Is Your Tank Full?

 My gas tank isn’t the only tank I’ve been checking lately. I’ve been forced to check my faith tank also. When I first noticed the $3.35 gas prices, I laughed; but I quickly realized I would actually have to pay that ridiculous price. Oh well, just because the gas prices constantly fluctuate doesn’t mean my faith has to. Unwavering faith is definitely what is needed these days. I need a full tank of faith – forget gas! I must continually remind myself that God is my sufficiency. Not my retirement check, not hubby’s job, not a tax return, or my book sales…GOD is my sufficiency! It’s easy to look at gas prices and fall into frustration and doubt, yet I have to remember the God I serve has always sustained my family. The rising cost of fuel doesn’t change who God is. Sometimes we forget God is ALMIGHTY. We forget God is ABLE. We forget God is in CONTROL. Sometimes it takes a jolt to our pocketbook to remember just who God is. Maybe we got comfortable being able to fill our tanks up. Ha! Who is comfortable now? Who is filling their gas tank up now without saying, “Lord, have mercy!” Our circumstances can change in a moment, but thank God for His unchanging hand!  Our gas tanks may not be full, but let’s make sure our faith tank is! Thank God it’s Monday and as gas prices increase, so shall our faith!

TGIM

 Last night, Secondborn said, “I wish I didn’t have to go to school tomorrow.” Oh boy, here we go again and he’s starting early.  I would love to hear someone in my home say, “Thank God, it’s Monday!” Well, I guess that person will have to be me. We have the power to make our day and today I choose to look upon this new Monday with a new attitude. Thank God it’s Monday! Thank God for another chance to get my attitude right! Thank God for another Monday to see my husband and children.  What about you? Is there something you have to be thankful for this Monday morning? Thank God for a job! Thank God for food! Thank God for a car! Thank God for sight to read this meditation! Thank God for life – health – strength! Thank God it’s Monday! In spite of what happened over the weekend, in spite of our present circumstances, in spite of our funky mood, let’s thank God for TODAY – TGIM! Tuesday is not promised to us, so let’s thank God NOW!  Someone didn’t wake up this morning. It’s Monday and we’re alive! I make no apologies for sounding like I’m preaching this Monday morning, but I have never heard anyone say, ‘TGIM’. What a great way to start the week off – in appreciation and full of thanksgiving! I dare you to TGIM and I double dare you to say it to someone else. Those words may be exactly what someone may need to change the outcome of their day; it sure changed mine! Secondborn will probably need a little help this morning, so I’ll share this with him as soon as I see his happy face (smile). TGIM!

No Chocolates, Please!

  Hubby knows not to come home with flowers or chocolates on Valentine’s Day. It would upset me more than anything to receive a box of chocolates when I crave chocolate throughout the year. Why do I have to wait for Valentine’s Day? I’d rather have sushi than flowers and he is the only teddy bear I want to sleep with. Needless to say, we don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. I’d rather save myself possible disappointment and save hubby some heartache. In the book, “We Snap in Silence” , I mention how women sometimes expect a love from our husband that he is humanly incapable of giving. We wait for special holidays to receive a prompted gift, card, or any small token of love. The truth is, the love we desire is not in our home, but it’s in our heart. Think about this…God created love; God is love, so why do we seek His love from a man? No wonder we’re always emotionally bruised. We expect something that can’t be delivered. The carnal love we share is a surface love - it doesn’t last.  We have to work hard to keep the fire burning, but God’s love is everlasting! He comforts us and loves us like no one else can. God wants us to love Him back with our whole heart and wants His love to flow freely through us – everyday. Our children are watching us! Are we showing God’s love? Did we show love yesterday? How about when we feel unappreciated and taken advantage of in our home? Do we show God’s love or do we show out? Well, regardless of how we choose to celebrate Valentine’s Day – or not, remember… our first and only true love is the Creator of love – God. Remember to first love yourself and have a very special day of love – today and everyday!

Mama, I'm Hungry!

 Unlike his younger brother, Firstborn attempts to save his money, but his strong desires of unnecessary wants usually get the best of him. 


I place money in his lunch account to last him a couple of weeks. Lunch is $2.50 a day, so anything he purchases over that amount is taken from another day's lunch. I recently checked his account and sure enough there were days he spent $3.00 and even $4.00. I know you're a growing boy, but you're going to be hungry for a couple of days! As hard as it was not to give him extra money, I didn't - I couldn't!  He had to make and take his own lunch or go hungry. Firstborn decided to go hungry. Auuuugh! 

"Mama, I'm hungry!" rang in this Mama's ears all day long. 

His first day without lunch money, he said he went to his football coach's office and ate two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He loves peanut butter and jelly and the coach always has an ample supply for the team.  Today is the second day and it killed me to not give him a couple of dollars, but the lesson is more important. One day, he'll be off in college or wherever he is and needs to know if you have X amount of dollars to last you the month, you better make X amount of dollars last!


I'll see today if it was another peanut butter and jelly day because once again he chose not to take his lunch to school. I could have made it for him, but that's another lesson...is there something wrong with your hands?

The Perfect Recipe

 

The boys requested hot wings for our family Super Bowl Party, so since I’ve made them before, I decided to save a penny and make them myself again. They both anticipated finger lickin’ hot wings and I looked forward to making them. I chose a very simple recipe, but it wasn’t enough sauce for the amount of wings I had, so I began to add more ingredients - without following the recipe. Big mistake! I thought the sauce was too hot, so I attempted to tone down the heat with ingredients that weren’t in the original recipe. Big mistake! The more I added to the sauce, the worse the sauce tasted. Secondborn, my little chef, tasted the sauce and said, “Mama, what did you do to it?”  I was so upset at myself for not following the recipe. In my frustration, a Life Lesson for LaVender surfaced. God has a plan, a perfect recipe, for my life. Instead of trying to manipulate His plan and do my own thing, I need to follow His recipe. My desires, lack of patience, and inability to see the bigger picture only messes up the recipe. Follow the recipe, LaVender, you don’t know what you’re doing! Sometimes God will add a little more heat to His plan (the recipe) than we desire, but we must endure. He’ll even add a little more flavor than expected, just trust His recipe! Just because the recipe doesn’t look appealing doesn’t mean the end product won’t be gratifying. Follow the recipe! I never expected to receive a life lesson while making hot wings but it was a spicy one. Firstborn and hubby said the hot wings were delicious and ate them up – thank goodness! I didn’t follow the recipe, but God added a special ingredient – grace! Sweet, Jesus! Even when we veer from His recipe, He has a way of working with the mess we make. Wouldn’t it just be easier to follow the original recipe in the first place?

Aprons - Did you know?

Author Unknown   I don't think our kids know what an apron is. The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material. But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven. When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.. And when the weather was cold Grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner. It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes. REMEMBER: Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw. They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron. I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron - but love...

Don't Shoot The Messenger!

 Last Friday, while working in the concession stand at Firstborn’s school, my foot began to cramp. The pain was horrible and one of the other mothers told me I wasn’t drinking enough water.  I was a little irritated and embarrassed because she admonished me for something I preach to other women all the time. Drink water! Drink water! She even told me in front of a couple of other women – good grief.  Foot cramps occur for many reasons, but she was right – I had not consumed enough water that particular day. Instead of immediately drinking water, I silently pouted because she corrected me. She was only helping me, but my pride got in the way.  My fragile emotions didn’t allow me to embrace what God was doing at that moment – giving me help.  Women don’t always embrace the counsel of other women, but if we realize she may be God’s messenger, her words may be easier to receive.  If another woman lovingly says our dress is too short or too tight, accept it. If we’re told we are complaining too much, accept it. If we’re told we should smile more or that we aren’t being friendly, accept it. If we’re told we need to exercise, eat healthier, or drink more water, accept it! Of course, we naturally consider the source, but if we are allowing God to order our steps, other women cross our paths to strengthen and encourage us – to help us.   We often hesitate in admonishing one another because of our reactions. How many times have you heard or said, “You tell her!” Let’s attempt to receive the words God sends us. We obviously don’t listen when He tells us Himself! What’s the popular phrase? “Don’t shoot the messenger!”

By the way, make sure you drink at least 8-10 glasses of water today – I sure will.

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