Don't Get Stung!

He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." - Matthew 17:20

Wasps are everywhere these days! Just a few weeks ago my friend and her son got stung while playing outside at a park. Since then, we have noticed a wasp problem outside our front porch too. They are nesting all over...in my potted plant, in my shutters and even underneath my car. A few days ago, my kids and I were having fun in our front yard, when out came some wasps to visit us. I feared my kids would get stung and felt the need to take some action. Yep got the roach/bug spray, backed my kids away, and sprayed like crazy the moment they went back into their "nesting area." As soon as I took my preventative steps, they immediately flew out and hovered around us again.

Last Saturday on my post, I questioned how our day may look different if we thought it could be our last. Did the Lord tug at your heart with any areas mentioned? Serving? Forgiving? Loving the unlovable? Did Jesus convince you to take steps forward in your faith after reading it? If so, you may have faced some problems in your path along the way. Satan is the "wasp" of our spiritual life. He tries to sting us when we are in the midst of serving Jesus. God will show us something that needs changing/renewing in our life, and almost immediately there is a challenge placed before us as we try to achieve it. Satan doesn't want us to follow Jesus or grow spiritually, so he will often try to frustrate, detour, and distract us. Sometimes we get so deflated through this process that we give up. Oh don't let Satan win!

Often I am going to Bible study, church, serve, text a scripture verse or do something that will grow/stretch me spiritually when Satan sends out his wasps. They "hover" around hoping to discourage and scare me away. Being aware of this tactic, he so frequently tries, my goal now is to press on, with confidence, knowing Jesus has a purpose for the task HE has given me. I tell myself I will not let Satan win. Yep I may have had the hardest day with my boys, fought with my husband (he is wonderful but all marriages have fights due to the mere fact we are two SINNERS living under one roof!), gone through stressful trafffic ect...but I persevere and reap the benefits because of it.

While on the internet the other night, I came across some interesting information about wasps and reasons they sting. It explained they only sting when they feel threatened. This was profound as I paralleled this concept to my spiritual walk with Christ. As the Lord prompts me to take steps of faith, Satan feels threatened and goes on the defense hoping I will flee in fear of being stung. The enemy does not want us to follow through because he knows the end result will be a deeper relationship with Christ. As we tell others (both believers and the lost) about the amazing things Christ is doing in our life, the shackles Satan holds will be broken. Definitely a threat to him, don't you think?

So what is it for you? What do you have fear or reservation about that Jesus has asked you to do? Remember Christ will not call you to do something and then leave you there to do it on your own. As the Lord prompts...He provides. We just have to ask Him for help. Praise God we have the Holy Spirit to help guide our words and actions. We sometimes expect spiritual ventures to be this blissful experience and totally forget that taking that next step of faith... means our feet are that much closer to the front lines of battle. What is the "wasp" that is holding you back from fully serving God? Pray and ask the Lord for eyes to see the need and the courage to say yes to it.


Remember that perseverance produces character which produces hope. Don't give up. Stand firm. Get out that Holy Spirit wasp spray and move forward with boldness. Have faith. Move mountains. The Lord has great things in store for you.

A Tent of Thankfulness

Psalm 63: 6 " I will remember you while I'm lying in bed; I think about you through the night."

About a year ago, Greg (being the most wonderful Daddy in the world) set up our youngest daughter’s tent in the backyard.  Now he did this with every intent to have a Daddy daughter sleepover.  However, between work and wet weather, the poor tent just sat empty night after night.

image found here

Due to his work schedule, I realized the opportunity was quickly being reduced.  Although, Hope is very understanding, and really had enough awareness to know it looked like a “camping trip” wasn’t going to happen this particular set up, I felt the need to be the “available and fun” mom and offer to sleep in the tent with her.

Hope was ecstatic with my offer.  She began to “pack” for our trip.  Everything from sleeping bags, flashlights, food and water bottles, to books and games to play.  Somehow, the more she packed the more I asked myself, what was I thinking?

I mean, I really didn’t want to do this thing.  Besides, I am not a "night person" and fall asleep anytime I sit down after 8:30pm. I was also a little scared.  I mean we have a tall privacy fence, but one of the gates was very near where the tent was set up.

All that said, we finally made our way to the tent for the night.  We have one blow up mattress that Hope insisted I use.  She was content with a couple of quilts and her sleeping bag on top.  I thought we would be up all night playing games, eating, and talking.

I spent the first half an hour trying to rig up a way to hang a flashlight from the center of the tent.  After I finally attached a small rope to go through one of the rods holding up the tent, the flashlight was in place.  What I hadn’t considered was due to the fact it was hanging, it never stop swinging.    The light in our tent became a disco ball.

image found here

My idea of having a good time will usually involve words and sweets.  So I broke out our snacks and began reading a great children’s classic out loud.  I hardly had begun to “have a good time” when I realized my partner was fast asleep!

While my air mattress became flatter and flatter, and the neighbor’s house alarm went off (they must have been out of town, because it went on for over an hour) and the longest train of the night rumbled through, I laid there thinking, “Now why am I doing this?”

So I laid in the tent, unable to sleep, listening to my child sleeping through all the noise.  I began to pray, actually praise the Lord for this moment.  The quiet of her, surrounded by the noise of my world.  In those moments, I was flooded with a heart of praise of precious memories of being Hope’s mom.

Praise rolled from my heart.  We had prayed for another child.  God had blessed us with her.  I had prayed specifically for a girl, and God had chosen Hope.  I thanked the Lord for helping me to watch her mature, and allowing me to see her understand Christ.

It was a pleasure laying wide awake in the tent, rubbing her arm and telling God how blessed I felt to be her mom. As I lay on the flattened mattress, with a flashlight dressed as a disco light, even with the possibility that I was filling Hope’s memory box of an outing with her mom was overshadowed by an opportunity to thank the Lord for the gift of mothering.

Moms, lets not miss a single opportunity to tell the Lord thanks for our calling!  We can get so wrapped up in our own lives, ministries, even attempting to do motherhood so right, we don’t stop to say thank you to our Heavenly Father.  Thank Him for the honor of being moms.  Of loving the moment we are in.  Let’s stop and praise Him for calling us to be moms. 




Proverbs 23: 25 "...may she who gave you birth rejoice!"

Seasons

When was the last time you held a baby only hours old? I was blessed with the opportunity just this last week as I was able to be with my sister and brother-in-law for the birth of their new baby. Having four of my own children and having been with my sister for the birth of both her children, the awesomeness of these events just becomes more breathtaking each time. It doesn’t diminish in any way...I am only left in awe of God’s creation and His love.

I don’t know if this is true for every mother but for me it was most difficult to go from one baby to two. With the first one there was time to sleep when they slept, time to sit and enjoy feeding them and rock them to sleep. With baby number one you thought you knew what exhaustion was but now with number two you really get to find out. You are awake all day with your older child counting down the hours until naptime where you are praying that the new baby will be sleeping so that you can catch a few minutes of rest. You are awake all night with that precious new baby who hasn’t yet figured out that nighttime is for sleeping. There are dishes and laundry piling up and a bathroom that…well…maybe we shouldn’t even go there.

My point is that I was there and when I was there I would think about all those books that I used to have time to read. All those books that told me to have a quiet time every morning, study my bible, pray, to be a good wife and mom. AHHHHHH………… It just all made me wanna cry or scream or do both. I remember telling my husband once, “you know what would be nice, is if a women who actually has babies could tell me how to fit all this in.” It wasn’t that all these other women had never had babies because they did, they too had been where I was, but when you are in the forest all you see are the trees.

I look back on those days and what I did was cope and adjust. My mornings were no longer quiet they were feeding babies, crying babies, changing diapers and wondering if I was going to get to shower and if I did would I have to skip washing my hair or shaving my legs. There was no way I was getting up earlier than my kids because I was exhausted and lucky if I got 3 hours of sleep in a row.

Oswald Chambers said, “Never make a principle out of your experiences, let God be as original with other people as He is with you.” And that is what I did… I let God be original with me. I took the principles that I had learned; that it is important to spend time with God in quiet, study my Bible and pray and well…I had to get creative. When I nursed I would read, give the other children a book or have them watch a short video. Occasionally, they would lose interest and loving that mommy was preoccupied do something like play in the toilet. I also started writing scripture on index cards and putting them everywhere in my house or in my pockets. I was then able to memorize and meditate on scripture while doing dishes, showering, or putting on makeup. Laundry time became my designated prayer time. I could fold and pray and eventually that just flowed over into everything I did, I prayed all the time. And as far as quiet time goes… I took it when I could get it everyday was different.

photo found here

My reason for sharing this is because life has many seasons, babies is just one of them and the important thing is that we do come to Jesus, that we learn about Him, that our faith grows and that our relationship with Him strengthens in each of those seasons. The principles of spending time in quiet with God, reading His word and praying aren’t going to change but our methods of how we do them may change. And you know… that’s okay. It took me awhile to get that. I was putting myself under a law that I had created, not God. Beating myself up for not doing things the way I thought they should be done. I was making the method the principle.

I watch my sister, I listen to her tell me about her struggles but I know she will make it out all right to the other side of the forest. It is just that sometimes those trees are redwoods; we are exhausted and the thought of there being another side is at times inconceivable.

I want to encourage you this week to let God be original with you. Get creative if you are struggling to get time with God. This blog is to encourage moms, you have access to seven moms for sure...in addition to anyone else reading. If you could use some help getting creative, share your struggle in the comments and ask for some creative solutions. You are not alone, let other moms come alongside you to encourage and help you in your journey to a better relationship with Christ.

" Therefore encourage one another and build each other up..."

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Stolen Moments

What a beautiful picture of a calm and peaceful place. There was a time when I could lay back and go there in my mind as I sat in prayer and worship. Though life was busy, it seemed I had all the time in the world to get alone with God, daydream, or just do whatever, whenever. When I became a wife and then a mother, I had to quickly learn to be unselfish and give up much of what I was used to in the way of how my time and energy were spent. Getting ready to leave the house used to take me about 15 minutes as I just had to make myself presentable, grab my purse and keys, and I was out the door. Now, it's diaper changes, filling juice cups, grabbing snacks and toys, and making sure the diaper back is packed with every possible item we may need on our trip out. Then, inevitably, there is a diaper emergency or some sort of spill and we need to go back and change clothes. Just as we are ready to walk out the door, I realize I have to go to the bathroom, and I actually contemplate how long I can 'hold it' just so we can get a move on... until I consider the alternative is figuring out the logistics of using a public restroom with 2 small children in tow. What used to take 15 minutes now takes at least double that, and more often than not, my personal primping is limited to light make-up and the ever-fashionable ponytail. Can anyone else relate?






But it doesn't end there. As all mommies know, there is always someone or something demanding your focus and attention. If it isn't your kids, it's mount laundry, a phone call, dishes piling up in the sink, grocery shopping, doctor visits, making time to be alone with your spouse, etc. The bottom line is there is very little time in the day to get alone and be still before the Lord. Even in my thought life I am usually limited to those quiet few moments I have in the shower and devotional time just before going to sleep when I lay in bed and read the Bible. And I thought being a stay at home mother would give me all the time in the world, right? ... but such is the life of a busy mommy and wife, and I honestly would not have it any other way. It's my life, and I love it and thank God for it. It's just crazy busy!



This particular day was much like any other. Up with Susie's wake up 'feed me' call at 6:30 a.m., quick sip of coffee while I check e-mail and read the daily e-mail devotional, take the kids for a walk and to the gym, shower, and get in a quick run to the grocery store before heading home for lunches, naps, and housework. As we were heading home from our trip, I switched the radio from our usual Wiggles CD to some of 'mommy's music', my mind running through what was to be done as soon as we walked in the door. I turned on the local Christian station and began listening to the words of a beautiful song that started out "Be still, there is a healer. His love is deeper than the sea..." I was drawn in to the beautiful melody and wanted to hear more when the song suddenly turned to static as I was stopped at a red light behind a huge truck. I began to slowly inch my car up to try and get the station back, getting way too close to the truck in front of me. It was pointless, all I got was more static.





So, I started up a mental conversation with God. He often uses music to speak to our hearts, and I felt He was telling me to be still at this moment, however short it would be, and focus and reflect on His healing touch in my life. I thought about sinful choices I have made in the past, the moments I thought I would never experience the joy of a loving, Christ-centered marriage or being a mommy, and how much the Lord has given me in such a short time in my life. I began to tear up and just thanked God for my husband, my children, and for His mercy and healing. In this moment Psalm 103:2 was brought to life, in my car, at a random stoplight.






Right about that time the light turned green, and the song kicked back in to the chorus "As I pour out my heart these things I remember. You are faithful God, forever. Let faith arise." (Chris Tomlin is an incredible singer/writer!) I sang along unashamed of what drivers next to me thought as they looked through my window and saw me in full on worship as I drove. (I must have looked pretty strange judging from their sideways glances.) In just those few brief moments of prayer and worship, I was filled.



When my kids are old enough to be alone for a few moments safely, I fully plan on taking wisdom from Courtney's previous blog and putting 'closet time' into action. Until then, I will take advantage of these brief moments to be still before God, listening and praising. He created time, and He exists outside of it. Sometimes we only have a few moments here and there to be still before our God, but He is not confined by the same time limits that we are, and He can pour more into us in those few moments of complete surrender than we realize. I encourage you to do the same. Set aside time in your schedule to read the Bible and pray, but also take advantage of those 'stolen moments' to reflect and thank Him and ask Him to fill and re-energize you.


Here is a link to the song I spoke of called "I Lift My Hands"by Chris Tomlin. If you have a few moments now, I pray it will touch your heart and lift you up.




Prayer- Dear Jesus, I thank you for all of the wonderful gifts you have so graciously given me. I thank you for a life that is filled with so many blessings that keep me busy, and I pray that you will fill me up with your Spirit that I may surrender myself completely to you. May my every thought, word, and action be guided by you. Please help me to set aside time each day to read your Word and be filled. Please help me to take advantage of those opportunities to be still, reflect, and praise you, however brief they may be. May I make time spent with you top priority in my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

For Reflection and Meditation-

Knowing that God exists outside of time and space, make every effort to make the most out of the time He has given you (because each moment is a gift!) and offer some of this time as a daily sacrifice to the Lord by setting all else aside and spending it with Him. Every second spent with Him counts; remember, 'all the time in the world' was created by His design! Every moment your mind is spent in worry or anxious thoughts is one less moment spent in prayer and conversation with the One who loves you the most. Lift your hands, pour out your heart, and remember His faithfulness.

Persnikety Perfectionism

“Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” Galatians 1:10

1…2…3…I blew in his face and dunked him under the water, and he tried his best to swim to the wall. He emerged somewhat confident, but mostly exasperated because he hated swim lessons. Yet, we went two times a week, and each time he would mostly cry and swim a little. One day, I noticed that his tummy looked a little swollen after swim lessons, so I pushed it and…blah, water came spewing out of his mouth! Oh my goodness! My little Mikey had been swallowing the water instead of holding his breath. So, we decided to take a little break from swim lessons.

Yet, I still felt the pressure. Mikey was only two at the time, but everyone (or what felt like everyone) insisted that he needed to know how to swim. Forget that most of our generation didn’t know how to swim until school age or later—this new little generation needed to swim before they could walk…or so it seemed. The truth is, our culture insists that kids do a lot of things on their own from a very early age: go to sleep on their own, become potty trained, learn to swim. Yes, all of these things are good things, but we must ask ourselves “why” and “how”. Do we want our kids to be whole and strive for excellence in all they do, or are we raising a new generation of stressed out, perfectionist kids?

The truth is that the dangers of perfectionism are far too costly and the rewards far too shallow. So, how do you know if you are a perfectionist? If you are constantly comparing yourself to, competing with, and criticizing (outwardly or inwardly) the other women in your life, you may be a perfectionist. If you are constantly focusing on what is wrong with yourself and others, you may be a perfectionist. If your husband can never do anything right, you may be a perfectionist. If you are not okay with your son or daughter NOT being good at something that YOU think they should be good at, you might be a perfectionist.

If you are panicking because this may be you, don’t worry! As a recovering perfectionist with occasional relapses, let me lovingly say that there is hope…more than that: there is GRACE.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9

The answer to our perfectionist tendencies is almost so simple that it is hard to accept: we were never meant to be good at everything. Our kids are not called to be good at everything. We are not called to be just like the other moms we know. We are not called to be just like our own moms. We were made to be the wife and mom of the husband and kids God gave us. So, given these precious and challenging responsibilities, God calls us to do our best, knowing that we would not be the best at everything.

However, God knew we would struggle with the feeling of not being good enough, so that is why he told us that his grace would be sufficient. We were always meant to walk in His strength and not our own. We are called to listen to His voice, and block out the traffic of noise around us—each book or person telling us we should be parenting our kids some other way.

So how do we drown out the conflicting voices around us and jump out of the race to be the best mom with the best kids? Practically speaking, here are a few things we can do to maintain a sense of calm and balance:

1. Accept that you, your husband, your kids, your friends, and your neighbors all have weaknesses. Know that God’s grace is sufficient and then give them and yourself the grace to grow up and become more mature. Recognize that maturity is a process, not an overnight thing.
2. Accept God’s forgiveness and extend that forgiveness to others. What a humbling thing it is to have to apologize to our kids when we make a mistake! But God uses that to show them that we all fall short of his glory and that forgiveness is available to all.
3. Be transparent. We do not have to know the answer to everything. We may have some practical parenting advice of things that worked for our family, but we should also be transparent enough to let others know that we have made mistakes.
4. Speak the truth in love, and realize that advice and/or opinions are not necessarily truths…they may just be your personal convictions. If the Bible doesn’t directly speak to the issue, then it is OK if you and your family disciple your children differently than the other couples you know.
5. Pursue Excellence, not Perfectionism: Give it everything you’ve got, and then let it go. Don’t dwell on what you could have done better. Learn from it and keep moving forward. Stop looking back!

So ladies, let us test and examine ourselves, give it our best, and release it all to God. For His grace is sufficient and His power is made perfect in our weakness. Because Christ’s love is perfect and I find my strength in him, I don’t have to be perfect and neither do you.

As for my oldest Doodlebug, he is now almost 6, and he loves to swim! He became comfortable with the water in his own time. :)

Dear God,
Thank you for loving me and accepting me. Please help me to rely on your strength and not my own. Thank you for making me unique. Please help me to stop comparing, criticizing, and competing with the other moms around me. Help me to accept my husband, kids, and myself just as we are, and may we all have your grace to grow. In Jesus’ name.
Amen.

Verses to Consider:

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.” 2 Samuel 22:31

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2

Gods order

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is

For brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Ps. 133:1

Today was a beautiful and warm fall day. There is so much color all around our house in the woods; I decided to take the boys for a walk. We didn’t get too far before they had their own agenda and voiced it to me. They wanted to go to the swing on the hill by our next-door neighbors house. But as we started walking there, a fight broke out about who was going to get on the swing first. My 5 yr old started running thinking that if he just got there first, he’d have the first turn. My younger son just sat down on the trail and cried because he wanted to swing first. Here we go again, I thought. I have to be the judge again. Then I thought of something. I declared loud enough for both of them to hear; “Unless you two are in agreement I cannot push either one of you on the swing”. Now my 5 yr old still needs my help getting up on that high swing so I knew even when he gets there first, he’d still have wait for me to help him. And this time I refused.

When we all stood around the swing, I simply waited for them to make a decision. Somebody had to put the other one first for me to start pushing. I didn’t care who it would be. I didn’t try to make the older one give up or the younger one to submit. I didn’t take sides. As far as I could see, they were both selfish and they both needed the same lesson. So many times before I simply made the decision for them to keep things moving and let them enjoy the blessing faster, but not this time.

After 5 minutes they were still whining and by that time God knocks on my heart and it just dawns on me. It’s just like we are with God, who desires to energize and push us forward in something but we hinder Him because we are not in agreement with each other. I’m the first one to confess how hard it can be in marriage to have a united front in a matter before your children, especially when you are the one spending the most time with them. I’m tempted to think I’m more qualified. But God has established a clear structure of authority by which He grants the blessings. He wants us women to be our husbands helper in leading the family, yet we feel many times we can skip the rules established by God and still receive the blessing. He just can’t move us forward until we are in agreement.

I read recently that it’s not a question of whether you can do a better job than your man by being in control; it’s a matter of doing what you were “designed” to do. It is far more rewarding to honor God’s order than fight for your own. The process and the authority established by God have to be honored before He can “push” us forward.
My sons need to see that I am in agreement and in support of my husband so they understand to honor authority in their own life (obedience to mom and dad). My younger son needs it to see that he has to respect his older brother and the older one needs the example of my humility to have compassion for his younger brother.

So today, focus on being subject to Gods mission and authority in your life one day at a time and leave the end results to Him. Guaranteed your children will benefit and the end result will be more than you think, can dream and imagine.

The boys finally got to enjoy their blessing of swinging by one of them reluctantly putting the other one first. It was a joy for a mom to see and later I rewarded him for it. God wishes to bless you like that.

Encouragement:

Who in your closest circle of family and friends can you be in unity with to see God move in greater ways?

Gotta Live Like We're Dying

      "We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to
       Turn it all around or to throw it all away
       We gotta tell them that we love them
       While we got the chance to say
       Gotta live like we're dying"
      -Lyrics from Kris' Allen's song "Live Like We're Dying"   

What if today was my last day here on earth? 

 
This thought came across my mind yesterday as I drove home from the grocery store with my boys. I absolutely love the remake by Kris Allen, "Live Like We're Dying" because each time I hear it I ponder my life and ask myself the question, "Am I living my life like it could be my last day?" As I turned around I saw my kids rockin' to the music (The boys & I are known to bop our heads to songs I LOVE and jam out with our windows down!!) and then my son noticed a rainbow in the sky. As we drove on we seemed to be getting closer to it while the colors became even more vibrant. At the next stop light I glanced a few lanes over only to see a person with their smart phone taking a picture of it. Then another car pulled up with the driver, looking straight ahead, completely missing the beautiful creation of God right in front of them.  Isn't that how we are with life sometimes? Missing the true beauty right before us because we are so focused on what lies a head or behind us. We are so busy planning tomorrow that we miss today.  In James 4:14 it says, "How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog - it's here a little while, then it's gone." It has been mentioned from the pulpit, that as we leave church there is no guarantee we will be back the next week. What a thought, huh? 

How would my life change?

What would your day look like? What task would you be sure to do or complete? What friend would you treat to a coffee and try to reconnect with?  How would you respond in conflict and who would you forgive? What wounded relationship would you be sure to mend? Would you serve Christ more knowing you would be seeing him face to face sooner than expected? Would you write a note of encouragement to that person struggling with life? Would you give some food/cash to the man always asking at that light you pass each day? Would you judge less and assume the best? Would you have more patience with your kids? Would you go back in their room tonight with extra hugs & kisses to tell them how much you love them? Would you be sure to praise them for all the amazing attributes God placed within them? Would you smile at that neighbor with the stinky attitude who doesn't really deserve it? Would you tell someone who is lost about the love of Christ and eternal life? Would you....you fill in the blank.


The Somber Reality is...

Each time I rock out to that song there is a somber reality as I am reminded there is no guarantee for my tomorrow. It makes me think about my life and ponder how I'm living it. It makes me hunger that same Holy Spirit boldness to serve and pray with a complete stranger, in need of a friend, as Tammy shared. I want to be one who listens to the prompting of the Lord's still small voice as Teresa talked about. I want to be the mom who sees the amazing God-given qualities my kids possess, that stretch and challenge my faith some days, and trust HE is going to do great things with them like Joannie spoke of. I want to ask God what my main focus should be in this season of my life and hunker down and follow it as Maggie touched on. I want to prioritize and invite the Lord into my day, and agree to set aside some daily "closet time" like Courtney mentioned.  I want to have patience for His will to unfold for my life, and trust Him through the process knowing He has my best interest in mind like Tracey explained. I want to share with the lost, who hunger to fill "their void with temporal things", about the One who will fill every need until their cup runs over. As I write this I am realizing there is still so much I want to do before I go home to be with Jesus. At the end of my life I want to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" I am a work in progress and I am grateful He continues to teach me, with love, in the areas I struggle in, while providing GRACE as I learn. I've got a long way to go but I am so thankful for songs that convict and compel us to grow in our walk with Christ....especially if we can rock out to it in the process!


"Yeah, we gotta start
Looking at the hands of the time we've been given
If this is all we got and we gotta start thinking
If every second counts on a clock that's ticking
Gotta live like we're dying"

Challenge:
 
(1)Grab two note cards/ sticky notes and jot these down......
    (a) "Live Like I am Dying"  and post it on your bathroom mirror :)
    (b)  James 4:14- "How do you know what will happen tomorrow? 
          For your life is like the morning fog, it's here a little while, then it's gone." 
          Put this card somewhere you will see throughout your day...
          maybe on your car dash board (Not covering the gas gauge!) 
          or work desk, as a daily reminder that life is short...and the 
          Lord wants to do great things
          in and through you until He calls you home!
(2) Watch and see how your life becomes vibrant like the rainbow where others stare in wonder at the amazing gift in His creation...you!

Click the video below, or this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbfeSImDntw, and enjoy the song that inspired this post and... decide today to "live like you're dying"....