Fighting For The Next Step

Yesterday in a nutshell was....challenging. I set out on the adventure of changing out my girls' clothes...you know....putting away the things that have gotten to small and bringing out the things that fit the body and season. Anyway, I was exhausted to say the least. So many times I wanted to sit down and quit...sometimes I did. I was also extremely frustrated with the girls. They fought all day yesterday. So by the time bedtime came around, I was EXCITED.
This morning I was asking the Lord to please help the day be better. I was looking through the Stepping Up book I finished. I received so much encouragement from the Lord. I don't think it was coincidence where I ended up reading. The Lord reminded me that the stage of life I'm in is just a step. This is what Beth said....
"On this mysterious pilgrimage, we will find that when we do meet difficulties and sorrows, they were not meant to stop us but to form the character required for our great harvest in the coming season...The more Satan sees something crucial on that next step, the more he will fight you."
And then the Lord seemed to say to me..."just like you were exhausted yesterday and wanted to quit with the clothes, you need to keep on keeping on....don't quit...this is an important fight you're fighting...I'm for you...I want you to win...I'm right here....I will help you." You see my girls have been a extreme challenge for me lately pushing me at every limit. They are important...they are my fight, and they are worth fighting for. Beth continues..."Sometimes God uses the fight to strengthen muscles we'll need at the next level." I know that this moment in my life is a fleeting one and that it will all too soon pass.

Lord today, I pray that You would help me see You and through Your eyes every situation I face. Help me to respond as You would. Help me not to quit....to sow the seed through tears so that when my children are older, the harvest that is reaped will glorify You.

Psalm 126:5
"Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy."

Another "Chloe" Funny

Saturday, my brother and his wife moved into their newly purchased home. Therefore, my mom and Emma & Chloe so Don & I could help. My mom was cooking some broccoli while the girls watched some TV. They were both laying on the floor with their hands behind their heads. Here was the conversation...

Chloe: Mema...I smell poop...(remember the cooking broccoli)...Mema...somebody's got poop...Emma....have you got poop? (Emma never even acknowledged her!!)...MeeMaa??

Mema: What Chloe?

Chloe: Is somebody pooping?

(My mother at this point is laughing uncontrollably. Chloe responds to that...)

Chloe: What's so funny?

Reminders

Tonight....well, tonight I feel as if the Lord Himself has brought me some reminders. The past hour or so I've been pondering things...things in my marriage...things with the girls...burdens of others. It's overwhelming, you know that?

I've come to the realization that first of all, God has a plan. (I know...I never claimed it was rocket science...just a realization.) His ways are higher than mine....His thoughts are higher than mine. Amen, hallelujah and PRAISE THE LORD!! All that to say that, if I'm not careful, I become fearful of the unknown...the things out of my control. You see He's not surprised by ANYTHING that happens....NOTHING! That alone makes Him worthy of my trust and my praise.

You see, tonight I can think of so many overwhelming situations....a marriage on the rocks....a disagreement between Don & I....my girls not listening to me...me being ineffective as a mom...insecurities galore....a friend that just lost her sister...a 30 yr old that's just been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer that has already spread to other parts of her body who also has a 3 yr old....lost jobs....a blogger mom that I read whose son was fine Saturday and is now in a PICU with an uncertain future. Where does it end? I tell you where it ends....with Him. Without Jesus, every single one of those situations and ones I didn't even mention are hopeless situations. Aren't you glad He knows? When I hear of some of the previous mentioned situations, I often put myself there...and feel what they might feel. You know...I could have the marriage on the rocks and not just a disagreement...I could be the mom that's just been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer....I could be (you fill in the blank).... BUT...I'm not....right now anyway. So....



Lord, tonight I praise You through tears of gladness that I'm not facing some of those circumstances right now....through tears of sorrow for those who are...and through tears of relief and peace that You are HERE and You are in each of those circumstances. Lord, I pray that for every disappointment and failure today, that You would forgive me. I LONG and NEED to be who You want me to be. I need to be that child, daughter, wife, mother, sister, teacher, friend that You want and desire for me to be. Father, I can't do it alone.

A Chloe Funny

Chloe cracks me up most days when she talks. It's not always what she says, but how she says them. Anyway, here's the conversation the other night on the way home from Raleigh....

Chloe: Can I talk to you bor (for) a minute Dad?

Don: Sure Chloe...what's up?

Chloe: Look at my face Daddy...
(it's dark, but Don turns around and humors her)

Chloe: Well....ummm....(clicking of the tongue in her mouth)...dad...ummm.......

Too funny!!!

"Emma" Stories

Ok...I have 2 must share stories. As I have posted before, Emma has been asking all kinds of questions about accepting Jesus as her Savior....about Him dying on the cross for her sins...that kind of thing. We have been talking about creation in school and how God just spoke things into existence and they just happened. Here's the conversation as we were on the way to church on Sunday while it was pouring rain....

Emma: Mommy, did Jesus just speak and the rain started?

Me: Well...kind of...Jesus either causes or allows all things to happen.

Emma: So He just spoke it, and it rained?

Me: Yeah, I guess so.

Emma: So...Jesus could just speak it and supper would just happen??

Me: (chuckling of course) Emma, mommy wishes sometimes Jesus would do just that.

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The other day I decided to pull out the china to eat dinner off of. We have used it before, but Emma was really small the last time and did not remember it. She saw the plates set on the table and this was the conversation....

Emma: Mommy, where did you get those pretty plates?

Me: Well, Emma, that's mommy's china?

Emma: Mommy...YOU went to China?

Then, a couple of days later, she had noticed that I washed the plates and put them back in the china cabinet. She said...

Mommy, did you wash those Chinese plates and put them back???

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Oh how my kids just crack me up sometimes. I wish I could remember all the funny things they say...things I've said that they try to use correctly, and it doesn't come out quite right.

"A Greater Yes"

I know...it's been what seems like forever since I've updated. But I'm here now for all of you who CONSTANTLY check the blog to see if I've updated!! Yee haw, right??!
Anyway...I have some pictures that I'll put up of the girls after I post. They are growing SOOO fast. It really kind of makes me sad, because it's happening right before my eyes.
Well...I've been smitten....smitten with a truth from the Lord. I can't seem to get it off my mind. I'm in the last week of my Bible Study, Stepping Up. I've been struck with a truth that I can't seem to get my thoughts around. The last part of Psalm 132 (vs. 11-18 to be exact) is God's response to a plea either by or for David. God's answer to this prayer is what I'm blown away by. Read what Beth Moore wrote in her study...

"God's answers exceeded the psalmist's petition. God appears to thoroughly enjoy doing immeasurably more than all we 'ask or imagine' (Eph. 3:20, NIV) and probably has few bigger frustrations than when our prayerlessness denies Him the chance. You see, if we don't 'ask or imagine,' what does God have to out-do?.....He's answered you above and beyond what you asked on some of the very requests you assumed He answered negatively. If time and opportunity have passed, we assume God said no. Sometimes we're right. Sometimes we're wrong. Our finite minds simply cannot grasp God's infinite ways of answering prayer. You have no idea how many times you've prayed and God answered affirmatively but is awaiting the proper time for its revelation. Somewhat like Matthew 16:19, the answer has been 'loosed' in heaven but hasn't yet been 'loosed' on the pavement of earth. When the revelation does come, we sometimes don't link it with what we originally asked because we don't recognize the super-sized Ephesians 3:20 answer."

I know that was along quote, but I want you to be smitten by it too. Here's what I've been dealing with. First of all, I don't 'ask or imagine' much at all. Sometimes I guess I feel like the "martyr" by not "troubling" the Lord with the mundane things of my life. That's my first problem. If I don't even bother asking, how WILL He out-do me? You see, He wants to bless me...He wants to hear my desires even though He already knows them....He wants to be big in my life. After reading what you did, I tried to ponder a bit...tried to think of times I've earnestly sought the Lord for something. I wondered...did He answer with an unrecognizable huge Eph. 3:20 answer or did He not think it was best for me at the time? That's where it's a good idea to right down prayer requests...desires...goals that you bring to Him. I also realized that after I've prayed such earnest prayers, I often forget to even so much as acknowledge Him with a thank you. What are you believing Him for? Is it something huge? He may want to do MORE than that!! Or not...but regardless, wouldn't you rather believe Him?

The Whisnants sing a song called "A Greater Yes". Listen to it...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s27AJK67K_w

Sometimes He has something else for us...something greater than we could ever imagine. I want to see my "greater yeses" when I feel as if He's said no. I want to praise Him no matter what. You can "ask or imagine," but you also have to believe Him for it...for what's best.

Lord...thank You that You have my best interests in mind when You answer my requests. Thank You that You don't always give me exactly what I ask for. Thank You that You want to bless me...You want to hear from me.