This is the first post I wrote for 5MFF. I thought it might be a good time to share it again. A reminder that He will never leave us to cry alone. If you’re hurting – physically or emotionally weak, tired, or worried. If you feel like you’re alone….
I remember the birth of our first child like it happened yesterday. She was born on her due date, following a mercifully manageable labor and delivery. Her first cry was strong and healthy, and her daddy and I praised God as we cried right along with her.
Over the next few days, she stayed in my room, and I learned more and more about caring for her, her unique needs, and how to best soothe her.
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Mom moments are full of teaching experiences and some of them even benefit our children.
One of my mom moment memories happened when our son was about 3 years old. I had taken him to the mall to burn off a little energy. We were having fun just walking around and looking at store windows when….
All of a sudden he looked up at me and said, “You wait here Mommy, I’ll be right back.”
He started to run off and for just a moment I was speechless. Thankfully, I regained my senses and yelled, “I don’t think so! Come back here right now!”
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Somedays I don’t feel very lovable.
Truthfully, most days I don’t feel very lovable.
I look at my failures and weaknesses . . . my foolish emotions and misunderstandings, my lack of patience and persistent procrastination just to name a few.
I’m a mess. You too?
Then join me for a few moments and look at several quotes and Bible verses that will remind us that it’s not about us. It’s about Him. It’s always about Him. God’s grace and mercy in and through Jesus giving us new life and a hope that will last forever.
Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues.
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If you look closely at my hands you’ll see scratches, puppy nips, a few age spots, and some small scars. That’s what you’ll see. What you won’t see are the ones from lies, accusations, betrayal, and rejection. Those are the scars I usually keep hidden.
Why?
Because scar exposure is risky. Revealing our worst scars gives people the opportunity to judge whether or not we deserve them.
I often wonder why we’re so quick to judge one another. Why we feel the need to ask:
- if a person with lung cancer was a smoker.
- if the accident victim was texting.
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Written on
July 14, 2013 by
Deb in
Blog
I was surprised by the response I received to a post I wrote at Counting My Blessings last week titled, 12 Things to Pray for Your Pastor and His Family.
48 hours after it posted, I became even more convinced that pastors and their families are in serious need of encouragement and support.
Many pastors deal with a feeling of isolation and discouragement.
The following are some comments I found:
- The church and people in the community are very friendly, but they also expect 24/7 availability without really opening their lives and homes to my family and me.
- Some people are negative about everything I do and say.
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Knowing my purpose makes decisions easier.
Have you defined your purpose? Your mission statement? Your reason for getting out of bed and doing whatever it is you do?
Rick Warren said the following in The Purpose Driven Life:
“The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. That’s because we typically begin at the wrong starting point—ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like What do I want to be? What should I do with my life? What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future? But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose.”
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Live well, laugh often, love much . . . three short phrases from the poem Success, by Bessie Anderson Stanley written in 1904.
Live . . . well!
Do something you love. Do what you love with someone you enjoy. Do everything to the best of your ability.
Once you lived in the dark, but now the Lord has filled you with light. Live as children who have light. Light produces everything that is good, that has God’s approval, and that is true. Ephesians 5:8-9
“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can.
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As my fingers start to move across the keyboard, my eyes are filled with tears but there’s still a smile on my face. That’s what happens when I think about my mom.
It’s been five years since I’ve been able to celebrate Mother’s Day with her, and I still miss her like crazy.
My mom, like so many moms, was chauffeur, cook, housekeeper, laundress, counselor, painter (walls as well as canvas), gardener, nurse, teacher, party planner, nutritionist, beautician, and decorator. She was also a fabulous hostess, a voracious reader, and a talented seamstress. She could even shoot straight and scare away those critters brave enough to invade her garden and munch on her labors.
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