Grace for Mommies.

I subscribe to a few blogs so lately I've been getting a handful of daily emails with devotional content. These give some perspective for my day and help me to open my heart to hear more clearly what God wants to speak into my life that day. And by His grace and goodness, He often times strings them all together with the same theme so that even in my most dense moments, it's hard not to notice what He wants me to focus on.

Today is one of those days.
God's apparent theme for me today is: GRACE.

Pastor Ed Underwood's blog post was about grace:
DISCIPLESHIP MINUTE: LIARS DON'T NEED GRACE

Proverbs 31 Ministries' daily devotion talked about grace:
GRACE DOESN'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT TO BE GOOD

My Parenting by Design reading plan touched on grace:
EXTENDING GRACE (sorry, no link for this one)


GOD IS SO GOOD! I am so thankful for the way He uses these ministries and His word to speak His truth into my life, especially when He does it right when I really need it.

Here are some of the insights that hit home for me.

From Ed's post:

"You see, if we’re honest we know that every one of us needs a rescue from our sin. And, we must admit that if the rescue wasn’t free, we’d have no hope.
But if we lie to ourselves and others, we’ll decide that our sins are the ones that don’t need payment, that our shortcomings and pathologies are the ones God must have decided were okay. And then, the grace He gives to others upsets us."

I'm reminded here of God's grace offered and poured out upon me. I need just as much grace as the next person. We're all in the same boat, deserving of death and condemnation because of our sinful nature, yet undeserving recipients of the grace that flows through the blood of Jesus shed on the cross.

This gives me the right perspective to set out on the path of giving grace to others, especially my kids. I have to understand how much I need it before I can give it.

From P31 Ministries:

I related so strongly with this post. This is so me:

"I looked for ways to lovingly reassure her. I held her hand. I let her see my pleasure in her through the expressions on my face. And I kept quiet when my nerves were begging me to do otherwise.

I did really well ... for a couple of hours.

And then I lost it. Completely.

I was so discouraged."

This has been my exact process so many times... It has felt like a constant roller coaster.

But this is what the Lord really wanted to drive home for me today:

"But as I think back on it now, that part of it is grace too. I demonstrated the reason I can give grace is because I so desperately need it. I asked for forgiveness and decided to resist my own funk begging me to sit and wallow in my messy humanity.

I dusted myself off, and whispered, "God help me. Please, please help me."

And I took one more step towards the grace I so desperately want to demonstrate.

...
Remember, grace doesn't have to be perfect to be good."


From Parenting by Design:

Although we may understand them on an intellectual level, it can still be hard for us to accept God's grace. Often, we try to be "good enough" because we can't seem to separate our value from our performance.

...Once we have truly experienced the extent of God's grace,we can extend it to our children in a life-changing way. Knowing we are all sinners in need of grace, we can allow them to experience the consequences of their choices without condemning who they are as people.


Follow God's example of grace by offering unconditional love for the sinner while delivering consequences for the sin.


Thoughts from a Lady:
 
The past few days, my journey with the Lord has led me to a place of vulnerability. I've had to revisit the pain in my past in order to try to heal the wounds that I only covered up and never allowed God to truly close. So He's in the process of setting my feet and my heart in the right direction to allow me to experience His grace in such a real way and to live the promises in His Word the way He intended. Yet because of the fragility of my emotions at this point in time, He has been my encouragement with each step. He's been showing me that it's okay to stumble. It's okay to take a step back sometimes. I don't have to be perfect. I just have to try to be obedient. I have to take joy in the progress I have made. So even if I take 10 steps forward and 1 step back, I'm still making progress... I'm still moving forward. He's trying to break my perfectionist, overachiever mentality so that I can actually grow in His grace and not be held prisoner to my own criticism, self-condemnation and fear of not being good enough.

I believe that as God molds me into the mother He wants me to be and the mother my kids need me to be, I will learn to embrace the grace He gives so freely to me. As a result, it will flow freely through me and into my interactions with my kids. And just the other day, I came to the stark realization that all that my kids want from me is my unconditional love and my acceptance of who they are, no matter what that looks like. 

"To be known is to be loved. To be loved is to be known. " 

Bella's New Words

May 17, 2012

"Alrighty then"
"thirsty"

Godly Behavior.

Demonstrate it in my own life
And uphold its standards with kindness and love.

My kids will do what I say if what I say is what I do.

You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? You who say, Do not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? (Romans 2:21, 22 NKJV)

Mold Me.

I wanted to share this on my Mommy blog because it happens to be the meditation from my daily calendar devotional that sits on my kitchen counter... for May 13th, 2012 - Mothers Day. And I found it so fitting for me and my journey with the Lord right now.

It's been on my heart heavily the last few months to focus on trying to discover and implement daily what it means to be the mother God wants me to be and that my kids need me to be.



It's been an oh so difficult and inconsistent path so far... I actually didn't think it was going to be this challenging to change what I know I need to. But I know the Lord is still working in me. His work is a work in progress and right now it seems to be going at a painstakingly slow pace, but he's teaching me to wait on Him and trust Him and His infinite power to work in me exceedingly abundantly above all that I could ask or think...



He's encouraging and reminding me again of what I have asked of Him over and over since the beginning of last year - to use me for His glory and make me into the woman He's called me to be.

And so, I've been reminded to trust Him; I'm reminded of who He is... my Potter, my Master... This reflection is what He so deeply planted in my heart last year and now I'm weathering the storms and trying to learn how to grow into the fruit bearing vessel He wants me to be: the vessel that I want to be so He can use me for His glory... especially in my primary ministry right now, which is in my home and especially with my family; in order to present Him with godly offspring and to be fruitful and multiply - not just numerically through physical reproduction, but by passing on my faith and guiding my children in theirs so that they can be further used for the glory of the only one, true God.



God is good. He speaks to our hearts right when we need Him to... we just have to be disciplined and obedient enough to listen, heed His instruction and trust Him to bring to pass His divine and perfect will.



Happy Mothers Day to all the Mommies out there! "The Lord bless you and keep you..." and may you always trust in God's power to make you into the woman He's called you to be!

The Witness of Faith.

From my Parenting By Design devotional for May 11th...

---------------
When Daniel's three friends were told to worship Nebuchadnezzar or be thrown into a blazing furnace, their response spoke volumes about their faith. Although they trusted that God could deliver them, they didn't know if that would be His will. No matter what happened, however, they wanted the king to know they were willing to endure anything before they denied their God.

Some parenting challenges will stretch our faith more than others. Even though He has the ability to deliver us, God may ask us to walk through some of these trials. When we affirm His goodness in the face of potential suffering, our faith shines in a powerful and authentic way.

Let your children and those around you see your faith in the way you respond to trials.

More Encouragement for the Young.

The Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ But go to whomever I send you and say whatever I tell you. Do not be afraid of those to whom I send you, for I will be with you to protect you,” says the Lord.
___________________
Jeremiah 1:7, 8 NET

Why I Should Be a S•A•H•M

Why I Should Be Home With My Kids

"If the Hubby and I were both working full time right now..."

...Who would lay down with Bella for her nap, letting her put her hand up their sleeve so she can soothe herself? (they wouldn't do that at daycare!!)

...I wouldn't have the energy to do laundry every other day to wash Jonah's favorite Batman shirt so he could wear it every single day.

...Who would be at Josiah's monthly award ceremonies so he would know he's loved and supported?

...Who would take Jonah•Bella on morning walks with the dog and teach them about snails and earthworms?

...I wouldn't have the time to have spontaneous half hour long midday conversations with my 3 year old about his fave show Ninjago.

...Who would kick off the loud cheering for Josiah at his talent show rehearsals?

...It would be much harder to hear the Holy Spirit's admonition and conviction on being the Mom they need me to be... especially with all the noise of everything Mom needs to do.

...I couldn't be right there to address a disappointing moment in my 7 year old's day.
One day, the first thing Siah said when I picked him up from school and asked him about his day: "I got an 'S' on my writing assessment." (S - Satisfactory. He's an Excellent/Outstanding/Good kind of student so the occasional 'S' is a bit devastating... The kid's an overachiever, just like his Mama!) He was upset to the point of tears in his eyes. And the Lord gave me the priceless opportunity to reassure him of his own self-worth and work ethic, to support him in his disappointment without passing judgment or making light of it. I was able to put the bandaid on as soon as possible after the scrape. I'm so grateful.

...I would miss so much. Jonah & Bella being, well, Jonah•Bella... Siah waving and waving and waving at me while I wait in line to pick him up after school...

These moments won't come back the same way again.

"The years you pour into your children are years that you will never regret. More importantly these years with your children you will never, ever, get back. When you're old in your bed it will not be the career that you sought fulfillment in that keeps you warm; it'll be the memories of your little ones."
- Jamerrill Stewart of HolySpiritLedHomeschooling.net

Thank You, Lord, for opening this door for me to focus on my ministry at home and to my family! May I be faithful to You and the calling throughout each season of Motherhood.