Stay Gold

Romans 6:22

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

 

 

Think about a piece of gold. Did you know it goes through a refining process? With fire, the gold is heated to extremely high temperatures to remove any impurities and anything that is left over is pure. Pure solid gold.

The same can be said with our marriage. We will go through fires, have hardships, many trials and tests. Many things may cause an inner conflict as we learn to let go of our old ways and working through God’s ways. But we don’t have to do it alone. The Holy Spirit was sent to comfort you, help and sanctify you. As you go through the changes, you will become redefined, holy and pure.

Marriage isn’t designed to make you happy by just fulfilling your needs. It is to make you holy by refining you through transformation.

Now you’re a wife. You are committed to your husband. You are no longer single so the selfishness we once had is to be turned around and directed to serve, respect, and love your husband. The many different seasons of you marriage will lead you to refinement if you choose to accept your marriage as a way for God to transform you. The choice to embrace God’s way will always be up to you. And it will always begin by submitting yourself to Him.

Date: 06-30-14

What is God teaching you?
Questions:

1. In what ways are you set apart as a wife?

2. Currently, what transformations are you experiencing as a wife?

3. Knowing that the trials you face together have the potential to produce transformation in your marriage, how can you respond differently to your husband?

Friday Night

Every Friday night, my husband and I have date night. We take a few hours after work to just be together. We sometimes go out to dinner and movie, do a little shopping, or sometimes we just stay at home cook dinner and watch whatever series we are hooked on at the time. This doesn’t happen every Friday because we do have other things that come up and we have to change it to Saturday night or Sunday after church. No matter what day it may be, it’s the fact that we make that time together. Peyton is usually with one of our parents or with a friend of ours. So there’s no running around trying to keep up with her. We also limit our phone usage. So there’s not that distraction.

We started this date night routine when Peyton was very young. We knew that as she got older that things would get crazier and we would always be busy. Since then, we have strived to make sure once a week (sometimes every other week) we take a few hours together. I can’t even begin to explain the wonders that it does for our marriage. It’s something you will just have to experience yourself.

So, find someone to watch the kids and plan a date. Make tonight date night. And if you can, make every Friday date night. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant if you are on a tight budget. Rent a movie, borrow one from a friend, cook something you both like, and mainly HAVE FUN! I promise you will love it.

Do you already have date night? How do you spend date night? Comment below and share with other couples reading this!

On Display

[I decided to take a break from the Wives After God study and show you a little piece of my home and some thoughts on scripture.]

 

One thing that I think is very important in our walk with Christ is spending time with Him. Setting some time aside each day to get to know Him, read His word, talk to Him and listen to what He is trying to tell us. I know that life is really busy most of the time and not everyone sets aside that time. However, I do think we should always try for even a few minutes with Him. You wouldn’t want to miss out on time that you could be spending with your spouse. We should feel the same way about spending time with God.

When I go through different seasons of my life, God always gives me a verse and it helps me through that time in life. For instance, one verse that stuck out to me what John 16:33 “I have said these things to you that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble. But that heart; I have overcome the world.” And that verse helped me go through a lot of times during that season.

 like to write that scripture or place it somewhere that I will see it daily. Like writing on my bathroom mirror, having it on my desktop at work, my background on my phone. Just to have a daily reminder of that verse that God has given me. Another way I like to display scripture in my home is to get the vinyl letters and put it on the wall. You can usually purchase them anywhere like target, hobby lobby, or Walmart.  Currently this is what is in our upstairs bathroom.

 

Just so we can both have a daily reminder to love everyone as Christ does. No matter how they look, how they act, what they've done, or said.

How do you display scripture? How do you show it as a daily reminder? Comment below and let me know!

When Troubles Arise

Romans 5:18-19

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

 

Adam and Eve sinned when they ate the forbidden fruit. And by doing so, they broke that intimate bond with God. Still, God never left them. There was just conflict in their relationship because of the sin. When God sent His son to die on the cross and once the task was finished, God reconciled the relationship with man. This one act gives everyone the opportunity to have that intimate relationship with God and spending eternity with Him.

“Reconciliation redeems relationships, restoring harmony, peace and agreement.”
We are all called to reconcile with everyone, including your marriage. In marriage, we are called to extend and over extend God’s amazing grace to our husband and showing God’s love no matter what the situation entails.

God has forgiven you and you are to forgive your husband in that same manor. We must restore that harmony, peace and agreement in our marriage. A good way to think about it is that God didn’t wait for an apology from you or me before giving Himself up to make things right. He acted first. And as a wife, we have the same chance to experience the same opportunity to reconcile with our husband and restore that relationship at any sign of trouble or sin. Is it going to be easy? No. Not at all. Your pride is going to try to take over at times and reasoning will try to justify fairness.  But we must fight our flesh as Jesus did for that reconciliation. Then the best part, your marriage will thrive with true intimacy.

2 Corinthians 5:17-20

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

 

Your challenge for today: Next time there is a disagreement between you and your spouse, or even a past offense, initiate reconciliation.

Date: 06-24-14

What is God teaching you?
Questions:

1. How did God reconcile the world to Himself?

2. During an argument, what keeps you from mending your relationship with your husband?

3. How can you show reconciliation in your marriage?

4. Unconditionally, how can you show your husband that you love him?

Life Changing Love

I want you to stop and think a minute about the death of Jesus. I want you to think about all that He suffered, all that He went through. From the beating to the mocking to the nailing on the cross to the final stab in the side.

Can you imagine what pain He went through? We fuss and complain when we get a small paper cut. But to be beaten? Mocked? Nailed to a cross? That must have been the most painful death. And why did He do it? For us. For our sins.

And He didn’t have to.

No one forced Him. No one held a sword to His neck and tell Him that He had to die for us. No. He willingly gave up His life. For you. For me. That is true, unconditional, selfless love. He loves us.

Knowing that someone would do that for you no matter how you respond to Him shows nothing but complete love. That kind of love is life changing. That kind of love changes marriages. You have the chance to show that same unconditional, selfless love to your husband, whether he deserves it or not. I’m not saying go out and die right now for your husband. But I am saying that you can go through anything with your spouse because of the unconditional love. By doing this, you will be showing God’s love story to the world.

Date: 06-23-14

What is God teaching you?
Questions:

1. What are 3 ways that Jesus was the perfect example for how you should love your husband?

2. When your husband doesn't deserve it, where can you find that strength and motivation to love him?

3. What tempts you to hold back some of that love from your husband?

4. Unconditionally, how can you show your husband that you love him?

The Gift of a Spouse

Genesis 2: 21-25

So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said,“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh; he shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

 

When I think about the gift God gave Adam of a companion and wife, I can only imagine the way that he must have felt. I imagined that he felt the same way that a wife feels when her and her future husband is at the alter exchanging vows and are finally one. I know on my wedding day, there were lots of laughter, excitement, joy and thankfulness. When you do make those vows and that commitment, you are accepting a gift. The same gift that Adam received. You now have that companion and spouse. Adam didn’t receive the gift of Eve because of anything she did but because he trusted God. He knew that God had the best in mind for him. And because he accepted the gift, his life was forever blessed by it.

In that same way, your husband is your gift from God. The question is are you going to receive your gift because you trust God and know that He has the best in mind for you or are you going to reject it like it may not be good enough for you? You may already be married but it’s how you treat your husband that will show if you accept or reject your gift.

But you are a gift too! You are a gift to your husband. It is so very important that each of you see one another as a gift everyday of your lives together. Knowing you both are gifts will have a huge impact on how you treat each other.

Your challenge for today: Imagine God handing you your husband as a gift the next time you see him. Receive your gift by giving him a hug.

Date: 06-20-14

What is God teaching you?
Questions:

1. What other gifts has God given you?

2. Does your current attitude towards your husband show that you accept or reject your gift?

3. How can you and your husband be a gift to others?

We Need that Friendship

Genesis 2:18-22

Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fir for him." Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds f the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not a found helper fir for him. So the Lord God cause a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.

 

One thing that every man and woman longs for in life is companionship. Even down to the deepest parts of our soul. Even God desired this and then what happened? He created Adam. Adam was Gods friend. God walked with him, talked to him, and also invited Adam to have an unimaginable relationship with Him. Part of having a friendship is being able to trust each other and being able to count on them. Obviously God trusted Adam or He wouldn’t have given him the job of naming every single animal that God created. What an amazing honor to have! To be able to help God! God knew what Adam was capable of not only because He created Adam but because they were friends. They got to know each other by spending time together and they were side by side and went through life together. Like every friendship, there were troubles but God protected Adam and desired harmony.

God also wants that same friendship with you. He wants an intimate relationship with you and longs for you to join Him. God goes after us like a man goes after a woman. He impresses us daily with things like sunsets, singing birds, sweet sweet smells, and draws you in with the Holy Spirit. If only we took the time to be still and look all around us.

We were all created for that companionship. There was such a memorable time when you stepped into that friendship and chose to love by declaring it with your vows, when you became a wife. You said yes to facing life together, every trouble, every sadness, every happiness and everything in between. To have a prosperous marriage one of the most important things to remember is to protect that friendship. Let pursuing your husband be a daily seniority.  Trust in him, be confident in him, count on him, and love him. Always be his best friend and watch your friendship grow.

Your challenge for today: Spend time with your husband doing something that he would prefer to do.

Date: 06-19-14

What is God teaching you?

Questions:

1. How do you see God pursuing that companionship with you?

2. Like God trusted Adam to name all of the animals, do you trust your husband to accomplish things in your marriage?

 

3. How can you build that friendship with your husband?

The Design of Marriage

When God made us, He was pretty detailed about everything in us. Think about all of the bones, the organs, the body parts, the way you look. All of those have such an incredible amount of detail. Not only did He have to design each part, He had to create and make everything work like it should. Each and every part of you that He created is what makes you so unique! He was so intentional about your design and He was just as intentional with your husband’s design.

God made 2: Male and female. Even though each man and each woman have very different designs, we were both still made in His image. There are details that make men different from women and details that make women different from men.  Which is very important when it comes to marriage. I think we would all agree that both husband and wife both desire love and respect. But men desire something different than women and women desire something different from men. While us women desire to be breathtakingly loved, men deeply desire to be respected.

Men love respect. Giving them respect inspires them and gives them confidence that speaks to the deepest parts of their hearts that brings on the desire and confidence to lead. Women love love. When us women receive love we feel secure and accepted which draws us to want to serve as a helper.

Why is it that way you say? Why do women desire love and women desire respect? Because that is God’s amazing design for marriage. We are supposed to respect our husband through our actions and words and our husband is to love us unconditionally like Christ loves the Church.
This design isn’t always easy though. We are called to live out our roles as husbands and wives no matter what your spouse has done or even if they are living up to their part or not. I would say this is probably one of the most enormous obstacles we face in marriage. And it can really be hard if your spouse has ever hurt you before. Ephesians 5:21 can helps us get through this struggle.

Ephesians 5:21

“…submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

 This is where mirroring God’s perfect love story goes into play. You will be showing that same unconditional love that Christ displayed for His bride, us undeserving sinners.

Challenge for today: Tell your spouse one reason that you respect them.

Date: 06-18-14

What is God teaching you?

Questions:

1. How does your husband show you love?

2. What is one thing your husband does that makes it hard for you to respect him?

3. How can you show your husband respect?

The Purpose of Your Marriage - God's Purpose

Genesis 1:27

"So God created man in his own image, in the image

of God he created him; male and female he created them."

Does that not just blow your mind? That the creator of the UNIVERSE created you and me from HIS image.  You were created to reflect His goodness and never failing love. You were thought out carefully and pieced together with only the best parts. You weren’t thrown together without thought, worthless and rusty parts. I don’t know about you, but that just fills my heart with pure joy knowing that the Almighty God would create someone like me as a representation, a representation of God.

A very important area of life is your marriage. And you know what? God created marriage. The joining of man and woman to become one flesh. To live life together. When man and woman come together it reflects the most amazing love story, God’s love story. A marriage should mirror the relationship between Jesus and His bride, the Church. Just as Jesus shows us His unselfish, unfailing love, we must imitate that same love toward our spouse. Marriage is an opportunity to glorify God in mirroring His love story. God’s purpose for your marriage is for you to be a continuing illustration of His love towards the church as well as to let your marriage to teach you to be more like Christ.

Here’s your challenge for day one:
Discuss with your spouse the purpose of your marriage.

 

Journaling:

Date: 06-17-14

What is God teaching you?

Questions:

1.       Why is it important to know God’s purpose for your marriage?

2.       How does the knowledge of this change the way you look at your marriage and/or life?

3.       What is one this you will do differently in your marriage to reflect God’s love story?

Prayer

Devotional - Wives after God

A couple months ago I ordered a devotional called "Wives After God". It is such a great devotional for wives or for any woman that is engaged or even thinking of getting married one day. It is definitely not just for married women. Over the next 30 days I will be going through this devotional and showing you scripture as well as prayers that will transform your marriage. I know it has mine.

I want to encourage you to spend the next 30 days with me on this journey and keep a journal near by when reading these devotionals. You may or may not be use to spending quality time with God, but with this devotional you will be spending time with Him by reading His Word, praying and if you choose, journaling.

You should already know that I like giving challenges and these devotionals aren't going to be any different. There will be a challenge each day. I pray that you will take on each challenge!

If you don't have a bible, I will be putting the scripture up for you. If you do have one, I encourage you to keep it close by and journaling is strongly encouraged. Here is an example of how you can do it or you can use your own method.

Date
1. What God is teaching you
2. Answer Questions
3. Prayer

Remeber: When you spend quality time with God, your relationship with Him changes dramatically. Your life will change.

So, will you join me on this 30 day journey?

Plastic Runway

At the beginning of the week, one of my co-workers tripped on the carpet here at work. Thankfully, she did not get hurt. The carpet is so old and is coming apart at the seams. So I emailed our maintenance department and asked if there was any way this could be fixed since it is a safety hazard.

This morning we all walk into work like normal and there is like a plastic runway type thing covering the part where the carpet is coming loose. This isn’t the sturdiest of plastics. This is an extremely flimsy piece of plastic stretched over some frayed carpet. The sides curl up and the plastic isn’t secured to the floor. It’s kinda just lying there. All day we have joked about the “runway” and how it is probably still or will be a safety hazard.

A couple of weeks ago, someone came in to take measurements of the building so we could get new flooring. I’m not exactly sure when we will be getting this new flooring but I am sure that this new plastic runway of ours is only a temporary fix until the new flooring will be installed.

2 Corinthians 4:18

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

 

That’s how the life of following Christ looks. We only see what is going on now during our lives but we can’t see the big picture. Only God knows what the big picture looks like. When we struggle and go through battles we wonder why it’s happening to us. But the key to getting through those struggles is to fight through them and know that you are going through that situation for a reason. You will come out better and you will have something better in the future even though it is hard to see it now. Somehow, this situation is just a tiny piece of the big picture.

Just like our plastic runway.

Right now, we see the runway as being a temporary fix to our frayed carpet. We don’t know what type of flooring is going to be installed but we do know that a better version is in store

A Little Bit of Time

Monday I wrote about my trip to Georgia to visit my great grandma. If you missed it, you can view it here.

One of the reasons I absolutely love going to down to Georgia is that I get something that I normally don’t have when I am at home.

Time.

There, I had all the time in the world. Time to think, pray, ponder, dream, play with my daughter without worrying about housework. I had time to shop and time to just be with family.

With all of the crazy fastness of the world, we normally run out of time in the day to get done all that we want to get done. I know as a wife and mom I want to have the house clean, cook, play, do laundry, get on pinterest, facebook, Instagram, and spend time with my husband and child all within the few short hours that I get when I am off of work.

And doing all of those things is okay. We should want our house clean, cook supper, have clean clothes, and most importantly spend time with our family. Those things are all what we want to do. But it sometimes feels impossible to get it all done. But those things also consume us a good part of the time and we forget that we need to just stop occasionally and take it all in.

And that’s what I did in Georgia. I took it all in.

I spent time with family. Watched laughter, heard stories, and looked at old family pictures. Things that is just super hard to do with all the things that we have to do throughout the day. And you know what the best part was? It was so relaxing. A lot of times when we go on trips we feel like we need another day to relax from the trip but on this one was all relaxing. I didn’t have to worry about the house being clean, doing laundry, and since I couldn’t use the internet there was no facebook, Instagram and pinterest to take up my time.

Here’s my challenge to you today:
When you get home from work or church or whatever you’re doing today, go home. Just go, don’t turn the tv on, don’t get on your phone, don’t worry about the house. Just enjoy your little time that you have left of the day by yourself or with your family. Tell each other about your day, reminisce, dream. Just do it together. Don’t let this fast pace life take all of your time and you lose those moments with your family. We only have a little bit of time during the day, enjoy it while you can.

Dirty Glasses

Here lately I have been getting headaches almost every day. (If it’s not one thing wrong it’s another right?) It has been about a year since I had an eye exam so I figured it was getting close to time for another. I went this morning for my exam. I have been wearing glasses for the last year and I figured why not try contacts? I wouldn’t have to worry about them falling off, taking them off to clean them, and so on and so on. The exam went smoothly and quickly. I do have contacts now and can see more clearly than ever. I struggled to put them in at first but everyone says it gets easier.

Thought:

Sometimes we think we are seeing something so clearly but we aren’t really seeing clearly at all.

I thought my glasses were helping me to see well. When in reality, it wasn’t doing much good at all. One of my eyes sees far off and the other sees close up. Glasses do get dirty pretty easily and you do have to clean them probably daily. All the dirty and grittiness on the glasses can distort your vision. Causing you to see a tad blurry.

When you think you see something so clearly, the only way to know for sure is to turn to the One who can clear your obstructed views.
Maybe you have to make an important decision and you don’t know which way to go. Turn to God. Ask Him to remove anything that may cause you to see things that aren’t really there, to remove and dirt and grittiness that may hinder this decision.  And ask Him to make the way so clear that you know without a doubt which way to go in the decision making.

 

Hazelhurst, GA.

This past weekend Peyton and I rode with my parents to visit my great grandma which would be Peyton’s great grandma. She lives in Hazelhurst, GA.

 That is a 4 hour drive and over 200 miles one way. We left after I got off work on Friday afternoon and came back Sunday around 2:30. We don’t make the trip very often but when we do it is always worth it. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see all of the family members that I would have liked to, but there is always another time for another trip.

My great grandma’s name is Vater Woodell. She is about 93 years old and still alive. Up until the last couple years she has done very well for her old age. She still plants her garden, still fishes, and still has stories to tell. Oh the stories she can tell. She doesn’t drive anymore and it is getting very hard for her to be able to move around. She has to hold onto something when walking through the house and actually going outside is a bit of a struggle. A nurse does have to come in throughout the week to help take care of her.  It's not the greatest but here is a picture of this sweet lady.

 

Hazelhurst is a very, very small town. There is not much to do or see there. The biggest thing they have their would be a super Wal-Mart. And even that is small. It’s a small town with a lot of history. I’m talking so small that they just upgraded their cell phone towers last year and I can now get signal when I am there. I know small town right? My internet still didn’t work so I couldn’t post anything but hey! They are improving.

But what I wanted to share with you is this thought:
My grandma is 93 years old, no internet, no cable, hardly any air condition, she doesn’t have a car, she doesn’t have the biggest house or even a lot of money.

You know what she does have though?
Contentment.

If we could all learn to live on a little less, give a little more, we could be content. Instead, we always want the next best thing. The newest iPhone, computer, car, house, clothes, you name it, we want it. But do we really need those things? Do we have to have the newest iPhone? Car? Clothes? Not hardly. Think back in the times when they didn’t have any air conditioning or even internet! They still worked to survive and they were still as happy as could be.

 What is it that you want so badly that keeps you from being content? And why do you want it so badly?

 

Lost Earrings

A couple years ago, my brother in law went to China on a mission trip. Whenever he goes somewhere he always brings us something back. This time he brought me some beautiful dark blue colored pearl earrings. I absolutely love them! They can pretty much go with any outfit.

One day last year I was looking for them and I could not find them for the life of me. I looked up and down, all over the house, in my jewelry box and everywhere in between. I had lost them. Lost. Disappeared. Forever. I apparently didn’t put them back in the jewelry box where they belong and they were gone and I was devastated.

So I had thought.

Last night I decided to change purses for some odd reason. (I usually just keep one forever and buy a new one when I get tired of that one.) So I grabbed the one from the top shelf of my closet and sat on my bed. I looked inside and realized that I had not cleaned it out since I used it last. I’m talking everything but the bathtub was in there. Money, feminine supplies, lotion, tissues, book, makeup, name tag from my previous job. You name it, it was in there.

Oh and did I mention my earrings were in there too?

Yes! They were in there. Do you know how excited I was? To some people it would be like finding $100 bill. But they were my earrings! (Ahhh! I’m still excited and have them on today.)

Think about the last time you lost something and when you finally found it (even if it was a year later). How excited were you? What ran through your mind? What emotions did you feel?
Now think about how God feels when we have strayed away from Him for so long and finally return to Him. I can only imagine it would be like a child returning home to their parent after being away for so long. I am more than positive He would greet you with open arms, a great big smile, and tell you He loves you. If finding our lost items can bring us so much joy and happiness, I can’t even begin to fathom the emotions He feels when we turn to Him.

Have you strayed away? Has it been a while since you’ve talked to God? Today would be the perfect day. Turn to Him. His arms are open and filled with love.

Stick Around

I am pretty sure everyone in the entire world has seen something that has to do with the movie Frozen. And I am also pretty sure every child in the world is addicted to it. (Ours is to say the least.)  I found out last week that Queen Elsa was going to be at the Chick Fil A in Simpsonville on June 3^rd and of course we just had to take Peyton. I couldn’t let this opportunity pass up because that is her favorite character after all! I honestly didn’t think that many people would be there. So I figured it would be okay if we left as soon as I got off work at 5:30 yesterday and just head up there.

Elsa was supposed to be there from 5-7 and see all of the kids. We arrived at about 6:15 and the line waiting to get in was enormous. There were so many kids and adults there to see her. The line wrapped in a loop several times. I was thinking, my goodness. How long have people been standing in line and how long are we going to be standing in line? There was even some parents trying to talk the kids out of leaving so they wouldn't have to wait in the line. But we did stick around and made it the entire time. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. We only had to wait in line for an hour. I must say, to only be 3, Peyton did extremely well being patient and waiting in line with us. She didn’t complain or whine or anything of that nature. It was a proud parent moment. Once we finally got in and she saw Elsa, her world was made. She was the happiest little girl in probably the entire world.

Afterwards, two things hit me.

1.       How often do we stand in line or wait for something that we want so badly? Pretty often right? How many times do we not complain about standing in a line waiting or waiting for something that we desperately want? A lot.

But yet when it comes to waiting on God, we are so impatient. We expect Him to jump when we say jump and move when we say move. But it doesn’t happen like that. Everything is on His time. It always has been and always will be on His time. There is nothing we can do to make Him hurry or make Him slow down.

2.       What about during worship at church? Our worship can be anywhere from 20-30 minutes. And I hear a lot that the songs are too long or that people get tired of standing. Why is it that we can wait patiently on something we want but yet when it comes to giving back to God we want to rush it or do it halfway?

 

I mean, He is the Creator of the WORLD. Of you, of me. The very least we could do is stand for however long it takes to worship Him. To give back to Him was He so desperately deserves.

Here’s my challenge to you today: when reading scripture, listening to music, being at church, take the time to stop, listen, and give back to Him.

Thought of the day.

I ran across this quote on pinterest last night and I wanted to share it with you and I also wanted to know your thoughts on it.

"There is still much to be done. Let's not lose sight."

What does it mean to you?

Burnt Toast

This is how our Saturday mornings usually go:

-Peyton gets up between 6:30-7 am.
- Watch TV
-Eat breakfast
-Watch more TV
-Eat lunch
-Nap

Then after nap we usually get dressed and find something to do the rest of the day. That's not how yesterday went for us.

My alarm went off at 8 am. I knew we had to leave in an hour or so for a birthday party, so I got up and started getting ready. I noticed that Peyton was still asleep which is very rare. Actually, it's very strange because she usually only sleeps in on Sundays. I finished getting ready about 8:30 and went downstairs to wake her up. She was in a rather good mood. (I guess that's how it is when you don't get up super early for no reason at all.) After getting her in the living room, I put some bread on a pan to go into the oven to make toast. While the oven was warming up, I started washing dishes. Then my sweet sweet husband put the bread in the oven. When I finished washing dishes, I got Peyton dressed and teeth and hair brushed. The smoke alarm went off. The toast was burnt. Brett was practicing some music to get ready for service today. We both forgot about the toast. Burnt. Ruined. Done for. No salvaging.

Luckily, we still had some more bread. He threw the burnt toast away and stuck some more in the oven. That's kind of how the grace of God works. Getting a second chance.

Yes, there are times that we mess up and He still loves us anyway. Still gives us the blessings that we do not deserve. And still shows us His unending love. He still gives us that second chance.

However, just because He shows grace doesn't mean we have the right to mess up. If we know something is sinful, we shouldn't do it. The old saying "It's easier to ask for forgiveness later" doesn't work for us. We cannot intentionally sin and expect His great blessings. We should always strive to do what's right and stray far far away from sin.

2 Peter 1:2

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.