by Stacey | Apr 21, 2011 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
(*told with permission)
This year Easter holds an extra special meaning for me. This season I feel privileged to witness the miraculous rescue of someone I love. God has proven afresh that nothing can derail His plans for His children.
When Jesus breathed His last on the cross, the hope of His followers died.
In recent years it has been hard to keep hope alive as I witnessed a loved one slip into addiction and felt powerless to prevent it. I watched her die inside little bit every day.
Three days after the death of Christ, God proved to His followers that nothing, not even death, will derail His plans for the people He loves.
Decades after her sink into substance abuse, I have fresh hope. Nothing, not even addiction, will derail God’s plans for her. He is rescuing her once and for all, showing her the way of escape.
As I’ve meditated on the resurrection of Christ and what that means, my mind seems to drift to my friend. This season of recovery has her turning to Scripture for strength and turning to God for hope in her darkest moments. I rejoice with her as she celebrates clean living – day by day, moment by moment.
I have found, like the apostles, in the midst of dark and desperate days, that Hope is not dead. Whether it has been dark for 3 hours, 3 days, 3 years or 3 decades, resurrection Sunday gave hope a name – His name is Jesus.
This Easter celebrate Hope.
by Stacey | Mar 31, 2011 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
A wise friend recently told me the nothing has the potential to drive you to your knees more often than parenting. I think she might be right!
It’s 10:43 am and I already have 2 kids in bed enjoying a morning nap instead of the usual afternoon nap for beating on one another. I have another child forbidden from playing trains today due to a piece of track flying across the dining room and skimming the chandelier leaving it rocking.
Yikes!
I am mentally going through my morning wondering where things went wrong. Each child has had a minimum of three time-outs totaling nine in the short span of time elapsed since rising this morning. We’ve calmly discussed the consequences to lying, pushing, shoving, throwing tantrums, and being just plain mean to our friends.
Maybe it’s the weather…
On days like this, it really hits home how it is an awesome responsibility to raise a child. I have three soft and pliable souls in my home. My response to their actions will partially shape their personalities and attitudes. Will I be patient? Will I be kind? Will I lose my cool?
I am convinced the only way a parent can stay sane on crazy days is to parent from their knees. The sustaining power of God is what carries me through these times. He fills my tank so as the children deplete it, I am not running on empty.
I do pray for my kids and for the other children in my care. I pray for my ability to care for them in a way that honors God and serves to draw them closer to Him. But, I also pray for my relationship with God. A healthy relationship with the Lord equals more energy, more patience, and an ability to respond in grace – all things I need an abundance of today!
God wants to hear my pleas, my quips, my sadness, my joy, and my frustrations. He wants to be the first person I call, not the last. And He wants to walk alongside me in this journey called parenting. There is never a better time than now to start an ongoing discussion with God.
by Stacey | Mar 29, 2011 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
This rhyme was inspired by Kate back when she was three. I just found it on my computer and thought it was too cute not to share.
I’m Scared
Little girl Katie is jolly and bright, a grin on her face from daybreak to night. Until it is time to turn off the lights, “Mommy,” she calls, “I’m scared!”
She sits in her bed surrounded by dark. Inside her chest pitter- patters her heart. She winds up her lungs and gives a loud bark, “Mommy, come quick, I’m scared!”
Outside her window, the night sky is black. Lightning and thunder flashes and cracks. From under the covers, she calls her mom back, “Mommy, Oh Mommy I’m scared!”
Her heart beating hard, her feet hit the ground. In panic she runs from the night sounds. She clings to her mom, who turns her around. “But, mommy,” she cries, “I’m scared!”
With a sad little face and quivering chin Kate’s unhappy eyes fill to the rim. Mom kisses her forehead and tucks her girl in. “Katie, I know you’re scared.”
Cuddled together they snuggle and pray, “Dear Jesus please help sweet Katie feel brave. Remind her of fun she had through the day, and help her to not be scared”
Morning sun rises and brings a new day. Scary night sounds have melted away. Cupping her fingers Kate wakes mom to say, “Mommy! I’m no longer scared!”
by Stacey | Mar 24, 2011 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
This morning I got a call from the school confirming that Kate was absent. The problem was, I dropped her off at school that morning at 8:35am. Now she was unaccounted for.
In the split-second it took for staff to confirm that she was indeed in classroom, and that the teacher marked the wrong student absent, time stood still. I experienced in one heartbeat how fast circumstances can change and how powerless we are to control our own lives.
After I hung up the phone and thanked God that she was fine I remembered the quote I posted on Facebook this morning by Pam Kidd. Pam says, “Only God gives true peace –a quiet gift He sets within us just when we think we’ve exhausted our search for it. Give me the peace that comes from knowing that where I am, You are, and together we can handle whatever comes.”
I do believe with my whole heart that with God’s help I will handle whatever comes my way. But, I also suspect, until life throws a real curve your way those are easy words to say.
Today I’ve been challenged to examine my heart and discover if I really believe God is able to go with me into those dark places that every parent fears. I pray with everything in me that He will never take me down that path. But if He does, I pray just as fervently that I will turn to Him believing that He is there with me in the dark, committed to walking the road with me no matter how far, long or painful it may be.
by Stacey | Feb 24, 2011 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
The last two weeks the flu has swept through our home knocking each family member down one by one. As a result, I have been the fortunate recipient of helpful advice regarding how to rid my home of this annoying virus. Some of the advice was valid and helpful, some, well… just plain hooey.
That got me thinking about the wisdom handed down from generations past. Which of the following gems do you think are true?
Feed a cold. Starve a fever.
Eating before swimming causes stomach cramps.
Sugar causes acne.
Going outside with wet hair causes a cold.
Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis to form in the joints.
Spicy food causes ulcers.
An itchy nose means company is coming.
If you make an ugly face, it will freeze that way.
Pulling a grey hair causes ten more to grow in its place.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Sitting too close to the TV will ruin your eyes.
Any guesses? All true? All false? I’ll give you a hint; only one is true!
Despite the well-intended statements above a young mother like me is wise to listen respectfully to advice from my elders. Consider Titus 2:4-5, “Then they (older women) can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.”
No one has all the answers but there is wisdom in listening to those who have walked down this road before me.
Therefore, my windows are open, the soup is on, I have purchased bleach, the house shines under a recent cleaning, and the bedding is changed. Thanks everyone for caring enough to advise me on how to protect my family from the 2011 superbug.
by Stacey | Feb 17, 2011 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
Clean the dishes Cinderella. Sort the laundry Cinderella. Scrub the floors Cinderella. Wash the windows Cinderella.
Cook the meals Cinderella. Teach the children Cinderella. Run the carpool Cinderella. Balance the checkbook Cinderella.
Mend the clothing Cinderella. Plant the garden Cinderella. Do the shopping Cinderella…
I always dreamed of a fairytale life; somehow I imagined it differently.
Thirteen years after my Prince Charming rode into my life (yes, I’m talking about Kevin) I can say without a doubt I am living the fairytale. But, like all good stories, it panned out a bit different from predicted.
What’s a Cinderella to do?
This Cinderella tapped the wisdom of other mothers. By applying a few simple organizational tips my day felt more manageable and yours can too.
Helpful tips I’ve picked up from the super moms in my life:
*Make your bed as soon as you get up. It takes five minutes and it feels good to have accomplished something so early.
*Do a load of laundry first thing in the morning and before you go to bed at night. This way you rarely fall behind.
*Start dinner prep in the morning while the kids are still in a good mood. (Or if you work outside the home use a crock pot with a timer)
*Create a cleaning schedule dividing household chores into 15 minute manageable chunks. A lot can be done in 15 focused minutes a day.
*Create a meal plan for dinnertime so you can shop accordingly and always have on hand the ingredients you need.
*Make school lunches the night before. Lay out clothing the night before.
*Use a small dollar store laundry basket as your child’s bedroom doorstop. As you pick up around the house put Junior’s toys and clutter into the basket. Junior puts those things away when he returns from school.
*Ignore Supermommy and her polished children, Yummy-mommy wearing her pre-pregnancy jeans, and Martha-mommy fussing over her perfect house and serving hors d’oeuvres that are better dressed than most of her guests. The comparison game is not fun, fair or beneficial.
*Remember you don’t need to be Supermommy to be a super mommy.
And they all lived happily ever after.
