Feeling inadequate?

After having some rough "mommy" moments and feeling totally inadequate as a parent last week (its a long story), on Saturday I was cleaning out the attic and found this little devotional book entitled, "When I'm Praising God" by Anita Corrine Donihue. I read this excerpt and thought I'd share it with you, just in case you need a little encouragement as well.

Our Children

The house rumbes with laughter and tussles. I hurry to keep up with it all. They are a heritage that comes from You. These bursts of energy in various sizes and personalities are like arrows in a warrior's hands.

I call on You for wisdom. Each day I thank You for guidance in handling different situations. Thank You, Lord, for how You help me teach our children about Your love. I treasure Your leading as I share Your lessons with them while we go about our activities at home, when we share walks, as we pray together at bedtime and rise each morning to face a new day.

My husband and I have dedicated our lives and these children to You, Lord. I know for sure Your hand is and will be upon them throughout their entire lives.

I write Your words on plaques, pictures and on our doorposts that, "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" Joshua 24:15, NIV).

"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Deut. 6:6-9

Life

Sometimes life is just hard and even harder to understand. We have had a really tough week. I'll spare you the details but I'm so trying to be in God's Word more than usual and lean totally and completely on Him right now. These words spoke to me and I thought I'd share them with you, just in case you needed some encouragement too.

This excerpt taken from Praying God's Word, Day by Day, A Year of Devotional Prayer, by Beth Moore, copyright 2006, B&H Publishing Group:

Help me, Lord God, to know beyond a shadow of doubt that in all things You work for the good of those who love You, those you have been called according to Your purpose (Rom, 8:28).

Please help me to see the condition in that promise. You are not obligated to work all things together for good for those who neither love You nor are called according to Your purpose. You obligate Yourself to this awesome promise when I offer You my aching heart and commit myself and my suffering to Your good purpose.

If I do, You will do more with my life than I could ever concieve (I Cor. 2:9).

Lord Jesus, use this suffering and heartache in our lives to further Your kingdom and may You be glorified in it. Also, Lord, help me to see You work in this situation to help my unbelief.

Friends, thanks for your prayers. Love you!

Growing Pains

Caiden wakes up during the night every so often complaining about pain in his legs. His Grammie, my mom, always says that they are just growing pains that are making him restless.

I have definately been experiencing some of my own growing pains lately but not the physical, painful kind, like Caiden's. I'm talking about the spiritual, cut-to-the heart, God speaking to me, take-my-breath-away and make me speechless moments. The pains of going through a situation and laying awake at night thinking about solutions, what you could say or should have said, or trying to find a way out.

If you haven't gathered, God's been working on me lately in more ways than one. He's been stretching me a lot in my ministry work. It hasn't been easy but I know He promises that He's not done with me and I'm grateful that He still loves me and cares enough about me to see me grow. In other words, I'm go glad He hasn't given up on me.

We often go through seasons where life is just hard. It seems like that has been the case for me lately. God also promises that perseverence will bring fruit in one's life too. I'm looking forward to the sweet taste of the fruit He's been trying to get me to produce. Even if it only happens on the side of eternity!

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

What do you need? Accountability

Did you see this lady on Oprah? I didn't actually watch the show but I read her story online. Check it out... http://www2.oprah.com/health/weight/slide/20071128/slide_weight_tows_101.jhtml
She lost 500 pounds but didn't start losing until she started connecting with people in the outside world via a computer. She needed accountability and encouragement. Only at that point, did she begin realizing that she could win the weight loss battle.

That is what has happened with me. I needed the accountability and encouragement for my weight loss to be successful. But, that is not the only accountability I have in my life. I also have accountability for the spiritual aspects of my life. The sins I struggle with and the quiet times that I spend with God are shared with a few of my closest friends. Even Jesus showed that he needed accountability and encouragement in his life. He also provided it well as he talked and walked daily with his disciples.

So...why do we think we can be successful in any endeavor alone? The thing that held me back...pride! For a long time, I didn't want to admit to anyone that I struggled with weight (even though they could see it all over me!) or that I needed to be accountable for spending time with God. But, lately we have talking a lot about accountability in our church small group and needing it is a natural mechanism that God designed for us.

The challenge for you today...get accountability in your life! Find a friend or two that will help you through the rough parts of life and ask that they keep you accountable, whether you are trying to lose weight, quit smoking, have a sinful desire you are trying to stop or need to spend more time with God. Let's do this thing! I'll be praying for you!