confessions of a floundering mama...

let me offer these words of comfort for any other mommies who feel like their house is eating them alive, like they are failing at training up their children, and have nothing left to give their husbands at the end of the day...


... i only managed to get 7 pictures this christmas. i am in none of them (which i am ok with being in pictures, it just didn't happen). the lighting stinks, the angles are funny, and there are none remotely nice enough to even post on facebook.

Christmas is a time to remember the birth of my Savior.

... this is what my kitchen table has looked like for the past 6 days. my husband smiles and deals with it graciously, but will be appalled when he finds that i have posted this for the world to see. but other mommies need to know, we all have these times. and it's ok.

Jesus has still covered me with His blood and washed me white as snow.


... i got claustrophobic today when Christian was climbing on my lap. i had to set him down and find my own seat. he gave me a look like he thought i was crazy. i probably am.


Blessed be our Lord who holds us close and never let's go.

... Isaac is watching his new curious george movie for the 2nd time today. he didn't take an afternoon nap so this evening will be ruff.


Praise the Lord for He is Good! ... and p.t.L. for dvd's.

the point is not that i'm making a list of excuses for bad behavior. on the contrary. i try to work hard within my home for the glory of God, for the honor of my husband, and for the good of my sons. but sometimes things can become a bit very overwhelming. and whether my home is spotless or not, God is still God!


my family can function in a messy house for a couple weeks if the need is there. they cannot deal with a mama who is have a mental breakdown. it just doesn't work.


so here are a couple suggestions to try and help save mamma's sanity...


... do something with your kids that will make you all laugh. sit down and watch a kids movie, or have a game of tag around the piles of laundry.
Proverbs 17:22 "A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones."

... throw half of the toys in a box, seal it & throw it in a storage place for a while. if your kids are little, they won't even notice and less stuff means less to clean up later. (plus, when you get it out again it will be new and exciting toys for free!)

... mix 1/4 white sugar with a tablespoon or 2 of lemon juice and a tiny bit of water by shaking it all up in a little container. use it right away as an amazing body scrub that is super refreshing and CHEAP! (note: you will not be sticky as all the sugar rinses clean in the shower. trust me, this is a favorite of mine.)

... sing something!  children love to sing and mine love to dance.  they don't care what you sing or how it sounds.  plus, i heard that singing releases endorphins (those are the happy hormones in your body).


... before bed, read some chapters from the Song of Solomon, pray, brush your hair, and put on some pretty pj's. i don't want to embarrass anyone, but, a husband who is satisfied is more understanding and patient with all the stuff around the house.

peace to you...

Sunday morning and time has gotten away from me. Nick has to leave for church so that he can take care of announcements for Sunday School & has to take the little car because it has been needing a jump to start, so it has to be the first one out the driveway. that leaves me with the boys to finish getting ready. craziness ensues and we make it out the door an hour & 20 minutes later. i'm 4 blocks down the street and remember that i didn't take time to eat anything and my stomach is complaining about it, my mascara was put on in a hurry and now is flaking off into my eye and little boys are yelling in the backseat simply because they think it's funny. and come the tears...

"Lord, can't i just get a moment of peace?!"

"Daughter, peace doesn't come from a moment. Peace comes from Me."

God's direct revelation to man is finished and complete. He does not speak to people verbally anymore. Yet there are moments in my life when things are impressed upon my heart and i know that there is no way this wisdom has come from anywhere within me. it can only be from Him. This is one of those moments.

Peace. a big term when applied to some situations. but in my situation?

Real lasting peace only comes from God. and starts in peace WITH God.

Colossians 1:19&20
"For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him [Jesus], and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; thought Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven."

You will not know true peace in any area of your life unless you first come to God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ. John_3:16, Romans_10:9-11

So as a child of the Lord who has come to Him though the gift of salvation He has provided, I have peace with the Judge of the world. how amazing and humbling to know when I leave this earth i will forever be in His presence. but then... what about peace today? what about peace within my emotions? or within my household?

Ahhh, but He has provided for that as well!

within my emotions~

Philippians 4:4-9 (read the whole thing!)
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.
Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprhension, will guard your hearts and your minds, in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."


rejoice- resisting the impulse to get upset and get angry will help you stay on track for peaceful emotions. also notice that he purposefully repeats it, so it must be very important.

gentle spirit- gentle spirit = gentle voice, gentle actions, gentle facial expressions

anxious- opposite of peaceful. don't stew about it, don't worry if it's going to come together in the right manner or time. leave these things in God's very strong & very capable hands.

prayer, supplication, thanksgiving, requests- all of these terms are about talking with God! not complaining to a person in your life, or even ranting to yourself (yes, i am a major culpret of this one) but take it all to God. pray about it! ask Him for help. thank Him in advance for the way He will provide for this, because He ALWAYS provides. ask again and again and again, as often as you need to in order to get through.

guard- don't worry, He's got you covered. if i will let go of my own anxiouty, He will protect me from my own stupid emotions that are trying to run away with me. that's right, He is guard over me. trials will happen, crud will come into my life. He's not a body guard that chases it all away. My emotions are His prisoner, and He will keep me from getting away. as it says, He will guard my heart and mind.

dwell- live, abide, be in that place, in all the good things that are listed. focus, not on what is going wrong and all this is falling apart. focus on all the amazing things God is doing in this moment and how He will work everything out.

practice- not a trying to get better type of things, but more the putting into practice type. implament what you already know!

John 14:27
"Peace I leave with you; My peace i give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."

Jesus spoke these words about His death, resurrection, assention and the sending of the Holy Spirit. I have the Holy Spirit given to me to help me, now that i am saved. He will impart peace to me, peace unlike anything the world knows of (Galatians_5:22-25)


within my household~

Titus 3:1-2
"Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed,
to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men."

God brought me to this verse for the last statement, "showing every consideration for all men." i need to be considerate of my family. when times are stressful and i feel like my peace is fleeing, let me first consider them, and not myself! think through...
...are they tired? are they hungry? am i being short with them? all these things will cause little boys and husbands to be cranky and less agreeable. even if i can't do much about it at the moment, being contious of it will help me to be less offended and ruffled by their actions.

along with that, i need to be considerate of my childrens age. they are 1 & 3. i am still training_them_up in the Lord and it will take time for them to learn and remember and impliment what i teach them from God's Word.

However, i am 27. if any of us knows how they are supposed to act, it is me! i have to be constantly applying what i know the Lord requires of me. He has already asked me to be patient, kind, loving, and a careful worker at home. these are things i know how to do and can do them.

John 14:15
"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."

If i am doing what i'm supposed to be doing (showing love and patience, not nessesarily having perfect hair), then i don't need to be worked up about the situation. that is peace. a God given peace!

preparing

First , scroll down and read the first post. Now you understand the point of this blog.

Question for you…

Do you ever get stressed out when you are trying to get out the door to Church or Bible study? I do! Why is it that whenever I’m going to hear the word of God I’m frustrated out of my mind because I can’t find anything and the boys are being slow and I don’t have enough time to take care of everything before we need to be there, let alone be leaving?! And so I arrive at church in a huff with a slightly bent out of shape attitude, when the whole point of being there is to honor the Lord and indulge in the Word He has given us. But so many times my attitude is far from honoring.

So I challenge you to prepare! Prepare your heart to worship by going to God in prayer. And prepare yourself (and family!) to avoid the stress that so often comes crashing down on us.

1 Peter 1:13
“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Apply this verse specifically to Sunday morning and see what you get!

Q?? “prepare you minds for action” Think about it! What can you do ahead of time so time so that you will be able to have a right attitude on Sunday morning? Maybe, lay out everyone’s clothes the night before, or have breakfast ready in the fridge, or gather all the Bibles by the front door next to the purses & wallets & cell phones?
Proverbs 31:25 “Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future.” Remember, the future includes tomorrow morning.

Q?? “keep sober in spirit” Obviously, sober meaning serious, contrasting the sloppy unfocused drunk. Do you keep your cool when things don’t go exactly according to plan before worship? Are you making focused effort to maintain the right attitude when going to fellowship with other believers?
Psalm 57:7 (one of my favorites!) “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;” Am I grounding my emotions on the Rock, or am I letting them get the best of me?

Q?? “fix your hope completely” Remember the things that we know about God now. Examples: He is Love, He is in control of all, He is gracious, He is worthy of all our praise. Remember that one day we will know so much more about Him! Are the cares of getting ready and getting out the door consuming your mind and attention on Sundays (or whatever day)? Is your hope fixed on getting out the door on time? Where should you be fixed?
1 Chronicles 16:10 “Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.” Are you seeking God gladly on your way to worship?

I challenge you to prepare for when you go to meet with like minded believers. Prepare your heart, and prepare yourself, and prepare your stuff. I think if you are honest about what needs to change, you will find that God blesses your preparations and gives you grace for the moments when it still doesn’t go according to plan.