Modesty

I Timothy 2:9-10
And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.

Modesty is a very touchy subject. I feel the need to discuss this topic is very important, especially as summer approaches!

Anything a Christ follower does should be Christ honoring. Right? Even the way we dress? The way we teach our daughters to dress? YES!

This subject is very heavy on my heart. As Christian parents, I believe it is our responsibility to teach our children to honor God with their bodies. I Corinthians 6:20 says, "for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." This is from the Word of God! Before we go out the door, we need to do a self check and ask, "are we honoring Christ with the clothes we have on, or are we drawing attention to our bodies for our own purposes?"

Let's talk about swimsuits.  Parents, please don't let your daughters grow up wearing immodest swimsuits! Don't even start when they are little or the trend is likely that they will continue to wear that type of suit. If you wouldn't let them go around wearing their bra and panties in front of the world, what makes it alright for them to wear a swimsuit that looks like a bra and panties? And let's face the facts, it's not just seen at the pool or beach anymore. We are in the facebook age, where one day lasts a lifetime and can be seen all over the world through digital pictures. "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise.", Ephesians 5:15.

We are to please the Lord in all areas of our lives. This includes the way we dress and the way we teach our daughters to dress. What picture of Christ are we letting others see? Are we different from the world in the way we dress? Romans 12:1-2 says it this way, "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

Growing up, I always had to make sure that my dad approved my swimsuits and, now I make sure my husband approves the ones that my daughters wear. This is because guys see something totally different when they look at girls than what we see when we look in the mirror. Dads have a way of knowing whether these clothes will send a wrong impression of their little girls to the boys who will be seeing them. The Bible teaches us not to cause our brothers to stumble. If we dress immodestly and it causes others to have lustful thoughts toward us, then we are indeed sinning and in some cases setting ourselves up for danger.

Mark 9:42
“But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck."

2 Timothy 2:22
Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.

I know for some of you, this could be a new battle. I encourage you to embrace it and help your daughters shop for a swimsuit that is modest to the eyes. They are harder to find, but they are out there! I'm not saying that you have to cover your whole entire body to go swimming, but I am challenging you to make sure that your daughters are covered enough so that they are not sending the message "look at my body" to the guys they will be with at the pool (or the world who will see their pics on fb!).

As a mother of two beautiful daughters, I am very cautious of what "image" they are presenting to the world. As a mother of a soon to be 10 year old boy, I find myself wishing that more girls would cover up their bodies to protect the images that are being sent his way. I know that the battle for his mind is approaching, and I am praying that God will protect his eyes, heart, and mind from lustful thoughts.

I am asking for you as Christian parents to make a conscious choice about what you allow your girls to wear. Let's be wise and honor Christ with our bodies and teach our daughters to do the same!

Summer Break

It is the time of year that we all get to take a breather from schooling! We have actually been done now for several weeks and have had lots of down time already.  I have played catch up on laundry and worked in the yard some (when we can get a break from the rain) and watched a lot of baseball and softball games and practices. But I have really not been focused on accomplishing anything for several weeks - and it felt pretty good... for a while. Now it is time for me to establish some sort of summer routine! I love free time, but my mind feels so much better when that free time is scheduled.  That seems like an oxymoron statment, doesn't it! Let me explain...

Like I said, I LOVE free time. But being a scheduler and an all or nothing type person, it seems that if I don't schedule my free time around the things that I need to get done, then free time runs rampant and my day is gone before I've had time to even consider what is for dinner.  So, it is time for me to think about what I want to spend my summer break doing!

1.  Visit with my parents
2.  Work in the yard/garden
3.  Blog
3.  Plan for next school year
4.  Play with the kids
5.  Exercise
6.  Go to the zoo
7.  Swimming
8.  Read, Read, Read!!!
9.  Take the kids to the park
10. Do NOTHING! :)

There is lots more I could add in there, but that is a good start!

In order for me to do these things, I must plan for them.  I will be establishing a new morning routine for everyone. This will be much less rigid than during school days, but we've got to make sure that the house doesn't fall to pieces! Also, I will be setting aside time to do my meal planning/grocery shopping as well.  It is my opinion that these are two important staples for a well run home. 

Once our morning routines are finished, then I say we can play the rest of the day! And if I have my meals planned in advance, I won't have to worry about coming up with something at the last minute before our evening events begin. 

Ahh... I can feel my mind getting clearer already! Just thinking about a schedule and routine helps me!

What will you spend your summer days doing? I'd love to hear what you have planned!

O the Blood

I heard this song at church last week for the first time and was blown away. After we sang it again today at church I knew I needed to share it with you.  Please watch this video and worship with me the One who died for us even in our sin...Jesus.

O the Blood sung by Kari Jobe - Gateway Worship
Lyrics:

O the blood
Crimson love
Price of life's demand
Shameful sin
Placed on Him
The Hope of every man

CHORUS
O the blood of Jesus washes me
O the blood of Jesus shed for me
What a sacrifice that saved my life
Yes, the blood, it is my victory

Savior Son
Holy One
Slain so I can live
See the Lamb
The great I Am
Who takes away my sin

O the blood of the Lamb
O the blood of the Lamb
O the blood of the Lamb
The precious blood of the Lamb
What a sacrifice
That saved my life
Yes, the blood, it is my victory

O what love
No greater love
Grace, how can it be
That in my sin
Yes, even then
He shed His blood for me

Sins Like Weeds

Let me start by saying that I haven't been able to blog for a while because I have been taking care of my husband who had knee surgery (ACL reconstruction) three weeks ago.  Thankfully, he is recovering and doing better and better every day! Since it was on his right knee, he still is not able to drive.  Hopefully as his knee continues to get stronger, he will be back behind the wheel before too much longer! To all of you who knew about this and prayed for him, I am very grateful! Now on to what God has been teaching me...

It's Spring and that means that its time to weed the garden and flower beds. That is exactly what I have been doing. I love being out in the sunshine and working in the gardens! Since we had such a cold winter, I am especially ready for time in the warm sun!

As I was weeding my rose garden I began thinking about how those weeds in my rose garden can be compared to sin in my life. There were some weeds that were a booger to get up because they had rooted in one area, then spread out into several different directions, then rooted again, then spread out even more, then rooted themselves AGAIN, and on and on and on.  Get the picture? This is not very fun to think about, but I know that I must examine my heart and see if there are any sins in my life that could act like these weeds.

So what did I find? One that I will share is my selfishness and my quickness to say "no" to my children when they ask me to do something for them. Sometimes in all the busyness of my life, I tend to not want to waiver off the planned path that I have for that day. For instance, when my tween daughter wants me to roll her hair, in my selfishness, many times I have said no immediately. I have said no before even thinking about it. Why...? She cares about how she looks and loves for her hair to be rolled. It takes about eight minutes to put the rollers in her hair... Ugh! This makes me sick to think about all the times that I've said no without even considering how important it might be to her. Conviction has been hitting me hard over this one.

Another example of my selfishness is when my son wants to show me something on a game he is playing or to look at something on the computer with him, I shouldn't let "no, not right now" be the first words out of my mouth. It usually only takes a minute or two for me to pay him that attention that he needs. If I let this continue, he will stop asking and then our relationship will be hindered. I have got to be interested in what is important to him.

I think that saying no once makes it easier to say it the next time, then the next time, then the next time.

Does this mean that I should always say yes to whatever they want me to do?  Absolutely NOT! What I am realizing again (seems like God has shown me this before and I went back to my old ways) is that I need to be aware of why I say NO and why couldn't I really say YES every once in a while.

This is not the kind of behavior I want to impress upon my children. This is not the kind of character quality that I want them to remember in me. It is certainly not a character trait that I want to teach to them.
In general, I would not consider myself to be a selfish person. In fact, most of my time is spent serving my family and I LOVE it! Spending time with them is my favorite thing to do! God has blessed me with a wonderful husband and three beautiful children who love me! God continues to show me ways that I need to grow more like Him. I am so grateful that God shows His mercy to me when I mess up!

Moms, listen - I am not saying that we are to be slaves to our families and never take time for ourselves!  Please understand that this was a lesson with the condition of my heart! Usually when this affects me the most is when I have to many irons in the fire. I want to slow down and enjoy these special bonding moments with my kids.

It is definitely okay to say no to your children. I just want to make sure that when I do say no or don't take the time to listen to them right away, it is not because I am being selfish.

Is there something that needs weeding in your life? It's not fun to go there really, but it is necessary! I don't want us to be walking around with sin crowding out what God intends to grow in our lives! I want for us as Christian mothers to be growing the fruit of the spirit!

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

There is a Harvest to be Reaped!

Do you ever just get tired of doing the same everyday tasks of life?  For a mother, these tasks can sometimes seem tiresome, overwhelming, monotonous, boring, hard, stressful... Are you with me?

I woke up this morning and said to my husband, "It's Friday!" Then right after that came, "But that doesn't mean anything for me, because my Saturday and Sunday are just as busy as my Monday through Friday." I guess you could say that I didn't wake up with the best outlook. I think I was still just extremely tired from a big day yesterday.  Thursdays wear me out!

Let me just get this out of my system: You see, yesterday afternoon, after searing and putting a tenderloin in the crock pot for our dinner, I drove to take the kids to band (15 minute drive from the house), then back home because I forgot to put a little bit of water in the crock pot with the meat so it wouldn't dry out, then drove back to pick them up from band, then drove across town to take one to violin, then drove just around the corner to take one to the theater, then back to pick up the one from violin, then drove back across town to drop her off at softball practice, then went further across town to take son to baseball practice, then right back across town to the theater! Thankfully my wonderful husband picked up the two from softball and baseball practice. I left the theater at 6:30 and came back home to finish supper.  See why I was tired? Sorry for that little rant, I feel better now!

Let's just say I didn't wake up feeling very motivated to do anything because I am still TIRED!

However, I asked the Lord to speak to me this morning and help me have the motivation that I need to keep going.  This is what he gave me:

Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

I know that what I am doing as a mother - yes, even carting kids back and forth across town - is "doing good". For you see, I am not really just carting them around.  It's much deeper than that! I am encouraging them in their talents. I am listening to them. And we are having life building conversations in the car. This reminds me of the scripture in Deuteronomy 6.

Deuteronomy 6:5-9
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 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.

I guess driving them to their practices is my "walk along the road" time with them. So in light of this scripture, I see a bigger calling than being their chauffer. 

My encouragement to you is that as you go about your daily "chores", make sure you are talking to your kids about loving the Lord with all their heart, soul, and strength. If we as moms can continually teach this truth to our children, if we can stay encouraged, and if do not grow weary in doing good, THEN we will reap a harvest. I want to reap the harvest that God gives in Proverbs 22:6. It says, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Isn't that an awesome promise from God!

I may be tired this morning, but the perseverance of sticking to the schedule of events for today is so worth it! Although we did start out a little late, we are getting things done. I have had special time with my Lord, kids have done their chores and are now doing their schoolwork.  So glad I didn't go with my first feelings for the day and stay in that frame of mind - it is a trap from the enemy!

I am so grateful that God can renew my mind and my strength.  I will be trusting in Him today to do just that! Let me leave you with the scripture from Isaiah.

Isaiah 40:28-31
²⁸ Do you not know?
   Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
   the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
   and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
   and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
   and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
   will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint.

How am I treating those I say that I love?

I just finished reading Karen Kingsbury's This Side of Heaven: A Novel. I love reading Karen Kingsbury stuff! She helps put life into perspective. Without giving away too much, this book has made me not want to miss a thing in my kids' lives.  As I've been reading this book, I have been reminded of the importance of loving people "this side of heaven". I'm talking about REALLY loving them and listening to them. God has given me special gifts - my family and friends - and now I am made freshly aware to love them without passing judgment. 

I know that I need to take time to listen to those I love and to give them opportunities to tell me about their adventures, their dreams, their successes, and even their failures without the fear of being judged. As I'm reading this book and crying through the pages, I find myself thinking about what the Bible has to say about love in I Corinthians. 

I Corinthians 13:4-8a
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

This is causing me to reflect and make sure that  I am loving others the way God intends for me to love. I have so many people in my life that I love, and I know that I do not always love them with the kind of love that was just described.  Sometimes, in the moments of conflict, it is really hard! But after reading this book and after being reminded that life with our family is a gift and we don't know how long that gift on this earth will last, I want to show this kind of love! I'm also reminded that I'm not to stand in judgment of their behavior. I'm to love them unconditionally and pray for them.

First let me say that without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, it is impossible to carry out this kind of love.  I John 4:8 says that "God is love." Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  God sent his only Son to pay the redemption sacrifice for our sins! That is the ultimate gift of love! Because of this amazing love, we can place our trust in Him and let Him love through us.  Please let me know if you want more information about how to give your life to Christ. You can click here to learn more.

Maybe it's time for a quick evaluation of our relationships:
 
How about you? Are you being kind and patient with those you love? Are you prideful toward someone that you love? Are you bringing dishonor to your loved ones? Are you self-seeking around them, looking out for your own interest? Are you easily angered with them? Do you bring up old conflicts from the past? Or do you try to protect, trust, hope in and seek to persevere with those that you love?

I pray that as we evaluate our relationships (gifts) that God has given to us, we will become more Christ-centered and show love the way He desires. If you struggle with this, ask God to help you show this love or to love through you. It is not in our human power to love someone when they seem unworthy, but it is our responsibility, our calling from Jesus who said, "love your neighbor as yourself."

I don't want to have any regrets when the day comes that I am separated from my loved ones in this world!

And I highly recommend this book - but make sure you have a box of tissues!

Prayers for Japan

I've been watching all the video clips of the earthquake and tsunami devastation in Japan and am so saddened.  I can't even begin to imagine what they are going through right now.  My heart breaks for those who have lost loved ones and for those whose loved ones are still among the missing.

As a mother, I think about those who have lost their children - incomprehensible. 
As a wife, I cannot imagine living my life without my husband, my best friend.
As a daughter, I am so sad for those who have lost their parents - my parents mean so much to me.

Its hard for me to try to put myself in the shoes of these who have lost so much.  Along with the personal loss of loved ones, many have also lost all their earthly possessions. Everything they knew as normal everyday life - gone. Now they have the nuclear radiation scare that is threatening what they have left. 

I have been praying that God will be evident to those who are surviving this horrible disaster and that they would cry out to Him and Him alone!

I am reminded to be grateful for the time that I have with those that I love. It can all be swept away in just a few moments. 

With all that said, God is still God and He is still on His throne!  Nothing is too big for Him or without purpose. I know that He allows all things. Sometimes our earthly minds do not understand, but we must trust in Him. 

Psalm 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Join with me in praying for those living in Japan and for their loved ones who are scattered all over the world.

The song in this video is a reminder that this world is not our final destination!