2 Corinthians 1:3-5 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of compassion and the God of all Comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received form God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
WE ALL go through things, Right? And how nice is it to have someone in a similar situation be an encouragement and point you to the Lord? I've been blessed to meet at least a couple of mom's who are dealing with similar situations that I spoke about in my last post. We have been able to be a listening ear and huge encouragement to each other. Nothing but praise and faith roll off of these lovely ladies tongues and it is delightful! This is a great example of God placing the right people in our lives at the right time.
All that being said, I'm a fix-it kinda gal and this simply leads me to believe that the Lord is working through the trials in my life to teach me a few things and bring me closer to Him and His will for our lives. Here are a few things that have been on my mind.
1.) I want to continually be a positive example to my children and live out who I want my them to be. If I'm grumpy, my children will be grumpy. If I'm short tempered, they imitate that attitude. If I say I'm trusting God, yet my actions and demeanor don't reflect that trust, what message are they receiving? On the flip side, if I'm loving and kind and patient...they are too. It sounds simple and so often I have high exceptions for them that I don't exemplify. Just something to keep in my hip pocket....because I know that is not always the case. See two posts back....
2.) I'm feeling a little twinge of conviction to be more long suffering. Not something I wake up in the morning thinking "Hey I think I'll suffer all day long and not get irritated." Can I get an I'm with you? But we are called to be, just as Christ was. That could be an entire post in itself.
3.) I want to start using my nice voice more often and sometimes...just simply keeping my mouth shut-
Proverbs 10:19- When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. Proverbs 12:18 Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Enough said.
4.) I am realizing that it is okay to say no or that doesn't work for us. This is a tough one for me. I'm a people pleaser and always feel the need to explain myself. Sometimes, things just don't work for my family like it does other families. I'm learning that I don't have to give an explanation in all circumstances. Some people wouldn't understand even if I gave a thorough explanation because they don't walk in my shoes. I'm learning new and positive ways to communicate that. I just have to keep in mind that my job is to make my family happy and healthy and to Glorify my Father in Heaven in the process. Wow, I just made my job sound so easy....
5.) I'm daily trying to keep an eternal perspective. Some things won't even matter tomorrow, but some will matter for eternity. Keeping that mindset helps in those crazy moments.
6.) Another area that needs some special attention marriage. I can imagine some of your thoughts by hearing me say that so let me just say I certainly DO NOT have a bad marriage. But, as a Christian woman, I feel it is vital to be the wife I need to be. Sometimes M-O-M gets in the way of that. It's something I need to consciously be aware of.
- I would like to be more respectful of Josh and work on making time for him. I'm currently doing a women's bible study. The topic is marriage and it is so eye opening. I've been gathering some specific ways that I can show more respect and love to Josh. He is wonderful and deserves it! Here's what I'm thinking...
-Don't try to manipulate a situation when I don't agree with his decision. Sometimes it's intentional and sometimes it's not. (Am I the only one who does this?)
-Say please and say thank you for specific things. Josh is so very helpful and is an extremely good father, husband, and provider. I need to verbalize how I appreciate him and all he does for us. Sometimes I forget to do this.
-Make sure I'm saving some energy for him and scheduling date nights.
-Making sure he is getting time for breaks and time to enjoy his hobbies.
-Compliment him in front of the kiddos and others.
-Let him hear my nice voice. My children, friends, random person in checkout, people at church... all of them get to hear it, but for some reason it's harder to use it with him. Not fair to him at all...well....most of the time.
-Don't keep on about an issue I'm having.
-Take time for myself. Sometimes a little break is all I need to stay on track.
-Smile. :o)
Well, I think that is enough info for now. I don't think my brain can process more than that at this moment. Blessings!
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