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.

Mom Equipped: Ephisians 2:10

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:10

My husband has been gone from the house a grand total of 49 hours over the last 4 days for work and a dentist appointment. I am feeling like this day will never end. To my fellow mamas out there joyfully juggling parenthood with little ones I have to tell you, some days at our house we have bath-sicle days, tearful days, movie and pajama days, park days, play date days, parenting fail days, and rock star days. We read, we paint, we make a mess and my kids can be a mess. We hardly give baths, we eat good meals and nutritionally shocking meals. The one thing in common is I have days...with my sweet sweet and sometimes emotionally challenge children. I have days with my little loves.

Sometimes those days are in survival mode like today. Can anyone relate? I am trying to choose to make the most of every day because God is using me to shape these children into something good, someone useful, someone who is going to be impacting and teaching the next generation about His goodness. These little ones I am spending my days with were placed into my care with a plan and a purpose.

We as mamas have been uniquely equipped to handle the hard, the mess, the heartache, and are blessed to see the growth, the triumph, and the success. What a privilege it is to be raising up the princes of God, the daughters of the King. That right there, changes my whole attitude...so never mind that my kids are playing outside in the backyard in pajamas after eating fudge pops for an hour in the tub to pass the time. Today is a day I get to spend with them, raising them, teaching them, shaping them. I was appointed by God for this and I have a purpose in my children's lives.

Dear God, You have called me to this. You made me for this. Sometimes I feel like parenthood is more than I can handle and inadequacy sets in. I am slowly learning how imperfect I am but that with you I am capable. Help me to remember what I do matters and how I do it makes a difference. Shepherding little hearts is a lot of work and I don't feel up to the task so remind me on the hard days I am not alone in this and that you have equipped me.

God Can Use The Young: 2nd Kings 11:21

Joash was seven years old when he began to reign.

2nd Kings 11:21

Josh was SEVEN when God called him to kingship. Seven! Not only was his age amazing he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and God used him. He was young, and you know what, it's a hunch but I bet it was a challenge to be king at such a young age.  Age did not stop God from doing good through Joash.

Lately, lots of my prayer cards have reflected a need for prayer for children. For safety, for healing, for protection, for growth, for answers to questions. My oldest son  taught me this week that these prayers we are showering over our children may be a sign that God is growing something good! My son has the gift of faith. His faith is a crazy, move mountains, never doubt his God gift and it all came from his health challenges over the last year and a lot of prayer. God used it to grow something good in my son.

Today I am lifting up in prayer our children! I am praying  God would be shaping these children to do good work. That God would be growing their hearts to develop gifts that are tools for His work on earth. That their age would not limit when God uses them and that we, as their parents would have the wisdom to foster faith in their God. Pray for your children today and for your  children's friends. God has big plans for them! Their life circumstances now, be it mountains or valleies, may be shaping them for the good works God has planned for them long ago (Ephesians 2:10).

Dear God, Please grow in me a heart to prayer for my children. Give me words to encourage them in their walk with you and eyes to see the areas I need to foster. May they grow to be bold in their convictions, sure of who they are in you, and boldly proclaim to their generation how good a God you are.

Amen,

Fellowship: Hebrews 10:24

And let us consider how to spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Hebrews 10:24

As we gathered round the table with friends tonight it was nothing short of chaos with five little ones running about. Conversation was constantly interuputed, tears were shed, vegetables were protested. To someone without kids or currently not in the trenches of toddlerhood dinners it looked like the worst get together hardly worth the time. To the four parents who got to intermittently talk and grab a bite of the food here and there while feeding our little loves it was perfection. Why? We had fellowship! We were fed! We were encouraged! We were understood! That exhausting dinner energized my heart and spurred me on to better love my kids, challenged me to show intentional love to my husband, motivated me to serve my community. Never underestimate how powerful and purposeful gathering at the table with loved ones can be, how allowing time to feel seen and heard and encouraged can provide a space where you feel at peace among the chaos. Seek out fellowship, even during the crazy seasons of life. It may be those draining dinners fill you up so you can better pour out onto others.

Dear God, I struggle to find time for fellowship. It's easy to sit back and focus on the responsibility of parenting, events, classes, and life and not carve time out to spend with others. I see the importance of not only blessing others but taking time to encourage my own heart so I can continue the work you have for me on eart. Please grow on me a heart of generosity and hospitality so I may encourage others and spur them on towers love as well as myself. Help me make time to appreciate the gift of fellowship with other believers.

Amen.

Honeycomb: Proverbs 16:23

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Proverbs 16:24

As part of our Bible memory verse this past  week we taste tested honey and vinegar and decided honey was better. Along with that, we made a list of honey words and discussed how we could be sweet to each other's ears. Game changer!  Not only did my kids understand better when they were complaining but they actively tried being sweet to my ears! 

Here is my humbling realization  as a mom. I often avoid being unkind with words but am not seeking out kindness to the best of my ability. The very application of "encouraging one another and building each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11)" is not my goal in conversation as much as guarding my tongue and avoided ng gossip, vanity, discouragement. My sons were living examples and a daily challenge of how to spread encouragement, goodness, and love as Christ calls us to. So this week, I made a choice to not be on guard to words that sour souls but to be active with sweet words like my children have taught me, like Christ calls us. I want to sweeten the lives around me and be as excited as my sons are to speak goodness into the lives of others.

Dear God, May the words that flow from my lips and the thighs that go unspoken be uplifting to others. Help me to go beyond avoiding sin and spur on good words and thoughts in my life. May everyone I encounter feel encouraged, loved, and uplifted because you are speaking through me.

Amen.