Get Out The Way!

 

Firstborn is a full blown teenager. He eats, sleeps, and plays basketball. Recently, hubby gave Firstborn some yard work to complete before his basketball practice. He awoke early and started working, but I later found him back in the bed - sleeping. Knowing he had basketball practice, I let him sleep. He awoke fifteen minutes after practice started and quickly headed towards the door with car keys in hand. I asked if he finished his yard work, which I knew he had not. Low and behold, Firstborn was back in the yard working. Minutes later, he came in the house upset with tears in his eyes saying he was going to miss practice. Son, did you think you could do yard work in your sleep? I wanted to hug Firstborn and make his world okay, but instead, I was led to get out of the way. Firstborn’s self-induced dilemma created many life lessons for him. Disappointments, pain, and hard times are God’s unusual ways of drawing us closer to Him. 

Our friends and family will be placed in positions of testing to make choices; however, their predicaments aren’t our cue to play Miss Fix-it. Just as I wanted to rescue Firstborn, we want to play Savior, Deliverer, and Comforter. What we’re really doing is blocking God from working in their life. They won’t get to know His voice if we jump in and fix every problem. God wants to show how He’ll make a way! It was hard as nails watching Firstborn suffer. He missed practice, but completed his chores and learned valuable lessons. My baby was okay…and so was I. Watching loved ones fall is difficult, but falling in the hands of their Heavenly Father is the best place for them. As mothers and wives, it’s natural for us to fix problems, but let God have His way, by knowing when to intercede and when to get out the way!

Not My Problem!

The number of couples I know experiencing turbulence in their marriage is astronomical. I know couples who have been together for more than thirty years that are going through, but there is one couple I know who has gone through more than their share of turbulent storms for many, many years and have finally come out of it – together. Talk about keeping hope alive! I’m taking a spiritual warfare class and the first thing I learned was… people are not my problem. Hmmm…so this man I’m living with, seeing every day, sleeping with every night, and getting on my nerves more than once a day is not my problem? WOW! 

It doesn’t matter if it’s marriage or not, it’s so easy to blame the person we see, but our problem goes so much deeper than the surface of the flesh. We believe in God and angels, but many Believers refuse to acknowledge there is another force out there that is familiar with our buttons of weaknesses and pushes them to get ungodly reactions from us – causing dilemmas and nuisances in our relationships…especially marriages. These unseen forces are our problem – not the people we see. Once we become aware our battle is spiritual and not a battle of the flesh, we’ll fight with the right weapons instead of sulking, judging, criticizing, or arguing.  Some who have been walking with God longer, won’t even notice the turbulence, but will be armed and ready for the storm before it begins. People are not our problem. 

I’ve known for many years that I don’t wrestle against flesh and blood, but hearing it this way really hit home…. people are not my problem. Husbands, children, co-workers, neighbors, in-laws, church family, parents, etc…they are not our problem. This blows my mind each time I say it! As I walk through this day, surely someone will rub me the wrong way, but I’ll be reminded…they are not my problem!

Thought for Today

A mother can get extremely bored doing the same things every day and night. Fully understanding your purpose in the home and in the life of your family will help your endless tasks become 

more rewarding and less boring.

Every day is a new day full of new beginnings and new opportunities to teach, lead, influence, and love!

Thank You!

Last night, Firstborn thanked his father and I for letting him drive all weekend. I, in turn, thanked him for being responsible, meeting his curfew, and checking in whenever he changed his location. I also told him it’s easy to hand him the car keys because of his obedience. I wondered if God is the same way. Although He blesses us in spite of our disobedience, I believe because we strive to obey, He not only meets our needs, but He’ll give us some of our selfish wants, too! Firstborn’s moment of thanks was a special moment for me. He didn’t have to thank us, but he did. We don’t have to thank God for all He does, but He appreciates it when we do. 

We have so much to be thankful for – oh, so much! Opening our eyes in the morning is just the beginning! Don’t forget the warm bed and clean sheets we slept on! Being able to place our feet on the floor and walk to the bathroom, being able to use the bathroom on our own, having the mind to dress ourselves and the use of our limbs to do so, having a choice of clothes and shoes to wear, and having a choice of food to eat! Think of all the cabinets we have to store food in our kitchen, and some may have a pantry and an extra freezer! Wow! We may have health issues, but we’re not in the hospital. We have a job and money. We have gas for our cars - we may stay close to an empty tank, but we get where we have to go. Thank you for family and peace of mind when they get on our nerves! Life may not be going like we want it to, but we have life! Whatever state we're in, let's be thankful! Thank God for Monday, and on that note, I thank God for you receiving the Monday Meditations and your love for Momsweb. Thank you!

Let It Go!

 

 The longer I live, the more I realize who God is. Just when I thought I knew the power of God, I found out I didn’t know jack crap! Every day brings new issues. Every season brings new storms. Every stage of my life and the life of my children invites new levels of growth.

 I’ve been weathering a line of storms which are trying to shake my foundation, but because of past storms, I know not to lean to my own understanding, but to just let it go. It took me years to understand what ‘letting go’ meant. It doesn’t mean my storm will dry up and go away, but my peace in the storm will allow me to stand strong and keep my head up – this is letting go. It doesn’t mean the storm won’t be painful, but my faith in the storm will remind me of my Comforter – He wants me to let it go. It doesn’t mean I’m supposed to just sit and do nothing, but I’m to pray without ceasing and continually praise God through my storm – praise helps to let it go. My storm shouldn’t be magnified, but my storm should invite God to be magnified - this is letting go. 

I’m so thankful my foundation is anchored in God because as the fierce winds try to cause damage, my trust in God makes riding the storm easier. When I let go and let God have His way, peace finds its way to me – perfect peace.  To end my evening yesterday, I received a phone call from a friend in California. Low and behold, she was weathering a storm of her own. We talked, prayed, cried, and ended our conversation with a lot of laughter – this is letting go. There is a storm moving your way…prepare to let it go!