned to go to Good Friday Service but now I had an hour to reflect on my behavior before service started. The teaching reminded me of what God DID do for me instead of questions of what He did not do. I repented, I communed and I was revived!!

 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16 (NKJV)

 

On Easter Sunday, I felt I needed some alone time with God. Instead of doing big church, I opted to celebrate the rising of the Son, with the rising of the sun on Pompano Beach. I told God I needed one on one time with Him and I needed Him to speak to me. He is so faithful. He gave me His word on waiting for Him.

 

"We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.) - Romans 8:24-25 (NLT)

Easter morning I drove to the beach only to realize a large church was having service there. The Holy Spirit led me to another part of the beach. I found the perfect spot, grab my blanket and walked out onto the sand towards the ocean. It was great... only 2 others on the beach. I sang worship songs, took a few pictures and began to pray. I'm not sure how long I was praying for, but when I lifted my head the others had left! He heard my prayer and answered it... one on one time with Him!

Challenge: Find some one on one time with God. Encourage your children to do the same. Pray and ask God to give you the time and to meet you there. He will!

Hide and Seek

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV) Ever play hide and seek with your little ones? Ever pick a really hard spot and find that they are having a hard time finding you? What do you do next? Do you give them a hint, or do you listen as they become increasingly frustrated and start to cry? Does the search go on for hours, all day? Of course not! At some point, you either give a hint or reveal yourself…I hope. :) I love the promises embedded in God’s word, and one of his many promises to us is that if we seek him, we will find him. He does not take pleasure in concealing himself as we become increasingly frustrated. One thing the Lord has been speaking to my heart about lately is seeking His face (intimacy with him), and not just His hand (blessings). I want to know God. I want to experience his power and love at work in my life in the smooth times and the rough times. When I read the Bible, I need to ask him to speak to my heart and reveal himself to me. I have to admit that sometimes I open the Bible with self-seeking motives: God tell me something to make me feel good. Tell me something to help with my situation right now. Let’s decide today to go deeper than that. Let’s seek the Lord’s face and not just his hand. Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the love and joy we find in you. Thank you for the promises of your Word. May we seek your face and fall more in love with you. May we worship you with our lives. May we find that when we are seeking you, you are right there. We love you God. Thank you for revealing yourself to us. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Check out the link to this song: “Give Us Clean Hands” by Mark Schultz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNwc5uzpkMU

New Year, New Hope

This New Year has been kind of strange for me. The last 6 years of my life have been action-packed. 2006- I bought a condo and met the man of my prayers. 2007-Rick and I were married. 2008- We became pregnant- what an adventure! 2009- We welcomed our sweet Selah into the world. 2010- We became pregnant again and had a risk of losing the baby. 2011- Our precious little Susannah was born. So, as we ushered in the 2012 New Year, I could not help but wonder what this year could possibly bring. Another baby? Perhaps. I know we would love another at some point.


My prayer for the year will be the same it has been for the last 3 years- for the Lord to provide in the area of our home situation. The 2 bedroom 1 bath 900 sq. ft. condo I bought when I was still single has now become a burden as it is extremely small for our growing family. Due to poor plumbing, we have had several floods which have taken their toll on our flooring, and the materials used in all rooms of the condo were inexpensive and showing much wear and tear. Because I received down payment assistance through a program for teachers, we cannot rent, refinance, sell, or event short sale without having to pay back this large sum of money. So, we have found ourselves stuck in a place that is not conducive for two energetic little girls, our desire for more children, our heart to have company over for fellowship, and our love for pets.

However, it has afforded us the luxury of allowing me to be a stay at home mother for the past 3 years. For that I am extremely blessed and thankful. So I continue to pray for the Lord to "bring us up out of 'the pit' " ( my nickname for our place on my really frustrated days) and "set our feet upon the rock". I long for a spacious kitchen to cook in, a living room large enough to entertain, and a little patch of grass for our children and pets to run around in. Just room to breathe. I know it will come in His time. But this 'pit' feeling is overwhelming at times. At times I feel much like the picture below. But I know the Lord has me here for a season and a reason. He is teaching me patience, contentment, and discipline. If I am not careful and disciplined, I can get distracted and discouraged focusing on this rather than the many blessings the Lord has given me and the job He has for me to do as a mom and wife.



I share this with you being completely transparent. Despite all that I have, this one area continues to burden my heart, distracting me from fulfilling God's will for my daily life. Making me feel ungrateful for all that I have and selfish for wanting more. Yet as I lay in bed at night awoken by a neighbor driving by blasting the bass, shaking the walls of our bedroom, I cannot help but cry out to God with my whole heart for mercy and a rescue.

Do you feel like that in some area of your life, be it a literal, physical, mental, emotional, relational, or spiritual 'pit'? What is the Lord teaching you in this area of your life? Have you lost hope? Is it causing you to lose focus in other areas of your life? Your 'pit' may not seem like a big deal to others, but to you it can be a source of despair, distraction, and even desperation.

I pray this new year will find you (and me) filled with hope. That the Lord will lift us up and set our feet on higher ground. I pray that we will not be distracted from being the best mommies and wives that the Lord has prepared and called us to be. I pray we will learn contentment in all situations and bless the Lord in all circumstances. May this year be the year of more- More of Him and less of us! May we not lose heart, looking forward to the harvest.



Lord, my hope is in You. You are Jehovah Jireh, my provider. Your grace is sufficient for me. I pray that You will lift me out of this pit and set my feet upon the rock. Please help me to keep my mind and heart focused on You, ever grateful for the gift of Your Son and my new life in You. Please help me to be content in all areas of my life and not allow myself to become distracted from doing Your will. Please instruct and guide me in this 'pit' area of my life. Please help me to not lose hope or heart and trust in You with all that I am. I pray that You would help me discipline my mind to focus on Your truth and Your promises and rest in them. Please help me to be the best mother and wife in all circumstances and instruct my children in how to handle hardship by example. I love You and trust in You Lord and look forward to the day that I can sit at Your feet and praise You face to face. I am Yours Lord. Come what may this year, I praise and bless Your name. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.