The Peace Test

Just as sure as I share how I keep my peace of mind or how I prepare for those unexpected tests, I have a pop quiz on keeping my peace! Yesterday, I was definitely put to the test of patience and peace of mind. Everything was okay until we were driving home from Bible Study and I’ve got just a few more nerves left for the rest of the evening. Between eight and nine at night is usually when I begin to feel drained - the boys have asked a million questions, told me 500 stories, and called my name 300 times. It was almost nine in the evening and I was exhausted, yet the boys were in the back seat still calling my name, telling me stories, and asking questions. I had to pray and ask the Lord for an extra ounce of grace and patience to get through the rest of the evening without losing my peace of mind. I could have easily asked the boys to be quiet, yet the drive home was short and I knew the power of God would sustain me AND my hormones if I just kept my focus on His power and not my circumstances. After all, why should the boys be punished for my lack of self-control? I knew they were tired also, yet they could have continued until midnight if I let them. Being tired is definitely stomping ground for the enemy, so I chose not to set myself up to say or do something I would later regret. We made it home and I exhaled. The boys were hungry and I gave them the quickest snack I could find and sent them to bed. Whew! I made it and didn’t lose my patience or peace. This process may sound easy, yet it has taken many days of losing my patience, and failing countless tests of peace to get to this point. Most importantly, it takes building an intimate relationship with the Lord and knowing to call on Him throughout the day before you reach your breaking point. Are you ready for your peace test?

Pop Quiz

Everyday something is bound to happen to try to steal your peace of mind. Knowing this will happen and expecting it, is half the battle. Whether it’s your patience, compassion, or your attitude, some area of your life will be tested today. It’s usually trivial, insignificant issues that bombard our day. It’s not the actual action that takes place, yet it’s our reaction that will either give us a passing or failing grade. Many days I wake up full of joy and ready to tackle the day and something small will throw me off guard. A misunderstood word from my husband, attitudes from my children, or a complaining spirit because my to-do list is longer than the day, are all things that shape our attitude, which in turn will shape our day into either a ‘good’ day or a ‘bad’ day. This is why it is so important to have quiet, meditation time with God as soon as we awake. Yes, before the first load of laundry, before leaving for work, before breakfast, before turning on the radio or television…put God first. Once we realize that every step we take is under the control of a mighty God, we will be free from thinking we are in control of the day and what happens. There is nothing we can do alone; it’s all under His power. He controls us, and everything that happens to us. Our very small part in keeping our peace throughout the day is to keep our minds on Him. To be continued...

Keep The Peace

I asked my mother what would be the one piece of advice she would give a mother and she said, “Keep your peace of mind.” It’s quite ironic that I share the same advice. Although I haven’t the wisdom and life experience my mother has as an older woman, I understand all to well the importance of keeping your peace of mind in the midst of chaos. My signature in my emails and other personal correspondence is followed by the phrase, perfect peace. My mother said, don’t worry about it being perfect; just keep your peace! Of course I would not understand or appreciate this peace if I had not experienced some pandemonium in my life. There is nothing like feeling as if your world is falling apart and you’re about to lose your mind - the house is dirty, the husband is acting funny, the children are getting on that last nerve, bill collectors are calling, and you want to walk away from it all. Having your peace of mind makes all the mentioned issues seem quite weightless – almost as if they didn’t exist. Yes, having peace is powerful, yet it doesn’t happen overnight. It is something that must be learned and practiced. To be continued…

What About Me?

I do a lot of computer work and trying to work from home is very difficult. Trying to work from home and home school is difficult. Trying to work from home and home school plus have a high maintenance husband is difficult. Yesterday I tried to sneak in a few minutes on the computer while the family was outside and it seems the computer has a built in alarm. As soon as I get busy typing, here they come. I tried to ignore them, yet they insisted on including me in the family conversation. I gave them a nod every now and then with an occasional smile and laugh as I continued typing. My youngest wanted to play the piano and of course I had to listen attentively to the new song he composed (smile). By this time, I just turned off the computer and decided to wait until later in the evening as I usually do. Later in the evening never came because once the boys went to bed; I wanted to give my husband his time. By the time he went to bed, I was tired and shortly fell in bed behind him. I probably need my own office and I mean my OWN office! Is it possible? Will they eventually find an excuse to knock on the door to interrupt? Will they turn it into a sitting room when the office is not in use and slowly turn it into a family room? I’m sure other mothers deal with this scenario if you also work from home, or maybe you go to school and find it difficult to study or get homework done. Is there a solution? Help! What About Me!

A Friend In Need

I’m a reserved person and really enjoy being alone. I rarely pick up the telephone to chat and you definitely don’t have to worry about me coming to your home uninvited. I thank God for hiding my unfriendly character with His character, and loving and using me in spite of myself. The Lord has placed an acquaintance in my life, and I've been resistant to the relationship growing for several selfish reasons. For months, I’ve prayed to be receptive to God’s will in this relationship. Yesterday she called crying with some bad news she received and I prayed with her on the phone. After our prayer, she asked me to never leave her, and through her tears, she said she didn’t know what she would do without my friendship. Feeling like I had royal mud in my face, I told her not to thank me, yet thank God. I certainly didn't deserve an ounce of tribute for this friendship. Immediately, the Lord shared with me that my purpose in all new associations isn't to try to be a friend, yet to introduce them to another friend…Jesus. My job isn't to try to love them, yet to tell them of the love Jesus has for them. Whether they know it or not, this is what they are really searching for anyway! Our Lord was all about relationships. He introduced everyone He met to His father or encouraged them to develop a closer relationship with him. Women are notorious for relationship blocking - another trick of the enemy. When I enter another seasonal connection or maybe a relationship that will grow into a lasting friendship, I pray I remember it’s not about me. One day I won’t be so self-consumed. Everyone wants to be loved and needs one faithful friend. My grandmother once told me Jesus is my only friend. What a friend we have in Jesus! A true friend will share The Friend.

Proverbs 18:24 (NKJV)
A man who has friends must himself be friendly. But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Endless Energy

Do children ever get enough of frolic and fun? Am I getting old or what? Maybe it’s just the summer heat affecting their brain, to make them think they must soak up every ounce of daylight and sun they possibly can. They won’t slow down unless I make them. Swimming, running, playing baseball, tag, hide and seek, video games, swimming, skating, running, swimming, running, swimming, and on and on and on all day long. My goodness, if I could bottle up some of that energy for my low days! It doesn’t stop when it’s bath time either! They want to race to see how long it takes them to take a shower and put their pajamas on and then they talk and laugh until one of them falls asleep. My goodness! It really is a blessing they are healthy and full of endless energy. There are children in hospitals never to see the outside again, so I have only countless blessings to thank God for. Their endless energy is just a reminder of how precious life is and the joy we should have everyday regardless of our situation or what we’re going through. The ability to grasp each moment and thank God for the ability to inhale and exhale should be enough to make us want to run and shout!

Family Baptism

I’ve never watched the show – let’s get that straight first, however, I’m very aware of the little character on the show Family Guy. I have no idea what his name is, yet he has a football shaped head and just doesn’t rub me the right way. The commercials are enough to convince me he is not a character I’d invite in my home and he appears to be related to the Simpson Family. Well, so much for my thoughts about Family Guy – what is his name anyway? One day, my youngest son brought home this Family Guy character! He won him when he was out with his Father in one of those machines where you try to win stuffed animals by pulling them up with a metal claw - shaped gadget. When he brought him home, I told him what kind of fellow he was and that I didn’t want him in the house because he wasn’t a good boy. “Mama, we can turn him into a good boy can’t we?” I had no idea what he was talking about, yet the next morning he baptized Family Guy in the bathroom sink and said, “Mama, Family Guy is a good boy now.” I couldn’t say a word because I was surprised he even thought to do such an act. Although we don’t believe water baptism saves or changes you, my son’s thoughts were loving and accepting unlike his mother who wanted to throw the little guy in the trash!! Needless to say, Family Guy is now a part of our family along with many other stuffed animals and characters.

Mundane Matters

Being a home-keeper can become a mundane mess if we allow it to. It's the same thing different day – cooking, cleaning, homework, running errands, taxi-driver, breaking up fights, laundry, etc, etc, etc… Thank God for the power of the mind. We have a choice each day to either dread our everyday responsibilities with frustration or to face the new day with an attitude of gratefulness for a new opportunity to create a comfortable, loving environment for our family. It’s a challenge, yet I enjoy imagining it’s my first time tackling the tasks on my to-do list. How pleasurable it will be to wash this load of laundry I’ve never washed before...separating the colors will be fun! Cook? Oh joy! What nutritious meal shall I prepare today? I may even bake a cake! Mop the floor? I’ll put a shine on it they’ve never seen before! Clean the bathroom? They won’t want to come out! Okay, I said it was a challenge, but doesn’t it sound fun to try? The battle begins in the mind and if we allow our thoughts to take us to that place of dreadful drudgery, it’s difficult to return to our private place of peace. Why even visit such an undesirable place? In an instant, we can paint the walls in our home black with our thoughts and actions. I’d rather stay where the skies are blue and clear - my thoughts are unpolluted and my actions are kind. Mundane matters don't have to be mundane at all.