I Learned Some Things Today

I learned some things today.

1. I learned how much my husband loves me once again. Happy 9th Anniversary, honey bunch!

2. I learned how bored my toddler is. Well, I think a better word is creative. She crawled around on the floor barking like a dog. Every time we would call, "Sarah!", she would say, "I'm not Sarah, I'm a dog." She played the part well by literally licking my foot.

3. I learned how much I really don't know about life. I don't know if this happens to everyone, but I feel like I have just started (at the ripe old age of 31) learning about really matters and what doesn't.

4. I learned that my dogmatic ideals about life will start to burn on the pyre of self-righteounes and pride if I strike the match and throw it in. The "match" being the grace of God.

5. I learned again today how God is so patient and tender in the leading of His children. I digress in my walk with Him but He prods me gently back into the way I should go. Hey, and sometimes He gives me a whack in the head and it's always much needed and stems from his infinite love for me, His child.

6. I learned I have an atypical husband and an atypical happy beginning to what could have been a typical terrible ending. We talk endlessly about our dreams, our love for the Lord, our thankfulness, and what we want to do to fix up the house. We covet each other's company. We look at our children and think, how could you bless us so much? What seemed to be "love" in the beginning of our marriage just paved the way for the worst trials we have seen in our life. Those heart-wrenching, divorce-level, sin-inflicted, flesh-following trials led us here:

*the closest friendship that any two people can find here on earth*

To take what we had going and turn it into the above is just God. All God. I can sit and talk all day about what has happened in our marriage and how we have changed, and what God did to break us and reshape us. Maybe in another post. All I can say is, nothing is impossible with God!

7. I learned that each day is an opportunity to grow, even if it's just a millionth of an inch, there's progress.

8. I learned that God doesn't need my help to do what He's always done.

9. I learned that I can make a sentimental gift with just materials I already have in my house.

10. I learned that a pot of chili goes a long way, amen to that. Hey, even the dog gets his share.

11. I learned that I can have an impact on this world just by taking all my kids to Cracker Barrell to have lunch. It's mind-boggling for people to see mother and father happily(truth be told, there is much reluctance as well on our part) bringing their children out to eat. All of the children coloring quietly (thank you Lord for getting them to do that!) while baby coo's happily in her seat, mom and dad order for the family. We sit, leisurely enjoying our meal, as the kids remain relatively quiet. People are amazed and astonished. "It's so refreshing to see your family!" to "Wow, you are a brave woman!" to the blank stares you get from younger people(twenty somethings) that get a table right next to us. I hope whatever the case they saw God somewhere in all of that.

12. I learned that having a tupperware party hosted in my home is a lot more work than I thought it would be.

13. I learned that the effort it will take to host a tupperware party in my home will be well worth it to help out a fellow homeschooling mama to 7 children and wife to a retired military serviceman. Kudos to both recipients of my effort! :)

14. I am now learning that this post is getting too long and I have kids hanging from the ceiling.

Jesus Saved Me, That's My Secret

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J471VobaZks

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Motherhood is a Sacrifice of Self

"I just don't want the kids around me right now." my husband lamented as he sat at the computer. "I don't know why." he continued. I knew why. He had a rough week at work and needed some down time. Thoughts began to flood my mind as he was saying this.

I was instantly reminded of a friend in high school who once told me that she was never going to have children because she did not like kids or that she was not a "kid person". I think she forgot that she was once her mother's kid. With that in mind and for the purpose of giving a shout out to all mothers in the blogosphere...I write.

Let me tell my long lost friend and everyone else out there...NOBODY is innately self-sacrificial enough to be a "kid person" in and of themselves.

I have children(it doesn't matter how many) and let me tell you from first hand experience, there is nothing that prepares you for the self-sacrifice of motherhood. And who, if they are honest, really wants to sacrifice themselves to do something, that in today's society, is at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to the type of "career" they have. I gotta' tell you that if I had the choice in the flesh to make I wouldn't pursue motherhood.

I have been told you must like kids or having kids or etc. because of my brood and I usually say, "Yeah, they are a blessing!". The truth is they are a blessing, but the total process of motherhood is a lot (a WHOLE lot) of blood, sweat and tears. Needless to say, truthfully, I admit I am not a "kid person" by nature.

Who likes changing poopy diapers(try 7,000) and telling your toddler 50 times in one day not to stick her hands in the toilet? Mothers are pulled from every side they can be pulled. And worse yet...we can never have a bowl of ice cream all to ourselves (isn't that horrible!?) without sharing it. I don't always enjoy little fingers all over me all day. Kids are so messy. It's a wonder how I have all this art work on my walls. I get tired, so tired some days from all the whining, complaining and the disciplining I have to do...me, not the kids. I could go on and on and still not reach the half of all that mothers in the world do every day.

The question is...why on earth would anyone want to put themself through this kind of seemingly endless toil? Because anything that has eternal value in this life is completely worth the toil it takes to see the fruit of that toil. As a Christian, I am here to glorify God, not please myself. It brings much glory to God when Christians rise up everywhere and let God control their wombs for His purpose(His purposes are so unique to each family) to allow kids...these time-stealers, mess-makers, to become, in our eyes, little souls that need to be pointed to their need of a Savior from their sin. Why? So that they can become mighty warriors for Christ in this world. Who's going to turn this world upside down for Jesus? Kids.

Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, George Whitefield, Jonathan Wesley, Paul, Moses and Abraham were all kids. Just think! You could be raising the next generation of movers and shakers for God in the world.

I think I made my point.

Praise God for kids and the mothers(and fathers) who raise them up in the nuture and admonition of the Lord! Praise God for kids who rose up out of the ashes who weren't raised by godly parents. These kids will carry forth the beloved gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to this world.

The Lord said, "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." One major way God builds His church is through the hands of godly parents raising up godly seed. We are not the only people on earth that are raising up seed. Muslims have large families deliberately. They have a brood of kids for the sole purpose of indoctrinating them to pledge their allegiance and self-sacrifice(martrydom) to allah. And what are Christians doing? Not having blessings (yeah, kids) so nothing can get in their way while in pursuit of the real "ministry". My friends, motherhood is a ministry! Our children our lost and without eternal hope from the day they are born unless we minister unto them and provide an environment that would be ideal for Christ's wooing of his Spirit.

I am not in my flesh a "kid person", but Christ abides in me to perform the job as mother and I reap the endless rewards and blessings on earth and in heaven for my submissive will to God. "Oh, that my children would see their need for Christ's redemption of sin in order to reach this world for Jesus!", this was my prayer before they were ever born.

So, dear mothers who are or who will be in the future...


I give this shout out to you...
You are important, needed and appreciated! Keep plugging away despite the flesh nagging you to quit. Don't cut off or inhibit in any way what God has given to bless you.

I leave you with these verses:
Psalm 127:3-5
"Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are the children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."