Prayer: 1 John 5:14

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
1 John 5:14

Almost a year ago, I started to loose my son. His sleep decreased rapidly, he started chewing on furniture, through walls down to the metal beams, his was covered head to toe in eczema, had chronic ear infections, stopped eating, lost weight, and his mood was incredibly challenging. Some days I watched him just stare out the window with no expression and other day I spend the whole day calming a very emotional child. We visited an allergist, a dermatologist, a pediatrician, an ENT, a naturopath, a sleep specialist, and consulted a child psychologist and dentist to find out what was wrong with my son. It was a hard season and I felt stretched to my limits. I was desperate to find an answer.

During that season I spent a lot of time in prayer. Some day I simply said I had no words to offer up. Sometimes I cried. Sometimes I was really angry at God. I was a mom to a very sick three year old, I had an 18 month old, and at the peek of all the health challenges I found out I was pregnant with our third child. It took us months to sort out what was wrong but through it I was reminded that God works in many different ways when it comes to prayer. Sometimes miricles happen instantly and other times it's through lots of hard work and perseverance. Sometimes we wait. I feel somewhere between the wait and perseverance. A year later I am seeing the goodness that came from it, the faith that my son developed, the empathy and mercy that God grew in my child. I doubted sometimes if God heard me but in the end, if I never prayed, I never would have looked for an answer to prayer. Even when its hard, even when it feels hopeless, pray. God is at work and you may not see it yet.

Dear God, thank you for hearing our prayers. Thank you for having your ears tuned to us. What peace it brings to approach you with our request and know you are listening.

Amen.

Weakness: 2 Corinthians 12:10

That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:10

I recently went through a season in life filled with change and challenges. My son was sick, I was pregnant, we were selling our house, we were house hunting, we were going on vacation, and we were moving churches. I don't like change. Adapting and flexibility are not words my family would use to describe me so when a LOT of change is given at once I feel a little broken and overwhelmed. I feel like that season was one I could title survival.

   Looking back, I am so thankful for that season of survival.  I was weak, I struggled, I did got through it but I did it in no other way than by the grace of God. I got to see how GOOD my God was and is and how He is enough to fill in all the places where I feel I was not measuring up which was everywhere. I juggled more balls during the season of survival, I called in more favors, I channeled more energy, and drew upon more strength that I ever have in my life and it still was not enough. The only way I survived was with His strength. God is in our corner, friends. He will be our strength.

Dear God, When I am weak you are strong but often I focus on simply surviving. Help me to lean on you for support. You so desperately want to give it to me.

Amen.

God is Our Comfort : Psalm 91:4

He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Psalm 91:4

Last fall my sweet son was sick for two weeks straight. One night I stood up from the rocking chair and went to gently lay him down but he grasped my finger and held tight.  I was not going anywhere. There was nowhere else I felt more needed and useful than by my son's side. It took no words, just a little squeeze of that chubby toddler hand and I knew I was needed.  He had been battling a fever for days, a double ear infection, repertory infection, and was recovering from the stomach flu and a cold. My son needed his mom.

 In the same way a mother won't abandon her child in need God will never leave us. I love the beautiful imagery and reminders of God's love for us through parenting our own children. Like a mother comforting her child, God will wrap His protection around His children. He is our comfort.

Dear God, when I need you, I pray I can find rest in you. Help me to cling to you, to lean into you, to find comfort in you.

Amen.

Tune Your Ears To Christ: Proverbs 2:1-5

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Proverbs 2:1-5

Infants have a built in compass that point straight to their mother's voice. Even when they ...are in another human's arms their mother's voice is sought and it draws their attention with the slightest whisper. My sweet girl's focus upon my words is where my heart strives to be with God, waiting on every word, dwelling, seeking the soft whispers of the Holy Spirit. As we parent, God has tucked beautiful examples into our children on how we should respond to our Heavenly Father. So today, let us all seek Him like an infant, like a compass pointing to God's voice in our lives. He has so much to teach us if we will be attentive.

The Strong Willed Child: Proverbs 22:6

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

Dear Mother of The Strong Willed Child,
Remember one day your strong willed child may be used for greatness. Their certainty that their way is best, their assurance that their time is ideal, their bold assertiveness that their choices are superior can be molded and shaped into characteristics that are needed to lead the next generation: integrity, tenacity, perseverance, boldness, confidence. If you foster and direct this amazing little one they may just be used to spread ho...pe, lead a nation, inspire change, declare good news and, above all, instill faith in an upcoming generation that so desperately needs a voice of truth. So take heart mama! Keep up the good work! Train that child that is constantly challenging you, making you take pause and question your skill, and never making life dull. They will be leaders and visionaries and it's no accident they were placed into your care, it was purposefully planned and you are equipped to do this. Be their loudest cheerleader, their grounding rock, their spiritual trainer, their listening ear. Your child is a masterpiece who was created with purpose. What an honor it is to be chosen to raise them.

Dear God, Help me to remember that being strong willed can have great benefit. Parenting a strong willed child is hard. It's exhausting. I admit, I don't feel adequate. Help me to remember the great honor it is to raise my child and that this little one has been given a great gift.

Amen.

God's Presence: Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

I know the toddler tantrums well by now. They start with a protest, making us stop dead in our tracks. If the cause of the tantrum is truly an epic injustice then the tears gush forth and at times, in gold winning fashion, their bodies go limp on my arm in a dead weight and they fall to the floor in uncontrollable sobs. So much emotion in a little body and oh, what a scene a toddler can make when truly provoked.

When at my best I can console my little loves, calm them and make the world right again with a deal, an explanation, or helping words to pinpoint their emotions. It takes guidance and patience to navigate the emotional waves of  toddlerhood. It takes practice. I could let my little loves map out these big feelings on their own but as a parent I see their inability and the defeat that would ensue so I stop and tend to them as needed. Sometimes that means helping, sometimes that means responding, sometimes that means giving my child the space they need to work through their outbursts. In any case, as a parent that loves my children, I am present and acutely attentive to their needs because I want the best for my children.

The Father wants the best for His children. Even when life feels like more than can be handled, like injustice or failure have occurred, like one should fall to the floor in defeat, He is there. He may be teaching a lesson, consoling, comforting, or building His children up but the Father is always right there responding. He is present.

Dear God, I can get so caught up in how I feel I forget you are there. Help me to see you in the hard times. Help me to draw near and hear you, watch for you, be mindful of you. You are always present.

Amen.

Learning to Laugh About It Proverbs 31:5

She is clothed with strength and dignity,
and she laughs without fear of the future.
Proverbs 31:25

Well I was caught up on laundry today...for at least 30 minutes. My kitchen was clean between morning snack time and lunch prep and almost clean after lunch but not quite. Satan has tremendous ability to get me down with discouragement and inadequacy when it comes to house cleaning. I'm a neat freak, perfectionist, tidy, and oh, so organized lady and I have a two month old who... spits up all the time, a 2 year old who gets into everything, and my four year old, well, he just reminds me of Linus from Charlie Brown when he comes in from outside. It's an adventure doing life with my loves but it's a messy adventure. Here is the thing, I will never be caught up on house work so long as I'm living life with my little loves. If I dwell on the fact that my house will not be clean for the next 18 years and spend my days worried how I will ever be caught up I'm going to be a grump and not embracing God's best for me. Maybe, one day if Brian and I have an empty nest or if we have finances to have a house keeper each week or if I have no dog or if, or if, or if. The one "if" in life I can count when it comes to cleanliness is if I'm embracing laughter, joy, and positivity when looking at my my almost clean home filled with life and family I AM going to be a lot happier in life. In the end I want a lot of smile lines and memories over a perfectly clean house. So today I choose to laugh more about the never ending mess because there is a lot of happiness in it!

Dear God, help me to learn to laugh about it. To laugh about the mess, the challenge, the chaos that is my life right now. I can choose joy. I can choose to embrace the craziness of the day and be positive, find the little things that make me smile, and let go of what I can't control.

Amen.