Tales of a Thankful Mom

          In times of uncertainty, when my thoughts are swirling around in my head, I need to focus on what I know to be true. I need truths that are an anchor for my soul. I need to remember that God is on His throne. He is in control. I need to trust in His goodness. I need to be still and quiet my soul and remember that God is God.  He can see fully, whereas I only have a partial view. I need to trust that God is at work, even when the circumstances seem impossible. He is my refuge, as I pour my heart out to Him. He is with me. He is Immanuel, God with us. This is not just a truth I want to remember during the advent season, but every season of my life. What truths do you hold on to, during difficult seasons? Please share them with me in the comments below.

            Psalm 40:2  He lifted me up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock and made my footsteps firm. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.           I love firmly made plans. I do not like things that are penciled in. Please set it in stone. Ironically, as a Mom many of my plans need to be penciled in as life can be very unpredictable. I am the type of person who likes knowing what is expected of me, and I do not like those expectations to change. I am so thankful that my foundation is firmer than concrete. I have been stuck in the pit of despair, feeling like I would never break free from the miry clay of my circumstances. God sent a rescue team for me. What amazes me about my rescue is that he set things in motion before I even realized that I needed rescued. My rescue team working in His strength pulled me out of that pit. Then God put my feet upon the rock and

           I do not like the word if. My mind tends to run away with the phrases "what if" and "If only." I have spent too much time wondering "what if," Asking what if is not really helpful, and can just send my thoughts in an unhealthy spiral. Ruminating on if only just causes me to stay focused on what I wished would have happened in the past instead of focusing on the present and looking toward the future. I have also recently realized that I sometimes do not want to slow down and grieve the losses that I face in the present. If I put off grieving unitl some far off future point than the shadow of grief will contiuue to follow me, taking the joy out of the present. I don't want to live life that way. I need to bring my "what if's" and "if only's" to God and leave them at His feet. When these thoughts come to mind again, I need to once again surrender them to God. As I continue to pour my heart out to God, He can fill my

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬             I Can choose what I think about. I can let my mind wander entertaining any thought that comes to mind, or I can I ask myself a simple question. Is this thought true?  I can fire the negative committee that sometimes wants to camp out inside my head, and chose to focus on all that I have to be thankful for instead. It is a choice to realize that the racing thoughts are only causing more anxiety, and to choose grace for myself and others and  gratitude instead. What helps you remember to focus on truth?

 1 John 5:11 11  And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son                My story has some messy, broken parts. It has parts that I wish were different. I want to tell my story and share my story with others. I want to tell others that God can rescue them from situations that seem impossible. I know this because God rescued me. He rescued me from years of domestic violence. It is really amazing to look back at my life and see where I providentially met people who were "the hands and feet" of Jesus to my children and me. I had lost hope, but these individuals did not give up on me. I want to share the love, grace and comfort others have shared with me with people that God places in my life. "Oh, to tell you my story is to tell of Him" Do you have a story that you would like to share? I would love to read about it in the comments below.   

 Psalm 23: 1 The  Lord  is my shepherd, I lack nothing.           This is a beautiful promise from scripture. Because the Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. This reminds me of another truth.  His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 2 Peter 1:3. We have all things needed for life and godlines through the knowledge of him! I don't know about you, but this promise deeply encourages me. This brought to mind what Paul said to the Philippians about contentment.  I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. ( Phil. 4:11–13 )  May I remember and meditate on these verses on difficult days when the areas in which I am lacking threaten to take my focus

  “Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use.” –  Wendell Johnson.           If I use the word always, may I use it in the context that God is always faithful to keep his promises. Psalm 71:22, NLT …"You are faithful to your promises, O my God." If I use the word never may it be to remind myself that you will never leave me or forsake me. Deuteronomy 31:6 "6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” I tell my children when they use the words always or never that many times when they use those words that those terms are an exaggreation, but when it comes to the promises of God always is a very appropriate term, "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God." 2 Corinthians 1:20. So, when I am tempted to us the words always and never ma

1 Peter 5:10              But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.           I love that this scripture promises to perfect, establish, strengthen and settle us. I do not like the suffering a little while part of the verse. I am reminded that my concept of time can be very different than my children's view of time. This happened last night, I needed one of my children to take a shower. They kept asking for five more minutes to play. They did eventually take their shower. I was a little frustrated by the time that they agreed to take it. If I as a very imperfect, messy parent have a different concept of time than my children, it encourages me to remember that God does not view time from my finite human perspective. He is in control, even when situations seem out of control. He is aware when seasons are difficult. He is right there with us on our journey.

           I have mentioned this before, but community literally saved my life over four and a half years ago. If I had not been a part of an active and loving community, I probably would not be here sharing my story, My community did not give up on me, even when I had given up. They prayed for me, encouraged me, called and emailed me, and kept showing up. They even reached out to my family, when they realized that I needed family support, but could not ask for it on my own, since I was so scared. "It is not good for man to live alone . . ." is the opening phrase of Genesis 2:18. I know that this verse is describing the creation of Eve and is often quoted in context to marriage. I have found this verse to be true of community. Even though, I know I thrive in community. I still am tempted to isolate when I am hurting. I want to be okay. So, I hope that if I pretend to be okay, that I can fake it until I am feeeling better. This doesn't work though. I need people that I can

  Praise the L ord . Blessed are those who fear the L ord , who find great delight in his commands. Psalm 112:1          I love watching my children delight in the world around them. My daughter is a noticer, who looks out for things to take delight in. I want to be more like her. I want to take delight in the world around me. I also want to remember the One who created each of the wonders around me, and let my wonder and delight bring me into His presence to praise God for his many wonderful gifts.  I took a picture of a lego tower that a child built for me, before we had take the tower down and put away the Legos. I want to remember to be thankful for every gift, and remember that God is the giver of all good things. God makes beautiful things out of the dust. He is in the business of restoration and redemption. He is at work, even when I don't see it. I need to remember these truths on days that finding delight is difficult. May I remember that in my relationship with God, I can

  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,   4  who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.             Last night I needed comfort and encouragement. Providentially it happened be Tuesday night. Tuesday night is the night that my community group meets over zoom. I meet with dear friends who live in several different parts of the country.  They reminded me that our God is the God of all comfort. The membes of my community group encourages each other to keep our focus on God so that we can share grace and encouragement with each other and others in our lives.  We talked about looking for opportunities to help make the journey a little easier for those around us, sharing God's love with those around us.  I am reminded of the phrase to spread kindness like confetti. In spreading kindness, we may be sha

Amos 3:3-5 Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment?            When my children disagree, I often tell them to compromise. One of my children is very good at compromising, whereas the other two are not as eager to meet in the middle. I remind him occasionally that I value his opinion and he doesn't have to let his siblings have their way all of the time. I appreciate that he enjoys making his sisters happy most of the time. He has taught me much about the art of compromise. His laid-back attitude is something that I think is needed in our culture today. My Dad used to ask me as a kid, "Is this a hill you are willing to die on?" A good question to ask about compromise, is this a matter that will greatly impact my life? Or is this something that I will not even remember in a month? If I am not even going to remember that I had to compromise about something in a month, then it is probably a decision that I do not have to be so adamant concerning having

            I want our home to be a physically and emotionally safe place for my children. On difficult days, I want to them to be able to breathe a sigh of relief, because they are finally home. I want them to know that they are loved here. I want them to know that they can speak their minds and share their hearts with their siblings and me. I want them to remember baking projects in the kitchen, family game nights, and family movie nights complete with popcorn. I want them to remember us praying together and listening to worship songs together. Almost five years ago, I walked through my home in New Mexico for the last time. I thought would have a feeling of good riddance, because I was leaving an abusive marriage. Instead, I realized that I would carry the happy memories of my children's baby and toddlerhood from that place, and indeed my children and I do share stories of when our dog would grab our shoestrings to let us know he wanted to go outside and play, as well as other fu

       The Westminster Catechism states that, " Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever."  This is the reason that each of us is born. This can be helpful to those of us with decision fatigue. I can ask myself, which of these options would glorify God, or draw me closer in my walk with God? Now it won't help make a choice easier if the choice is indeed insignificant, but if the choice is insignificant. I can remind myself that it is insignificant and ask my kids to pick one. We were born to live in community. Our first community is our family, and then as we grow, we are a part of communities at school, church, and our place of employment. We are also part of the community in the cities or towns that we reside in. I like that my pastor reminds our church that one of the ways to glorify and enjoy God is to find ways to encourage others around us. A friend sent me a $10 dollar Starbucks gift card this week. This was a blessing to me as Starbucks is not a

Hebrews 10:24-25   And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.          One of my favorite aspects of community is the freedom to discuss ideas. Each Tuesday night I gather with dear friends, and we discuss a wide range of topics. Sometimes we discuss spiritual things and sometimes we discuss our favorite foods and other ordinary everyday things. Our discussions do encourage us to love others, as we talk about practical ways to show grace and make the load lighter for others. If you told me a couple of years ago, I could have deep relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ whom I have never met in person, I would have not believed you. This group realizes that we do not have to agree on everything to have unity, our unity comes from our care and concern for each other and our ability to humbly listen to each other as

           I learned something about myself in the past year that I am trying to change. When I am tired, frustrated, or sad, I want to vent my feelings. I don't mean to be a complainer. It is just that life as a single Mom can be hard. I need to be careful who I vent too though. My words said in frustration and tiredness can have a negative impact on my relationships. My words have at times discouraged my children when family members asked them about things that my kids know that these family members must have heard about from me. My words have also given certain members of my family a negative impression of my children, that isn't fair to my kids. I have apologized to my kids about this,and have told them that I will not gossip about them, or allow family members to gossip about them in front of me, anymore. I have also told my children that they can ask me to change the subject anytime that our extended family gathers and my kids aren't comfortable that they are being ta

            For years I had a secret. I pretended everything was okay, but it wasn’t. I longed for my home life to be normal, but it wasn’t. I even fooled acquaintances into believing that I was fine. I have been told that my family seemed so normal. The truth was that I wasn’t fine. I was in a marriage in which I was physically, verbally, and emotionally abused. I kept this secret because I was afraid. I was living in a state of denial. I thought that if only I could be a better wife, that this wouldn’t be happening. It took friends find out my secret and showing me that I needed to break free of the abuse for my children’s sake that finally gave me the courage to leave. God made a way out of the scariest situation of my life. I now share my story, because I want others in similar circumstances  to know that they are not alone.  October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. If you or someone you love is in an abusive relationship, you can get help by calling the National Domestic Viol

             I struggle with stillness. I don’t think I’m very good at it. I told my counselor last week that I sometimes feel like a prayer failure because as a tired mom often when I practice stillness I fall asleep. She laughed and agreed with my pastor who both stated falling asleep during prayer does not make me make me failure at it. In fact, thinking that way just shows how deeply rooted is my fear of failure. Anyway, I am trying to learn that the art a practicing stillness before God is simply that it is practice. I don’t have to be perfect at stillness. I don’t have to have a perfectly quiet house, Or ideal conditions to practice stillness. All I need to remember is that God is God and I am not. How do you incorporate stillness in your daily life? I would love to read your thoughts in the comments below.

  Behold, I am doing a new thing;      now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness      and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:15           I love watching as my children learn, grow, and develop new interests. I love hearing their perspective on a wide variety of topics, especially when it differs from mine. I have frequently walked away from conversations with my kids thinking that I never thought about something from that perspective before. I am encouraged to think that as much as it delights me to watch my children learn new things and develop their unique interests, it must delight God exponentially more to see us learning and growing closer in our walk with Him. In Zephaniah 3, verse 17 states that "He rejoices over us with singing."  He is a good, good Father. I want my children to know that they are God's masterpiece. As their Mom, I am so happy that God gave me the opportunity to watch them develop into the amazing people that

           I crave to be understood. When I am in conflict with someone, I wish that the person could see that my intentions, even if my intentions did not become reality. Steven Covey states " “We judge ourselves  by  our intentions  and others by  their behaviour."   I often worry about what others think about me, especially my family and those closest to me. I crave affirmation. I want to be a good _______.  I want to be a good mother, a good daughter, and a good friend. I don't always feel I am doing well in these roles. I crave connection with those I love. When situations are messy, I sometimes crave a quick fix to my situation.  My cravings have changed in the past year, as I have seen that wishing for things to be simpler or easier can steal the joy from simple everyday moments in life. I spent a lot of time grieving my past and wishing that my circumstances were better for myself and my children. I don't want to do that anymore. I want to make special dinners

Isaiah 6:3-4 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy  is  the  Lord  of hosts; The whole earth  is  full of His glory!” 4  And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.           One of the reasons that God is indescribable is His holiness. As Isaiah 55 states, "His ways are not our ways." Deuteronomy 10:17 states, " For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes."  Our God is mighty and awesome. He is a God of goodness and grace. He is truth ,and He is just. " For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? {33} It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. {34} He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights."  2 Samuel 22:32-34 NIV God enables each of us to stand. He is our rock and our refuge. He has made a way for me, w

            I thought of the below song when I read that today's prompt was never. I know that there are people who struggle with the question of, where is God when tragedy strikes? Over four years ago, I was dealing with a traumatic situation. Looking back on that time, I truly believe that God was with me. If anything, I lost sight of his presence, because I was overwhelmed by my situation. He never lost sight of or let go of me. He was at work, even though I didn't see it. It amazes me to think back on the story of my life and see where God connected me with people who were a critical part of my rescue story. The year after my cross country move that gave my children and me our fresh start, I realized how much I needed to remember that God loves me. My #Oneword for that year was loved. I created a playlist of songs that reminded me of God's love, that I still listen to on long days. What do you do that helps you to focus on God's love for you?

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts.   7 And you shall teach them diligently   to your children   and speak   of them   when you sit   at home   and when you walk   along the road,   when you lie down   and when you get up.     My children like it when I stop by a coffee shop for a cup of coffee. Living in Florida, it is usually iced coffee that I request. If my children are with me, then, they will get a treat too. Often it is a cake pop, other times it may be a cookie, doughnut or some other kind of dessert. As my children are growing into tweens and teens, they have even been ordering their own iced coffee's or Frappuccino's on our stops by the coffee shop. I treasure these moments with them. I remember specifically ordering a Frappuccino one time that my eldest wanted to try an iced coffee. I thought the iced coffee would not be sweet enough for her liking. It wasn't, and I happily switched beverages with her so that she co

         Psalms 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits           Each weekend, I will take a break from the series, and take a moment to give thanks. I have found that if I don't pause and look around with a grateful heart, that the weeks kind of run together without remembering the many beautiful moments that I experience each day. I need to stop and record my blessing to fully appreciate them. I also enjoy looking back through my gratitude journal and remembering the moments that I describe on the pages. It is a wonderful reminder of all the things that God has brought me through. "Twas grace that brought me safe thus far and grace will bring me home." A nice visit with my parents this morning. I was able to catch up with my Dad as he had a very eventufl Friday, with a few interesting stories to tell. My Dad is a great storyteller. My parents brought my kiddos snacks by from Sam's Club. I enjoyed listening to my children play online games t

            The verse John 14:6 came to mind when I realized that I would be writing about the word way today. My life is hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3), but I far too often try to find my life in other places. As a recovering people pleaser, I often try to find it in people. As I mentioned yesterday, God gave us community to help us along in the journey, but I will not find life solely in relationship with others. There are many times that I need direction, because I do not know the way that I should go. In those moments, I need to seek the Way, because in following Jesus, He will make my next steps clear. Even if it is one baby step at a time. He is truth. I need to make sure that my thoughts are lining up with His truth, especially the thoughts that want to camp out inside my head. What I focus on grows, so if I focus on truth, then my connection to truth will grow.             One day, when my eldest was little she decided that she was going to make a cake while a dear friend wa