Tag Archives: God’s plans

Happy Birthday to My Eldest!

Christianity, mom, motherhood, Parenting, Uncategorized, , , , , ,

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Happy Birthday to my Eldest!

I would be remiss not to mention the birthday of my eldest son.  He was the little guy who first made me a Mommy.  He was the first human being to really teach me what “unconditional love” meant.  I thought I knew….then he was born.  So when the second one arrived, I was prepared and understood how that love multiplied and didn’t divide.

Being a mom is not the easiest job in the world…in fact, I personally think it is one of the most difficult.  We got through the necessary stages…newborn, baby, toddler, preschooler, young child, child, preteen, teen, post teen and now Adult.  I am still working on being a mother of the Adult stage. And I have made plenty of mistakes…

I am proud of my children.  But I often say that I cannot take the blame for their failures, anymore than I can take credit for their successes.   They are adults.  They are still a delight to me.So I give God the praise today for allowing me to learn so much from my first born.  I thank Him for trusting us enough to raise him.  And I say Happy Birthday…to my once little buddy.

“I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.  So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” 1 Samuel 1:27-28

Be blessed~

IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9*

image A2Z animation, NIV Bible*

Simple Grace

Christianity, Grace, Love one another, Spiritual Encouragement, , , , ,

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Simple Grace

I must be on a “simple” kick. My last blog was about “simple lessons”. All day today I have thought of the simplicity of God’s grace and how I have complicated it many times in my life.

If someone asked you to explain your faith, could you? What is faith after all? What is grace? Oh, I know all the scriptures. I could send you to them or quote them for you. But if you don’t believe the Bible is the word of God, what good would it do?

My faith is simple. I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and have accepted Him as my Savior. My one and only Savior. I am dependent on Him. I believe in His existence in my life right now, and tomorrow.

I cannot argue in apologetics, I cannot prove He exists. I cannot do anything but tell you about my life and how I have felt Him and seen Him work over and over.

My parents argued over and over in ugly ways and then divorced. I seemed to be right in the middle of them protecting my mom. Even when I was 12 and dealing with those issues, I really felt that “someone” was watching out for me. God was.

I was not sure of my future, and others around me doubting my ability to become anything with the circumstances that I was in…but there were two teachers who believed in me, and guided me and encouraged me. HE used them to love on me at a crucial time in my life. I went on to school and became a teacher myself. He was there.

I married and although I could fill a volume of books on how God was faithful and how He extended his grace to me,  I will share only a few. After six years of marriage we had children. I had some issues the second time around and could have lost him. We did not. At one point one of them was not moving in the womb. We were close to delivery and I had to make a quick trip to the ER. It was a scary time, but the stubborn child finally moved and was born by c section days later. It was hard. But He was always there…

We lost 12 people to death in four years in the 90’s. I did not think I could survive through many of these deaths. HE was present. HE brought me peace. A supernatural peace that cannot be explained.

We raised our children. Many times while on my knees in prayer…He showed up. His presence was heavy, palatable, felt by me. I cannot explain it. But I know HE was there…

We personally went through the destruction of two homes in individual storms. In one, I felt that I should look at the window and step on the porch. That is when I saw the tornado. Inside, I would have not seen it and since our home was destroyed, we might have been also. The second storm I heard a voice, not audible mind you, but a feeling that I should get under the table. I did and seconds later a tree fell in on our table right where I had been sitting. It destroyed our home. He brought peace to me in a situation that I did not understand, we lost our home.  Again!

It hasn’t always turned out the way I thought it should. Sometimes I have been disappointed and even mad. I have plenty of questions. We have had many rough times in our lives through these last 35 years of marriage but, He never leaves me…even when He has every right to do so. I still trust Him.

I could go on and on. I cannot convince anyone that Jesus is real…anymore than anyone could convince me He isn’t. I am just afraid He has been given a bad rap. He simply has a gift to give. He wants us to have eternal life. He wants to be with us as we walk through this thing called life. He knows we are not perfect. He just wants the best for us. Sometimes we think that it is just a bunch of rules to follow. It is not. Moral codes maybe, but not rules. That is where the grace comes in.

I cannot get good enough, nor do I have to do so. His grace is for me, for us. “God’s riches at Christ’s expense” I have heard it said before. This is true.

I cannot prove He loves me, except for what I believe and what I have felt…..once you are in His presence, you know it is real. And you never want to be out of it. And I am in love with Him.

So that is it. Simple grace. His gift. I can accept it, or not. But I know it is real. It is that simple.

 

Be blessed~

IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9

*google image*

The NEW Seedlings

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

phototropism

Time in the garden has its moments!!

When I first started homeschooling, I was not completely confident in my ability to teach my own children.  Oh I knew that I truly had been called to do so, but I also heard a lot of negative from well meaning family members and friends.  “You cannot protect them forever”.  “They need to learn how to deal with the ‘real’ world.”  

Exactly.

Someone told me this story, and I cannot remember who it was or I would give credit.  It is probably not exactly how I heard it…but the same principle applies.

We start our plants from seeds.  The goal is for those seeds to grow into seedlings and then into the plant or vegetable to grow to full maturity.  We cultivate them when inside.  We make sure they get enough water, good soil and plenty of sunshine.  We move them from window to window if necessary, and even put them in a greenhouse.

We put them out.  Maybe too early, maybe not.  It is our first time growing our own plants, so it is a trial run really. The seedlings settle in the ground and the roots begin to grow.  Things are looking good!  Until…

The winds come, and the little seedlings get a bit unsettled.  The rain is so heavy and the seedlings have a hard time keeping their roots in the soil.  They are a bit wobbly.  Finally the rabbits raid the garden.  The roots are so battered, bruised, water logged….the rabbits win.  The seedlings are uprooted.  They did not last.  Maybe they were put out too early.

The next time we wait longer.  The roots are stronger and established.  Once planted in the garden they seem sturdy.  The rains come.  The wind comes, and those pesky little rabbits…but the roots stay firm.  The seedlings grow into strong sturdy plants.  They survive because their root system is strong enough to withstand all those issues!!  The storms rage and of course will come…but they stand.

So can we dare apply that to our children?  Can we put them in this old world too early?  We can train, teach and educate them until we feel we should.  We can go against what the world says…and follow the will of the Father.  It is not for everybody, but is it for you and your children? Are you called to educate your children? Only you can answer that question.

Trust me when I say…those storms will come and rage.  Your childrens’ root system will be tested.  Will their roots be strong enough?

Blessings dear ones~

IN CHRIST ALONE

Isaiah 55:8-9