Forgiveness as a lifestyle...

            Forgiveness.  I know it’s a tough one.  Take a deep breath, and read on…peace is at hand.  Taking a journey down memory lane isn’t always pleasant because there are times of hurt and pain.  Times of blatant disrespect, disregard, and downright hurt.  Times of loneliness when someone, like maybe your parents, should have been there for you, but they weren’t.  We’ve all been the target of despicable words and outrageous actions.  As we sit and simmer on this negativity, it only gets worse though.  Harboring unforgiveness puts us in a box and really gives the person who hurt us all the power.  It’s a slippery slope.  Now we’re suspicious, protective, and unwilling to trust. 

So how do we forgive and forget?  We have to give it to God and trust Him to heal our hearts.  Don’t seek revenge; it’s impotent.  Don’t let hatred rise up; it can be devastating.  Don’t live in bitterness; it can sprout up from within and affect your whole life and your relationships with your family and friends.  For your health and as a testimony, let it go and give it to God. 

Matthew 6:14-15

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

We want forgiveness, and we need to give it, too.  God knows best.  Trust Him, and forgive.  Move on to a bright and joyful future.  Give someone a second chance, and you’ll get a second chance when you need one. 

Still having trouble letting go?  Pray for those who’ve hurt you.  Whether they hurt you on accident or intentionally, God can open their eyes and lead them to restore the relationship with you.  If they hurt you intentionally, they need God’s help.  More than likely their actions stemmed from their own hurt.  God can heal their heart.  Will you be repaid?  It’s probably impossible to directly repay you.  But Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord…God’s got your back!    

A little reminder of God's love...

It’s nice to know you’re loved.  It’s comforting to be told you’re loved.  It’s elating to be shown you’re loved.  Sometimes we look for all these or even just one sign of love from other people but walk away disappointed.  Maybe you’re lonely.  Maybe you’ve been hurt and are scared to love again.  Maybe you’ve never felt love like you’ve desired.  The problem we all run into is that we put all our hope in other people.  It’s not wrong.  It’s natural and God intends for us to love one another, to have fruitful loving relationships. 

Most importantly, though, is our love relationship with God.  He’s the only one who loves us unconditionally.  You’ve probably heard that before, but a little reminder certainly helps.  If we weren’t reminded of God’s love on a regular basis, it’d be like saying our vows on our wedding day and never discussing our love for each other again.  My how doubt could creep in.  God constantly reminds us of His love.  He loves us on the good days and the bad.  He loves you when you feel like a failure and when you’re on the mountaintop.  He loves you no matter what. 

Love is a two-way street if you want a true relationship.  So, it’s important that we also express our love to God.  Tell Him you love Him, and show Him, too.  Follow His Word and strive to be obedient.  Pray and spend time in His presence.  This is one relationship that will NEVER disappoint!  Ever been hesitant to give your love to someone for the fear of being hurt?  Won’t happen with God.  His love is true and pure and everlasting. 

Psalm 136:26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Wow!  That verse says it all.  His steadfast love endures forever.  Amen.

Have a Clean House & a Clean Heart

Clean House...if your stress level rises at the sound of these words...you are NOT alone!  Even thinking about all that needs to be done is so overwhelming sometimes.  Have you ever found yourself doing everything else in the world but cleaning the house?  Oh yeah!  If this is not you, and cleaning comes easy as pie to you, please spread your joy and alleviate stress for the rest of us.  You could come clean our houses maybe, I'm just saying.

My mom kept our house immaculate when I was growing up.  She'd put on a "sweat band" and get to work.  We called her Mombo.  She had a bin full of cleaning products and scrubbers that she carried room to room.  She said meanwhile I went room to room making mess after mess.  I'm getting my payback for that as my son does the same thing.  Anyone else?  Oh probably not...your kids are little angels, right?  I mean mine is.  Even while destroying the house I just look at him and marvel at how perfect he is.  God does the same thing with His kids, that's you and me.  We run around making mess after mess, and God watches all the while marveling at His creation.  How, you ask? We're not perfect.  We're full of sin.  Uh huh...and Jesus died on the cross to wash all our sins away.  We see our sin, but God sees us white as snow.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."  So though our own righteousness is as filthy rags, because of Jesus taking our sins upon Himself, we are now the righteousness of God.  

If you haven't given your life to Christ yet, go ahead.  Tell God that you want to be His daughter and He will wash away all your sins and give you a clean heart.  If you already live for Christ, you know it's a walk of daily recognizing His grace in your life.  To all the "Mombos" out there, please say a prayer for those of us mamas who feel overwhelmed by housework...that we may clean, clean, clean!...with a song in our heart all the while.

Check out www.vinegartips.com for all the cleaning uses for vinegar that we talked about at MomTime...and so many more!

Momma's need a little strength & perserverance!

We have such difficult, and rewarding, jobs as momma's....sometimes things are going well and we like our role as 'MOM'. Some days the role of laundry chief, diaper commander, clean dish diva, dinner boss and driving queen....can leave us a little depleated! All of our 'umph' is used up, and we feel done.

We need to seek God's supernatural strength (capacity to endure) and perserverance (patient endurance of hardships) to make it through all of the little, and big, trials of mommyhood.

When pottytraining isn't going well, when nights don't include much sleep, when sweet baby coo's turn into sassy talk of a 2 year old, we get tested. Our strength, perserverance and courage...get tested.
Do we give up and go hide? Do we not punish or disciple again, because we've already tried 12 times and give a sucker instead to keep them quiet? Maybe....but just because we've turned to these tactics before, doesn't mean we have to next time.

We can pray. We can persist in pursuing God in prayer, asking for the strength and courage we need.

Joshua 1:9 "...Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid, do not be discourage;

for the Lord your God will be with you wherver you go."

 

While the road may feel long, sometimes glorious & blessed, while other times frustrating and exhausting...may we be reminded of God's promises. Promises that he will listen...that we will have trails...that the same mighty power that rose Christ from the dead, is in us...and that we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.



Heart of Worship

Worship is our response to what we value most.  What do you value most?  Do your actions reflect your true values?  When Erika asked these questions on Tuesday, I believe a little journey of soul searching began in each of us.  God is #1!  But am I showing Him that I feel that way?  Am I living out my passion for Christ?  Am I a daily example to my children of how to love and serve God?  Am I doing these things to the best of my ability?

Erika reminded us that we are all worshippers, that we cannot help but worship…something.  For anything that sucks time out of our life and isn’t worthy of it, let’s try to refocus our time and affection to what matters most.  Let’s set our priorities and strive to live by them.  Guard your worship!

At the same time, don’t judge yourself too harshly.  As moms, we are so busy!  So realize you’re never gonna be perfect.  BUT, also realize that what we call our “daily grind” can totally be worshipful to God!  James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  Every time you tend to your child, you are worshipping God by taking care of the gift that He gave you!  Every time you change a diaper, do the laundry that never ends, and cook dinner for your family, you are honoring God. 

The bottom line is…where is your heart?  We don’t want to waste our worship!  So, let’s refocus, as often as we need to.  “All things were made BY Him, and all things were made FOR Him,” John 1:3.

Serenade of the Week:  The Heart of Worship, by Matt Redman

Application:  Play this song in your house this week, and maybe sing it with your kids.

Let's Walk Together

Take a moment to read the scripture on your table each week.

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30

        Charm is deceptive.  Sometimes we chase after things or people, or we want to be a certain way that’s different from how we are…but after we come up empty handed, we realize our focus should have been on God. 

Beauty is fleeting.  Why strive to gain what will be gone tomorrow?  It’s fruitless, and in the end…gone. 

But a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.  To all the mamas out there, the best way we can spend our time is living for the Lord.  What does that mean?  It means having a relationship with Him, as our father, our friend, our comforter, our confidant. 

MomTime is here to help us each to strengthen our relationship with God.  Tuesday mornings we have a chance to relax and let our hair down (and the kids won’t be pulling on it) so we can be encouraged in our walk with the Lord.  Being a mom isn’t always easy.  I can say that again, huh?  But having friends in the same season of life to join with and encourage each other helps us to refuel and recharge and stay on track.    

So come each Tuesday expecting to leave a little stronger, as a woman and as a mom, than when you came that morning.

New Beginnings

It is that time of year again....Summer is on it's way out and Fall is just around the corner! That means a new year of Mom Time is starting. Please join us this Tuesday, September 17th from 9:30-11. If you have never attended Mom Time before you will enjoy the biblical teaching, small group connections, childcare, and of course all the goodies. The title for this semester will be "Serenades for the Soul." It will be a great time to be refreshed and listen to songs that can uplift the soul.  We look forward to seeing old faces and are excited to meet new ones. See you Tuesday!