by tascha |
We all have “big things” that happen in our life. Most people call them milestones–-though between them is often much longer than a mile!
Some of these may include marriage and college graduation, getting a job in your career field, becoming a mother, buying a new home or a myriad of other events. Days and months leading to these momentous junctures often give us a sense of purpose, a motivation to get up, an intention for our day.
But what happens in the between times.
the wait?
What is the reason for getting up each and every day with no change on the horizon?
I have, on occasion, struggled with that.
And I have noticed others struggle with it also: perhaps someone engaged in an occupation that was not their “goal” when they finished college or a mother of young children or a family simply struggling to make ends meet.
And I have thought, in those between times, “Is this really God’s will for my life?”
BUT THAT IS THE WRONG QUESTION!
Of course, when the baby has messed all over and there are crayon markings on the wall, that is NOT the rest of my life, or yours.
And when your vocation is not what was intended upon college enrollment, that is NOT the rest of LIFE.
But it is where you are- now.
And our question should be:
Lord, what is your will for my life—today?
For me, today is about loving my children, preparing food, washing laundry, kissing my husband, encouraging a friend.
For you, today is about DOING whatever is required of you-be it as a SAHM, a teacher, a store clerk…. whatever!
and doing it with your whole heart as unto the Lord!
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23,24
Be a godly example of obedience to those under you AND those above you! Make wise decisions. And WAIT.
because we never “arrive” at the rest of our life!
Today is also about renewing my strength, preparing my soul for what lies ahead.
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
The Psalms are full of verses about waiting. Sometimes the author was pleading for help and sometimes he was simply weary of waiting; sometimes he was calm and content and sometimes he was not. But still, he waited.
Psalm 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. [why would he need courage if he were doing nothing during his waiting?]
WAIT, but don’t stop LIVING and SERVING while you wait!
by tascha
Darlene
from
Time-Warp-Wife is beginning a 3 week series on the book of Esther today.
I am excited! Esther is my oldest girl’s middle name because she is my absolute favorite lady in the Bible. such courage and wisdom.
So, read Esther 1 and click over to Darlene’s blog for some insightful thoughts and questions. I am looking forward to reading through this book and her blog posts this month [on my favorite book… during the month of my birthday! what an awesome gift.]
I pray this is a BLESSED Monday for you all!
by tascha |
But today I am going to tell you a few things I have personally learned about being the wife my husband praises {wow! that sounds boastful, but his praises are how I know I have done something right! so I am going to share what that has been recently}.
**And just because my husband has noticed these things does NOT mean I can give them up as “accomplished”! I still struggle with these -and so much more- every. single. day.**
1. being intentionally “beautiful” for him- dressing more for his eyes.
{I know that might sound like I think I’m pretty, but really, I just mean that what he enjoys about my wardrobe has become more of my focus when I dress & shop}
When I keep my hubby’s likes in the forefront of my thoughts when dressing for the day, I find there are a few items of clothing that really need to go! And when I allow it to influence what I buy, I feel better about spending a few dollars on my wardrobe. I also find that I feel more feminine knowing that there is a man out there that appreciates the way I look { 🙂 }.
**Have you ever asked your husband what clothing he likes on you? or just taken note of his expressive reaction to your outfit?
2. making our supper daily- and usually it is edible. { 🙂 }
I try to make note of the meals he eats quickly and those he gives me some “direction” on… and take the direction as a gentle reminder that I am not the only one eating the food I prepare! While I do try to make our food as nutritionally healthy as possible, sometimes I just try to make something I know he thinks is YUMMY! because HE is my #1!
**Do you let your husband occasionally criticize your food with an open mind {and heart!}? It’s not easy sometimes, but it can show him your love.
3. allowing God to work in my heart.
{if he can notice it, it must not be my imagination that God is working, and He has shown me some ugly things about myself recently}When I ask and then allow God to show me that ugliness called SELF in my heart and then also allow Him to work a change in my life, it makes me a more pleasant person {just trust me on that if you have never experienced it}. And living with a woman who has a pleasant disposition is at least part of EVERY man’s dream! { 🙂 } Yes, it IS hard sometimes.
It is painful to know… sometimes agonizing to admit… that I am wrong– that things I have thought and acted on were just not right, not Godly, not Christlike.
But when I have allowed God to work, and I have humbly told my husband that I know this or that was wrong and will you please forgive me, there is such a freedom that comes. And usually he turns right around and tells me that he realizes it was not all my fault.
** When you have conflict with your husband, do you ever honestly asked God to reveal your own fault in the situation? and then talked humbly and openly with your husband about it?
How do you intentionally show your husband he is your #1? I’d love to read it in the comments!
I pray these thoughts are encouraging to someone today!
being part of:
by tascha
When we found out we were expecting our first child, I had no other thought but that I would stop working outside the home and become a stay-at-home-mom. My husband and I never really sat down and talked it through [we should have!], but that was his desire for me as well.
In the years since I have realized many things about myself. The most glaringly evident being that I am
not a very good housekeeper
{I do smile at this, so you can too!}. But I love my husband and my children, and here are some reasons I am thankful to stay home each day.
[in no particular order]
1. My younger children can sleep until their bodies are ready to wake up [which is usually early enough!]
2. I can influence what goes into their minds each day.
3. We can learn how to keep a home. together! [they will probably be better than I am before they are teenagers!]
4. I have more opportunity to create meals from ‘scratch’ and have learned a little about nutrition and health.
5. I am available to my husband at any time to help with any project he has.
6. I am available to pick up my child from school if she were to be ill, and I do not have to worry about loosing my job in order to stay home to care for my children if they are sick. {edit: Now as a homeschool mom, we can do what is necessary to ensure health or take steps to get well while staying home.}
7. I can spend time learning something new–such as how to make food from scratch and how to use and organize a schedule! {edit: I am now pursuing herbal “alternatives” and more natural health.}
8. I have opportunity to help with different ministries [on occasion] in our church that I could not if I held an ‘outside job’.
9. In all honesty, I simply enjoy being at home [most days] and just loving on my kids and preparing for hubby and big sister to come home.
10. But the main reason for my being thankful for the opportunity to stay home is that I have realized just how important it really is. I will not go into all the detail of what and how… but only recently have I truly understood the importance of my role as a wife …and then a mother… and been able to find contentment [with God’s help] in learning how to be.
FOLLOWING THIS YEAR LONG BLOG HOP:
and beginning this Wednesday I will be posting something “wifey” and prayerfully encouraging!!
the last Wednesday of each month for the rest of the year.
by tascha
As before, I must preface this by saying that only if you as the parent/adult are already saved
can you truly answer a child’s questions regarding salvation.
Only God can guide your words to speak appropriately.
6. How does being saved take your sins away?
and
7. Can a person be saved without asking Jesus?
 |
| I’m taking notes, Momma! |
{I have not personally ever heard small children ask these questions, and some of these thoughts may be a little hard for very small children to understand, but I pray this can be a launching point for your own study into how to answer your own sweet babies.}
When you understand that you have sin in your heart and believe what the Bible says about why we have to be saved to live with God in heaven and you make the choice to ask Jesus to save you , then Jesus takes away your sin. He does that by being a substitute. When you do wrong, you have to be punished. But if someone else takes your punishment [maybe a friend gets a spanking or put in time-out FOR you], that is a SUBSTITUTE. that friend takes your wrong as his own responsibility, and that is what Jesus did for us! When He came to live on earth as a baby and then grew up without ever sinning and then died on the cross, He became our SUBSTITUTE. Because he was not guilty of any sin, as we are, God allowed Him to take our punishment. He took the responsibility for our sins.
The Bible tells us very plainly that no one can enter heaven without accepting Jesus’ SUBSTITUTION. In John 14:6, Jesus said: No man cometh unto the Father [lives with Him in heaven] but by me [trusting Jesus]. And in Acts 4:12, the Bible tells us this about Jesus: Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name [JESUS] under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. We cannot be good enough or go to a certain church or be baptized to help us get to heaven. Jesus is the only path that leads to living with God in heaven forever.
Some Scripture Reading:
I Corinthians 15:3,4
II Corinthians 5:17-21
Galatians 4:3-7
Ephesians 2:4-9
Titus 2:11-14
{There are many more Scripture passages that deal with all of these salvation questions, and only individual Bible study can help you find them all. I have only tried to include a few passages to help you get started.}
by tascha
Psalm 25:21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.
Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.
Proverbs 19:1 Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.
Proverbs 20:7 The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.
Apparently, integrity is something that can guide us. can preserve us. can bless our children. It is on the same level as uprightness– better than having riches.
I want integrity.
I want my children to have integrity!!
integrity: the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; the condition of being unified, unimpaired, or sound in construction; internal consistency or lack of corruption in electronic data
When most of us think of integrity in people, we probably are thinking of the first part of the definition: being honest and having strong moral principles.
Are we honest? Obviously, we should not speak our whole mind about others or to others [Proverbs 29:11 A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.].
But sometimes we are not even honest with ourselves. We say we do not care what others think, but we do; AND we SHOULD. We should care what others think, but only to the extent of HONESTLY examining our own lives and actions.
To care about what others think does not mean I will compromise the cause of Christ–and my children need to understand that, too.
I must not brush aside when others correct my children or make known a fault {no matter if it is done rudely or tastefully}.
I must teach my children how to handle correction- with humility and honesty.
But also, we must deal honestly with others.
Speak honestly.
Pay attention that we do not take advantage of others’ generosity.
And keep watch that our children learn this.
Even further, are we honest with God? in our opportunities to witness, with using the talents He has given us, in our giving. Only an individual can examine his own heart, but we must also remember that others see our actions.
[We should care what others think, but only to the extent of HONESTLY examining our own lives and actions.]
Beyond being honest, do we have a Biblical sense of morality? I stress Biblical because today’s morality is changed from the morality my parents grew up with. We cannot flow with society in this.
Do I teach my children what the Bible says about right and wrong? Do I teach them consequences? If not, they will have a rude awakening one day. Do I give them an example of truthfulness and responsibility?
Simple ethics and expectations of good behavior, a Biblical sense of justice and modest propriety seem to be a thing of by-gone days.
But as mothers, we can help CHANGE that!
by TEACHING our children to have integrity.
