"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13
I have never been the greatest at friendships. I honestly don't know if it's on my end or their's. Time too easily can get away from me. I know of one elementary friendship that has lasted, two high school friendships that have lasted, two college friendships, and one PTA school friendship that has withstood time. I don't know if this is sad or not, but my longest friendships have been with my cousins.
Maybe it's because I grew up with five sisters and had cousins really close in age that I just felt like I didn't really need a whole lot of friends. Since graduating college, I've been more selective on who I allow into my life. I'm not a perfect person so I don't feel like I need people that would judge me because of that.
There are friendships I have now that I pray I never lose. Those are the people that I could trust with anything and would do anything for. The people I can really count on. These relationships have made me a better person and have made me want to continue to better myself. You come to the realization that not all friendships stand the test of time. And while this is a sad realization, it's a part of relationships, there's a beginning and an end.
Over this last weekend, I was able to spend time with my two of my closest friends. And yes, they are my cousins. It was great getting to catch up with them without any distractions. This was actually the first time we had gone on vacation together. Usually we would just meet up for a night at one's house or try to meet up randomly on holidays or tailgates. Since getting married, it's been harder to coordinate the holidays where we will all be attending. So in a nutshell, it was so nice to get away and be focused on each other.
One thing I love about getting together with these girls is that there is no awkwardness. We pick up where we left off every time. We have so much history with each other and yet we have new passions that we discuss. It's frienships like this that I want to keep around, another reason why I can be picky about who I chose to keep in my life.
God has given me some pretty amazing people in my life. People that make me want to be a better woman, mother, wife, christian. I hope that I have been that friend to them.
Dear God, thank you so much for bringing such an amazing group of people into my life. Help us to build each other up and show others love the way You have intended it. Amen
Monday, July 18, 2016
Be Joyful in All Circumstances
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
This is one of my favorite versus. So many times I find myself in a "blah" mood. I become a debby-downer and can only see the negative, fogging over the many positives that are surrounding me. I have a husband that loves me and our children. He is making efforts to help out with household chores, keeping my sanity in check! He is not perfect, but I appreciate his effort more than he will ever know. And yet, there are days when I sit and spew over the things he didn't do, completely ignoring his efforts. This is exhausting for both of us. He begins to feel like he can never do enough and I begin to feel like I will never get a break. Instead of stopping and talking to each other or praying together, I get snippy and angry. I need to take time to breathe. Time to pray. Time to see his efforts and know that he helps because he knows I need it. Because he knows how hard we both work to keep this house functioning.
In my debby-downer time, I see my kids as an annoyance. I said it. I love them to death but the constant fighting, yelling, tearing the house apart, whining can be a lot to deal with. All I want is for them to get along and pick up their toys. Is that too much to ask? Well, apparently it is when it comes to a 5 and 3 1/2 year old. It's easy for me to forget that they are kids. They are young kids that are still trying to learn about boundaries. But how many times can I repeat the boundaries before it finally sticks? BJ and I have been talking to Oliver about personal space and keeping hands to yourself for YEARS now and it's like talking to a wall. There is no carry over and it can be so FRUSTRATING!!! Too often I turn to yelling and even spanking if the situation is bad enough and I forget to breathe. I need to learn to talk to them and thank God for them everyday.
I look at our house and immediately feel defeated. I know it could be a good house. We have plans to make it a good house. It's the time factor. I feel like there is never enough time. We really do want to try and make this a DIY project but there is never the time. Honestly, there is a small part of me that wonders if we would survive a DIY project. We are very different when it comes to tackling tasks. My hope would be that it would bring us closer. That we would have to rely on each other to finish and can take pride that we did it together. We are too much the same and that can be scary to think of doing something that together. I need to remember that we have a home while there are others our there that don't. Does it need to be exquisite? No.
I get annoyed with my job sometimes. So often I think of the past and how I wish I had tried something different. Then I come to the realization that in every profession, there will always be the "what if's". There's always going to be a time when you aren't 100% confident in yourself. I am where I am and I need to make the best of it because again, I forget that there are people out there that either have no job or that have it worse than me at mine.
We all could probably use a reality check from time to time. So to come across this verse today that tells us to have joy and give thanks to God and to pray in all circumstances, this is my reminder that the things I get so hung up about, are so minor in how God wants us to live our lives. He wants us to wake up ready to give love to others, to allow him into our lives, to praise Him in all things. I need to remember that he wants to be there for me in my worst debby-downer days and in my happiest moments. I need to bring Him in and hold onto Him in my heart. I need to find the joy in all circumstances!
Dear God, thank you for giving me these blessings: for my husband, for my children, for our home, for Your Son, Jesus Christ. Help me to let go of the things that bring negativity and focus on the things that give me such joy! Amen
This is one of my favorite versus. So many times I find myself in a "blah" mood. I become a debby-downer and can only see the negative, fogging over the many positives that are surrounding me. I have a husband that loves me and our children. He is making efforts to help out with household chores, keeping my sanity in check! He is not perfect, but I appreciate his effort more than he will ever know. And yet, there are days when I sit and spew over the things he didn't do, completely ignoring his efforts. This is exhausting for both of us. He begins to feel like he can never do enough and I begin to feel like I will never get a break. Instead of stopping and talking to each other or praying together, I get snippy and angry. I need to take time to breathe. Time to pray. Time to see his efforts and know that he helps because he knows I need it. Because he knows how hard we both work to keep this house functioning.
In my debby-downer time, I see my kids as an annoyance. I said it. I love them to death but the constant fighting, yelling, tearing the house apart, whining can be a lot to deal with. All I want is for them to get along and pick up their toys. Is that too much to ask? Well, apparently it is when it comes to a 5 and 3 1/2 year old. It's easy for me to forget that they are kids. They are young kids that are still trying to learn about boundaries. But how many times can I repeat the boundaries before it finally sticks? BJ and I have been talking to Oliver about personal space and keeping hands to yourself for YEARS now and it's like talking to a wall. There is no carry over and it can be so FRUSTRATING!!! Too often I turn to yelling and even spanking if the situation is bad enough and I forget to breathe. I need to learn to talk to them and thank God for them everyday.
I look at our house and immediately feel defeated. I know it could be a good house. We have plans to make it a good house. It's the time factor. I feel like there is never enough time. We really do want to try and make this a DIY project but there is never the time. Honestly, there is a small part of me that wonders if we would survive a DIY project. We are very different when it comes to tackling tasks. My hope would be that it would bring us closer. That we would have to rely on each other to finish and can take pride that we did it together. We are too much the same and that can be scary to think of doing something that together. I need to remember that we have a home while there are others our there that don't. Does it need to be exquisite? No.
I get annoyed with my job sometimes. So often I think of the past and how I wish I had tried something different. Then I come to the realization that in every profession, there will always be the "what if's". There's always going to be a time when you aren't 100% confident in yourself. I am where I am and I need to make the best of it because again, I forget that there are people out there that either have no job or that have it worse than me at mine.
We all could probably use a reality check from time to time. So to come across this verse today that tells us to have joy and give thanks to God and to pray in all circumstances, this is my reminder that the things I get so hung up about, are so minor in how God wants us to live our lives. He wants us to wake up ready to give love to others, to allow him into our lives, to praise Him in all things. I need to remember that he wants to be there for me in my worst debby-downer days and in my happiest moments. I need to bring Him in and hold onto Him in my heart. I need to find the joy in all circumstances!
Dear God, thank you for giving me these blessings: for my husband, for my children, for our home, for Your Son, Jesus Christ. Help me to let go of the things that bring negativity and focus on the things that give me such joy! Amen
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
"Great Are You, Lord"
"Great Are You, Lord".
This is one of my favorite songs. This post may get a little cheesy but I don't really care because this is how I feel in the moment.
I first heard this song in church with our live band performing it. I cried the first time I heard it because it is such a powerful song. Now I cannot sing, but with this song I am so one of those congregation members that likes to THINK they can sing! I just love it.
This is one of my favorite songs. This post may get a little cheesy but I don't really care because this is how I feel in the moment.
I first heard this song in church with our live band performing it. I cried the first time I heard it because it is such a powerful song. Now I cannot sing, but with this song I am so one of those congregation members that likes to THINK they can sing! I just love it.
"It's Your breath in our lungs,
So we pour out our praise,
We pour out our praise.
It's Your breath in our lungs,
So we pour out our praise to You only"
God gave us breath. God gave us life. God gives us love. Love so powerful and so unconditional that if you only believe that Jesus Christ is your savior, you will have eternal life. What an amazing concept. And yet I fall so short everyday of living up to His expectations, hard as I may try.
I am not perfect. I could be a better wife. I could be a better mother. I could be a better person. My children are not perfect. My husband is not perfect. My friends are not perfect. We live our lives judging others for their imperfections while fighting our own demons. I have really been trying to focus on this aspect of my life. To hold back the judgmental thoughts and words and think instead of how can I pray for this person? How can I let them know that I am here for them? How can I love them? It can be very awkward and very humbling. And let me tell you, it takes a lot of hard work and reminding to love others as God loves us.
So for all those that are struggling, no matter how big or small you may think it is, I'm praying for you. I'm praying for you to find the positive when surrounded by so much negative. i'm praying for you to find love where there is so much hate. I'm praying for you to find God among so many demons. When it comes down to it, I truly do feel that if you look towards God, you will feel relief. I have many times and I am far from being the perfect christian. He's there for you, for me, for all of us whether you want to believe it or not.
Dear God, thank you for showing me what it means to love. Help me to raise my children to love as you would have it and to help me to love others the way you would have it. Amen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)