Morning Reflections before a Busy day

My Bible readings came from Proverbs, Psalms, and John's gospel. Such poignant and relevant truths I want to hold fast to today. 

1. Fear of the Lord  

"The fear of the Lord teaches wisdom... (Proverbs 15:33a)

The fear of the Lord is to obey His words, acknowledge His power, understand His love for us, grasp the depth of His love for us, know that He is trustworthy. Fearing God means to be at peace with He is and trusting Him enough to truly respect and honor Him. 

2. Humility 

 "...and humility comes before honor." (Proverbs 15:33b)

It takes humility to know that God is a sovereign God and that His ways are better than our ways. Humility in all things leaves room for God to bring you higher in spiritual matters. 

3.  Promise of Salvation

"May your unfailing love come to me O Lord, your salvation according to your promise." (Psalms 119:41)

I choose to fully embrace the promise of salvation. The beauty of taking hold of Jesus' righteousness through faith. He is mighty to save. His righteousness covers me. I walk in confidence of God's complete salvation He has towards me. This core truth is what keeps in hidden in Christ in God. It is the light in my being. As the new testament writer says, Jesus Christ in me is the hope of glory. What joy, what hope abides in my being as I embrace Christ in my life. I have hope for a future life in heaven with Him. 

4.  Presence of the Holy Spirit

"But the counselor the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26)

How prone I am to forget. Thank God for the Holy Spirit that brings to mind Jesus' truths. Today, I choose to trust that the Holy Spirit will guide me into all truth. His presence is with me and I choose to be aware of that as I complete my tasks today. 

Thank you Lord for these truths. For all of these precious insights, I am grateful. 

Hope In the Morning

I have hope in the morning...

The day is new, dreams melted worries away
I wake up ready to create a beautiful day

The air is crisp, the sun is bright

Nature tells me it’s going to be alright

An empty journal page, a ready writing pen

Reminds me to write out my blessings again

The kids asleep, the hubby's outside

This quietness says “You have space to confide”

The Lord awaits expressions of a joyful heart

I'm so thankful this is how my morning starts  

Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Norah’s Birthday

Grateful Moments of an amazing birthday celebration:

Walls twins came early to help set up. Comfortably watching the kids, walking trails, and exploring creek, All as I finished getting ready.

Pizza ordered and ready. Perfectly timed for energetic and hungry children. 

Cake picked up, cupcakes grabbed 

Karaoke singing with nervous yet brave kids

5-year old best friends hang out like David and Jonathan 

Childhood songs playfully performed with brother

Calming, inspirational song my mother sings while wide-eyed children enjoy

Pinata shenanigans

Evening chill session with friends and family

Birthday blessings from Dad while in a zoom meeting 

Spontaneous gymnastics show choreographed by future professional gymnasts 

A long day well spent, surrounded by so much love and joy.  

This day will resonate in my heart and be a backbone for future gatherings. It’s imprinted on my mind on how to make life beautiful with people I love. For all of these precious moments…I am immensely grateful. 

Signs of Spring

I sit outside on my hippie exercise mat and enjoy the morning sun warming my skin. The light breeze gently moves past my arms and says hello. The chorus of House martins, California quail, a rooster's crow, and whole litany of birds provide the soundtrack for this pleasant morning outdoors. The fragrant elderberry tree gracefully bud. It incites an anticipation for picking berries later in the season. For all of these things I am grateful. 

The trimmed down grass creates a park and forest-like atmosphere to this backyard oasis. It's been a team effort to make that happen. John, Mia, Caleb, David, owners and renters together. I am grateful for the hard workers who helped to create this beautiful landscape. 

Yes, they have cut the wildflowers down a bit.  But the signs of spring are still here and my family and I are all in. We're identifying our local flowers: Menzies fiddlenecks, Wild hyacinth, Rusty Popcorn flower, Star gazers, Tomcat clover, Miniature lupine, Purple fairy lanterns, mountain pretty face, and so much more. With names like that how can one not be fascinated? 

Spring awakens us to wonder and beauty. This is our school, our daily education. It’s natural, it’s awe-inspiring, and it's so easy to be allured. This is how I've hoped and prayed it would be. Life is school, school is life. God's nature speaks and we intend to keep listening. 

Do Not Fear

 "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you." (Isaiah 41:10)

The Lord certainly knows how much help I need from Him throughout the day. Sometimes, I walk around  feeling so weak and broken; so lost and exhausted. I often feel zapped of all energy and zest for life. That right there is what I want to change. It is not all the time this happens, but when it does, I want to challenge myself to rest in God and not fear. 

1. Do not fear- I don't have to worry. Fear will not overtake me

2. I am with you-God is by my side, He is ever with me and walks with me

3. Do not be dismayed-I choose not to be confounded, dismayed, or discouraged. 

4. I am your God- He is my God. He alone is the the one who saves, not myself or anyone else. 

5. I will strengthen you-He will strengthen me as He does to those He loves

6. And help you- He will help me, I don't have to do this alone. His help is available to me, at all times. 

"Dear Lord, I pray that today you would banish all fear, let me feel You by my side. I choose to obey your command to not be dismayed, You are in charge, You are my God. I believe that You will strengthen me just like You do for all of Your creatures. I believe You will help me and that You are ever available to me. Open my eyes, help me to embrace all the strength and help You have for me today. I walk with this awareness. You are with me, You are my God, You will strengthen me, You will help me. Thank you for these truths. I receive them in my heart right now." 

Simple Steps to Get out of Mental Fog

 "If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." 1 John 5:14

There is no way around it. Sometimes we have to force ourselves to move in order to get out of a mental funk. Motion. This is crucial. I realize so many times, I'm just in my head. When I 'm in my head I over obsess, analyze, deliberate, overthink, and most often get nowhere. I have to take it one very slow step at a time. I also need to be highly aware of the things that set me off and be vigilant to avoid them. So just how will I fare today? What is my plan for overcoming? 

1. Take one thought and action step by step. What does that mean. It means to not think too far into the future or the past. It means to be in the now. I often overwhelm myself with all that needs to be done or all that I want to do. Or many times I'm carried off into distraction because of a thought that pops up and I follow that thought trail. But, when I take one thought and action at a time, I'm forcing myself to be disciplined and handle what is in the current moment. I think of the verse in 2 Corinthians 10:5 I'm more at peace when I do this. "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." 

2. Keep a schedule close by. I make a simple schedule in my planner. I refer to my schedule to make sure I am on track with what needs to be done. I'll refer to it when I feel anxiety coming on and I want to reach for the phone. I am singularly focused on staying focused on the schedule. This schedule is the blueprint and goal I want to reach. 

3. Put on a timer on each task. This keeps me focused and on point with the tasks I have to do. It is an effective way for me to zone in on what needs to be done. It is a way to train my brain in the direction that I want it to go. Sadly, I have to take these extreme measures, because when I'm not operating at my best I am prone to distraction. This timer approach is a protection in making sure I am moving in the right direction. 

4. Trust that all will be well. The very belief that all will be well reduces the anxiety about whether it will or not. I try to remember scriptures that calm my mind. Like "He has given me all things that pertain to life and godliness." (2 Peter 1:3) or "He will perfect that which concerns you."(Psalms 139:8) or "For it is God who is able to will and to do of His good pleasure." (Phil 2:13) or "He has not given me a spirit of fear but of love and of power and of a sound mind." (2 Tim 1:7) These are reminders that

It is God's will for me to operate with a calm and trusting mind. This is the mental state I want to be in. Unfortunately due to my poor coping mechanisms when dealing with deep anxiety, I have to work towards repairing the impulsive thoughts that crowd my mind. There is a real effect on my mental state when I allow my thoughts to run rampant. I realize this is neurological process that happens when engaging with technology. So for that I give myself grace. But the damage can be undone. I trust that if I ask for God's will to be done in my life (calm, trusting, at peace, confidence, etc.) then I will receive it. It is up to me, will I walk in it? Will I do the things necessary that foster calm and confidence? Today, I choose to embrace the answer to my prayers. I have asked, it is His will,and I believe that He hears me. 

"If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." 1 John 5:14

Lessons from the Parable of the Sower Part 1

 “This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life.” (Psalms 119:50) 

I’ll never forget the day when I discovered the power of God’s word and how it gave me life. Since that life-changing day, I’ve been a college freshman, a student missionary, a wife, and a mother among many other things. This Bible verse in Psalms, clearly summarizes my experience with God’s word. It gives me all I need to live well throughout every season of life. throughout these life seasons, I’ve come to realize, that it’s the daily, moment by moment connection to the truth found in God’s word that keeps me rooted in my Christian experience. For all spiritually-minded parents who want to grow in faith, feasting on the word every day ought be as natural as drinking water when thirsty. 

 But many of us are parched. Life gets busy, distraction gets the best of us, and intentional meditation on God’s word just doesn’t happen. The moments when we do make time for God, the scriptures fall flat and lack power to penetrate our hearts. I know this pattern well, because I have experienced it myself at times. How can we make sense of when the word doesn’t impact us like it should? What gets in the way of God’s word transforming our heart and making change in our lives? In the parable of the Sower, Jesus explains why the word doesn’t bear fruit when it is sown in a person’s heart. The full story of the sower is found in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, or Luke 8:4-15. I see 3 different ideas emerge from this story that shed light on the things that get in the way of the word taking root in our hearts. In this post I'll cover the first one.

Supernatural Forces 

“...as he sowed..some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.” (Mark 4:4)

In the parable of the Sower, a sower or farmer sows seed on 3 types of ground. In first type of ground, He sows seed on the wayside which is on hard ground, then very soon the birds comes and devours the seed. Based on the different Bible passages that recount this parable, a few things happen to people in this first group. 

1. Overt Attacks. In Mark 4:4,  Jesus says these are people who hear the word, but Satan takes it away.  When they read the Bible, the enemy is already planning how to zap whatever they read right out of their minds.
2. Dull Understanding. In Matt 13, Jesus says they hear it but, they don’t understand it.  So when they read the Bible, they don't get it because they lack the ability to sit long enough to understand it. The enemy takes advantage of this weakness and draws away their minds from meditating on the Word.
3. Lack of Belief. In Luke 8, Jesus says they hear the word, but Satan takes it away because he knows if they believe it they will be saved. The enemy fosters doubt in God’s word and His promises.  The enemy doesn’t want us to know how powerful Jesus’ words are. The amount of promises and counsel found in God’s word is immeasurable are abundant. "For God so loved the world that He gave His begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him will have everlasting life." Our belief in Jesus saves us, Satan knows that and wants to take that truth away from those who could believe.

This reminds me of this verse: 

"Be sober be vigilant, for your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whomever he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8)

Have you ever felt that something was overpowering you that you felt like you had no control over? Maybe it came as an intense emotion, or a wave of deep sadness or darkness. Or perhaps you have felt that your best efforts towards change and growth have been met with one roadblock after another. 

We simply cannot deny that there are dark forces in this world. I believe that it is Satan's express interest to keep us from seeing the truth in the Word of God. For in it, reveals God's true character and an invitation to get to know Him personally for ourselves. 

Overt attacks, a dull understanding, and lack of belief are all factors that can impact the quality of your spiritual life and why the word is not bearing fruit in your life. Think about these things, are any of them impacting the word from bearing fruit in your life? If not, perhaps something else is at play. In our next post, we'll look at another barrier that may be keeping the word from being rooted in your heart.