Love the Lord! Wife. Mother. Blessed beyond measure.
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11
Recently I was reading a book and came across a simple yet, to me, a profound statement: “Pay It Forward”. When was the last time you hit “pause” and took a moment to reflect on how you got to where you are? The people in your life that helped mold you into the person you are? Now, I realize that this may open a can of worms, maybe stir up bad memories for some. Maybe you think there is no way you are going down that path. I get that. I used to think of myself as a survivor and having survived no way would I go down that path again. But I came to realize that I am more than a survivor, I am an overcomer, and you can be one too. Consider this, every person that has ever crossed paths with you, has helped to shape you in some small way.
Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
The Artist studies the blank canvas, rubbing His chin, deep in thought. How will it turn out? As one who likes to doodle and sketch, I imagine the Father looking from the night sky to the blank canvas before the start of a new day. The night sky twinkling with shining stars give way to the colors that streak across the the morning sky as the sun rises escorting in a bright and beautiful day. Have you ever looked at the sky and thought “wow” what an amazing view. The awesome sunrise or sunset and the brilliant colors weaved throughout. Even a thunderstorm with its whipping winds, heavy rains, and claps of thunder and lightning. The beauty of the storm as the sky grows dark and then just as quickly as the storm arose its over with and the sky grows light once more. The water dripping from the trees and the dew on the grass sparkling like diamonds reminds me of His grace and mercy.
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
His grace is more than enough for us. His strength perfected in our weaknesses. At the start of a new day, I am reminded of His grace and mercy. In our weaknesses, He is strong. In His strength, we are made whole. Ever stop to wonder about the intricate details that go in to create an amazing masterpiece? The love brimming to overflowing, if you only stop to really see what is before you? When I think about the Master and what He has created, I imagine a parent waiting to share and teach a child. The Father patiently showing us what He created and why or how it works.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
We are His workmanship created for good works. I used to see the world in darkness, living in the dregs of the underbelly of the world. Unable to see beyond the darkness until one day, a pinpoint of light pierced through and a hand reached out drawing me back into the light. When I see God’s beauty all around, from beautiful blue skies, to a sunrise or sunset bursting with color, to the vibrant colors in the plants all around, to the people I come in contact with on a daily basis; I am in awe of all that He did for me. What He does for each of us when we let Him. When we invite Him in. Spend time with the Master and explore all that He has for you. God bless! 💗
Another year passes and still I miss her every day. It’s will be four years in November since mom passed away. I find myself occasionally asking the Lord to tell mom hi and I miss her. Its only natural I guess to ask. I’m blessed to have a wonderful mother-in-law who loves me the way my mom once did. I’ve heard about mother-in-laws who could and would make life miserable for their son or daughter-in-laws. I’m very thankful my mine makes me feel loved and welcomes me with open arms.
Remember to give your mom the best gift of all…your time. If you live with or live close to your mom, make her feel special by spending time with her. If you don’t live nearby, call her and tell her how much you love her. My son asked me what I wanted for Mother’s day. I said “Come have lunch with us and let me win at Risk”. He said, “I’ll come have lunch with you guys but I won’t let you ‘win’ at Risk”. In other words, I have to earn the win. Makes sense. A win isn’t a win unless it’s earned. My husband asked me what I wanted. Honestly? I didn’t have an answer. Spending time with my family is the best gift of all. (Still it would be nice to win at Risk. 😉)
TO MOM’S EVERYWHERE…HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!! 🤗💐
I leave you with a few encouraging scriptures …
First – Be Thankful..
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.
Philippians 1:3
Second – Honor Your Mother
Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.
Proverbs 31:28
Third – A Mother’s Wisdom
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6
She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.
Proverbs 31:26
God bless! Thank you Father for blessing me with an awesome and loving family.
Father, I thank You for pouring out Your many blessings over mothers around the world as they celebrate Mother’s Day with their families. Be with those who may not be as fortunate to have loved ones to remember them on this day, may they feel Your love and presence in their lives. For those who are burdened I pray You will comfort them. For those who are forgotten, I pray they will feel Your love and joy. For loved ones who lost their moms too soon, comfort and fill them with Your peace. I thank You for Your blessings and the reminder that we are all loved by You. In Jesus precious name, amen.
You hop on the train, find your seat, and now it’s time to relax and enjoy the ride. You have no idea where you are headed and for the moment you really don’t care. You can get off the train at any number of stops and when you are good and ready that’s exactly what you plan to do; but for now you just want to ride and forget about the hectic day you just had. As you begin to relax you close your eyes for a moment sighing heavily as the train rumbles beneath you. You sense someone has taken a seat next to you and you hope they don’t plan on striking up a conversation. After the day you had, conversation is the last thing on your mind. For the moment it seems as though your wish for silence is granted.
Have you ever worked with clay? The satisfaction of creating something out of a lump of clay as you mold and work with it until you create the vessel that fit the clay. I remember one year working with clay in art class. We each had to design our own vessel. It could be anything we wanted but we had to decide what we wanted to make. As we worked on our projects, the teacher would explain each step and had samples of what our vessels should look like at that particular stage. I don’t remember what I made, probably a small bowl or dish, but I do remember the excitement of going to class each week, and the anticipation of seeing the finished product. Since we each had created our own vessels they were all uniquely different.
But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand.
Isaiah 64:8
We are all the work of His hand. All. As I read this verse I thought about how we are each molded and shaped by the Father. He is the potter and we are the clay. He didn’t make a mistake when He created us. He knew exactly what He was doing. He knew when He created some with disabilities that they would bring glory to Him. They would be able to reach people that you or I wouldn’t be able to reach. I have two nephews, both have Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. I also have a sister-in-law with a host of disabilities. Some would say that they were mistakes. Some would say anyone with a disability was a mistake. They would be wrong. Then again some people would say that the ones who make such comments were the mistakes. But they too would be wrong.
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Genesis 1:26-27
Genesis tells us that God created man in His likeness. Which means that everyone was created in His image and therefore not a mistake. God does not make mistakes. Can’t you see the love He poured into each person He created? People He knew when He created them, would bring glory and honor to Him just because of their disabilities and how they handled life. I don’t get to see my nephews that often. Nor do I get to see my sister-in-law every day. We all live in different states, the boys with their parents live in one state, my sister-in-law in another. But each time I do see them I am amazed at their outlook on life. The boys are typical young men, one is in high school and the other is in middle school. My how time flies! My sister-in-law lives life not letting her disabilities get in her way. Sure she has issues, but it is her outlook that blesses me when I do see her.
Have you ever stopped to wonder what it must have been like at the time of creation? I can remember the excitement I felt at each stage of working on my project for class and the satisfaction when it was working out the right way. The excitement I felt back then, pales in comparison to what the Father, Son and Holy Spirit must have felt when they decided to create man. Oh to have been there! The energy that must have been flowing.
God knew exactly what He was doing when He created us. There were no mistakes. Only special people who would impact the world as only they can. So when you see one of God’s special people, remember, they too are here for a purpose. To bring glory and honor to Him. God bless!
