I often ask myself..."Am I doing the best I can?" As a mama, a wife, a sister, friend, an employee? These are just the daily things I know I have to do. I think there is always room for improvement. I want to dig a little deeper these days. My best, what does that look like, feel like, sound like? How is it that I can improve in these areas where I feel I am lacking? First of all I have to remember that in myself I am only able to do so much. Things begin to unravel when I get in the way of what God is doing. I start feeling overwhelmed and like I am losing control of situations. My life begins to resemble the art of a two year old, a lot of scribble and scrabble, and there is no balance. So- how do I regain my peace? How can I make a difference? A difference so profound that I don't even understand it? A difference where my children are left in shock, my husband says, "Where is my wife?", and on the job co-workers are left wondering what has taken place in her life? This is the impact I want to make! To start with something small and allow God to take it, mold it, shape it, and grow it into something incomprehensible! FAITH! BELIEF! TRUST! #FBT! James 1:6 "If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open" (MSG). I love the way this is worded. I only need to ask God to help me, HE loves to help! How cool is that! The catch is that when I ask for help I need to believe. No doubting. Well, there you have it brothers and sisters. Make a difference, ask God for help and BELIEVE! I would love to receive feedback so please feel free to respond to my blogs any time.
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The link at the bottom is to a video I created for Mother's Day to my mama. I wanted to share it here because I am sure that someone out there is experiencing the same sense of overwhelming waves of memories. Whether they are some of the sweetest moments they can remember or maybe it is the flood of grief that returns whenever this particular day comes around. No matter what the feeling is, it is yours and you are allowed to have it. I can say this from my own personal experience of losing my mama at fifty-two years old...the pain does not seem quite as sharp today. I do still long for certain things at times though. I miss her voice and wonder if I might sound like her, I miss her sense of humor, I miss the smell of fried chicken when I would walk in the door, and I especially miss her hugs and prayers. Isn't it wonderful that God places ladies in our lives to fill that empty place! Wonderful examples of godly women who come along side us and give us 'mama' hugs when we need them, a good meal or a shoulder to cry on. No one could ever replace that loss but, God sure does know how to help us when we are in that fragile state. Feel free to share your thoughts or feeling here, or request prayer. I would be honored to pray with you or for you. Happy Mother's Day! God Bless. https://animoto.com/play/tdF5SIEujUl8nbl6sOr4Qg
Mother's Day. One of the most sweet, sincere, emotional days out of the year. This video above is very touching and as a mom it will bring tears to your eyes. I have four children of my own. I became a mom very young. My oldest son is grown and living out of our home now. As a young mother I have made many mistakes but, God was gracious enough to allow me to have two more boys in 2003/2004 and then a little girl in 2011. I lost my mama in 2009 to a ten year battle with cancer. I remember the years leading up to her passing and with each Mother's day that came around I was so grateful for her to still be here. Our last Mother's day together was probably the sweetest one of all. Even though she could no longer speak, or walk, or eat. She still wanted to go to church and she was wheeled down to the altar where I got down on my knees with my head in her lap and cried and prayed to God! I knew what was about to happen in the next few days but, my prayer was answered that she would be able to be with us through that Mother's day. I wrote a poem for her and wanted to share it here on this website with those of you who may be facing a hard time with this approaching Mother's day. We must treasure each day we have with our moms because God has specifically chosen us for them and them for us! If you need prayer or just someone to listen please send a post or email. (Proverbs 31:10-30 NIV)
Hand in hand we're walking, forever by your side. No fear will overtake us, together we will ride. This road that you've been given seems off the beaten course. But, now we know your purpose is one of much reward. For God would never lead us in a direction where He'd forsake us, & He would never choose us for a plan that wouldn't make it. I step each step with you & I pray you through each day. You are an inspiration & a joy to portray. My mom my best friend, how I love you so. I pray you understand and I hope that you will know. This isn't just your journey but, ours to travel together. God gave me to you mom because He knew I'd leave you never. I will treasure every moment holding on to your hand tight, knowing once I let you go the LORD will have you in His might. Hand in hand we're walking forever by your side. No fear will overtake us together we will ride. (By: Cherease Kincaid written: 12/12/08) It has been quite some time since I have written a post here. Life does get so busy and it is filled with many distractions. Of course, the enemy loves that! He will do whatever he can to cause us to separate ourselves from God. I have been doing a new ladies bible study by one of my favorite women Priscilla Shirer. The study is called "He Speaks to Me" preparing to hear from God (Priscilla Shirer, 2005). This study has been a wonderful refresher to my spirit as I have felt God calling me back to Him. In my prayer time, He was quietly impressing on my heart that I needed to focus my attention on Him, His word and our relationship. As a wife, mom, full-time student and employee I feel stretched thin and like there is not time for one more thing. Do any of you feel that way? Like if someone were to approach you with one more request you would blow your top?! Well, I believe God was trying to help me understand that the way I had aligned things was wrong. HE should be first! My love affair with Him should be at the top of the list. If I make that time for God then every thing else will fall into place just as it needs to. Have you noticed that in your walk? That when you try to organize your schedule yourself there just is not enough time, but...if you put God in charge of it miraculously things seem to line up just right. Isn't it a very cool experience to encounter. Having that intimate relationship with Him, taking time to put Him first, and desiring to grow in your communication with Him resolves so many other areas that fall short. If we desire, truly desire a closer more intimate relationship with God then we must make the time for Him. "Honoring God is key to hearing from God" (Shirer, 2005). If we will have an undistracted worship with God we will develop an intimate relationship with Him. As women we need to slow down and put things aside long enough to spend time with God. Have you taken the time to put things aside for God? My prayer today is that we would desire an intimate relationship with Him and that we would ask Him to help us see the things that are distracting us from spending time with Him. In Jesus name. Be blessed today as you walk this walk. Psalm 37:4 'Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart'. (ESV, 2002).
The vows we take when we get married are very powerful...they are your oath with another person to whom you promise to spend the rest of your life with. It is a covenant relationship that you are creating with that person. God is a covenant God. The word covenant means, agreement - promise - pledge - bond. These are not words to be taken lightly. I personally think we have become so removed from the vows we take, that we do not even acknowledge God being a part of that relationship. I would like to assure you, He is and He is very serious about his end of that commitment. The book of Ruth is one of my favorites! There is a beautiful passage I would like to share with you. Ruth 1:16-17: But Ruth replied: Do not persuade me to leave you or go back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. (17) Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD do this to me and even more, if anything but death separates you and me (CSB). This is beautiful. Let me ask you to reflect on the vows you made with your husband and with God. Take a minute and reflect on this verse from Ruth. We want our marriages to have a lasting impact, to leave an impression on our children where they can know things were not easy but, mom and dad were dedicated to God and one another...till death do they part. There is no ending, the love is carried on into the next generation.
Do you ever feel like you are going toe to toe with your husband? If you are anything like us the answer is yes! We are told in God's word that part of the sin curse will involve power struggles in our marriages. As a wife that word 'submit' immediately comes to my mind. Genesis 3:16 - "Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you". The word desire would seem nice but, let's look at it in a different translation. The NLT - "You will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you." That seems a lot less nice. The question is how do we combat this desire? Prayer of course but, submission is a much better way because it is God's way. It is His design in our marriages for our own protection. Submission, in biblical context means: accepting or yielding to the will or authority of our husbands. If you struggle with this then look at it from another perspective, submit to God. He will help you if you are having a hard time submitting to your husband. I would be honored to pray with you or for you if you are like me and have had a hard time understanding this principle. Please click on the envelope to send me an email. I would love to hear from you. God bless your marriage and family as you continue to press forward on your journey. Philippians 3:14 - I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (NIV).
As I reflect over the years, I am able to see today where the hand of God was at work the whole time in our lives. Things did not make much sense then but, neither did the way I was choosing to live. Life was full of so many obstacles, many of which were my own doing. Had I known then what I know now there would have been no need to experience what we did. Which ultimately grew us in faith and matured us spiritually. These things do not just come natural. They must be taught, learned and applied. That is why the example of marriage is so important today. Our children will not know automatically how to keep that level of commitment. We must set the example for them. No matter where we come from, or where we are now. There were a lot of poor choices and wrong turns. I now know that was all His way of preparing us for this. A marriage and family ministry to those who are broken and hopeless. We have to start somewhere and let the healing begin in order to be useful to others in the future.
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