just enjoy the ride...

Oy. Riding with the kids sometimes. I mean seriously, when did they become seasoned, know all the right roads to take, little GPS's. Anyone have this precious situation happen...?

You're driving along, knowing that bumper to bumper traffic is looming in the distance, so you turn to take an alternate route.

The children lose their minds.

"MOM, where are you going?!?!"
"This in NOT the right way!?!?!"
"I want to go to the Y!!!!"
"You aren't supposed to go this way!"

To which I patiently respond...

"Dear children of mine, please just sit back and enjoy the ride..."

NOT.

The capslock and exclamation mark buttons on my computer would break if I gave you nothing but the truth. But I am sure you can relate and use your imagination:)

I couldn't help but think today, when this situation arose for the 8 millionth time in our car...how many times have I done this to my Heavenly Father?

You know how it goes. Life is seamless. Everything has a purpose and you know what lies ahead.

And then a sudden turn.

It's unexpected and throws a wrench in our daydreaming and planning. We find ourselves saying to the Almighty, "Ummm, excuse me, I don't know if You were aware, but we were supposed to be heading in THAT direction. You can turn around at the next street."

But how amazing that just like us, who take different turns to maneuver around traffic, accidents, and delays that our dear children can't see and don't understand, our heavenly Father does the same.

Those unexpected turns in our lives, the unforeseen stops and pauses have a purpose. And it is never to take us away from our destination, oh no...quite the contrary. They are meant to bring us safely to our purpose and dream.

So dear one, let go, know that you are in the hands of the One who created and birthed your dreams. You are in the hands of the One who made the sunsets and snowflakes. You are in the hands of the One who dreamed YOU.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. He knows where He is taking you...

Proverbs 3:5-6 Amplified Bible (AMP)
"Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart
And do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
[a]In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him,
And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way]."

Proverbs 16:9 Amplified Bible (AMP)
A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life],
But the Lord directs his steps and establishes them.

Open our eyes...

This week we were up at the cabin. I love that place. Time up there is always to short.

We were packing up and just about to leave, when Bowden, got something in his eye. We could all see it, and it was causing him intense pain. There was something stuck right in the middle of his eye, and it was not moving.

I stood there, holding him, feeling helpless.  I knew we needed to pray, and so before I said anything to Bowden, I said my own prayer. A prayer I think we have all said at one time or another.

Father, I need you to come through for Bowden. I need him to know that You hear him, You care for him. If he prays, I need You to answer. Please.

So we prayed.

And his eye still hurt.

So I told Bowden, we need to look for HOW God is going to answer your prayer.

Amazingly, Grandma had some eye drops in her purse that when we put them in, Bowdens eye began to feel better. And better. And better. Till the pain was completely gone.

I asked Bowden, "How did God answer our prayer?" and he said, "with medicine."

Sometimes the answer we are looking for, isn't the way He is going to answer.

I learned through this experience that I do not need to be worried about whether or not God will answer my prayers, or my children's prayers. He will answer. The question is, are my eyes opened to see His answer?

What is the prayer, the question, that you are waiting for Him to answer?

My prayer for us today is that He would open our eyes to the unexplainable creativity He has when He responds to us. He is moved by our prayers and requests. Never doubt that. Never doubt that He is listening attentively. Don't miss His answer because it doesn't come the way we think it will.

Father, open our eyes to see Your goodness that is all around us. Open our eyes and our hearts to see and remember that You are a good Father, that has good intentions towards us. Your answers are always good and always perfect. For that person that has been waiting on You, I ask that You would bring about the answer to that question, that prayer. And I ask that they would be blown away by the protection, compassion, and purpose that Your answer has. Amen.

Psalm 69:16
"Answer me, O LORD, for your lovingkindness is good; According to the greatness of your compassion, turn to me."

Psalm 119:68
"You are good, and what you do is good; Teach me your statutes."

Psalm 145:9
"The Lord is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works."

1 Chronicles 16:34
"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting."

Our Little Arrow.

Today was Bowden's first day of kindergarten (no joke, I almost spelled kindergarten wrong on his little chalkboard.) There were a lot of emotions, but mostly pure pride in the amazing kiddo that we have as a son. 

There is a scripture verse that God has given to me and Nate for our boys. It really started to take root when Lexon was born. The verse is Psalm 127:4, "like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth." 

Our children are our arrows. They are what we have to combat the fallen world that we live in. They are what we have to spread light into darkness. 

What an honor and responsibility it is as parents, to have those precious arrows in our hands. We influence greatly the speed, trajectory, and targets of our little arrows. At times that idea feels overwhelming, but in those moments, let us remember something.  We are arrows as well. And we are in the Hands of an Archer who never misses.

Today we took the first step of releasing our first little arrow, I imagine it will be a process from now till eternity. My prayer is simply this. May our hands be guided by Him as we release our arrows, and may they accomplish what You have uniquely purposed each one of them for.  

We were pretty proud of ourselves for making it through without crying :)

Hope.

So, last night I was a bit overwhelmed. Not with the kiddos, not with the daily grind of cleaning the kitchen for the 14th time, but with my state of hope.  

 

My newsfeed has been overwhelmed as well. 

Overwhelmed with news, comments, and conversations that have sucked the hope right out of me. I glance now at the trending column we all can see, and the top two are enough to send me into free flowing tears for the overwhelming heartache that so many are feeling right now.

My heart aches to its depth for you. 

Amongst all the sadness and confusion, that still, small, beautiful voice spoke up in my heart and reminded me of a text I had gotten from a friend of mine earlier this week. It simply said this...

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." Hebrews 6:19

The Amplified version says it this way, "Now we have this hope as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whoever steps upon it-a hope that reaches farther and enters into the very certainty of the Presence within the veil."

I am so thankful for access to that kind of hope. A hope that is resilient when it has no reason to be. A hope that springs up stronger after it has come under crushing circumstances. 

I am praying for that kind of hope to take deep roots in my heart, and in yours.

May we always remember that He is the anchor for our souls. Though we may sway with the waves of mourning and confusion, He is our anchor that is firm and secure.

Psalm 34:18 "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (AMP) "He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end."

Lift Me Up....

This is Lex ready for me to get him out of his crib:) So cute right? As I was lifting him up out of his crib, I had a thought.

Sometimes we are in a place where we are waiting, with our arms stretched high, for our Lord to come and pick us up. To lift us up out of something.

I'm not always able to get Lex right at the minute that he wants out, usually because I am preparing something. Dinner, a bath, coffee...to name a few.

Sometimes the Lord doesn't lift us up out of our situation right away, because He is preparing something.

And His somethings are always worth the wait.

I want to encourage you to stay standing, stay reaching towards Him, because at the right and perfect time, He is going to come and scoop you up and out, and then set your feet on solid ground!

Psalm 40:1-2
"I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand."

Here is a great song to go along with this....

Ever Present.

Today while I was driving home with my little Lexon when I noticed that he was beginning to fall asleep, but would then startle awake as the van jostled and turned. I awkwardly reached back to where he was and let my hand rest on the inside of his carseat. It didn't take much time for his little head and hand to find mine. He cozied up to my hand, with his little fingers intertwined with mine and fell asleep. And so did my whole arm. But I just couldn't bring myself to move it. Then I had the sweetest of thoughts. I get to call myself daughter, to the Father that is our ever present help in time of need. Lexon needed just that little extra assurance of my presence to drift off into a peaceful sleep, and sometimes we need that extra assurance of His presence to continue down whatever path He is calling us down. Luckily for all of us, His arm will never fall asleep as He reaches to hold our hand in our sometimes awkwardly positioned situations and circumstances. He knows exactly what you need to fall into that peaceful place. Allow yourself to find rest while you hold onto His hand through whatever precarious place you find yourself in today.
Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

What I'll Remember...

The other day the boys and I were getting ready to head out of the house, which is always an adventure...to say the least.  I walked into our mudroom to see all the shoes spilled out of the shoe rack and all over the floor.  I was ready to place blame to the baby when I saw my oldest son Bowden, covering his head.

Dead giveaway that I had found the shoe scattering culprit.

I asked Bowden if he has taken all the shoes out. Simple question right? But, oh the hemming and hawing that followed! At this point my focus was no longer on the shoes, but on desperately willing my son to tell me the truth.

Have you ever had that moment? You can see the fight, the fork in the road that is in front of your child and you desperately want them to choose the right thing? I did what I think most parents would do and I reassured him that I wasn't going to get mad, but I just wanted to know the truth.

More hemming and hawing...

But then...

He copped to it. Told me the whole story and then paused to see what my reaction was going to be. I paused and prayed quickly, Lord how do I encourage him to keep telling the truth? Where do I bring the focus? Here is what He told me to do...

Tell Bowden what you are going to remember from this.

So I leaned over to Bowden and I told him, "Buddy, when I think about what just happened here, you want to know what I'm going to remember? I am NOT going to remember that you messed up all the shoes, I am going to remember that you chose to tell mommy the truth. And I am so pleased with you, and so proud of you."

God is pleased with you, and proud of you too.

Whatever it is that you find yourself hemming and hawing about in your mind, in your conversations with Him, hear Him saying this to you today...

"Beloved (cause you are more precious to Him that anything), when I think about what you just told Me, I am not going to remember what you messed up, what wrong choice you may have made, no, I won't remember that. I am going to remember that you trusted Me enough, you believed in my unfailing love for you enough, that you came to Me. That is what I will remember from this."

It's not that He forgets our sin, it's that He chooses to remember our growth. That is so powerful.

My prayer for you today is to let that truth wash over any pain, any hurt, any shame that you have. Go to Him in confidence knowing that His never ending grace, mercy, and compassion will be powerful and transformational in your life today.

Hebrews 8:12 (AMP)
“For I will be merciful and gracious toward their wickedness,
And I will remember their sins no more.”

Isaiah 43:25 (The Message)

“But I, yes I, am the one

    who takes care of your sins—that’s what I do.

    I don’t keep a list of your sins."

Psalm 103:8-12 (NIV)

"The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

    slow to anger, abounding in love.

He will not always accuse,

    nor will he harbor his anger forever;

he does not treat us as our sins deserve

    or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

    so great is his love for those who fear him;

 as far as the east is from the west,

    so far has he removed our transgressions from us."