Another Week

Today I am really resting in the fact that I am learning a lot of truth about myself! Recently I have had a couple bumps in my road, but I am determined to stay on my highway of holiness! Not my holiness, of course, it is HIS!!! But the road I travel on sometimes is busy and monotonous!! Oh, how I need reminded of His gospel. I realize sometimes that the weekends are not something I look forward to, because I am reminded that my family is a "broken" one! When the week begins, I have work and routine to keep me busy, but when the weekend comes, it seems like everyone around me has plans with their family. Not only is my home family broken, but my life as a child was a broken home also and it feels as though it has stayed that way growing up. My mom is busy with her life and me and my brother and sister have kept in contact as a family on our own! It is not as though we don't see her, it is just different from most families and I have always looked at other families and longed for the closeness they have. Leaving church on Sunday and having a family (even extended family) to spend the whole day with, I long to have this with my children! And I will! Also the work week is loaded with activity of what I know is coming and I like knowing what is going on! So when the weekend comes and I have no plans, I look forward to church and that is about it! I know church is great, but God did not mean for that to be it. This leaves a person feeling that if church doesn't go good, the weekend was shot! Ohhhhh, I feel like no one will understand this, but I am sure someone will! Even if it is one! So I am left to know that God is working in yet another area of my life! I am still learning to relax in Him. In different ways, that he shows me every day! I have enjoyed so much of this summer with my kids, but today the first feeling came that I am ready to have them in school. With me being on a schedule, I am having a hard time keeping up with them and everything else and trying to feel as though it is a vacation for me too! That is a pointless effort! I had little preschoolers today at church and they are so cute! Full of life and know what they want. My heart reminded me today of how important it is that we look at kids and their inividualism! (is that a word?) Some people may take it as a child not listening or cooperating, but I have learned to let children tell me what they want, there is nothing wrong with that, God loves us to express ourselves and be the very creatures he created us to be! They know what they want at a very young age and I find the day to go much smoother if I allow them to tell me what they want to do, I direct it in a positive way and am just there to lead them! Wow if I could just get that God wants to do this with me! I just need to tell him what I want to do and He will lead me to the end result. I might get there on a different path then I planned, but it is a safer and happier way and no one else gets hurt! =) Wow, what revelation! Instead sometimes we sit around and say what do you want me to do God? I think we have it totally backward! When we try to be what we think the world or the church expects of us, we are unhappy and we don't learn anything. We are just pretending and we are pleasing others, not ourselves. Or God for that matter! He came to give us that abundant life! Not redundant life!!! Lord I ask you today to help me express me, myself as an individual! Thank you!

Newness

This morning I found this feeling of newness in my life! Freedom and it feels good! I realized how much I like this blogging stuff! It is really kind of healing! Yesterday I had a sorta rough day with my teenager but everything always turns out for good. She is such a good girl and she just needs guidance sometimes, life hasn't been especially easy for her either! Or anyone for that matter! The summer is moving so fast and I am enjoying my kids so much, they sleep in later (this is the first year they have slept past 7:30) and I get to spend more time with them because I am the only one on a schedule. They really are precious and they put up with my grumpiness pretty well. I love them so much and I am so thankful for them! Their dad stopped by the other day to see them and they get so excited, I have such mixed feelings, one because I know he is still messed up in life, but two they have no idea. They long so much to have their dad in their life and he has always been so self-involved. It is really frustrating to realized that being in someone's life hindered them, I mean really, we should compliment our spouse as their helpmate, not enable or just be there like a mother for them. I have learned so much and plan to learn so much more about love. Just loving my kids and watching them grow and knowing that I don't always make them happy by giving them everything they want. It helps them grow, and it is helping me with all relationships in my life. Yesterday, I posted a blog about pretending to believe and pretending to trust. Well when I was around Shawn the other day, I could sense his acting mode. It has to be awful walking around pretending to be ok all the time when you are not. And I don't mean my judgement of him being ok, I know all the things that must go through that man's head and I know he is not ok, but I know pretending is not fun and it gets old and sooner or later the real man comes out. The kids have been going to vacation bible school this week and they are having so much fun. I feel so bad for them because they see their dad and then they go about a month or so before they see him again or sooner or later, it is so irregular and I feel bad that it has become normal for them! I am truly thankful that God has came in and gave us peace and stability in the midst of confusion, yes we found hope! Today I am realizing that I am so much better than I used to be and I can walk in the hope of a new tomorrow, everyday! I have fought fears about my kids futures and how everything in our past will hinder them, but daily and I mean DAILY God is helping know I have NO FEAR in HIM!!! Thank you Jesus! My freedom is becoming more and more aparent to me!!! Thank you God for this blog that lets me get my feelings out of my head and realize some lies I have been believing and it reminds me of truth from so many other dear friends!

Seen or unseen!

Lately I have decided to get real with myself, no more pretending I am trusting when I am not, believing when I am not and just lay it all out there! Today I am gonna be more open than I normally am, so here it goes! I have been praying for my marriage for about 7, almost 8 years now and I was tempted to be in condemnation the other day! I am learning so much about the Lord and it truly comes from Him! I was sitting here the other night just talking to him and sharing my thoughts with Him and I said, "God, I am really tired, I know your will for my life is good, you came to give me abundant life!" and don't get me wrong, I do enjoy life most of the time! But there is a part of me that is empty and I am trying to get free in that area. My pastor preached such a good sermon this last Sunday, it stayed with me and I have mentioned more than once to people things that he taught us! I have had bad relationships in the past and it has made me have a guard up concerning relationships that I have today! I have always thought that if I ever worked things out with my husband or decide to move forward in life without him that my relationships would always be bad or different cause I am not normal. And God just woke me up the other day and used such a good friend to help me! She looked at me and said, "You are not even the same person anymore!" And that was like, WOW, it was like God saying it to me! And I got this peace when I came home and kept thinking on that and smiling, "I am not the same person anymore!" And I realize God has good things for me. But just like when God's people were at the waters carrying his very presence, the waters didn't dry up until they took that first step and moved forward. And I realized that I have moved forward A LOT over the years and I didn't even realize it and I know God has helped me, but if I can keep this confidence and knowing of his good plans for me, I could walk briskly into the things he has for me! Yes, it is scary sometimes, because change can be scary and the unknown is scary! But just knowing the unknown is good and I can't be disappointed with Jesus taking me every step of the way! One thought I have had that has tormented me lately is this, I don't feel married and I don't feel divorced! It is an awful feeling and I hate it and I am ready to move forward and I don't know what that first step is, but God will direct me! Anyone who reads this, prayer is welcome! I really want to experience this abundant life and I am so happy God has carried me this far, I can't wait to see what he has for me and my family!

My New Position!

Man, I cannot believe how long I go in between blogging! And to my good friend Christy, I am not ignoring your awards, I just can't figure out much more on this site than just posting and reading as you can tell from my boring homepage, but it is all the time I have some days! But thanks so much!

Today I am just really caught up in some thoughts I have had lately! I have been learning about who we are in Christ and I have been meditating on it a lot! Just telling myself over and over that I am in Him and He is in me! Over the last 7 years, I really dug into the Bible and studied and went to Bible studies and they were all so good and I am so thankful for everything and everyone that has taught me! But lately, I am learning to take some of that knowledge and wisdom and realize that all those things are true in Christ. Sometimes this truth, just becomes knowledge and without Him attatched to it, it is just knowledge. I hope this makes sense! I would sit on the floor with a couple Bibles, my Strong's concordance, and a dictionary, and I learned so much! And all that is good, don't misunderstand me! But lately I am taking the knowledge that I have already obtained and asking Him to show me that it is mine because of HIM!!! Sometimes we confess and confess and try to convince ourselves, or memorize, but without knowing it is all in Him, only thenI will I obtain anything! Whew, it is a lot for me and I am trying to learn to relax and let it all settle! I have picked up my Bible very little, but when I do, I go to Colossians and meditate on one more thing I have in Him and today it was that very subject, wisdom and knowledge, and all the mysteries are found in Christ. (Good, very good!)

This summer has been good for me and my kids, we have had fun together, mostly because I am learning to relax! We have had a vacation (dream come true), a new dog (the love of their lives), and lots of family time! When I first got saved, I was in church all the time! We had Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday evening service! Now, I pretty much go on Sunday morning and try to fit in some fellowship! I am a single mother who works full time and it has been so freeing to be at home more now! Sometimes I am lonely, but I love my home and when you work a lot, you want to come home, so it is nice to focus on my family more than I ever have. Some days we only have 2-3 hours at night together. God is here with us at home and wherever we go! And I have stepped out and fellowship with some old friends and realize I can touch all of them. The Christ in me is wherever I go! Today I am thanking God for the new level He has taken me to and different is good!

Good cries!!!

This morning I sit and read so many blogs I haven't kept up with for a while and I just find myself crying when I read the impact my God has had on so many people! Lately, I feel like I am so energetic in God, I just feel him taking me to a new level! Like he does in His own fantastic way! The past few weeks have been hectic, I have been exercising again and I asked God to help me, it does take work for me and much motivation. I feel so much better when I do it, so He is helping me, or I wouldn't be there! I had back surgery about 4 1/2 years ago and it pays for my body to stay in shape and not be too overweight and I have let myself go a little!

This morning I was reading a fellow bloggers blog and if any of you are not hooked up with ...another chapter by Tyson Aschliman, you need to do it, he lost his wife almost a year ago and the things God has done in the man's life, helping him with his child and renewing life is amazing! He is in the redeeming business, you know! Anyway, I think of another way me and my children will be blessed, we are gonna take over Tyson's dog, Jack, at the end of this month. He is a chocolate brown labrador and my kids are so excited. It really works well for us, because I am a working, full-time, single mother and my kids have begged for a dog for a long time! He is 7 and he is potty trained and loves kids, 2 things one always worries about with dogs! I had friends say, "Dogs are a lot of work, are you sure you want to do that!" Well, I am reminded, God knew when he created me, that he would be working a lot on me, he still allowed me to be, so I could be here, a mother, friend, daughter, cosmetologist, sister-in-Christ, and so on. All the joy of having a new being in your life... it is a prayer of my children and I want them to experience all the joy out of life they can. I know there will be work, but it will be worth it to see the love from my children. I teared up when I thought of how God gave us Jack, people who want a pet and want to love it, when someone can't take it on anymore, they love him just as much, so God made something good out of what seemed to be bad.

Some friends from church are going to a conference this weekend and I would love to be with them, they are going to have a great time and a wonderful experience! It is amazing how people can grow or get one huge powerful revelation from spending a weekend with a bunch of people seeking the same things you are! I thank God they will come back and share with me the things they have learned. When I sit here and think of all the people God has put in my life to affect me, I am blown away, (tears again), and the people he is putting across my path for me to affect. I am reminded of my pastor's teaching (Good old Andy Brown, wait he is much younger than me, anyway) OVERFLOW!!!! He talked about getting a glass of water every night, which a lot of us do, and the next day that water is stale, dust mites from the air have gotten to it, gross! So each night we get a new glass of water. We don't want stale water! And if we keep filling that glass up instead of emptying it, it never is empty and it is there when we need fresh water. But Jesus is living water and if we abide in him, it is like being a glass sitting under a running faucet, and it overflows, and what comes out of us, just spills onto others, we are not trying to give others a drink of ourselves. When we do that, the glass runs out of water and they get a big dose of us to drink. And that is not good! I thank God for simple truth!

An Arising!

I had a great time at a co-workers cookout tonight. I met some new friends and my kids made friends very easily. I often wonder how all the wonderful works of God has brought me to the place I am in my life right now. I am so happy, and just serene, I guess would be the word for it. I used to find myself searching for friends or people who would accept me, but I am finding myself to be a person who can relax and enjoy myself, just watching my wonderful kids interact with others and enjoy themselves. Life is good, and it wasn't for a very long time! Actually, it is so much easier to relax these days, and know that the life and power of God resides in me and my kids that I love going around people and am excited to see what kind of effect we have on them... this is the result of resting in Jesus, and I have just begun to do that! I can't wait to see what we will see!

What a Glorious Day!!!

I sit here on what is going to be another beautiful day! My kiddos are still sleeping and I am sitting here after done reading some friends blogs and have windows open listening to birds chirp! I can't help but think about God in the springtime, when life is budding all around us and another season of life is passing us by. I have reminded myself this morning that just like when I am out taking a walk, that if I don't look around I will miss all that life that is budding around me! I have realized from many friends or Christians that I have met, that all too often we don't notice the life all around us in our journey, just like one day when we walk those streets of gold, it will be so beautiful, we can't imagine, but the beauty here is amazing, I mean just amazing. I say this to maybe hope that some people can see this in their journey with the Lord. We all are hoping for something from God! Sometimes we get our eyes so fixed on that one thing that we cannot see all the amazing things he is doing along the way. And in those moments the gift of life is being stolen from us! The "big" thing is certainly there but all these small things are huge when you think about it! The way you look at trees budding, grass growing, flowers blooming, all so beautiful, and you cannot deny God's creation. To just not enjoy all this and wait for heaven to come, would be kinda silly! He gave us all this to enjoy. Just like he gave us each and every day to enjoy! I used to be one of these people that couldn't focus on much else, but what I didn't have, and it prevented me from seeing what God was doing in my life and had already done! When you see what he has done, how can you deny he won't do the "big" thing?! I get kind of frustrated when people can't see the God in my life! But that is really just an indication that they are not aware of the power of God in their life, or that he is the one who has given them everything anyway! My Lord is my peace, and peace, my friends, is priceless! I wouldn't trade it for any big package in the world. And my peace I have as I watch my Father unfold every promise he has for me! And there isn't a day that goes by that the enemy doesn't try to steal my peace, and sometimes I fall for it for a bit, but every day, my precious Jesus comes to my rescue! WHAT DID I DO BEFORE I KNEW JESUS???