Renewing our strength

I've been feeling a little weary today, in mind and body, and I've realized I have the tendency to look to other people to lift my spirits.  Yes, there are times I just reach for a cup of coffee or dream about taking a nap, but more often than not, I look to someone else to give me a bit of sympathy.  We all know, though, that when we're spending our day with children (or even co-workers), sympathy can be hard to come by!  What we can't forget is that we have a loving, heavenly Father with open ears and open arms, waiting patiently for us to run to Him!

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Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)

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The Lord is our Comfort.  In these verses, He meets us right where we are, and gently reassures us by saying even youths grow tired and weary.  He knows exactly how we are feeling!  God's blessing, though, is that He gives us so much more than sympathy ... He gives us hope.  When we place our eyes on the Lord, and not on our circumstances, we will find strength.  We will soar on wings like eagles, we will run and not grow weary, we will walk and not grow faint!  We can take comfort in the fact that God, our Father, understands us and wants to lift us up!

If you have a special verse that ministers to you when you're feeling weary, please share it with us!

The confidence of David

I read about David and Goliah this morning, and I am blown away by the confidence of this young man!  As Goliath makes his threats to Saul's army, the soldiers around him tremble and begin to run, but David stands firm and boldly responds: ... who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? (I Samuel 17:26)  It is as if he is saying "Who has the right to threaten my God?  Don't you know who He is?" 

When God calls us to action, do the doubts of others cause us to question our own convictions?  When the world around us buckles under the pressure of compromise, do we stand firm?  When others disagree with the tough decisions we make on behalf of our families, do we keep silent or do we boldly use the opportunity to share our faith with them? 

Even as believers, we may be like the rest of the army and run from time to time.  But through prayer and time in the Word, we can rebuild our confidence and refocus our minds on our all-powerful, all-knowing Father who has our lives and the lives of our children securely in His hands! 

In 2 Timothy, Paul says, "... I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day." (2 Timothy 1:12)  I love that!  FOR I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED!!!  When the Lord calls us to act, let us all stand firm as David did, knowing without a doubt that our confidence is found in Him!

A sacrifice of time

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. (Ephesians 5:1-2)

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Sacrifice. God loves us so much that He sacrificed His Son on the cross for us. Jesus sacrificed His own flesh so that we might live in eternity with Him.  We know we are supposed to love others as Christ loves us, but how do we apply this sacrificial love to those around us, particularly our children?

For me, I have to be willing to sacrifice my time. My personal, this-is-what-I-want-to-do time. What is it that you want to do? In reality, the “what” doesn’t matter so much, it’s the desire that goes along with it. My desire, my plan, my expectation for how my day is going to go. (Notice all the “my” statements!)

I came face to face with this today when my daughter came out of her room early during naptime. I was happily doing what I wanted to do, and instead she wanted me to color with her. My first response was … ok babe, why don’t you bring your paper over here and color next to me? (While I keep working on this.) Thankfully, she wasn’t content with that answer, and I quickly realized that this was one of those moments. A chance for me to offer up my time, my own fleshly desires, as a sacrifice to the Lord … and as a blessing to my daughter.

You can probably guess what happened!  God totally blessed our time together. While my other children were sleeping, we colored together, side by side, and she loved it. It’s something that I’m realizing is very important to my daughter, and I am so thankful to the Lord for giving me the chance to spend that special time with her today!

Do you struggle with sacrifice?
In what ways have you been able to show sacrificial love for your family lately?

My Prayer

God has blessed me with many wonderful friends that I look up to and enjoy spending time with. But, like many of you, time is the one thing I don't seem to have a lot of! As a mom, life can get busy, and even when it's not, I try my best to protect those few days we have each week to simply enjoy being at home!

If I could, I would invite each of you to my house so we could sit around the kitchen table and visit. We'd laugh about the funny things our children have said and share stories of what God is doing in our lives. We'd talk about what's been working lately, maybe share a few recipes, and we'd pray together.

Motherhood is an exciting adventure filled with rewards, but our desire to be present for our children can sometimes leave us longing for fellowship. So if you find yourself needing to be refreshed, inspired or simply reminded of the good work you are already doing, it is my prayer that you would come find us here ... and be encouraged!

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Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembly of ourselves, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)