Sunday, September 25, 2016
this girl.
I love her missing teeth, and the freckles on her nose. I love her silly laugh and her pretty princess pose. She's not always the most graceful, but she loves to dance and twirl. She's everything I dreamed of...thank you God for giving me this girl. 💕🎀 #mygirl #andaspidermanphotobomb
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Thanking God for the fleas.
As I sit here this evening after a not so easy day, I am humbling myself before God in a prayer of overwhelming gratefulness. Sick kids for two weeks, feeling like I'm getting sick myself, several frustrating ordeals, and then ending my night with hitting the edge of a tin horn and busting my tire, caused a little emotional breakdown. Thankfully, Karen McKenzie Cook came to my rescue. Even as an adult, having a mother who is so grounded in a foundation of Christ and so gentle in spirit is one of my biggest comforts.
I find myself frequently frustrated with LilliAnn because she lacks my boldness and confidence, and because she's more quiet than I sometimes want her to be. Other times I look at all of the many ways she is like my mother and I praise God for his perfect creation...a daughter of the King created in His image to guide and raise to the best of my ability. And I am brought to tears.
My mom has told me this story before, but as I sat in my front seat crying of frustration and exhaustion, she reminded me once again of a beautiful story of how God can work for good in all situations.
Corrie Ten Boom, and her sister Betsie, were Christians, and were put in prison by the Nazis for hiding Jews in their home. Betsie once thanked God for the terrible fleas that had infested the prison, and her sister was outraged. She urged Corrie to give God thanks in all circumstances, but Corrie refused saying she just could not be grateful for fleas!
The girls in the cell gathered every night to read the Bible together, their only glimmer of hope and happiness each day. They could get severely punished or put to death if they were caught, but for some reason the guards stopped coming inside their cell every night and just looked through the door. Come to find out, the reason the guards did not enter was because they did not want to get fleas. Mom reminded me to be thankful even for the "fleas" because they may be part of God's perfect plan for your life. What we see as hard times, bad days, frustrations, or tough situations, could be God's way of protecting us or leading us closer to Him.
I know not everyone has a close relationship with their mother, and I know some of you have lost your mothers way too soon, but my prayer is that you find someone like this...your comfort, your rock, someone that loves you unconditionally and always leads you to His precious Word...a close friend, a sister, a grandmother, or someone in your church.
Thank you, Jesus, for this wonderful life you have given each of us...even when we have "fleas."
I find myself frequently frustrated with LilliAnn because she lacks my boldness and confidence, and because she's more quiet than I sometimes want her to be. Other times I look at all of the many ways she is like my mother and I praise God for his perfect creation...a daughter of the King created in His image to guide and raise to the best of my ability. And I am brought to tears.
My mom has told me this story before, but as I sat in my front seat crying of frustration and exhaustion, she reminded me once again of a beautiful story of how God can work for good in all situations.
Corrie Ten Boom, and her sister Betsie, were Christians, and were put in prison by the Nazis for hiding Jews in their home. Betsie once thanked God for the terrible fleas that had infested the prison, and her sister was outraged. She urged Corrie to give God thanks in all circumstances, but Corrie refused saying she just could not be grateful for fleas!
The girls in the cell gathered every night to read the Bible together, their only glimmer of hope and happiness each day. They could get severely punished or put to death if they were caught, but for some reason the guards stopped coming inside their cell every night and just looked through the door. Come to find out, the reason the guards did not enter was because they did not want to get fleas. Mom reminded me to be thankful even for the "fleas" because they may be part of God's perfect plan for your life. What we see as hard times, bad days, frustrations, or tough situations, could be God's way of protecting us or leading us closer to Him.
I know not everyone has a close relationship with their mother, and I know some of you have lost your mothers way too soon, but my prayer is that you find someone like this...your comfort, your rock, someone that loves you unconditionally and always leads you to His precious Word...a close friend, a sister, a grandmother, or someone in your church.
Thank you, Jesus, for this wonderful life you have given each of us...even when we have "fleas."
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