Encouraging Myself

On Parenting

February 5, 2015 By Mrs. Mom Leave a Comment

Wow!!!

Was that Wednesday? I had my share of ups and downs yesterday.

I had moments when everything went well and others where they just didn’t.

But that’s how life is, right?!

Each and every day…in every season of our lives we are faced with new challenges. We have to make new decisions. We have to decide to either commit or not to commit to a task, function, or a role.

I find that these are the times when I begin to reevaluate my priorities. I look at my progress. Am I consistent in what I do? Am I holding myself accountable or do I have someone in my life that can do it for me when I can’t?

Yet, parenting is one of those things where you never know what trials or tests we are going to face. Parenting tests our ability and our inabilities. It is one of the many roles in life that test or check our character. Parenting proves if we are who we say we are…who we hope to be…or who we said we would never be…

It is in this, that we have to stand strong in the promises of God…cast all of our cares upon Him…for He cares for us…

When I need wisdom…I ask…He supplies…

Parenting causes me to say “Lord, help me to push when I need to push, but not pass the limit that you have set…that is needed…Help me to hold on when I should and to let go when I need to…Help me Lord to raise them right…pleasing in Your sight. For you gave them to me…Let me stand up for them and with them…when I should against their will to do wrong…to quit, to not try…help me to teach them resilience and accountability. Help me to show them the way that you have shown me…”

This is my hearts prayer…for me…for my husband…for my children…my grandchildren…

I even pray this for you…that you would be encouraged and strengthened to influence and assist a young person in their growth and maturity. When you feel like giving up, that God would equip you with the strength to continue to go on and to see the task all the way through…

That was Wednesday…over that hump…

Now, this is Thursday…

Encouraging Myself Monday: Taking Time To Focus And Reflect

January 5, 2015 By Mrs. Mom 4 Comments

Sometimes life gets challenging. Obstacles arise and we find ourselves in the midst of being shaken. Not knowing what to do or how to react, we can easily put ourselves in the wrong predicament, if we are not careful. This is why it is so important to have a time of prayer, reflection, and contemplation in our lives.

The above example doesn’t mean that we have something horrible or devastating happening in our lives. Instead it is just a normal occurrence to have life challenges that cause us to act, or in some cases react.

Well, I don’t know about you, but I wish I knew what to say and do all of the time, but I don’t. Since I am aware of this, I don’t try to figure things out all on my own.

There used to be a time when I didn’t have a friend to call on in a time of need. In those situations, I learned to journal about my situation. I would pray that God would give me wisdom. I would read my Bible and once I believed I had an answer, I would act. Those days were hard, and I must admit, there are still times when I am unable to ask anyone , but God for help.

I’m glad that God is always there

He says that he will give us wisdom if we just ask for it.(James 1:5) When we feel lonely, He tells us to draw close to Him and He will draw near to us. (James 4:8)

I thank God for those times when He shows Himself strong in my life.

I am also very thankful for the friendships that I have now. I am able to call on a few women to pray and offer sound counsel. The Bible says that there is safety in counsel (Proverbs 24:6), but I never realized how safe it could feel until I had it.

Now when I have those challenging moments, I don’t abandon what I have always known. I still take time out to focus on what is happening in my life and around me. I journal about the issues and cares that are upon my heart. I pray and ask God for His infinite wisdom. I look for Him to move in my life. I also call for a praying, God-fearing, wise woman to assist me.

This morning I took the time to do this and some how, now that I’m done…the sun is shining a little brighter. My smile is a little bigger and my load is a little lighter.

What do you do when you are faced with life’s challenges? Do you journal or do you reflect on life in another way? Do you pray about the situation and wait on God to answer you and give you direction? Do you have a friend to call on or are you in that stage of life that I described earlier, where it’s just you and God?

I’d love to hear from you today…

This is just me, hoping that I am encouraging you as I am encouraging myself…

Sentenced to Life

June 22, 2014 By Mrs. Mom 2 Comments

This morning as I sat thinking.

I thought…

I asked God questions and I thought some more.

I meditated on the word of God that rose up in my heart and…

As clear as day, I could hear the Holy Spirit in my heart.

“I came that you may have life and life more abundantly…”

I wanted to lay my eyes upon those words because I felt that they had rejuvenated my soul.

Suddenly, I felt like I could make it through anything that life would throw my way.

Finally, I found it. The scripture that would give me the strength to smile and be productive today. These were the words that reminded me that the Lord cared for me, everyday of my life.

“The thief cometh not , but for to steal, and kill, and to destroy: I come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

I know that the words said “they”, but this scripture became very personal to me. I felt like the Holy Spirit was saying, “Makeda, I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly.”

With those words, the feelings of being cared for and loved emanated through out my being…

I must admit…there are times when I am really struggling with a thing…

In my heart, I am yearning for God to fix my issue, although, I may not even know what it is…

I long for Him to calm my soul and bring me to a place of rest…

I can feel Him calling me to that place, but often times, in order to embrace it, I must first be clear of what it is that He is actually saying to me.

I heard the Holy Spirit, but for a moment, my emotions got in the way.

It is as if I have to bring my soul to believe what it is that my spirit is perceiving from God.

That is why, I meditated.

The biblical word for meditate is to think and talk to yourself about a thing or to have a conversation with oneself.

This is what I did.

It was what I had to do.

I had t make sure that I got it.

I couldn’t spend my day feeling some sort of way that I could not even explain.

Now here I sit…knowing that God cares for me…today.

He said that He wants me to have life and to have it more abundantly…

With that I am strengthened…

Have you ever felt this way?

Have you ever need affirmation from God of His love and that He cared? What did you do? How did you feel?

Leave me a comment…

Just Breathe

March 25, 2014 By Mrs. Mom Leave a Comment

We all have things to do.

We have our long lists and our requirements.

We have the expectations of ourselves and of others.

We have the things we want to do for ourselves and the things that others want us todo for them.

We have the nonstop coming and going, the long waiting to get nowhere fast.

In the midst of all of this our minds and hearts become overwhelmed with the cares of this life.

When will it ever stop?

How are we able to sleep at night?

We can’t…at least not restfully…

The thoughts keep racing. We worry and fret about things that haven’t even happened yet. We aren’t even sure if they ever will.

So what should we do?

How do we stop ourselves from feeling overwhelmed and tired emotionally?

We have to STOP and take a deep breath. It will take some focus to do nothing else in that moment, but it is imperative to find a way to just breathe.

This is what I’m telling myself today.

I have a lot on my plate and to make sure that I don’t get overwhelmed, I have to remove somethings.

Before I do that I am going to take some time to rest and breathe.

I hope that you find encouragement in this as well and that you are able to do the same.

Remember…our hearts can only take so much…

Have fun in life, love what you do, run the race, kill the giants, but don’t forget to breathe…

In The Times Of Stretching

March 24, 2014 By Mrs. Mom 2 Comments

Today I told myself that I would write a post about disappointments. I wanted to write how I handle them and my perspective about the situations that I face.

I mean, who doesn’t face disappointing situations…

Yet, I am not exactly sure how this post will come together because I am no longer just writing about disappointments, but I am also writing about being overwhelmed and our perspective of God in the midst of it.

These times are what I call “The Times Of Stretching.”

I just read a post and an email about the emotions and thoughts that we all experience sometimes. The authors posed a question. Does God put more on us that we can bear. If you want to check out the post that I’m referring to, you can do so here.

Who hasn’t felt overwhelmed and discouraged…worried or depressed?

I want to say that I believe that we have all felt this way before. I believe that in the midst of a situation or trial, the weight of a thing can feel so heavy that we don’t think that we can carry it. Yet, just because we feel a certain way doesn’t mean that it is that way.

What do I mean? Trust me, I understand that it may sound like I’m speaking jibberish, but follow me for a minute…

When we are going through any type of trial or testing, we are very uncomfortable.

It’s like having a baby…there is pain, but we are able to bear it and for those of us that don’t believe that we are strong enough to bear the pain in the end, there is a medication to help up get through it…

Life is this way as well. In the midst of a trial or a situation, we can feel like the situation will never end. Or when it finally does, we will be dead somewhere because we weren’t strong enough to make it through.

The thing is…God doesn’t expect us to do any of this without Him. He knew what we would endure and what we are made of. He placed certain things in us that only come out when we are tested and tried by fire.

Have you ever thought of the process that a beautiful piece of jewelry goes through before the beauty is revealed?

Beneath the surface of these rocks is something very beautiful, but the beauty is not exposed simply by gently holding the rock in you hand.

People search for rocks that have golden nuggets within them. Yes, they are of high value, but one of the reasons why is because of the unexpected beauty found inside of a thing that seemed to be dead and useless. Have you ever felt that way? I have…

After being tried by the fire and put through a process, something beautiful appears.

We are no different…situation, circumstances, and trials… they make us stronger. The the trial brings about perserverance. The perserverance brings about character

…for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. ~Romans 5:3-5

Now the question still stands…

Does God put more on us than we can bear?

No, he does not. He has already given us all that we need to endure the situation. There are qualities in us and the power of the Holy Spirit, coupled together to strengthen us. The question is, are we willing to go through the trial or tribulation.

No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it. ~1 Corinthians 10:13

Now although a way of escape has been made, we still have to choose to take it.

You know, most of the time the test, trial, and tribulation has more to do with the Word and power of God in us, than they have to do with us…

We receive the benefits of bearing, overcoming, and enduring a trial, but the trial was there to test the Word in us…

(I digress…)

What happens if we don’t choose to take the way of escape that has been provided for us at the appropriate time?

Well, we have now taken more upon ourselves than we can bear.

God was standing in front of us with a huge sign saying “Take the exit on the right.” Yet we chose to continue to veer to the left. This is where we begin to blame God for our short comings, over plate filling, and disappointments.

I do not say this as someone who has not experienced this…Trust me! I know this from experience.

It is imperative that we pay attention and get off at the right exit.

But when we don’t, we begin to experience doubt, condemnation, discouragement, and disappointment. We forget that God always has our best interest at heart and we begin to blame Him for our wrong turn. ( Did you know that sin is to simply miss the mark?)

We have all done that and I dare to say that we do it daily…that’s why we have and need a Savior.

(Again I digress)

So what are we supposed to do when we have digressed from the path and veered off just a tad bit. It is at this point that we may begin to feel a bit of anger or discouragement within ourselves. Here’s what I’ve learned from my experience and how I’ve learned to handle it…

Allow yourself to feel the way that you feel…briefly (DON’T STAY THERE)
Assess the situation…thoroughly (Ask questions like… Why? Did I contribute to it? Can I do anything better next time? How can I move on?
Pray for wisdom.
Accept your part
Ask God to forgive you & Forgive yourself and others
Make a list of the things you can do to move forward (pray when you are worried, afraid, tempted, troubled, hurting, angry, bitter, ect)
Change your mind about it. ( You have power over your own mind and you have the ability to change it. Search the word for what God says about the situation and conform your thoughts to that…this requires believing the word, HONESTLY)
Remember God can and will work it out for your good.
Commit to your plan
Remember that Romans 10:11 says that no one that puts their trust and faith in Him will ever be put to shame.
Do what you can
Let God do the rest

These times aren’t always easy. In fact they are some of the hardest times in our lives. Yet, looking back on them, we will see it differently than we feel it now.

The goal is to trust God through the stretching, remember that He is on your side, and be resilient.

Purpose…

January 15, 2014 By Mrs. Mom Leave a Comment

This morning I sat down to write out my to do list. I decided to stop for a moment and think about the reason why.

“Why am I doing all of this?” I asked myself.

I don’t know if you are anything like me, but I have to have purpose in all that I do or else it becomes mundane and vain.

As I thought, I reached for one of my favorite books. “A Book of Prayer” by Stormie Omartian.

I prayed this guided prayer.

Lord give me a vision for my life. I put my identity in You and my destiny in Your hands. Show me if what I am doing now is what I am supposed to be doing. I want what You are building in my life to last for eternity. I know that all things work together for good to those who love You and are called according to Your purpose (Romans 8:28). I pray that You would show me clearly what the gifts and talents are that You have placed in me. Lead me in the way I should go as I grow in them. Enable me to use them according to Your will and for Your glory.

With purpose, I made my to-do list. With confidence, I carry out my tasks. I know that I am called to great things and being a mother and a wife are two of them.

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