Tales of a Thankful Mom

          As a mom of three children, I remind my children to try to reach a compromise concerning some form or fashion of disagreement with each other almost every day. I tell them, and try to remember myself that many things that seem important in the moment will not even be remembered days or weeks later. My Dad used to ask me as a teen, "Is this a hill you are willing to die on?" If it is not something critically important to me, than I need to be willing to compromise. I want to teach my children to be empathetic with others and to be willing to meet in the middle. I want to teach them to think of others and be mindful of perspectives that are different than their own. Choosing to work together to work out a compromise is an act of love. I know that if these are the values that I wish for my children to learn, than I need to model these values in my interactions with them and with other people. They need to see that I am willing to liste...

           I have been doing a lot of reading, listening, and praying in the last few days. I have always believed that every person on this earth is a unique masterpiece created by God. Recently my eyes have been open to systematic racism, and I want to keep my eyes and heart open to both the beauty and the pain in the world around me.. A few steps I am taking to do this is to make a conscious choice to read more books from authors who are of different races and backgrounds than me. I want my children also to be exposed to literature from a greater diversity of authors. I want to teach my children about  diversity. I don't want them to make assumptions about people who look, act or think differently than they do. I want them my children to understand that people of different cultures ate not always treated fairly. I want my children to take a stand against injustice. I am thankful for the gift of this change of perspective. I don't want to live in my ...

            John 3:7 "Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again."           I was inspired by a statement my Pastor made last Sunday. He said that when Lazarus was raised from the grave they took his grave clothes off. When Jesus rescued me, He told me to take my grave clothes off. The entanglements of sin and shame no longer have power over me. I can live life remembering that I am reborn. I can embrace my freedom in Christ. How would my life look if I lived out freedom every day? How would that impact the people that I interact with daily whether that be strangers God places in my path or my own family members? I will close with a quote from C. S. Lewis, "Obedience is the road to freedom, humility the road to pleasure, unity the road personality."

     I tend to over think when making decisions. I want to make the right choice. So, I often spend way too much time overanalyzing the options I have anytime I make a "big" decision.  One of the first truths that Anne Bogel shares in the book, " Don't Overthink It" is that our thoughts can be our ally or enemy.              In chapter 3, Anne describes the symptoms of analysis paralysis. She also describes some ways to move past decision fatigue. Anne discusses how out values and our habbits impact our decisions. A helpful point that Anne makes is that we can chose what we think about. She then shares some practical strategies to move past decision fatigue such as limiting our choices or delegating some of the work and therefore some of the choices to others.              Anne reminded me of the importance of creating margin for when life does not go as planned. She reminded me of the importance o...

          My children and I studied one of my favorite Bible stories this morning. We studied the story of Ezekiel and his vision of dry bones coming to life. There have been times when I felt like my circumstances were hopeless. I was dead in my sins and shame. Jesus rescued me and brought me out of my despair. He set me free, and put me on a new path. I have been reminded this week of God's rescue mission on my life. The enemy wants me to look back on my story with shame. I believe God wants me to walk in victory, and share my testimony of God's faithfulness to encourage others. What steps forward could you take toward victory today?            

                        The song "It Won't Be Like This For Long" popped up in my Facebook memories earlier this week. It reminded me that what I viewed as normal has changed a great deal over the past almost eleven years. Ten years ago, I was walking the floor late at night with my Princess hoping that if I walked with her around the house long enough that she would get sleepy, so that we could both go to bed. Ten years later, I am now up late at night typing this post in a quiet house as late at night is the easiest time for me to find time to write. What we view as normal can change from one season to the next. There have been times in my life when what felt normal to me was not something that I should have accepted as normal. I had brave friends who told me that the life that I was living was not normal or healthy. They helped me make the changes that I needed to make. I remember staying a night in ...

           Made to Move Mountains is an inspiring book written by Kristen Welch.  She opens with this very important question, do we want to see mountains move for our own glory or for God's glory? It is these type of questions that encourage introspection and prayer that make this book is a powerful read. I will admit something that I have learned about myself in recent years. I can be at times an individual that is full of fear. Kristen states,"Behind every fear a miracle is waiting." She also shares the encouragement, "On the precipice of every miracle is a desperate need for Jesus." Kristen shares a quote from John Eldrige  that it easy to believe that in a dark season that things have always been this way or will always be this way. It is important to remember God's faithfulness in the past and that He will be faithful in the present and future. I need to remember where to place my focus in dark seasons. If I look at my c...