Tag Archives: encouragement for moms

Simple Sand

homeschooling, mom, motherhood, Parenting, Spiritual Encouragement, Uncategorized, , , , ,

sandcastle-beach_300

Simple Sand

The ocean, a beach…and sand. Sand has some wonderful qualities, and some not so wonderful qualities if you have small children! I remember vacations where I thought we had gotten all the sand washed off before we entered the vacation dwelling, only to find it all over the floor as we walked…..over and over.

But the good qualities out weigh the bad (as long as there are not cats around). As a family on vacation, one of our favorite activities was building sandcastles and the artistic ones of the family loved sculpting different marine animals. I was constantly amazed by what one could do with sand!

One year we all worked hard to make a fort full of castles. Not just one castle with several individual sections (aka buckets), but a fort with a number of castles, a moat, and even a draw bridge over that moat! It took all day actually, and we all put our hearts in to it!

People walked by and admired it. Some stopped to chat, others took pictures. This was a FORT. Lots of work. Lots of fun.

Looking at our finished work with pride, we decided a dinner meal might be necessary. No one really wanted to leave. We all wanted to protect it. But the reality of its disappearance was in the future, and while unspoken at this point…we all dreaded it.

As soon as we came back from dinner, we all wanted to take a late walk on the beach to see if the fort had survived. It had…it was intact! There was hope!

We watched the sun set and knew we had to leave. “Maybe it will be here in the morning” one child said. “Yeah, I know it will…we worked so hard!” Ah gees, we had to tell them that it would most likely be gone in the morning. We felt like we were awful parents at that declaration!

But the fact was simple. The foundation was not firm. It was not secure. It was fragile. It would not stand. Sand shifts.

“But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:26-27

The next morning we did not hurry to go down to our spot. We knew what we would find. Or not find. The fort was gone. The fort was not only built on the sand, it was built out of sand!

“We should have built the fort out of something else on the concrete sidewalk.” “Yeah, it would still be there this morning if we did!”
Two weeks later there was a fort, built out of popsicle sticks and rocks…on the concrete patio at our house. We finally had to convince them to take it down…because it wasn’t coming down any other way!
Be blessed~
IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9

*google search image, NIV Bible*

 

Simple Helicopters

Christianity, Grace, homeschooling, Love one another, mom, motherhood, Parenting, Spiritual Encouragement, Truth, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

Image

Simple Helicopters

Helicopters. Falling. From . Trees.

No, this isn’t a new science fiction story, it is about those “seed pods” that flutter down from the maple, or box elder tree. I was sitting out on the patio the other day, listening to the wind blow and watching them fall out of the trees. It was pretty cool actually.

These helicopters land in the gutters, cracks in the brick, corners, neighbor’s yards…just about everywhere. Once landing, if the seed pod is down, they take root. The circumstances needed for perfect implantation and growing aren’t always present. If they land in fertile, tilled soil they have the best assurance of growth.

Image

Every year we clean out the gutters and other areas in which they have fallen. It is funny to see little tree sprouts growing out of those pods. They certainly are fragile, with one little tug will easily remove them from any area. As I have removed more and more I am reminded of life and how fragile it can be. Life is a gift given by the creator Himself.

God created us each with a purpose, a plan and His pleasure. He enjoys His time with us. He loves us.

These tender little trees need some love, concern and truth. Pulling them out and giving them truth that they needed to be planted in solid soil was the only thing that could give them life. We have some trees in our yard as a result of that “truth”. They are various sizes and in different places. But the “truth” indeed set them free!

My sister in law currently has breast and bone cancer. And years ago a dear friend passed with this very disease. If you have ever tried to encourage someone in those circumstances?  It is hard. How do you possibly minister to them? Truth.

Have you ever had to tell your child that a good friend had an accident and passed away? What can you possibly say? Just truth…

Plain, simple truth. Truth is the word of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit. Nothing else. His word is truth, his word is love. His word can set the captors free.

John 8:32 “You will know the truth and it will set you free.”

Jesus said that he was the way and the truth and the life….simple helicopters.

Simply stay focused on truth….Jesus.

Be blessed~

IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9

*google image, NIV*

Simple Math

Christianity, Grace, homeschooling, mom, motherhood, Parenting, Spiritual Encouragement, , , , , , , ,

 

Simple Math                  stock-photo-math-simple-equation-on-chalk-board-111802352

I am not talking about Common Core!  I am talking about the equation below:

RULES-RELATIONSHIP=REBELLION

We are surrounded by rules.  We see them posted, we tell them to our children.  The ten commandments are those that Christians consider rules….we all try to abide by them. The Pharisees had them during Jesus’ day, and they are still abounding in the church today.

Minus RELATIONSHIP…we can follow every rule, do all the right things and still not have a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Do we follow the rules because we Have to or we Get to?

Equals REBELLION…when we do not have that intimate relationship and try to follow the rules, we cannot keep them.  We will fail. We even have a tendency to do what we are not to do.  Paul said it.  And think about it…the sign says “don’t touch the glass”, what do we do?

If we have a intimate, real relationship with the Savior we can live a surrendered life.  We will want to do what is right.  And when we stumble, we go on.

His rules were not written to cause us pain and grief.  He knows the best for us…and the consequences to any mistakes we make.  We don’t live an abundant life by following rules…we live an abundant life by surrendering our heart to Jesus Christ!

I have found a better equation:

RULES+RELATIONSHIP=RELIANCE

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not be works, so that no one can boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9

See..I told you it wasn’t Common Core!  It is far better…..

Be blessed

IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9

 

*google image, NIV*