They rise up and called me Blessed!

This past week I truly understood the following verse, Proverbs 31 verses "28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 29 “Many women do noble things,but you surpass them all.”

As a woman, a wife and a mother sometimes I would question things I would say or do in regards to my children. I would pray about it and ask God for the right thing to do or say. It seemed like each day there was another struggle or hurdle where my children were concerned. I would cry in the recesses of my room and wonder these things:
Should I be a stay at home mom?
Should I not let them play a sport?
Is this the right TV Show for them to watch?
Marsha other parents are letting their children do and watch these things, are they really that bad or are you being a prude?

As I pummeled myself daily with these questions, what I now know to be crazy questions, I would read every book out there about the topics, entangle it with my bible scriptures. I was hunting for the "perfect" way to get through raising my children. As my children entered school, I began to realize that they all learned differently and had different needs from me. I had to be several people at the same time. My oldest son was a constant mountain and valley experience. I would press and press for success for him. I would never take no for an answer when it came to him; he was not going to fall on my watch. Several times one teacher took it upon herself to decide that my son was not going to make it, middle school, same scenario, senior year, not only teachers but even coaches, people that he looked to for good counsel.

He was fortunate because God already had a plan for him. God had placed some stable people in his daily life at school that would simply just love him for him.

For many years some would say it was my fault that he behaved the way he did and his failure was my doing. I allowed those words to permeate my heart. It hurt so bad, I began to blame myself. When we moved to Texas a year ago, it was difficult for all of us. However for him it was even harder. He was trying to let go of his life before Texas while trying to walk into adulthood. I still hurt for him each day.

Some of the people who know me well, would say, don't you know God, why are you hurting? I would look at them like they were crazy. This was my son, I could not let him fall. I pushed him into this world and I will push and push until he finds his way.

When Dj decided to go in the military, I was happy but my heart also cried. I cried because I was afraid, afraid not of the military, but because DJ always needed me. The months passed rapidly and the day approached for him to leave. I went to the hotel that Monday evening to say see you later and it was an emotional roller coaster for me all day.

I remembered back to the day he went to Kindergarten, I let that little hand go and off he went. He turned to look at me and ran back and said "mommy, I love you". My heart feel to my feet. Through his life, I was at everything, both victory and defeat. He never had to worry about mom not being in his corner. So watching him walk into manhood that day was scary for both of us. This was boot camp for the US Army, mom could not roll up to the Drill Sargent and say hey don't say that to him. I was not able to guide him in filling out forms. That had been my job, I am his mom.

I am sure some people reading this are like, REALLY? Yes really. They are my pride and joy.

Well when I arrived at the base Thursday morning, Mackenzie and I walked in the theater where the battery was seated. I looked down each aisle and there he was, my DJ, sitting up straight, clothes creased and crisp. He was diligently looking forward as I am pretty sure he was told to do. I was jumping up and down on the inside. At the end of the ceremony we had to wait again until they were released for family day. I was so nervous. The battery marched down the street and there he was. He walked up to me and gave me the biggest hug. He was a young man, no longer my baby, but my adult son who had finally found his way.

We spent two days together and it was amazing. He even got his own cell phone plan.....lol.....The final drop off was Friday evening. As he got his suitcase out of the truck and was getting ready to walk back with his friends, he hugged me and the tears feel. He said, "mom don't cry, I'm going to be fine." As I stood there as he walked away, this time letting go if his hand, I no longer felt worried. All those years that I had prayed and cried and listened to people speak negative things into his life, God used it all for His glory, Dj has made it, he made further than some of the "golden boys" he hung out with in high school.

So when someone tells you to back off and just let your children be a certain way. DON'T! Guide them, love them, pray for them, be there, know their friends, know their dreams. FIGHT FOR YOUR CHILDREN. It may not be sports or a four year college, it could be the military or a trade school, and that's all OK. As long as you impart the WORD OF GOD in their life and keep speaking the positive things into their life so that when you let go of their hand for the last time, you will have surety and know they will be OK. LOVE THEM FOR WHO THEY ARE! I am blessed!

Staying quiet, even when its hard!

I woke up this morning feeling a bit heavy, not weight physically but spiritually. Some paths that are laid before my family are very interesting. The door was cracked and we are waiting further instructions before we walk in. However for me this is always the rough moment, I know if this is God's will it will be awesome. Everyone may not agree but honestly that doesn't even matter in this season of our lives.

We can make all the plans we want, we can decide what path we are going to take, we can decide that something was designed just for us. That's the problem, we are deciding these things and God continues to put up road block after road block and we continue to go around the warnings, then we have the nerve to be mad or hurt because its not turning out the way we want it to.

God's word says:
Jeremiah 29:11

New International Version (NIV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

So if we know this, then why do we get all irritated when "our"plan doesn't work. Five years ago, I could give you a rundown of where I would be today. Well, I'm not any of the places I thought I would be, but I am happy. I am fulfilled. In the quiet moments I have learned to have, I have been clear and concise instruction on how to just follow His path for me and believe it or not, He is not done by a long shot with me or my family. God is showing up and showing out.

For so longed I ran the other direction from what was God sent because it was not on my list for "my" life plan. My life plan is a joke, don't get me wrong we have visions and goals for our family but no plan is set in stone because we have learned all to well that God will divert us directly into the storm and wait to see how we respond.

In church we are studying Job, a book that really breaks down the fall of a "faithful man", a man that was not know to find fault with God, a rich man both financially and spiritually. However when he fell, he fell hard. He began to place God in the witness chair and wanted to lay out his case before the thrown. Finally at the height of the storm, God finally answered back. He basically told Job, "Do you have any idea who I am?"

I believe that is true for alot of us. We tend to think that in the storm we have to go in survival mode and begin to tear apart our life to see where we went wrong. Even if we get close to an answer it will never be the complete finality of our situation. God can take our storm and quiet it in the flash of a moment. We are just to busy fighting the storm instead of quietly riding it out. When a ship is in a storm, the crew will place the ship in the direction of the storm because trying to turn around and divert the other way will tear the ship apart, they just buckle down and ride it out. We should be as the sailors and learn that sometimes its too late to turn back and we must just ride out the storm, listen for the seas to stop raging and the waves to stop overtaking us.

It was much like that with Jonah, God sent a storm to the waters nearing the boat Jonah was on. This is in contrast to Job because Jonah had placed himself in this situation and instead of being truly honest with those he got on the boat with from the beginning, he just allowed the storm to rage until he was confronted. This is when you need to get Jonah off your boat:



Getting Jonah Off The Boat


Jonah 1:1-17

Background: Jonah on board this ship is very symbolic of how we can allow things to get into our lives that don’t need to be there. It could be a sin, it could be harboring a bad feeling toward someone, it could be a wrong relationship, it could be allowing something in our lives that keeps us from moving forward with God. Here are some lessons on getting Jonah out of your boat.

Don’t let him board in the first place—v.3 these men didn’t realize who was getting on their ship. All the trouble that they were about to face could have been avoiding by not letting Jonah on board in the first place. Prevention is better than cure. So many times we allow people into our lives or things into our lives before we fully know if the Lord is involved in them coming into our lives.

Realize why the storms are in your life—v.10—these men did a personal examination of what was going wrong. They cried out to their Gods, then they confronted Jonah to see if he was the cause of their storm. Too many times people just keep riding through storms when they need to get rid of a Jonah. You will not have that perfect peace until those things that need to be removed are removed.

Don’t get rid of the wrong things—v.5 When we try to fix our problems and situations, we end up throwing out all the wrong things. I don’t know all they lost in their efforts here, but I do know this: Jonah was their problem, not the things they threw overboard.

Don’t work to keep Jonah in your life—v13 It is amazing even after they discovered that Jonah was the problem, they worked hard to keep him aboard. If God tells you to get rid of something, get rid of it. You can do a million other things, but until you obey the voice of the Lord, there is no peace, there is no end to the storm.

When you get rid of your Jonah, your life will immediately get back on course. v.15—we find out an amazing thing here, as soon as they threw Jonah overboard, the sea calmed. It is true today, that as soon as you surrender it over to the Lord, your sea will calm.Today, throw Jonah overboard. An old hurt, a bad habit, a wrong relationship, even a wrong or negative attitude, get it out of your life today, so you can have the peace of God in your life anew.