Mood Mess

Most women experience mood swings from time to time. Well, it sure isn't something we can just pray away. Moodiness comes from our physical conditioning and we can control this from day to day. Whether your moods are swinging from tree to tree or swinging out of control with no direction...GET A GRIP! Sometimes we just need to shake ourselves or talk ourselves out of our mood mess. Let's refuse to give in to the madness of moods. We can exercise, eat the right foods, get rest, pray/meditate, etc...There is something we can do, just find out what works best for YOU. Do I sound like an expert on moods? I am! My husband and I use to be on the verge of divorce once a month, and I'm sure you can figure out what part of the month that was. I decided I didn't like the see-saw marriage or the roller coaster SELF, so I changed my physical conditioning and it worked! Don't just waddle in your mood mess, do something about it.

Enjoy the day!

Show Some Sign

I awoke late for church Sunday, but my first-born had already eaten breakfast and was prepared to go to church. I wondered what his motive was since I always have to wake him on Sundays. He gave me the religiously correct answer of wanting to know more about Jesus, so I continued questioning. I asked what he did with all the information he learned. Once again, the correct answer was given. He said, “I’m supposed to use it.” I told him it was good to want to go to church and church school, but we need to show some signs of what we learn by how we treat our siblings, how we keep our room clean, our attitude, and obedience to parents. I let him know we can’t continue to go to church Sunday after Sunday and not show signs of growth. I was prompted to use our study of seed germination as we continued our conversation. We walked into the living room to check the status of a seed project. We have onion and cucumber seeds in plastic sandwich bags to test if the seeds are good or bad. The cucumber seeds are sprouting, yet only one onion seed is showing signs of growth – the others appear dormant. First born picked up the bag with the onion seeds and said, “Are we like these seeds?” I assumed ‘us’ meant church-goers. Surely he wasn’t speaking of me! Was he? I was speechless for a moment. As I looked at his serious face awaiting my answer, I laughed and told him those seeds could very well be us if we don’t show signs of growth by acting Christ-like. Why didn’t he pick up the cucumber seeds? I wasn’t about to ask another question. Once again, a Life Lesson for LaVender. As a Godly Mother, I should always show signs of a thriving, growing seed, not a seed of dormancy. What signs are you showing?

Jeremiah 2:21 (NKJV)
Yet I had planted you a noble vine, a seed of highest quality. How then have you turned before Me into the degenerate plant of an alien vine?

Good Reads!

I'm reading a book, Showing Mary, and it's a must read for every woman. It's actually my second reading of the book and it's even better the second time around - because of where I am in my life right now. The book shares how women give birth to new insights, visions, and life! The author compares situations in our life to Mary's (Mother of Jesus) life and Mary's relationship with Elizabeth. If you can get your hands on a copy, I strongly recommend it - GOOD READS!

Reading the book has made me realize I've been pregnant for a while and I'm ready to give birth to a new 'me' and this can only happen with complete surrender to God. I think we miss out on life when we allow fear to control our choices and not God.

Oh yea, I must say the only reason I read the book the first time is because my sister's artwork is on the cover. Little did I know it would become one of my favorite books!

Thank you, Dr. Renita Weems, author of Showing Mary.

He's A Keeper!

I don't know where I would be without my Savior. Yesterday was a rough day for me. I just couldn't get with the program. It seemed like I was mentally off-balance throughout the day. I always check my calendar when I feel 'off ' and sure enough it's almost that glorious time of the month plus this menopause thing is no joke. Where would I be without Him? I don't know what Mothers do that don't know to call on Jesus. This is even more reason to share our Savior with others. I wouldn't make it without Him! He is a Keeper - of my mind.

More Time?

A friend of mine made a very common statement that most women make, "There isn't enough time in the day." Do we really want more time in our day? I don't! I'd just fill it up with more work, more errands, more activities, more busyness, more stuff. Time in our day is like a purse - the bigger it is, the more junk we fill it with. The problem is we don't take full advantage of the 24 hours we already have. I think we call it time management? I failed that course in Motherhood 101. What I would like is more time for MYSELF. Yep, selfish I am. I have to remind myself that I'm the Mother of two school-aged, active boys who keep me joyfully on the go. My time belongs to them, so please allow me to go wake them, so we can start our day. I'm sure they have a list of Mommy-Do things for me to do today. Have a productive Tuesday and let's use our time wisely!

Stand

I couldn’t wait to get to church Sunday. I needed an encouraging Mother’s Day message and selfishly expected a personal word from above. As I walked in the church, I was handed a beautiful carnation. I appreciated it, but a flower wasn’t what I needed. I found a seat and waited for my anticipated word. Finally, it was time for the pastor to deliver. "Dear God, please speak to me." As usual, the message was exactly what I needed, but I was blessed with more. The most encouraging part of the sermon was when my pastor asked if any Mothers were a witness to trusting God to make everything alright. I sat and watched Mother after Mother of children older than mine, stand and acknowledge the power of God in their motherhood journey. This was more than encouraging to me – I was edified - I was empowered! These mothers have no idea how they blessed me as they stood and praised God. Mothers, Grandmothers, Step-Mothers, and God-Mothers were standing. They indirectly let me know they’ve gone through some trying times with their children. They let me know how difficult it is to let their children go. They let me know they’ve had some sleepless nights. They let me know they’ve had to cry sometimes. They let me know their children try their patience and take advantage of their love. Thank you for standing!
I know I will survive my new state of affairs with my pre-teen son and puberty stricken baby boy. We're experiencing new attitudes and new issues. I too, must stand. I must stand on God’s promises and trust Him in every situation – no matter how difficult it seems. These Mothers assured me that I can make it through my new season of Motherhood. I thank God for my word - He never delivers the way we expect Him to. I thank my pastor for prompting these Mothers to witness to me. I especially thank all mothers who share their trying motherhood moments; God knows we all have them! My Mother's Day was special. My family showed me love and several Mothers showed me love by reminding me everything is already alright as long as I continue to trust in God and stand - on His promises.

Acts 26:16 (NKJV)
But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.

Happy Mother's Day! If you know me well enough, you know I believe Mother's Day should be celebrated each and every day. Many of you feel the same way. I have a hard time with the once a year commercialized celebration, but if this is what we can get, I guess we should take it huh? Oh well, as long as we remember to celebrate the One who truly deserves the celebration - the Creator of all Mothers!

I pray each of you will celebrate the role of Motherhood and embrace the privilege, honor, and opportunity to be a Mother for God's children. Happy Mother's Day today and everyday!

Wait For Me!

Time goes by sooo fast! I'm not having fun either; I'm working my butt off today! I looked at the clock and it was almost noon. Good grief! Where did the day go? Idle time has no place in a Mother's life. Idle time has no place in anyone's life! Every single minute counts, but more importantly is to make those accumulated minutes count for productive days. I still haven't decided what I'll cook for dinner, but there is a pound of frozen ground beef on the counter looking at me. The finger prints on the white walls are waving at me as I continue to walk by them day after day and there is a glass on the living room table that begs me to carry it to the kitchen sink everytime I walk by - yes, it's my glass from yesterday. Okay...I just spoke of idle time, so why am I sitting at this computer typing? Well, because writing is what I love to do. Writing is my passion and if I had to pick one thing in the world to do, it would be writing, HOWEVER, I have work to do and time waits for no one. The day is passing by! Wait for me!
What's one thing you can lose and never get back? TIME. Use your time wisely!