Happy Birthday, Jacob!

My little baby is now 6 years old! Everyone has told me how quickly the time goes by, and they are right! I can remember holding him in my arms, thinking how long it would be till he started school. Now he is in Kindergarten learning to read. Math is his favorite subject...just like his parents :) This picture of Jacob captures his personality well...full of joy and excitement (when he gets to do what he wants of course...lol)

This year I decided to start a tradition of writing a letter to my children on their birthdays. Telling them what I enjoy about them at this age and any other words of wisdom I want to pass along. Then I'm going to put the letter in an envelope, seal it, and file it away. I'm not sure exactly when I might present this gift...I hope I am around to do it. But it puts me at peace knowing that if for some reason God does call me home unexpectedly, I will have left this gift for my children behind.

Imperfect Parents

A young father followed the same routine every evening: He went into the kitchen, opened a cupboard, and took out a glass. He then walked over to a cupboard, pulled out a cookie jar, took out two or three cookies, and put them on a plate. Then he'd go over to the refrigerator, get some milk, and pour himself a tall glass. Following that, he'd walk into the living room and enjoy his milk and cookies while sitting in his favorite chair.

One evening as he was heading into the kitchen for his nightly ritual, the father noticed his three-year-old son heading into the kitchen ahead of him. The boy had a determined look on his face. Instead of announcing his presence, the father decided to stay unobserved so that he could watch what his son seemed so determined to do.

The boy pulled out several drawers, essentially making steps so he could climb onto the counter - something he was forbidden to do. Next he walked across the counter (another no-no) and opened an upper cupboard door. He reached in and pulled out a glass, knocking over several other glasses in the process. The young boy placed his glass down, hopped off the counter, then picked up his glass, and put it on the floor. He marched to the refrigerator and pulled out the milk, then poured it into the glass. The flowing milk proved too strong for his little hands, and it spilled over the top of the glass. The little boy wiped up the spilled milk with his shirt.

Then he left his milk, walked over to another cupboard, and pulled out the cookie jar. This was strictly forbidden; the father's son knew he wasn't supposed to get cookies without permission. But he reached in and while doing so pulled several other cookies out of the jar. The boy put them back and wiped up the crumbs with his now milk-soaked shirt. The father stepped out to intercept his son, only to be greeted by a huge smile. "Here are your cookies, Dad. I love you."

In this story, I want you to place yourself in the son's position, not the dad's. We're the little child, trying to serve our heavenly Father and yet making a lot of messes in the process. We can't reach the counter. We knock over a few glasses, and we spill the milk while we're trying to prepare a drink. Lacking all wisdom, we come up with the great idea of cleaning up the mess with our shirt instead of with a washcloth. But what dad wouldn't feel touched by such a display of service, however messy it might be?

We're not the best parents, not by far. We don't have all the wisdom we'd like. We don't understand how everything fits together. We make mistakes, we make messes, we can do everything wrong - but God looks at us with a Father's delighted eyes. Where we see weakness, God sees humility. Where we see messes, God sees intent. Where we see failings, God sees motives. And he smiles. He takes us into his arms. And he laughs a delighted Father's laugh.

*This post is an excerpt taken from (you guessed it...) Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas.

Taken for Granted

I have been fighting off a virus for the past few days. I've got the symptoms of strep throat...but the nurse tells me it's not. While I would prefer this to the stomach flu, it is still much more difficult to care for my kids when all I want to do is rest. Whenever I get sick, the one positive thing it does is remind me how much I take good health for granted! Isn't that true of a lot of things in our lives? That we don't realize how blessed we are until something is taken away? My challenge to you, and myself, is to appreciate the things and people in our lives because there is no guarantee of what tomorrow may bring. Thankfully this minor discomfort in my life is only temporary...at least it better be :)

The Comparison Syndrome

"We will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original" - Gal 5:26 (msg)

I know this verse is true, yet I still catch myself doing it...comparing myself to others. I compare myself with other women. I compare my marriage with those around me (and those fictional "too-good-to-be-true" relationships I read about). I compare my parenting skills. And the list goes on and on. I find that the less I compare myself with others, the less ammunition Satan has to use against me, and the more content I am with my life.

In light of this struggle, I found this passage about parenting to be really encouraging. "You need to know that God has different expectations for different parents. Jesus makes it clear (in Luke 12:48) that, while all of us are guilty, God does consider our background when deciding the degree of guilt: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (Thomas)

I grew up with loving parents, but they lived in different houses. The majority of the time it was just me and my dad. And while I went to church on Sundays, it was more something that we did rather than a living faith. So here I am trying to manage a family and provide spiritual training, when I've never had it modeled for me. Is it any wonder why I feel inadequate when I compare myself to people who come from a more stable background? I need to remember that God knows me inside and out. He knows where I've come from and where I'm going. I am not expected to be like anyone else...only to seek His wisdom and be obedient to what He tells me to do.

"Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that...Don't compare yourself with others." - Gal 6:4 (msg)

The Gold Behind the Guilt

This post is for you parents out there drowning in guilt. I seriously need to read Chapter 3 in Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas every week. It is amazing. I am going to attempt to share with you some of the main points and insights in this chapter so hopefully you can be as encouraged as I am!


"It's not hard to make any parent feel guilty, because we know we can always do more than we do. We can spend more time with the kids, provide a better house or living environment, listen to them more, pray for them more, respond in a more patient manner. The list of things we could do better never ends. But we're fallible human beings. We get tired and grouchy. We don't always think before we act. We're far from perfect. And parenting puts the spotlight on our imperfections like nothing else."

"None of us can mess up so badly that our children somehow extend beyond the reach of God's mercy."

The Gold Behind the Guilt:

1. Guilt Can Point Us to God

"Weakness on our part can actually be a strength when we use it to transfer our kids' allegiance from us to God... I can't be God to my kids, but I can model my need for God."

"When guilt feelings keep us self-absorbed, destroy our motivation, and make us discouraged, guilt has become a parking lot - not a good thing. But when guilt reminds us that we are insufficient, and when this insufficiency points us to God - his forgiveness, his empowering Spirit, and his provision of grace - then guilt becomes a spiritual car wash. You don't camp out in a car wash; you just go there to get clean! You drive through the car wash and come out on the other end with an entirely new outlook."

2. Guilt Can Motivate Us to Do Better

"We can look forward with confidence, use our failings as teachable moments, and wake up with cleansed souls and fresh hearts, knowing we've learned some valuable lessons for the next day."

3. Guilt Can Remind Us of God's Providence

"It's no accident that we have the children we have; God made them and placed them in our care. When he did so, he knew our limitations, but he still entrusted us with these children...All of us come up short as parents - but Christ promises to make up for what we lack"

4. Guilt Can Teach Us to Love Mercy

"Without acknowledging our own guilt, we would never sense the need for mercy, so we wouldn't appreciate this glorious gift of God. And without the guilt of others, we would never be able to apply mercy."

5. Guilt Has a Positive "Hidden Agenda"

"I told one group of men that I wished I could start parenting now, at age 41. I feel more mature at this point, more settled in my career; with a better perspective to begin parenting than when my daughter was born to me at the age of 25. But here's the rub: What helped me to become more mature? What has given me a better perspective? What has worked on my character over the past decade and a half? Raising my kids!"

"God has created an institution - the family - through which he can shape, mold, and form all of us, parents included. We come into the family as imperfect people, and we sin against each other every day; yet through rubbing shoulders and learning to ask for, and offer, forgiveness, we all come out the richer for taking part in this sometimes painful process."

A Simple Prayer

"Give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little. If I'm too full, I might get independent, saying, 'God? Who needs him?' If I'm poor, I might steal and dishonor the name of my God" - Proverbs 30:8-9 (msg)

I don't know about you, but I have never prayed "God, please don't bless me too much". I would like nothing more than to have every one of my hopes and dreams come true...every one of my hurts healed. But if this happened, would I still feel my need for God? Would I still seek His wisdom and depend on Him to guide me? Would I still come to Him knowing that I am incapable of being the woman I desire to be without His strength and grace? Maybe...but not likely.

John Eldredge writes "Whatever might be the reason for our disappointments, there is no question that God uses them to draw us to himself. To wean our hearts from every other perceived source of life, so that we might come to find our life in Him. This may be why every one of us bears at least one major and lingering disappointment in our life"

Ouch. If what he says is true, then some of my prayers may never be answered. Some of my dreams may never come true. Can I be content with that? Will I allow my disappointments to draw me closer to Jesus so that He can fill the void? My hope is that I can. For God knows exactly what I need and I can trust Him to provide just the right amount of blessing in my life for me to thrive.

My Escape

I just got to escape with my husband for 24 hours! We make it a goal to get away overnight once or twice a year, and I highly suggest that if you are married with kids you do the same! It's so easy to get consumed with our responsibilities at home that we neglect to spend quality time with our spouses. Sometimes it's hard for me to justify spending the money to get away. There are so many things calling out for my treasure! But my relationship with my spouse needs to be priority...today. We don't have lots of money to do anything extravagent, so I found a place that is close to home...yet feels like we're far away. It is part of Donna's Premiere Lodging in Berlin, OH. I first chose their Original Log Cabin because it was the cheapest, but I have fallen in love with the little place. We have been there 3 times so far. (They have a referral program, so if this place sparks an interest, please contact me!) Each time we go I come home feeling refreshed. I am sad to leave my little cabin in the woods, yet at the same time anxious to walk in the door and hear my boys scream "Mommy!" and run into my arms.

I owe a big THANK YOU to my mother-in-law for filling my shoes for a day and watching my crazy boys :) Thanks to my husband for loving me unconditionally and walking with me on this journey. I love you with all my heart. And most of all, thank you to my God for blessing me beyond measure.