joy

Virtual Learning: Embrace the Season…

BlairCreekmore

Virtual school, Zoom school, Blackboard, Google Classroom, Seesaw, internet, wifi, bandwidth are now part of your everyday vocabulary. Take your child to work day is suddenly every day!

Unlike families who chose to homeschool their children, who had time to pray, plan, and prepare, this new adventure has been thrust upon many families. Suddenly your season has changed,  your routine is turned upside down,  you have added another plate to the many you are already spinning in your life. You may be feeling the weight of the responsibility and questioning your self as a mom. I want to encourage every one of you in this new season. Your children will soon be grown. The picture below was taken years ago. In amidst the chaos, cherish the moments you have with your childern.

Embrace this season as an opportunity to embrace your children. Be purposeful. Be proactive. Involve your children in your life more and you in theirs. They will learn as much from helping you with what God has called you to do as they will from a book. Pray, plan, and then prepare to act. God is actively working in this new season of your life. The Holy Spirit will guide you, give you wisdom, give you discernment, give you strength, give you patience. When I was homeschooling my children, God used that time to teach me things about myself and my children. Lessons learned then have carried over into other areas of my life.

While homeschooling I learned to:

1) Pray for insight. Pray that my heart and eyes would be open to seeing the strengths, gifts, talents that Jesus has given my children. “I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.” (Psalm 139:14, NASB)

2) Pray that God knew what He was doing when He God gave me this child. He knew my strengths and He knew the child needed them. He knew my weaknesses. It is not by accident they are in my family. “For this child, I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.” ( 1 Samuel 1: 27-28, KJV)

3) Pray to know God’s plan. Pray that God does have a plan and He will reveal His plan to you if you seek to know it. The situation is no surprise to God. You may not see how you are going to make this work. How can you juggle work, kids’ school, family, and friend responsibilities? But God knows how to make it work. There will be adjustments along the way. The Bible says that God will light your path and guide you step by step. The adjustments may seem too big, too hard, but as you go through them and get on the other side of them you will see God’s plan and purpose was there all along. ” Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119: 105, KJV)

4) Pray for wisdom. Pray that God will give me, as the parent, supernatural wisdom, and insight into my child’s needs and abilities. He will show you how your child learns and give you ways to instill knowledge into them. Pray for wisdom. “For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2: 6, NASB)

5) Pray for understanding. I prayed for understanding regarding not just the academics, but understanding regarding my child’s temperament. I prayed that I and my children would have an understanding of things of God; an understanding of the word of God. “Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law and keep it with all my heart.”

6) Pray for peace. Peace in the home. Peace in your heart. Peace in their heart. Pray for strength to get rid of the areas and obligations in my life that don’t bring peace. “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” (John 14: 27, NASB)

7) Pray for unity. Lock arms with your child to tackle this new method of education. This is new to them as well as you. Let them know you are on their side.  “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1- 3, (NASB)

8) Pray for anointing. Even you don’t have an education degree, God will anoint you for the task at hand. He is not unaware of or surprised by your knowledge and abilities. As you pray you may find that God has been preparing you all along. The lessons you have learned are for such a time as this. “As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.” (1 John 2: 27, NASB)

9) Pray for favor. Favor with your children. Yes, I know this may sound odd. but favor opens the doors for dialogue and understanding. Don’t be afraid to say I don’t know, but let’s find out together. Pray for favor with your children, family, friends, teachers, and coworkers. “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90: 17, NIV)

10) Pray for grace. This may be hard to comprehend, but yes you may have days that ‘you blow it’. I had many days like this. It is times like this that I needed grace for my self and for my children. Grace that was beyond my ability to bestow. God would take times like that to remind me of the big picture, that He was not done loving and guiding my children or myself. Grace can only come from God. “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (1Corinthians 1:3, NIV)

11) Pray for strength. Pray that the Holy Spirit will strengthen you for the task at hand. I quickly realized that I could not forsake the time I spend praying and reading God’s word. No matter how busy the day. I knew that I needed to take the time each day to pray, read the word, and be still and know that He is God. Allow your children to do the same. Just as the Holy Spirit will comfort and quiet your heart and soul, He will do the same for your child. “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10, NIV)

12) Pray for teachable moments. These are times when God shows you something ‘outside the box’. These are times when He shows you His heart. It may not be in front of the computer, it may be in a walk with your child or a moment at the kitchen table. Look for them, embrace them. These are things that build character and relationships. “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.” (Psalm 1: 1-2, NIV)

13) Pray for positive relationships. I realyzed that we are in this together. Pray that God will bring people in your life who will support and encourage you on this journey. Pray that He will bring people to say just the right word or offer a suggestion that brings a solution to a problem. “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 1:4, NIV)

14) Pray for joy. This was difficult on days when computers aren’t working, your child is in tears because they don’t understand something, and you can ‘fix’ the situation you are faced with. It was days like this that I realyzed that I needed joy that can only come from my relationship with God. I would take a deep breath and pray, show me where I can find joy. Why did I need joy so much? Because the joy of the Lord was my strength to be patient, to persevere, to find peace, to find love. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15: 13, NIV)

15) Pray scripture over yourself, and your children. I learned to personalize the word of God. See examples below.

Are my children perfect? Am I perfect? Is my family perfect? Did they learn everything and still able to recite pages of education? The answer to all of these is ‘No‘.

Did my children see me model how to handle stressful situations? Did my children see where my strength comes from? Did my children see the love of God walked out before them every day? Maybe.

Did God see my heart? Did I learn that God is patient? Did I learn that Jesus loves me? Did I learn that Jesus is always there guiding, loving, forgiving, strengthening, healing? Did I learn to humble myself before God and seek HIs wisdom? Did I receive healing, peace, love, joy, patience that is not dependent on circumstances but because God is a loving God? YES!

Will God love, forgive, strengthen, teach, heal, anoint, guide, protect, embrace my children as He did me? YES

Prayer Scriptures

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you__(insert name)_____________ with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you ___________(insert name)____may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: _________ (insert name )_____bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you_______(insert name)______ may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you ____(insert name)_____ to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ” (Colossians 1:12, NIV)

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you ____________(insert name)______will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phillippians 1: 6, NASB)

Is your jello sticking to the wall yet? Psalm 32:8 Part 1: Instruct

BlairCreekmore
Are you adding your own nails to make i
stick? How is that working for you?

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. ” — Psalm 32:8 (NASB)

Do you feel like you are trying everything and nothing is working right? Are you like me and you want to know where to go next, what to do? Am I on the right path? These days we have Google Maps to talk to us and to say turn right or left in 1.1 miles. But what about our life? Are you throwing jello against the wall to see what sticks? Are you adding your own nails to make it stick? How is that working for you? Are you are going in all directions, picking up everything you can, to see what works. Is the stress relieved, has peace and joy returned? Don’t you wish you had someone to tell you in 1.1 miles decide to do this or not to do it? Psalm 32 tells us that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit will do just that.

Psalm 32 reminds that God will instruct, teach, and counsel us.

Instruct means to provide understanding, insight, show what to pay attention to, show what you need to focus your mind on. The instructor is passing on his wisdom, knowledge, expertise, skill in order for the person to be successful in what they are doing. The concept of the expert instructing the apprentice is illustrated here. The expert imparts not only knowledge, but skill and wisdom. It denotes the concept of the instructor being circumspect or seeing everything in all directions and being able to tell you what you need to highlight and/or give attention to. The one instructed will become wise, prudent, skillful, have incite regarding the situations, and be able to discern what to do and when to do it, This wisdom and knowledge is not from the person but is a result of the instruction.

Do you feel like you are flying blind? Have you gotten somewhere and don’t know how to land?

Have you ever put something together and ended up with ‘spare’ parts(scary!)? Or tried to skip some of the instruction steps in a Lego build only to have take it a part and backtrack to where you went off on your own? Do you feel like you are flying blind? Have gotten somewhere and don’t know how to land? Now I know sometimes we try to ‘shortcut’ the directions. But what usually happens is we have parts left over or we reach a point where we need to redo to make the parts fit properly. Either way, we have wasted time and energy. The finished product may not work the best or worse yet, not work at all. I usually end up with frustration, stress, disappointment, anger (lot of negative thoughts!). When someone instructs us it is like reading the directions. If only I had followed the directions. If only I had humbled myself to receive instruction.

“But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.” — Proverbs 21:11 (NASB)

The word ‘wise’ is the same word for ‘instruct’ used in Psalm 32. It is a verb, “sakal”, which means there is ‘action’ required. There is also a link to the person doing the instruction and the one receiving instruction. There has to be a relationship. God knows just how to instruct us, but we need to be willing to be instructed. God is the only one with complete circumspection of our life. Without His instruction we are throwing the jello against the wall. Without God’s instructions we tend to focus in all directions, with no purpose. We lack understanding and knowledge of what is going on in our life and why things are happening to us. All our efforts are in vain. We may feel like our thoughts are overwhelming us to the point we cannot “think clearly’. Without clear instruction, energy is spent to keep the ‘plates spinning’ in our life with no victory in sight. We tend have the same dramas repeated over and over in our life.

“When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.”– Psalm 32:3 (NASB)

The result was forgiveness, preservation and
deliverance. God’s living waters of forgiveness
could flow in his life.

David wrote Psalm 32. It is described as a ‘contemplative happy’ song. However, in the beginning David is not happy. David describes how sin was ‘heavy upon me’. The weight of the sin was draining his ‘vitality’. He describes his body as ‘wasting away’ . It wasn’t just because of sin, but because he ‘kept silent’ (Psalm 32:3) If you keep sin silent and hidden, it will devour you physically, mentally, and emotionally. David describes how blessed and fortunate he was when he did not keep his sin hidden, but acknowledged it to God. (Psalm 32: 5). The result was forgiveness, preservation, and deliverance. God’s living waters of forgiveness could flow in his life. This forgiveness opened the doorway of David’s heart and soul to be instructed by God and the Holy Spirit.

Sin made it so that David could not hear, understand, and obey God’s clear instructions. The relationship was blocked. The same is true of us today. When we have sin that we have not confessed we cannot hear God’s voice clearly. We are numb to the gentle promptings of the Holy Spirit leading and guiding us to Jesus Christ. We cannot hear instructions clearly. We read the Bible and lack understanding.

God sees what we are facing in all directions in our life and He knows what is ahead of us. God created us and knows our talents, strengths and weaknesses. He knows how to instruct us. The Holy Spirit is leading and guiding us to Jesus and His forgiveness. When we confess our sins and ask for the forgiveness that Jesus Christ provided for us through His death on the cross and resurrection from the grave, the relationship is fully restored. The sin that was blocking the flow of God’s instructions in our hearts and minds is removed. The relationship between the instructor and the apprentice is restored. Jesus becomes not just our savior, but the Lord of our life. The word of God, the Bible, becomes our blue print, our instructions, that we can understand and receive in our hearts and mind.

Where are you looking for instructions regarding your life? Who is instructing you? Do you have ‘hidden’ sin that is blocking your relationship with Jesus?

Prayer:

Dear Jesus

I acknowledge my sin (___________________) to you. I acknowledge my immoral thoughts and actions. I confess my transgressions. I confess that my heart has rebelled against you and your Word. I ask for forgiveness of my sins. I ask for you to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9). I accept the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross to cleanse me from sin. I desire Lord Jesus to have my relationship with you restored. Holy Spirit please guide me in the instructions of God’s word. Bring to my remembrance all that God’ has instructed. (John 14:26) I pray that my heart and spirit will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit guidance and conviction of anything that is hindering my relationship with Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1:5) Amen

Blessings in Our Lives

BlairCreekmore

Grandma's Special Herbs

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us“— 2 Corinthians 4:7

As we enter the Thanksgiving season, I am reminded of legacy. Thanksgiving is traditionally a time of remembering family and the blessings we have. Taking time to remember those blessings can be the challenge. We are so busy with every day life of errands and work and school that we may miss the everyday blessings that God has provided for us. Little things done today, impact the events of tomorrow and ultimately the next generation. But what are we passing on? Are we so overwhelmed with the cares and struggles in our lives that we are missing the blessings? Are the things we are passing on things that last for a moment, a season, or eternity? Are they truly treasures? Are we taking time to unearth the blessings in our lives?

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”                                —-2 Corinthians 4:8-9channeled-whelk

Sometimes we need to hold on to our treasure as the waves crash around us.

It is only then we realize what we are holding onto, what is deep and buried just under the sand, what comes not from ourselves but from Jesus and our relationship with Him,—- is the true treasure.

Are we passing on–how to have peace amidst the storm… love when faced with adversity…. perseverance to stay the course…joy that comes from God that gives us strength to see joy amidst the everyday struggles and routines… grace for the moment…

To take the time to count our blessings may mean digging away the sand that is keeping it hidden and allowing the waves to wash away the rough edges to make it smooth. We may not recognize the treasure for what it is. We may only see the tip or the edge. It may appear broken and insignificant, but God sees the treasure and the blessings that is beneath. If we allow Him, Jesus has the power to slowly move away the sand and wash away the dirt and reveal the hidden treasure that was there all the time. True treasures transcend our lifetime.  True treasures lay a foundation for our children to stand on and build upon. True treasures and blessings come not from us but from what Jesus has done for us and within us. The power is from Jesus and not from us.

 

 

 

Resurrection Eggs for Adults #4: The Garden of Gethsemane

BlairCreekmore

 I had a hard time finding a picture for this post. Most portray Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He is calm, almost serene. Hands clasped, face lifted toward heaven. The glory of God is shining down upon Him. Well, I don’t know about you other moms out there but when I am desperately praying for myself or my family. I am just that –desperate. It is not pretty. It is down on my face before God with the tears flowing.

In Matthew 26:38 Jesus tells His disciples,

Jesus in garden with glory
Calm and Serene Jesus

“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”

Matthew goes on to say that Jesus “fell on His face, and prayed” (Matthew 26:38).

Luke reports  “And being in agony, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:44)

Luke, the physician, would notice sweat like blood. You can ‘sweat blood’ when you are under extreme pressure. You actually break capillaries in your forehead due to the mental anguish and pain. In fact, the Greek word for agony used in this scripture is only used once in the Bible and this is it. This Greek word for agony, ‘agonia’, is a noun. It does not describe something. It is something. A thing  can be removed, a description can’t. It means a mental and emotional struggle. A wrestling. It was a wrestling that was so intense that God sent an angel to minister to Jesus. (Luke 22:43)

A Struggle for Victory

 Ok, this picture is getting there. I have been here. When you are mentally exhausted and fully given up. Complete obedience.  When we completely surrender. God can minister to us and heal our mind and heart.  Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane what Adam could not do in the Garden of Eden. He said ‘no’ to His flesh and said ‘yes’ to God.  We can now say ‘no’ to sin, bondage, and self seeking actions. Jesus pressed into His destiny rather than backing off. The Garden settled His mind for the road ahead.

Just like God met Jesus in the Garden, He meets us in our prayers and agony as well. God in His mercy will hear our cries and strengthen us for the road ahead. Praise God that Jesus shed his blood in the Garden that we may have Victory over our flesh, specifically our mental and emotional struggles.

 

jesus-in-the-garden
Less Serene, not on His face but there is agony. “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39)

 Resurrection Egg #4

Merry Christmas…..

BlairCreekmore

Then suddenly there appeared with the angel an army of the troops of heaven, a heavenly knighthood, praising God and saying -Glory be to God in the highest..-Sometimes I think we take for granted the importance of the birth of Jesus. Living in the timeline after the birth of Christ we forget that there were years of longing  for the Messiah to be born, the Prince of Peace, our Redeemer.

The birth of Christ was ushered in with praise. The praise did not start on earth, but rather originated in heaven with an army troop of angels. Luke 2: 13 is the first time the word praise,‘aineo’, is used in the New Testament.  It was not only verbal praise but was connected with a promise or vow.With the birth of Christ came the promise of salvation.

“For to you is born this day in the town of David a Savior, Who is Christ (the Messiah) the Lord!” (Luke 2:11, quoting Micah 5:2)

God has shown me the importance of putting the presents aside and take moments to praise Jesus. Praise Him for leaving heaven to be born on earth a baby!   Praise Him for the blessings He has given us. Praise Him for choosing to die on the cross for our sins 2000 years ago. Praise Him for loving me today and bringing  me joy and salvation. Praise Him for who He is, more than a baby in a manger…………….

name-of-jesus-1

Merry Christmas! 

 

Rejoice in the Battle…… (Psalm 5:11)

BlairCreekmore

“But let all those who take refuge and put their trust in You rejoice; let them ever sing and shout for joy, because You make a covering over them and defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You and be in high spirits.” Psalm 5:11

I love the fall. Sitting on the back porch I see the many blessings of fall. The leaves are bright and colorful. The sky is crisp and blue. Kids go running through the yard, jumping into every pile of leaves that stand in their way. Giant sticks walking around. Boys carrying limbs 3x their size.

Wait! Large giant sticks, what are they doing!

“Necessary to reinforce the leaf pile bases during the acorn battles”, kids yells out. Oohh, I never knew that.  Capture the flag, air-soft battles, and acorn battles are a mainstay at my house. It is times like this that I am glad that God has a covering and shield over my boys. Welcome to my world of boys.

Oh to be like boys who run and jump and rejoice as the battle rages on!

Psalm 5:11 mentions joy and battle in the same voice.. Oxymoron?.. Or spiritual truth to be embraced?

Joy is mentioned three times in Psalm 5:11. Each is derived from different Hebrew verbs and have different meanings.

  • The first is ‘samach‘ which means ‘to be glad’, ‘make merry’, cause to make ‘joy’.  In other words, the joy comes from Jesus and not us. God will make us joyful as we put our trust in Him.  What a promise!
  • The second is ‘ranan‘  which means to sing, shout, cry out in triumph. This is not everyday singing and shouting. This comes from the deep inside part of us. It is like the joyful cries and shouts of a woman in labor as she joyfully and triumphantly and yes painfully delivers her child.
  • The third is ‘alats‘ which has the connotation of jumping for joy, being exalted. God will exalt us in the midst of battle.

Jesus I pray that as I take refuge in You and put my trust in You, Jesus, that You will make me joyful in the midst of battle, that Your joy will go deep into my innermost being to strengthen me for the battle. As I love You, Jesus, that You will exalt me over the battle, that you will make a covering over me that protects and defends me. Thank you that you reinforce my leaf pile to withstand the battle.  Amen

Gazebo Gallery
Gazebo Gallery

Gazebo Gallery:

Describe a time that as you loved and trusted God, He gave you the joy necessary for the battle?

Princess…Inside and Out…Spiritual Mamas

BlairCreekmore

Princess…..Inside and Out…..Honey, Patricia, Janet, Carol

In God we Trust….four words that bring so much controversy. It is not the world we grew up in and I am sure our parents thought the same way. Songs, videos, books that praise God’s name are viewed as offensive, but when we are in a time of need, we drop to our knees…. from which comes our strength, our hope, our joy. I know we refer to the faith of our ‘founding fathers’ as the basis for this, but it goes deeper than that. It is the very core of our being. It is the empty hole we cannot fill with anything else. Since the beginning of time man has tried to fill that void with all sorts of things from money, daring excitement and adrenaline rushes (natural or man made), sexual pleasure, or just wanting to be in the best house in the best neighborhood with the best job and the best family (the idea of a ‘perfect’ life). All these are fleeting and bring joy for a season.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

As a teenager, I learned that negative emotions can be habit forming and that joy has nothing to do with happy times or happy circumstances. Joy comes from knowing God and knowing that He is there with us always. Jesus will supply all we need physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially. As a teenager, my parents divorced and my mom and my sister and I moved to a new town. I struggled with my identity of who I was and with acceptance as most young girls do. During this time, God brought four ladies, friends of my mom, into my life, Honey, Patricia, Janet and Carol. They filled in the ‘mama’ gaps when my mom could not. What I saw in them was the power of prayer and faith in God and Jesus’ ability to fill that ‘gap’ in my life and bring true joy. Their families and children were not perfect, but their love for Jesus was. I saw a faith and determination to trust Jesus through the hard times and rejoice with Him in the good times. Their relationship with Jesus was and still is a steady anchor in their lives. I wanted that for me; a faith that expressed itself in the unconditional love and acceptance of Jesus Christ. A joy that permeated to the core of my being.

Honey had ( and still does) a joy that lights up regardless. I treasure her statement, ” It is not an obstacle but an opportunity for God to overcome.”

Patricia showed me how still waters can run deep. She has integrity and showed me how to stand on principles of God and not to compromise. God has His best for you, don’t settle for anything less.

Janet, a prayer warrior (then and now), showed me where my source of strength needed to come from— the word of God, my relationship with Jesus  and prayer. Through Janet, I learned that in order to be as Psalm 1 states” tree planted by the waters that produces fruit in due season”, then I needed to take time and be open and honest with God. I needed to allow the healing blood of Jesus to forgive.Our own abilities and intellect can only go so far and will only produce temporary fixes in our lives, but Jesus’ fixes are deep and permanent.

Carol showed me that Jesus is the source of wisdom and discernment, not my own mental understanding. I watched her stop many times and pray before making a decision and it didn’t matter the size of the decision. I could tell by the look on her face that she wasn’t just pondering the situation, but was saying,”Ok God, what do you want me to do?” Wisdom, understanding and discernment come from a spiritual ear and heart tuned to hear God’s voice. In order to hear God’s voice I needed to know Him and in order to know Him  I needed to read His word.

Through these ‘spiritual mamas’ I learned to not dwell on my own short comings, failures, inadequacies and struggles, but instead to develop a love for God and to trust Him.” All things are possible to him who believes, ‘ Mark 9:23.Thank you Jesus for the praying ‘spiritual mamas’ in my life.

summer deals!

photo from www.freepik.com
photo from http://www.freepik.com

Gazebo Gallery:

Look around for the ‘spiritual mamas’ in your life. What characteristics did they impart to you?

A Princess….Inside and Out

BlairCreekmore

See, Princesses do not paint their own bedrooms. They do not caulk holes in the walls, which is why my arms hurt. They don’t wash and paint base-boards, which is why my back hurts. Princesses don’t paint their own door frames…which is why mine probably have to be sanded and redone due to dried drips going down the sides….which is why Chuck is laughing his Heavenly butt off!! —– Sara Stophel ( a princess in more ways than one)**

We all have idea of what a Princess is. Is she weak and fragile or strong and harsh. Maybe she is a combination of both, strong when needed to govern and  tempered with tenderness and mercy in comforting her fellow men. When we look in the Bible we see women who are strong, confident, gentle, loving, caring, joyful. God created women to be such a mixture of all of these things. I take comfort in knowing that I can

Be confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.—- Philippines 1:6.

I love this verse. It means that God is not done with me yet! It means that Sara will eventually have her trim painted and it not drip!!  More than that it means that what the Holy Spirit starts……… He completes .! None of this ‘If I only I was……” or ” I wish I could have   the personality of……” or maybe if ” I could do…..”. We as women tend to allow God to start His perfect work in us only to pick up and try and complete it by our own strength and ideas of how it should be done. The phrase ‘ that he began’ in Philippines 1:6 is used only once in more in the New Testament, in Galatians 3:3:

Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?– Galatians 3:3.

Lord let us be true princesses who allow You to complete Your perfect work in us with the power of Your Holy Spirit.

I am reminded that Princesses are a compilation of the wisdom and knowledge of the Princesses who have gone before them. Godly women who have instilled their wisdom, love and prayers  into our lives. As I have thought about the many women throughout my life who were there when I needed love, support, encouragement, I am amazed, because I see that the Holy Spirit was indeed working to complete that good work. Is that work complete? No, not at all, but I am thankful for God’s grace and mercy that I am not forgotten, abandoned, or alone. I am a Princess of the most high God.

I will be sharing some things I have learned from women who have touched my life. Not that I am anyone special or unique. I am just someone who loves God with all my heart just like many of you. Someone who cannot go through one day without His strength, mercy, love. My prayer is that as you read some of these posts you will also be encouraged and strengthened as I was when these people entered my life. I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to work God’s perfect work within our lives and we will not be tempted to pick up the reigns of our life and try and complete it with human effort.

** Sara Stophel is a dear friend whose husband is in heaven singing praises to God as he did on earth. Her posts this past year have been humorous and truthful as she is allowing the Holy Spirit to complete His perfect work in her life and the life of her children. She has given me permission to copy and paste her posts in the hopes that they will encourage others.

photo from www.freepik.com
photo from http://www.freepik.com

 

Gazebo Gallery:

What is your idea of a princess?