If you have children, you are probably familiar with the stage they go through where everything has “why?” attached to it.
“Why is the sky blue?” “Why do dogs bark?” “Why do I have to go to bed?” It’s been some time since my children have been through this stage, but they still ask why quite often. Usually it’s when I tell them they can’t do something.
Last night I was at Redbox renting a movie. There was a father with two boys who looked to be about ages 6 and 12. They kept suggesting movies to rent to which the father would reply no, and then they would argue, “But why can’t we watch that movie, Daddy?”
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I was never a nervous or controlling person growing up. I always thought of myself as pretty relaxed and down to earth. Then I got married and had children.
When my children were small, I remember how every little thing concerning their young lives was such a huge deal. My life became rigorous and scheduled, as opposed to care free and spontaneous. As my children grew older, I became a very anxious and controlling person. It was not something I ever expected to be, it just was. I remember standing in the doorway of the bathroom as my daughter brushed her hair and got ready for school to “make sure she did it right”.
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“Making the decision to have a child – it’s momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” -Elizabeth Stone
There was a time when I thought this road called Motherhood would one day become breezy.
One day when ear infections and the middle-of-the-night stomach flu were a thing of the past. One day when homework no longer required my assistance and lunches no longer needed packing. One day when they’d shop for their own clothes and purchase the extras with – could it be – their own money.
Now I know differently.
There are no breezy sections on this Motherhood Road.
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She stirs and dark lashes flutter against rosy cheeks. Not quite ready to wake, she turns over nestling her favorite pink blanket and sighs. Eyes shut. But the light beckons her to life, and she rolls onto her back.
Stretching. 
Blinking.
She takes in her surroundings, making sweets babbles as she recognizes the familiar. Seconds pass before she realizes she is awake and remembers.
Remembers to look for me.
She flips and immediately pulls upright on her crib rail, waiting.
She calls for me in a singsong babble. And waits –
-until she sees my face appear around the doorway. For a split second she freezes, not knowing whether to laugh or cry that I am there.
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When it seems as if the whole world is against you,
the bills are piling up,
the laundry is never ending,
the dishes have formed a mountain in the sink,
the job you used to love is now a chain around your ankle,
the friends you thought would be there forever have stabbed you in the back,
the storms of life blow you from side to side as if you are merely a paper boat in the midst of a perfect storm.
When you feel like no one is left that really cares, cling to the words that David spoke as he prayed to God in Psalm 17:1-8 NIV;
1 Hear me, LORD, my plea is just;
listen to my cry.
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It’s another ordinary day.
You woke up to your three-year-old whining, “I don’t feel gooood.” You stumble into the kitchen to find last night’s dishes still piled in the sink. You are days overdue on the laundry, and your six-year-old is yelling from her bedroom, “Don’t forget, Mom, it’s my turn to take the snacks to Brownies today.”
Most of us have been there . . . waaaay tooo often!
What’s a girl to do when she has reached her last nerve and all she wants to do is climb back into bed and pull the covers over her head?…
Stop, breathe, and remind herself that she is not alone.
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Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27 NIV
Never did I think a girl that grew up in a small town of rural Kentucky would ever have a heart for missions. Let’s face it; I grew up in a tiny little place that had one blinking red light, a roller rink, and a main street that was lined up with lots of mom & pop stores.
I loved growing up in a small town and still wish I had a chance to raise my boys in that small town life, but God had other plans.
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I have been reflecting on God’s goodness over the past couple of months. There are so many ways that He has blessed, encouraged, brought healing, provision, strength, hope and joy to my life. In all of these areas, I have seen His immeasurable goodness towards me and I am so grateful.
Over the last couple of days I have been meditating on this Psalm:
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. (Psalm 34:8 NIV)
I don’t just want to SEE the goodness of the Lord, but I want to TASTE it!
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