Jesus in every turn of life. Life on the road, homeschooling, meeting and greeting this wonderful upside down world and everyday musings have me blogging for you my sisters.
I pray you’ll watch a friendship fade— and discover the value of heart-friends who go the distance.
Friendships. True, undying, hard to hold heart-friends. They are a precious gift that at times we take for granted. Flashing back to the school years I can think of two friendships I wish I still had. Two wonderful people that I barely speak with but would love to sit and get to know them all over again. I can also live without the friendships lost, the painful change of friendships and cool circles that we all go through. I can't say I have a huge group of friends that I hang out with and get to go shopping with or have lunch with. My friends are all over the country. And I have few that are true heart-friends. These gals are my whole being though. It is hard work on both our parts to maintain long distance relationships and while social media makes it a bit easier, I miss being close to them. I have one amazing faith that we will all sit and sip tea in a beautifully perfect garden laughing at all our trials and adventures in life. I believe that Abraham Lincoln and Charlotte Mason will be joining us for our tea too. God puts these people on my path, for me to learn from, and for me to be the exhorter that I am with them. True heart-friends are a gift and I want my boys to learn what a true friendship is and how to truly treasure it. I have plenty of casual relationships, but I have learned the true loving that real spiritual relationships bring me. I pray daily to God to help us see the importance of our travels and why we have met the friends that we have. I pray that God gives us that nudge to make that phone call and write that letter so that our friends know we love them. I pray my boys learn to be the friend they desire to have. That they will learn Proverbs 27:17 and know that casual relationships don't lead to iron sharpening iron.
"Bring them heart-friends, Lord. Friends who believe in you. Friends whom they can encourage, and in turn, friends who will encourage them to be more like you created them to be." Today talk with your kids and ask them what makes a good friend. Ask what qualities are important to them in a friendship. Then pick up the phone and actually call a heart-friend!
I pray you’ll press through heartbreak— and be better able to identify true love.
I met a friend in our travels that taught me something that never crossed my mind. Well actually that happens a lot and I'm pretty sure that's why God put me on this path, to open my mind and heart to others. Anywho... She introduced me to praying now for my boys hearts and the hearts of their future spouses. Wow, isn't that cool?! And here it is again in our prayers today. It's never to soon to start praying for our children's hearts, because they will need it. I want them to know to go to God with a broken heart and know he will heal it. They need to know that God uses all things for good, even heartbreak.
I pray that when you are broken— you’ll discover that, in healing, you grow stronger.
Praying one of the hardest upside-down prayer today because it is so difficult to see our children hurting. I want to take the place of God as the fixer of all bad things that come their way. But I realize it is not my job. Only He can and should fill that place. I know his was of healing will be so much better than what I could ever accomplish, but still. I know I can't heal my child's broken heart, but He can. "Give me strength when I have to support my child as he suffers through his own time of brokenness. Give me the words that will point him to you. Help each of us to draw nearer to you in our shared pain, so that we might emerge from the valley stronger in our faith and ready to share in your joy" AMEN
I pray you’ll be disappointed in people— and realize that we’re all fallible, sinful, and redeemable.
Mentorship; it is vital for our walk with Christ. Please reach out and find a mentor. If you have a love for your mentor, find someone to mentor yourself because you know firsthand how good it is! We sheep need someone to encourage us to give our best in discipleship. We need to remember that magic word; Grace. How we all are human and we all sin and it is the enemy that is on the prowl, not us. "Oscar Wilde said, “Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.” I love that. When we recognize that all the “saints” we’ve placed on pedestals struggled to get to that place of honor— and likely struggle to maintain their virtue— and when we look at our fellow sinners with the view that they’re saints in training, just like us … we begin to spend less time wallowing in disappointment and despair, and more time awash in God’s love.
I pray you’ll face financial hardship— and see how God is after something bigger than food and shelter.
It takes us all a long time to be able to look into our past days and see that God uses financial strife to bring us to Him and remind us that we are not our own masters. Financial hardships are a big stressor in todays lives. Our family has learned so much from losing a house and our pride to loving the radical and strange path God has us on. Ten years ago if you would have told me I was broke I would have laughed at you. Five years ago if you would have told me I would quit my job, live in a RV and homeschooled my children I would have been hysterical. But God, he has such a great sense of humor. He said, 'Oh yeah, you are going to do this because I am the Master and I have something that you need!' Ten years ago I wasn't just broke, I was broken. And I had no idea how awesome my life was going to get! All I need to do is look to God and with all my being put my trust in him. I know that He has the best plan for me and I want my children to know this too.
Today I want our children to learn at an early age that ALL blessings come from God and it is our place to seek Him first, not the blessings, and He will take care of us!
I pray you’ll take crazy risks— and dare to adventure where your Shepherd leads.
What would you do if an out-of-work man walked up to you
wearing worn out sandals and said; follow me. Could you get up and leave everything you know behind.
Just the other day I was talking with my sis-in-law and she asked; 'Why do you think Jesus choose that boat? Surely there were many other boats out that day. Take notice when Jesus chooses you, calls you for something. Great things are to come of His calling to you'. Sigh; I love her ability to see outside the box
and take notice of such context.
I want the covenant relationship that Peter and Andrew developed by taking that radical step, and I want it for my children even more. If they had not followed, they may have missed the chance to witness the good news being spread across the world! Charles Spurgeon interpreted Matthew 4:18-20 as; "It is not "Follow me, because of what you are already." It is not "Follow me, because you may make something of yourselves;" but, "Follow me, because of what I will make you."
As parents we need to step back and watch as Jesus calls our babes and says follow Me. While prayerfully cheering them on we will watch our fishers of men grow and pursue brave and courageous discipleship. "Lord, make my child a risk-taker, an adventure-seeker after the biggest adrenaline rush of all: your kingdom action. Infuse her with your wisdom to discern when to exercise caution and when to abandon it, all the while trusting in you. Use us all as your servants, Lord. Lead us. We are yours." Amen.
I pray you’ll have to wait— and learn the value of patience.
To let go and rest in faith...ahhh! Doesn't that sound nice? Wait; you mean let go and watch my kiddos struggle, be flustered and agitated? But I have to fix it! No, I don't. We must realize that our children's impatience simply awakens our frustrations. Oh, how we all could use just a little patience ... ya ya... oh wait sorry, I got caught up in song there. Anywho, this patient thing is important, it's a fruit of the spirit and as Lisa states, "But in the waiting, we all come to grips with the fact that we are not in control. We’re compelled to trust the God who rules. We rediscover the value of patience and why it’s listed as one of the gifts of the Spirit, along with such things as love, joy, and peace (Galatians 5: 22– 23)." Knowing this maybe today I can control the running over and rescuing my babies and know that in the waiting I can trust the what isand not the what might be.
Day 19
I pray you’ll have selective hearing— deaf to all but the Father’s voice.
Twenty-four hour noise. That is what our children have today from music to internet to texting to school to sports to lessons to even our loving voices. Has God's voice ever become a shout to you in order to shake you and get your attention? What response do you think your young ones would give you if you asked them what they thought God's voice was like? And for your older children; could they decipher God's voice in their heats and know how to seek His comfort?
I needed to take a couple of days to pray and just meditate on God's word; hence the three day blog today. I found myself getting up early still, yes, but previously because I was hitting my computer keys I would get lost in the world wide web, email and other social media. My bible was dusty and the noise was unbearable for the rest of the day. Yes, I have the YouVersion Bible on my phone and Kindle for the book but I need to feel the pages of my bible and really melt into them. Today I am refreshed and ready to blog because I have rested and heard His voice nudge me once again to do this.
"I want to hear you, Father. I want to make time for you, first. I want to be in constant communication with you, feeling your joy, your pain. Obeying your will. Make me deaf to anything other than you, first. Amen."
Day 20
I pray you’ll know fear— and find courage in living with God beside you.
How often do you find yourself saying, but if I had this bigger better thing than I might not be so afraid? I can battle anything with bigger and better. Is that what David said up against Goliath? All David had was a slingshot and a whole-lotta faith. I love going back to the story of David, especially with my boys because, well, who doesn't love the triumph of an underdog?! Lisa puts it plainly yet so strongly, "Regardless of what life brings— be they rivers that threaten to drown us or fires that might burn us— our God walks beside us (Isaiah 43: 2). And if we were created by him and for him to be with him, ultimately, that’s where we have to rest. There, in that sweet spot, fear is absent, courage fills us, and peace rules." I want to be there and I want my boys to be there. They need to know that God has got their back when they walk into a new crowd, if someone thinks they are weird, if they don't quite fit in. They need to know that God has bigger plans for them!
"And if our God is for us, then who can be against us"
Gather your kids and sing out loud in praise today with Chris Tomlin's Our God!!!
