29 Mar 2017

Mondays Are Not As Bad As They Seem

by | posted in: Books | 0

Mondays are typically the day of the week that gets a bad rap.  I mean, just because its the start of the week and most people are coming off a fabulous weekend.

This past Monday our apartment complex booted us out of our parking lot for the day.  So, instead of sitting inside all day, we ventured to Senioa, a little town south of Atlanta.  We stopped by the Varsity on our way down there, eating chicken nuggets with paper hats on, and talking with the car hops.

Then we drove about 35 minutes and had the greatest afternoon.  We played with puzzles at the local library, we chased the ducks on the boys scooters, we threw pinecones in the lake, we played King of the Mountain.  It was finished off by some Baskin Robbins and dancing in our local store after eating Hulk ice cream!

This past month has been difficult for our preschoolers because we have moved yet again and they don’t always handle the unknown well.  I mean, they are 3 and 4.  Adults don’t often handle change well, much less kids.  We’ve tried to keep much of their lives the same, but still, we have had some difficulties.

I was first introduced to David Thomas and Sissy Goff on Surviving Sarah.  They are so practical in their counsel to parents.  I love them.  They have been super helpful in what I’ve heard.  I got their new book (along with Melissa Travathan) from Bethany House to review.  It is ideally for older children, but I found some of the topics still helpful for parenting my boys.

There are no SET guidelines for parenting – man, I wish there were.  But, as the perfect Creator God has designed every child perfect and unique – every one will develop differently. My boys are no exception.

Are My Kids on Track is a tool to help parents know how their children are doing in the areas of social, emotional, and spiritual growth.  Maybe you are wondering why your child is behaving a certain way in school, or why they don’t want to sit down and listen to family devotions.

Some parents would chalk this up to sin and discipline them.  Maybe in some cases it is.  But, the authors get to the why your kids might be acting in the ways they are.

Definitely a good practical read for parents!

28 Aug 2014

What do you do with PAIN?

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Tears and Pain

Life is a sweet journey – for the most part!  I’ve been amazingly graced with a really great life.

But, what do you do when life hands you pain?  As a believer in the sovereign plan of God and also the fact that God does all things good and for our good – this year has been a tough year to stand firm on that.

This past year has handed me a lot of pain.  We are just a year out from one of the most hurtful conversations in my life.  In each of these hurtful conversations I took away good and hard lessons.

Of the hardest conversations in my life, one of those conversations earned distrust.  One of those conversations earned freedom.  And the last of these conversations earned seclusion and doubt and tears.

So, how do you work with pain in your life?

1.  First, I couldn’t blog about it. Blogging is one way I think through what is in my head.  But, when I know others read my blog – there are some things that I can’t talk about on it.  Instead, I chose basically two people in my life to pour out everything to: a pastor’s wife that I knew faced similiar pain in ministry and the other one was my husband.  Both of these people shared wisdom with me and hours, whether on the phone or laying on the couch.  My husband was a champ during the months that followed this initial conversation and the tears each night for literally months on end that would stream down my face.

2.  Know where your trust is?  I used to be a very trusting person.  That was until people in my life that I trusted let me down.  Then, I don’t trust as much.  I really think i’ve come to know that God is the only person I can trust 100% of the time.  He is the only person who has never sinned and can’t sin – so that means he can’t let me down.  And God will never let me down.  At some point, every single person in your life will let you down.  Its a fact of sin nature.  You will let others down.  I will let others down.  But, God stands.

3.  My introvert self became more introverted.  Some people would never mark me as an introvert – but I truly am.  I thrive on quiet time during the day, on my boys taking their naps, on my panera time each week, on my laying in bed with a book or social media time.  I need to recharge.  And part of that being an introvert is usually yourself can’t hurt you.  But, others hurt me.  (and believe me I know I’ve hurt other people).  I’d rather stick with the friends I have who are tremendous and leave it at that.

4.  I’ve let go of things that we must agree on to be friends.  There are only a few BIG things in life that are worth battling over – those mountains you might say.  Don’t let battles rage and hurt fly over the little things.  Really.  You may not see eye to eye with someone and its ok.  Love anyway.

5.  Learning to love.  Reading Ryken’s book this past year and now going through Goff’s Love Does has been a tremendous thought process for me. Loving is hard.  It took MONTHS to even be able to look some people in the eye after this recent hurt.  Loving others is one of the hardest things to do.  Oh, its easy to love people when they are lovable.  But, grace and mercy and a generous love is needed when people are not lovable.

6.  I know some of you who many know me think I always take everything even keeled and am pretty much a laid back person.  But, as my husband will tell you, I am an emotional and passionate person.  Tears flow with friends as they share news of hurt with me.  After last summer, I didn’t think I would ever be able to cry any more tears.

“You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle.  Are they not in your book?” – Psalm 56.8  It gives great comfort to know that the Psalmist was not a stranger to tears.  We see him often bringing his heartfelt and tearful please to the Lord.  This give me great confidence in knowing that I can do the same thing with the same Savior!

7.  But, more tears will come.  This year has been one of one hurt after another.  And I know that pain is a part of life…so we will start the cycle over again.

How do you handle the pain that life deals you?  How do you let God work on your heart with the hope of the Gospel?