This Was One of Those Weeks!

SO... this week has been a DOOZIE! I mean a certifiable Category 5 hurricane that came out of NO where! There are those moments in your life where so many random, difficult things violently bombard you at the same time, that you KNOW it is the devil.  Even the secular genius would say it's statistically impossible!  The devil has over played his hand!

This was one of those weeks!  The question is ... how do I respond? What does the Lord want of me?  Thankfully the He left me some directions.  (Literally, a stranger walked up to me and gave me this verse!)

1 Peter 4:12 &13 says "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed."

How I go through these trials reveals where my trust is.   God uses all things, even my response in trials, for His glory.  He wants me to be victorious as I walk through the fiery trial.

Practically speaking for me it looks like this:

1.  I am trying to capture every thought.  If it doesn't bring glory to Him, I don't entertain it.
2.  I look for Him in the circumstance.  He is with me in it. I need only look to see evidence. (Like the stranger giving me this verse!)
3.  I pray not to sin in it.  I may suffer deeply and want to defend myself, but my situation pales in comparison to what my Lord suffered for me.  I want to be blameless before Him.
4.  I trust Him to fight the battle.  My hope is in Him and not in circumstance or man. These battles are spiritual battles and will be won in the spirit realm, by my Defender.  
5.  I remember that I am His, and it is His responsibility to take care of me. I am in the best Hands ever...Hands that have scars in the palms that prove His love for me!
6.  I remember what my husband told me once, when I was whining about being very pregnant..."This too shall pass."  Ha!  Our Lord allows me to go through trials, but He NEVER leaves me in them.  He will bring me safely to the other side and I will look more like Him :)
7. I am praising Him in the middle of the trials, because He is ALWAYS worthy to be praised!  

Whatever you are facing, giants, storms, nay sayers, doubt... PRAISE HIM... HE IS FAITHFUL!

Sweet Singing Moments

When my mom was growing up, she and my grandma used to sing hymns while washing and drying the dishes.  These days my grandma (we now call her GG for Great Grandma) lives with my parents because she can’t see that well anymore and she needs 24 hour supervision.  Every now and then when I visit or call them, mom and GG still enjoy harmonizing together.  How beautiful.  I want that with my kids!

“Praise the LORD!  For it is good to sing praises to our God;  For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.”  Psalm 147:1

Matthew and I used to sing together before he went to bed but for some reason we stopped.  In the car we have Veggie Tales and Cedermont Kids Worship CDs that we hear OVER & OVER & OVER &…. So our kids know the songs real well. 

“Praise the LORD!  Sing to the LORD a new song, and His praise in the assembly of saints.” Psalm 149:1

One day I heard the most SWEETEST little girl singing voice coming out of our daughter singing “El Shaddai.”  She loves singing that song and “Jesus Loves Me.”  There’s one they sing at church, “You put your left foot in, you put your left foot out… and you shake it all about, You give your heart to Jesus and you turn yourself around, that’s what it’s all about.”  Whatever it is, let’s sing with our kids.  GG doesn’t have her eyesight anymore, but she has a daughter that will sing a hymn with her at a moment’s notice.

“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.  Praise the LORD!” Psalm 150:6

Clouded Vision vs Clear Vision

 

Wipers – essential for motor vehicles.  When I was single, a friend from Bible study replaced my windshield wipers.  I was thankful but didn’t think they really needed changing as they appeared to be working just fine.  I wasn’t expecting anything the next time I used them.  However, that night while driving home I hit a patch of rainy weather and to my amazement those new wipers helped me see crystal clearly.  It was like the veil had been lifted!  I thought I was seeing clearly before, but in reality it was clouded vision. 

How about us in life? Life with children is awesome, but we need to make sure our spiritual vision is clear.  We need to be in the Word, in fellowship with other believers, and praying, otherwise our spiritual vision could dim slowly…but surely. 

Isaiah 58

 ¹“Cry aloud, spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet; …

⁶ “Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?  …

Fasting – essential for the Christian mom.  Have you ever fasted for your children’s salvation, for their health, for the friends they will choose in life, for their future spouses?  Let’s get on our knees and choose to make a difference through the act of prayer while fasting.  Let’s ask the Lord for clearer vision, discernment, and wisdom in raising the lives He has entrusted to us.  Foster moms, blood-related moms, aunts, sisters… have opportunities to change destinies through prayer.  Let’s refocus our spiritual sight, fast and pray, and expect God to do great things. 

⁸ Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
⁹ Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

          Recently, our 2 ½ year-old son was sick and I fasted and prayed for him to receive the Lord’s healing and to show me anything I might be missing as his mom.  The Lord Almighty is doing a great work in us, ladies, just keep seeking Him and communing with Him.

 Lord, I thank You for your ever-presence in our lives.  Thank You for doing that great work in us where we can clearly seek Your face, follow Your path, and show our kids how to do that too.  Lord, it’s an honor to serve You in this capacity and we don’t take it lightly, so please fill us with fresh wisdom and a renewed spirit to raise our kids in the manner pleasing to You.  Please help us to lead them to You.  We know You are waiting to give us new wipers for our clouded vision and we receive Your blessing now.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen. 

**For extra credit :-)  read the amazing rest of Isaiah 58, especially WOOHOO, verse 12 (part B)!

Changing our speech

Towards the end of June our 2 ½ year-old Matthew broke his collarbone by falling on the tile from the dining room booster seat.  He’s had to wear a wrap (ace bandage) around his body and arm, plus not play on playgrounds for 5 weeks.  Matthew had just started summer camp at God’s Little Creations Preschool where they were just going to introduce the bounce house and water activities.  He would have gone three times a week and surely had so much fun playing and learning about Jesus.  They had already started memorizing Psalm 23 to which Matthew was walking around saying the first three verses.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. ² He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. ³ He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

During July Matthew has also gone through other health issues which he is handling incredibly well.  In addition to having to wear the wrap, he had “persistent” Bronchitis requiring breathing treatments three times a day and a bunch of antibiotics, as well as a ruptured ear drum treated by ear drops.  

Should it surprise me that he has been handling these things so well?  He did just learn that the LORD is his Shepard and that he shouldn’t want anything else but to follow after Him.  Maybe Matthew recites in his head, “He restores my soul…” when we pray and believe for his healing. 

Each time we adjust his wrap (which is A LOT) he says “I’m healed, my collarbone is already healed!!”  We praise Jesus and then wrap him again because the doctor said his arm has to stay still.  So our speech changed from saying “Matthew’s broken collarbone” to, “Matthew’s healing collarbone”.

When asked about the wrap, I learned to say “it helps him remember to keep his arm still” instead of “because he’s an active 2 year old” (eyes bulging).  I changed my speech because God spoke to my heart about what Matthew was hearing me say. I was using his age as an excuse for him acting up and having to wear the wrap to help his collarbone heal.  Like it says in 1 Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” We are working on the first time obedience thing.

This experience is teaching me a lot about my speech and where my thoughts need to be.   They need to be about the WORD, the LORD is my Shepherd too. 

Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”