Wednesday, May 29, 2013

One Tiny Morsel

 
Today I had to be very creative with what to serve for lunch as I was limited on my options (this mama really needs to go grocery shopping!).  I had some leftover rice and some veggies, so I whipped up a stir fried rice dish...I even put in the scrambled eggs like the restaurants do!!

Of course my girls were not as excited about my wonderful creation as I was...so I bribed them (yes you heard me right I bribed them!!!) with the promise of a scoop of ice cream after they ate ALL their lunch.  My oldest ate all her lunch up in a jiffy and started in on her treat.  My youngest wasn't wanting to eat her lunch but really wanted the ice cream...so my oldest spoon fed her until she had eaten it all. 

Left was my lovely, but sometimes sneaky, middle daughter.  I was in the kitchen cleaning up and felt the need to look in on her in the dining room.  I looked just in time to catch her throwing a small piece of her food onto the ground.  I quickly said her name and she jumped for dear life....she had a look on her face like a deer in the headlights.  She got caught. 

Proverbs 28:6 - Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways. // Your integrity is the most valuable thing a person could have. Protect it. Live by it. Strengthen it. Keep it.

I could have handled the situation a number of ways...in reality it was just a small morsel of food right?  No biggie, no REAL harm done, just a small unnoticeable amount.   But I turned it into a HUGE lesson for my daughter...one about honesty, integrity, and honoring God....even in the smallest of moments.

She was not given the opportunity for any ice cream.  There needed to be consequences for her actions because, although small, it was wrong, deceptive, sneaky, and dishonoring.  I wanted her to understand how exactly sin works in our lives. 

It starts out small, harmless, no big deal, no body would ever know, no one else would be impacted by that choice.  But sin takes root and grows and festers. 

SIN WILL TAKE YOU FARTHER THAN YOU WANTED TO GO, KEEP YOU LONGER THAN YOU WANTED TO STAY, AND COST YOU FAR MORE THAN YOU WERE WILLING TO PAY

Every day we have opportunities to teach our children the principals behind our faith, help them to understand right from wrong, show them how much God loves and values them, and extend grace and forgiveness to them just as God extends to us!

Teach Them Diligently - Chalkboard Bible Verse Art Print - 8x10 via Etsy
 
My daughter may have missed out on a delicious bowl of ice cream today but I hope and pray that the lesson she learned would be something she carries with her all of her life...how amazing it feels to confess wrong, to make things right, to be embraced with open arms and to receive forgiveness, and to have the weight of sin lifted.  No amount of ice cream can measure up!!
 
I wanted to share all of this today because there are many days as I mom I feel overwhelmed, discouraged, unmotivated, weary, and come down very hard on myself.  But it's in moments like today that I am reminded...it isn't all for nothing. 
 
Keep up all that you are doing moms!!  Your kids will someday be world changers all because you stopped to teach them a lesson on honesty over one tiny morsel!!



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Saturday, May 11, 2013

Even "Supermoms" need to rest!

 
I truly wish this were the case....don't you?  Super powers that enable us to do all the things we do:
 
make breakfast
do laundry
give baths
teach little ones
discipline
pay bills
take kids to swim lessons
take kids to music lessons
take kids to dance lessons
kiss boo boos
mop floors
make lunch
dust furniture
teach at homeschool co-op
oversee monthly moms nights
scrub toilets
vacuum carpets
clean up messes
go grocery shopping
take kids to the library
forget to return the 500 million books in time to the library
run endless errands
make dinner
wash dishes
fold towels
plant a garden
mow the lawn
break up fights
tuck kids into bed
DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN THE NEXT DAY!!!
 
I recently hit an all time low with my energy level and started battling extreme fatigue.  I could barely make it to 2:00 in the afternoon before I needed to take a nap.  This wasn't the typically "tired" mom syndrome...my body felt heavy, drugged, and exhausted.
 
Besides having blood work done and beginning a regiment of supplements (Vitamin D, Vitamin C, B-Complex, B-12, Adrenal support, and iron),  I am learning to rest and say no to things.  Power naps are something I do 3-4 times a week.  That's OK!   I've had to cancel certain appointments because it's just too much with other activities in the same day.  That's OK!   My kids are watching more TV than I'd like them to!  That's OK!  I haven't planted a garden this year.  That's OK!  My kids are not getting lots of gourmet meals right now.  That's OK!  I've cancelled activities that I normally do on a monthly basis.  That's OK!  I took a break from running.  That's OK!  I called upon friends and asked them to pick up or bring my kids home from activities.  That's OK!
 
Most moms I know go and go and go.  They pour out so much into the lives of others...but so often forget to take care of themselves.   Remember it's ok to stop, to rest, to say no, to do something for yourself, to cancel appointments/activities, to not have a perfectly clean house or a gourmet meal every night, or to ask a friend to help out in some way.
 
Are you weary? tired? fatigued? overwhelmed? It's time to stop and surrender yourself before the Lord and find rest in Him.  You won't regret it!
 
 
Happy Mothers Day...now go put your feet up and rest!

You can be ordinary and leave the superhuman powers up to God!





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