Woman, Wife, Mother
I was going through a few of my Instagram posts and images that I had created. I decided that I would share a few of theses with you. These were images that captured my thoughts, at the time.
Which of these spoke to you the most? You would like to read more on one of these topics? Let me know in the comments below.
Feel free to repost them, if you’d like. 
As a mom of four, I’ve seen quite a few booboos. We have to keep a box of band aids in the house because my children are always getting injured in one way or another. They come to me when they get hurt, feeling like the world is over and, nine times out of ten, I’m able to tell them that it’s ok. They don’t always believe me initially, but I just tell them again that they got hurt and it’s going to be alright.
When I think about this as a parent, especially a parent of four, I know that this is just apart of growing. When learning a new skill, like riding a bike, in order to get better at it, children fall. They scrape their knees and end up needing hugs, band-aids, and pep talks in order to calm their nerves, ease their pain and try again.
Little lessons like these, combined with my own growing pains have caused me to realize that we are no different. We grow and as we learn new skills, mature in life, and learn to be better, we get a few booboos along the way.
Be here’s the thing, some wounds are deeper than others. Some require more care than others and more bandages to protect from infection.
Not only do I have to remind my children not to pick at their wounds, I have to make sure to keep the wound clean and covered. On top of this necessary and obvious care needed for my children’s wounds, I have to remind them that no matter where we are in the process, the wound is healing. It has to, that’s how we were made. With the proper care and time, that scrape will get better because it wasn’t a fatal injury.
See the way that God built our bodies was to give us protective layers and barriers that make sure our inner parts, the more necessary ones, are not harmed. These are the parts that keep us alive, breathing, eating, and moving. When we are hurt by falling and scuffing up our knees, our skin begins to heal, but our minds remember the event and learns from it. We begin to process that being off-balance on a bike leads to falling. Touching a hot stove leads to being burned. Touching an aggressive dog leads to being bitten or snapped at. These lessons prepare us for bigger tasks and allow us to remember that although there are great things we want to experience, we should use our skills, use wisdom, and proceed with caution.
That’s what happens with the little scrapes and bumps that our children get. It’s also what happens when we are growing in life and growing spiritually.
We have all encountered situations that have caused us pain. Something has happened to us or we had an experience that opened a wound. Normally, these wounds, no matter their situation, came at some pivotal point in our lives. They came when we were at a certain season of life and began to progress through that season.
It could have been a spiritual, emotional, relational, or physical experience. No matter what it was, these experience have an effect on us spiritually, whether we know it or not.
Now, I know that you knew we were going to discuss something that would make you a bit less comfortable than normal and we are, but first, let’s pray.
Father, we love you. We come to you humbly Lord, first and foremost asking you to forgive us for sins that we have committed, both knowingly and unknowingly. Give us peace, Lord. We desire wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. We ask you to provide what we need to explore this topic without fear, because You’re perfect love casts out all fear. Help us to grow and see that the wounds are not the end, but instead a part of the process. Open our hearts and give us what we need to live this life to the fullest. Help us to heal from both spiritual and emotional wounds that we have experienced. Cause our broken hearts to be reminded that you do not despise us, but instead you love us. Wrap us in your arms of love and bring healing to our wounded souls in the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
When you think about your wound, I want to ask yourself a few questions. When the wound was first opened, did you take the time to assess the damage? I ask this because it is very important. Remember when I was talking about my children, I mentioned scrapes and bruises that were not fatal.
Did you clean the wound and cover it with the proper dressing or band-aid? Did you make sure to go back occasionally, clean it up, and redress the bandage?
If you are honest, in most cases, the answer is no. We get hurt and we normally do one or two things immediately. We cry, cover it up, and either never go back on the spiritual bike again out of fear, or we try to push past the obstacle to master the challenge. There’s a problem with this though.
Wounds that are not well cared for can get infected, seep deeper into our bodies, and never completely heal. Remember, the way that we are built. There is a mechanism to overcome built within us by God. Whether we want to or not, we are always in the process of healing. The problem comes in when we don’t properly care for the wound. It can leave a residue, develop puss, and a stench. It can become more that a growing pain because of a lack of care.
Do you have wounds that just won’t seem to heal?
At this point, I am going to assume that the answer is yes.
I want to help you heal, but first there are a few things that we have to do.
We have to clean the wound up, by taking and thinking about what happened. That’s how you begin to assess the situation, determine the type of damage that could have been done, and decide how to treat the wound.
Second we have to find the proper tools to assist you in the healing process. We have to gather all of the tools that are needed for the type of wound that you have. There are big bandages and small ones. They all work, but we have to find the one that you need.
Third, we have to properly dress the wound and you can’t pick at it. If you do, it could open back up.
I want to remind you that all wounds have the potential to leave a scar, but that’s a different post. Just don’t be alarmed if you end up with a scar from this wound. It’s not always a bad thing. I actually think it’s a good reminder that you’re healed and have made it out of a painful situation that wasn’t tough enough to kill you.
For now, here’s what I want you to do. Take a moment to think and journal about this wound that you have. Ponder some to the things below
What is a natural wound that you have? Perhaps you fell and scraped your knee as a kid. Write about what happened. Give the details of the incident. Do you remember how it happened? Do you remember how it was cared for? If so, describe it. What lesson did you learn from this or where were you in the learning process? Finally realize that the wound did heal because you are still alive and breathing.
Now for the spiritual wound.
Think journal and pray about this. Then comeback. I want to take you though the next step in this process, but this is the first step and one of the hardest, thinking about it.
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Please take a moment to share this post with someone who may find it helpful. Repost it to your Facebook or Twitter. Many of our friends are hurting too and need assistance healing from wounds. Let’s not do this alone, we all need each other.
Leave me a comment sharing your thoughts with me or send me a message telling me how this post impacted you. Would you like to see more topics like these?
Also, if you found this post helpful, consider purchasing my book. In it, I discuss some of the things I’ve been though and how I’ve healed from them. It wasn’t easy to write, but I did it for you, so consider purchasing it. It’s available on kindle and in paperback.
I’m also in the process of writing my new book. Tell me what you would like to or need to read about. What types of topics would you like to see me discuss and find most helpful?
Be encouraged and make sure to do the work. You’ll be surprised at the results the you get.
In my last post, we discussed the problem of Walking In the Spirit as a 21st Century Woman. If you didn’t get a chance to read that post, I’d like to encourage you to take a moment to read that post. Once you have read it and thought about what we discussed, come back here so that we can look at the 3 Practical Things that I promised you.
Before we dive into those 3 things, did you take the time to journal about those questions that I asked you? If you did not, please take the time to do it now. This post isn’t going anywhere and I know from experience that journaling helps process topic so much better that just thinking about them.
If you did get to journal about the topics, what did you find out about yourself, your atmosphere, and your current spiritual standing? If you are like me, you are not completely surprised. You knew a while ago that there were things that you needed and could feel that the world was pulling on you more and more each day.
This is normal. There are going to be different seasons in our lives where we do an assessment and find things that need to go and other things that we want to implement into our lives.
One important question that I asked you was if you actually believed that your problem could be fixed. Do you really believe that there is hope in this situation. I am going to assume that because you are still reading this, your answer is yes.
Why does it matter what I believe?
Well, I’m glad that you asked. The Bible says that those who come to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. This means that what you and I believe is extremely important to the outcome of our situations. If you are still doubting that God is able to bring you out of the place that you are currently in and that you can overcome this, I would advise you to stop and ask yourself why you are struggling with this in your faith.
Do you think that the way that women live today is a obstacle to living in the Spirit? If you don’t really see the problem yet, I would encourage you to take a few days and live your life as normal. Journal each night about the problems that you face, the mindset that you find yourself in, and the things that influence you. After about 3-5 days of this, go back and read what you wrote. Make a list of the issues and then come back to this post, so that we can move forward.
When you’re ready, I’m ready. So, Let’s go!
Once again, let’s stop and glean from the word of God.
Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Verse 16. I say then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Romans 6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts
Galatians 5:26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
As we look at the scriptures, we can see specific words being used. This words indicate action. They are verbs like live, walk, fulfill, let, obey, become, provoke, envy.
Let’s take ownership of our actions and look at the 3 things you can do to make sure that you are walking in the Spirit.
Remember that the flesh wars against the spirit, constantly. You have to know whats happening in you, as you are having various experiences in life. This means that you cannot avoid being alone. You can’t tell yourself that you don’t need to think and reflect on life. You have to hold yourself accountable and journal out your feelings and thoughts. You have to give yourself the freedom to tell the truth about what’s happening, as your journal. Keep your heart tender and remain conscious, by not allowing yourself to spiritually die. What happens in you when you experience life? How does it affect you? How can you protect your heart without building walls? Are you able to set up boundaries that will act as fences in your life?
Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it
This one is very easy, or so it may seem, but it requires persistence. No matter what happens, you have to keep an open line of communication with the Lord.
Talk to Him
Ask of Him
Seek Him for direction
Continually have a heart of prayer because it is a type of life line. It keeps you connected to the Lord at all times. You can speak to Him and know that He hears you. Please do not forget that you can hear from Him as He answers the things that you inquire of Him about. Even when you don’t know what to do, God does, so pray. He cares about you, so give your problems to Him. There is great power in prayer, so make sure to remain prayerful.
You have to make a point to listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit in your life. Listen to the Lord, as you hear His voice. Make sure to do what you hear Him say or what He leads you to do. Some things will come as unctions instead of words, you have to know that you have the ability to hear from the Lord, but you also have to choose to do the things that He calls you to do.
When you stop listening your spirit can succumb to the flesh and disobedience can seep in. It won’t come alone. Bitterness, anger, jealousy, selfish ambitions, and all of the works of the flesh will attempt to overtake you, if you turn a deaf ear to the Lord.
Though we live in the 21st century and there is a lot up against us, there is also a lot for us… GOD.
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
Pull though and force your character to be godly. Remember those action words form earlier in this conversation? Make a decision to live, walk, and obey the Lord. Become the woman that God has called you to be and overcome the works of darkness, by following these 3 practical steps. At first it might feel hard to turn down the noise and focus, but the more you turn from evil, the more you will embrace the freedom that you were given in Christ Jesus.
Do it today! Just make a commitment to take these 3 practical steps each day of your life, at every opportunity that you get.
If you have found this helpful, consider purchasing my book “Being Mrs. Mom: A Christian Woman, Wife and Mother Living in the 21st Century.” It’s pact with my struggles and how I have overcome my past, myself, and my pain to become the woman that God calls me to be.
If you have questions or topics that you’d like for me to discuss, just post it below or send me an email to info@beingmrsmom.com
Many, many, many years ago, women had a hard time living according to the word of God. Their neighbors from villages around the city were living perversely, serving other gods and tasting the fruit of strange things.
Women like Rahab, that desired to serve the Lord, had to leave their villages and all that they had ever known to become holy and sanctified. Turning from all that she knew, she gave herself over to the ways of the Lord. She learned how to live a life of holiness.
Becoming meek was taught to the women by the old and elderly. Loving husbands and children were skills that the aged found pride in teaching to the youth. The fruit of the Spirit, while developed over time, came with commentary and was dwelled upon, as the women laid under the starry sky surrounded by the sounds of nature.
Although not easy, being a woman of God, in the city of the Lord was not unheard of or strange.
Fast forward at least 2,000 years and you find a completely different scenario. Not only do women still have a hard time living for the Lord, it is almost impossible without total isolation. The old are teaching the young that there is no value in being a wife or a mother; they are simply hindrances to obtaining life goals, obstacles placed in the way of the ambitious. They urge the youth to consider that God is not real. Tempted by the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, women today find themselves lost, struggling to understand how to live this life as a godly woman.
The clothes, the songs, the entertainment all make it hard for her to hear the voice of God. Blaring from the speakers of the 4K television in the bedroom are the voices of the world echoing in her head, pulling her towards what she doesn’t long for. The pictures on her phone challenge her to compare herself to what she has seen. Social media calls out to her with the constant rings and dings, causing her to lose focus on the things that are most important to her.
The call of God on her life becomes drowned out and all she can think of are the words of the world.
“Be more, do more, get more…”
Each message screams for her attention, her love, her worship.
But really, she yearns for something else… someone that will fulfill her. As the Holy Spirit calls on her, she finds it hard to live according to the Spirit. She struggles within. Love isn’t what she wants because she feels hate. Peace is not what she craves because there is constantly conflict in and around her. Joy is foreign because she just wants to be happy.
Long-suffering…humph, what’s that? You mean instant gratification.
Goodness is gone as she seeks her own good and for that alone, in the name of God. Gentleness, meekness, and temperance (also known as self-control) are just words. There are no examples. They have lost their meanings. Their good has now been made evil. Turned to weakness, stupid, and foolish. Faith has been thrown out the window and traded in for doubt…I mean logic.
What’s the struggle. The time, the era, the day that we are living it. Its corrupt and if we are not careful, it will corrupt us.
SO how do we stop ourselves from becoming this woman.
Honestly, we have to remain sensitive and recognize the benefits of walking according to the Spirit, but there is still a simpler way.
Let’s stop for a moment and see what we can glean from the scriptures.
Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Verse 16. I say then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Romans 6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts
Galatians 5:26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
As we look at the scriptures, we can see specific words being used. This words indicate action. They are verbs like live, walk, fulfill, let, obey, become, provoke, envy.
So what?! Why should I care if it’s an action word?
I’m glad that you asked.
These words tell us that we can do or not do them. When we look at what the Lord is saying to us through the word, He is speaking very clearly about the way that we should be aiming to solve our problems.
If we say that we are women of faith, then we are living in the Spirit. If we live in the Spirit, we should also take it upon ourselves to walk in the Spirit as well. This means that we have to choose to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Since we all struggle with this, we must recognize that this is nothing new. Instead it is something that every believer must endure and push through to overcome. We must admonish and encourage one another. When no one else is around, we must listen to the unctions of the Holy Spirit and encourage ourselves.
There are a few other things that we can do to solve this problem practically, but let’s take some time to think on this. I recommend that you journal out your answers, so that you are able to really process where you stand before we move forward.
What are some of the distractions that pull on you heart, requiring your worship, and all of your attention?
What stops you from having quiet time with the Lord, quiet time to think, time to rest in Him?
What songs, entertainment, and television shows cause you to struggle with walking in the Spirit and inspire you to walk in the lust of the flesh?
How does this effect you? How does it make you feel? Do you really think that there is anything that you can do about it?
After you have journaled about these topics, specifically answering these questions, take a moment to pray about this. Ask the Lord to help you let go of the old and corrupt things that tug on you, so that you can grab hold of Him.
Later on in the next week, I’ll be sharing with you 3 Practical Things You Can Do to Solve the Problem of Walking in the Spirit as a 21st Century Woman
Make sure to sign up for updates by subscribing below. Each post will be delivered to your email and you won’t miss a thing.
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If you have found this helpful, consider purchasing my book “Being Mrs. Mom: A Christian Woman, Wife and Mother Living in the 21st Century.” It’s pact with my struggles and how I have overcome my past, myself, and my pain to become the woman that God calls me to be.
If you have questions or topics that you’d like for me to discuss, just post it below or send me an email to info@beingmrsmom.com
I look forward to hearing from you and don’t forget to come back within the next week for those 3 Things.
Many times we hold back, thinking that we’re doing the world a favor. The truth is that we aren’t. God put something great inside of you and holding back stops the world from encountering the greatness the He has placed inside of you. Go ahead and shine bright for all the world to see. As you do, you’ll give Him the glory.
Question: What’s holding you back? What are you afraid of?
As a woman that loves to plan, I often try to keep things orderly and functioning well. I like my planner, my pen, and my paper. And although I haven’t always been this way, I do my best to plan everything out. That plan is subject to change because I am married with four children, and really, because I am a human being, living in this world. Yet, still there are times where I am thrown completely off because of my desire for predictability and order.
If I can be honest with you, this has to do with my desire to control situations, so that things aren’t thrown off-balance and I’m not flung into a situation that I didn’t expect or feel that I can’t handle. Again, I haven’t always been this way, but in trying to be a woman of wisdom, I have desired to think through situations and plan how I am going to handle them. My plan would be perfect if I set in some high authoritative place, like God, but I’m not Him. I am merely a woman, clothed in flesh and living my life the best way that I can.
I have always had big dreams and this year, I took the plunge in to two of them.
Coupled together with life, I have found myself in a place of frustration because, well, we don’t live in a box. Although I set deadlines, things happen. For instance, I hurt my back and could not do all of the things that I wanted to do physically, so I had to rely on my family. They were very helpful and I am blessed to have them. Needless to say, my schedule was thrown off. I attempted to pull and push my way out of my physical limitations and, as it should be assumed, it took a toll on me emotionally.
I planned and structured events and business deals, but all parties just did not have the same schedule as I had. If I were to put it in the simplest way possible, my desire for perfection, was only that, a desire. Perfection was not going to, nor is it ever going to happen.
Ok.
Let me stop here for a second. I think you and I need to allow this statement to just sink in.
Perfection is never going to happen.
Our desire for perfection and control, literally sends our spirit out into a realm of frenzy because we were never meant to be perfect or in control of everything. We were placed in this world with the Spirit of the Living God to lead us and guide us throughout our lives. He is here to help us maneuver through the situations, ins and outs of life. No matter how much we try to take the steering wheel, its not our place to be in total control.
Think on this.
When life is busy and we want to be…., we have a tendency to try to attempt to take the reins from God. We attempt to control life. We don’t do it purposely, but when we do this, hurry up and go “thing,” we are trying to take our lives out of the hands of God. He’s the one who makes this whole world function and yet, somewhere in our minds, we believe that we can do it better. No matter how sincere or humble we are, we have all done it at one point and time in our lives. Believe it or not, we do it again and again. Then we wonder why we are stressed.
We wonder why things don’t seem to be going right.
Where did the problems come from?
Taking our lives out of the hands of God, not following His will, trying life our own way…that’s where the frustration comes in. And no matter how giant or small of a moment it has been that we have found ourselves in this place, we have to come back.
We have to ask Him to forgive us. We have to push forward in His will, listening to His Spirit, and seeking His face. That’s it!
When we do this, with a sincere heart, laying it all before Him, He takes the reigns and fixes our lives, orders our steps, and makes life beautiful again.
That’s what the KING of the world does. He rules and reigns. He orders and fixes our hearts and our lives.
In short…maybe not so short…
Our desires send us out of whack. The world is only doing what it does normally. It is functioning chaotically and we are striving for it to have some sort of order. Yet, in this process we forget that we are not all-powerful. Perfectionism is not really an accurate picture of any human being on this earth. It is simply and ideal. And we all love ideals.
Control is not really all that we perceive it to be. It is simply that a perception. We aren’t in control.
Yep! I said it…
We aren’t in control.
Whether reactive or proactive, we are not in control. It isn’t until we step into the will of God. Taking our rightful place in His plan, using the power that has been given to us by God, through Christ, in pray and in faithful deed, that we are in control…with Him.
Faithful deed…
Not fearful actions. We have to be living and walking in faith when we proclaim that this and that will be, expecting that it will be.
Now…let’s do this.
Let’s check ourselves with the word of God and see where we stand. Let this be our continual endeavor…to be in right standing with God.
Please take a moment to read Psalm 19 below and the watch the video at the end of this post.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
Its rising is from one end of heaven,
And its circuit to the other end;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults.
Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.
Life is so full.
It is full of ups and downs, ins and outs, goods and bads. Whether we realize it or not, enjoying life is a choice. That’s why I choose to make time for the beautiful things in life, daily.
Sometimes I get so busy doing that I have to remind myself to eat. I don’t forget to do what needs to be done for my children, but as a wife, mother, student, entrepreneur, web designer, minister, blogger, author…you see where I’m going with this, right?!
I’m pretty busy.
I’m sure that you are pretty busy too.
We can get all boggled down by the daily things that need to be done. Sometimes this busy-ness and doing can attempt to steal the joy that we have on the inside. Yet, if we are diligent to focus on the things of God and the blessings that He has given us, our joy will remain.
That’s why I say it is a choice. You and I get to decide if we are going to stay focused on the negative or are we going to use the negative to inspire us to do something great.
See, for every problem, there is a solution inside of someone on this earth. God place the answers within us. When we focus on Him, He will reveal what needs to be done to us.
The busy-ness of life drains us. This is one reason why God tells us to rest.
I take my rest at various points in the day. I stop to smell the roses, kiss my babies, and laugh with my husband. I shut it all down for a few moments to breathe in the fresh air that God has blessed us with.
Yesterday, I sat outside of my house and looked at the flowers. I have seen a praying mantis, grasshoppers, and a spider eating…yes gross, but it all adds something to my life.
I look at these things and I see that God has made such beauty around me that I would be doing myself a disservice to not take a moment to look at it all.
Today I want to encourage you to take a moment to look at the things around you and the people around you. Find something beautiful and be thankful for what you have seen.
A thankful heart is a cheerful heart and a cheerful heart is full of joy.
