Prepare For The Day!

I don’t know about you, but the busier I am the more scatterbrained and forgetful I become. Today is an extremely busy day for me and I’m trying to do all the right things to condition my body properly. I must do my part to prepare for the day. It’s easy to say I don’t have time to exercise, yet I really can’t afford NOT to exercise and prayer is a MUST. Exercise will give me the extra boost of energy I’ll need plus help me mentally. Continual prayer will help me stay focused throughout the day and remind me to stay connected to my true source of power. Hitting the floor running use to be my way of life, yet age and wisdom has taught me differently. Have you properly prepared for your day?

The Victory!

While watching the final inning of the World Series last night, I focused on the facial expressions of the anxious fans awaiting the outcome of the game. I related to their edgy emotions by recalling some of the very close games my sons have participated in. Each player’s move is watched with intense concentration as spectators hope and pray for victory. At the end of the game, you see the winning team running on the field, jumping up and down, and yelling with excitement while the other team faces the agony of defeat. I had a life lesson in this late night baseball game I was honored to watch alone.

I’ve been promised a life of victory! I don’t have to live my life wondering and hoping about the outcome of my circumstances. I have a choice to maintain a mind of victory or defeat. My life should be anxiety free! These thoughts made me want to jump up and down and run through my living room as if I had won the World Series. What joy! I have God’s favor living a life of promised triumph. It doesn’t matter what the middle of my mess looks like – I have the victory! It doesn’t matter if I’m bringing up the rear – I live in victory! It doesn’t matter if things don’t go according as planned – I’ve got the victory! Helping our children apply these concepts in their small worlds of academics, sports, and other endeavors teaches them spiritual success. Preparing our children for life is one thing, yet preparing them with a mindset of victory is larger than life. The benefits of being obedient and in God’s will are beyond belief, yet real. The Red Sox may have won the World Series, yet when you're on God’s team, you're a winner in life! Live today in victory!

This is a Test

My goodness! One thing after another has been breaking in our home. This week alone, our kitchen sink was backed up, the plumbing throughout the house has been acting crazy, our washing machine is broken, the refrigerator is leaking, one car wouldn’t start this morning, and just to put the cherry on top, I played a CD in my husband’s car and it just won’t eject – it’s stuck! When it rains it pours! Sometimes little things can pile up and cause complete chaos in the home. This is when keeping your peace of mind comes into play. In spite of all around me, I have peace. What can I do except deal with one issue at a time and go with the flow? Falling apart doesn’t help anything or anyone and things really could be a lot worse. This is a test – this is just a test of the National Coping Skills and Stress Service. I wasn’t prepared for this test, yet this too shall pass. One day at a time – one issue at a time.

Is Hubby Number One?

Being a wife is a full time job! There is more to being a help mate than meeting the physical needs of my groom. Cooking for him, washing his clothes, and stroking his ego every now and then are all good, yet that's not all. My prayer this morning was that I truly grasp the meaning of being my husband's helper - physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. I felt like I was doing a good job until our Married Couples Class last night. The study was on priorities - my goodness...I fall so short in making my groom feel he is number one in my life. Yes, he is a high maintenance man, yet his high maintenance and everything else about him are mine. He is God's gift to me although I often want to return it (smile). I'm making a new commitment to pay more attention to the needs of my man and make him feel he is number one in my life. God IS my life, so hubby should be number one. The children think they are number one, yet they come second. I'm mentally exhausted at the thought of this new commitment, yet I'll just ask for an extra filling of the Holy Spirit. I want to give my husband all HE needs, not all I think he needs - there's a difference! Well, no time to talk... I've got a JOB to do!

Hallelujah Anyhow!

Even the worse thing that has ever happened to you has worked for your good – if you love God. I heard this statement years ago as a pastor explained Romans 8:28. I often recall this verse and refer to it as my situation scripture. It brings me comfort and lets me know everything is alright. Recently, a tornado visited my city and damaged some homes and also my church home. The tornado took me back to the many personal tornadoes of life I’ve dealt with. Sometimes it seemed my life was turned upside down, yet remembering God was in control made everything alright. In spite of my tornadoes, I’m still standing and they’ve actually made me stronger and strengthened my faith. It doesn’t matter if a tornado hits my home, my marriage, my children, my car, my money, my friendships, my job, or my health…God is in charge, so it’s already alright and I must say, “Hallelujah anyhow!” The first time I heard this phrase was over ten years ago when I miscarried twins and a woman I respected said to me, “Well, Hallelujah anyhow!” I thought this was the most insensitive comment she could have made, yet as I grow in the knowledge of Christ, her words were exactly what I needed to hear. It’s not about my light afflictions, yet about giving God glory in the midst of my tornado. Hallelujah anyhow!

The key to this faith is staying in the will of God and living my life solely for Him. As my tornadoes come and go (and they are coming), they remind me I am not here to fulfill my own selfish wants, needs, and desires. I was created by Him for Him and nothing else matters. Is a tornado visiting you? Well, Hallelujah anyhow!

Psalm 113:1 (TLB)

Hallelujah! O Servants of Jehovah, praise His name.

Memories

I was looking through my journal and came across some old wedding and funeral programs. One particular home-going celebration program captured my attention. It was of a young woman I knew from my previous church in California. She and I were pregnant at the same time. My last memory of her was standing in our church foyer (California) foyer together. We were both big as balloons. We laughed, talked, and shared due dates. It wasn’t long after our conversation that she died - in her ninth month. While looking at her obituary, I thought…God could have chosen me to come home with Him. Life is full of swift transitions. You never know what is going to happen from one day to the next – one minute to the next! The memories I have of this young woman are wonderful – her spirit, her smile, her friendliness, her joyfulness. Hmmm…what memories am I creating for my family and friends? Am I being the loving, supportive wife my husband needs? Am I giving my children the love they need to be confident, secure young adults? Am I being the woman God created me to be? The only thing we’ll be able to take to the other side is a good life. The only things we’ll leave behind are good memories. Make good memories each day.

MENAPPLAUSE!

Lately, I’ve been hearing so much about menopause through the media. From the day I realized I was in peri-menopause (the beginning stages), I have been excited. I thank God for the mood swings and hot flashes! Menapplause! Why? This change in my life not only reminds me that my pop-up craziness is warranted, yet it’s preparing me for the second stage of my life as a secure, confident woman. Younger women should be prepared for this transition. I wish I had been more aware of the change. Instead, I thought I needed crazy pills and thought I was drying up into a grey pile of brittle bones. I’m also celebrating menopause because one day I will be free from Aunt Flo! She has GOT TO GO! Her monthly visits have been an inconvenience since middle school and it’s time for her to pack her bags and leave for good. Aunt Flo, you are no longer welcome here! MENAPPLAUSE!!

God's Protection / Mother's Intuition

I'm one of those Mothers who still gets up in the middle of the night to check on her children. If my eyes open, I'm up surveying the house - going through each room making sure everything is in tact and also looking out a window to see the front of the house and our surroundings. The main thing I do before going back to bed is check on my babies ( ages 9/11) and pray for them. Last night I didn't make my survey check. I remember looking at the clock and it read 1:30 and I chose to stay in bed. Well, this morning when I walked into my sons' room to check on them, their ceiling fan was on the floor. Yes, the ceiling fan was on the floor. It fell right out of the ceiling. I looked over my boys to see if they were okay. I was almost afraid to get close to them, but I made sure they were breathing and immediately thanked God once again for his mercy and protection. The ceiling fan didn't have to fall straight down. It could have done some serious damage in their small room and to them. I left the fan on the floor because I want the boys to see it when they wake up. What a wonderful opportunity to share God's grace and mercy - we are so undeserving! Anyway, I'm not saying the fan would not have fallen if I had done my routine survey check, yet there may have been some sign - a sound or something. When God opens a Mother's eyes in the middle of the night - it isn't just because He wants to see how beautiful they are - get up! A Mother's intuition is stronger than we can ever imagine. We can't be everywhere at all times, yet God can, so when He prompts us to move (whatever time of the day)...for His sake MOVE!