Ladies, Ladies…All the Ladies!!

“…this is ourselves…UNDER PRESSURE!”–David Bowie

Um be ba da…Um be ba da da….Ok.. I’ll stop.. I just have that song in my head.  Actually it’s been running through my head all day since I went running yesterday.  I know.. a random song for me to have on my ipod…it’s just one of the beauties of the ipod..I can pick and choose all the random songs I want and throw them all together…mix it up… and there you have it…perfect workout music.  However… there is a point to my insanity.  I keep thinking about that line…”this is ourselves under pressure”.  I immediately rewind to my Sunday morning this week.  My HORRIBLE Sunday morning.. when I just LOST it….that was myself under pressure.  I was talking the morning over with Chris (who is my GREAT listener and “figure out-er”) and I was asking him the big questions.  If Jesus is real in my life?…If He is strong and powerful….then why do I lose it?  Where is the strength?  How can I go to pieces and completely sin before my God like I did? 

“Certain people have certain sin patterns.  You get very angry under stress.  Did you pray before the day started?” he asked.

“Well, I always pray.”

“No, did you pray specifically not to become angry.  You know you get up-tight on Sunday mornings.  Did you pray specifically for that?”

 

And of course my answer was ‘no.’  So that leaves me thinking about myself under pressure.  What are my pressures?  What are my triggers?  Why have I NOT thought of bathing myself in prayer before I enter into the fire?  Is it not ridiculous for a soldier knowing good and well he is entering the battle field for him not to “shield up”?  Seriously.  Yes, I know life in general is a battle field…but what are YOUR personal battle fields…what are YOUR triggers?

I realize that anything that involves our entire family reaching a location at a certain time is extremely stressful…and throw in the fact that we all must look presentable…well..(you mean, I have to have make-up on and my hair done…perhaps even some dressy clothes…)…yes.. the pressure is on!  This is MY trigger.  I am easily angered…my mouth is loaded with nastiness (yikes!)… and I’m just, well…mean.  So when I know this family outing is coming up… I must begin dressing myself in PRAYER instead of some new sundress….or waiting for my straightening iron to heat up… or trying to figure which sandals I am going to wear.  Our sin patterns are ourselves under pressure… we want to be ourselves under His Lordship.  I’m sure the re-enactment of “me under His Lordship” would have played out quite differently on Sunday.

So, I felt like my husband has help bestow some wisdom to me and I never want to keep good Godly wisdom under a bushel.  I want to shine it out there for all of you.  It’s something to think about. Make a list.  What are you’re weaknesses?  Are there ways to avoid them?  It’s no different than the alcoholic driving home a different way from work.. out of sight of bars…or the Godly husband who chooses to have a password on the computer that only his wife knows…some accountability….to protect His eyes….or better yet.. keep the computer out in a public area in your home.  It’s the little things that can bring relief to the “Pressures.”

 

ummm…be..ba da…. da…da.de.dee.da.da….ok..I’m going back to my song ……perhaps I’ll be blasting it in our house this Sunday morning…just as a little reminder….. 

I had all hopes of sitting down and writing something tonight.  I just can’t.  My heart is heavy.  One of my dear friends from high school’s father passed away today.  He had been battling cancer.  His mother died while we were in high school.  I’m just dealing with the “why does so much have to happen to one family” questions tonight.  I went back and read a post from Tom (his dad) before he died….and I find my answer.

“God’s grace has ALWAYS been sufficient.”

You don’t need answers.  Because His grace is always sufficient, there are no questions.  I don’t know.  Reading his words ministered to me tonight.  He truly was a faithful servant of our Lord.  I urge you to read a message from a man dying of cancer…and be encouraged.

http://www.fivechapmans.com/2008/07/blog-post-from-tom-chapman.html

I don’t really know where this came from…. I was just looking over pictures from the past of my kids.  I feel like I was living in the “ditches” so long with “baby stuff”…. and now everything is in fast forward mode….they are growing up too fast.  I was just praying and thinking tonight—a lot about unconditional love.  I had a terrible Sunday morning.  We were running late.  (of ALL the days Emma Faye chooses to sleep past 8:45!!!). Looking back, I suppose I was under attack.  I mean isn’t that how Satan works?  Why would he NOT want to make me rage and stomp around and think horrible thoughts in my head on SUNDAY… right before church!  Yet, God loves me.  He takes me as I am.  I don’t think He wants anything more or really anything less….just me.  I looked at a picture of all three of my children.  I love them…and I am mortal.  My love for them runs so deep.  How much more their Heavenly Father loves them….and me.  This is what I wrote:

          As You Are  –jenny pruitt

From the moment I held you in my arms,

I loved you without a minute spared.

It was as if I’d had that love all along,

Or perhaps God suddenly put it there.

I loved you as you were,

Nothing less and nothing more.

I love you now as I loved you then ….just as you are.

From the moment you asserted your will,

I saw a temper born.

The rant and raves, the crying fits–

Yes, I watched the entire storm.

But I took you as you were,

Nothing less and nothing more.

I cradle you within my arms…..just as you are.

You’re growing every day,

and learning so many things.

Your personality brings such delight

as you laugh, and dance, and sing.

I laughed with you as you were,

         Nothing less and nothing more.        

What joy you bring to my heart….just as you are.

Life will bring it’s failures,

and the world will carry it’s pain.

My sweet child, you will NEVER be perfect

for Perfection bears no name;

But only as Christ, our Lord and Savior……Our healer with ready arms,

Embracing every one of his children… those near and those far.

He knew you before He gave you to me.

His love runs deeper than my heart.

Leave my arms and run to His…..exactly as you are.

 

 

 

“Ok guys.. if you want to ride down the street we must put our pants on.  You can’t go out in the front yard in your underwear.”  I was feeling very generous last night.  It was one of those beautiful summer evenings when at just the same time you begin to think, “hmmm..it’s getting a little hot”…there is a slight breeze that blows away that thought.  Emma Faye and Josh had both taken naps.. Will was beside himself..but there is no use putting one down when I know the others are going to want to stay up.  So I was offering a little stroller action for Emma Faye, a walk for me, and a big wheel ride for the ‘guys’.  No sooner had I offered this sweet activity did I turn around to see Will bent over..underwear off..finger pointing…”but how can we ride with all this dookie” 

“I have dookie, too mommy.” Josh quickly adds.

Emma Faye is still looking at me with her lop-sided bow, exhausted by her efforts to rip it out.

Any other day I probably would have lost it and gone into some speech out “grossness” and “big boys don’t do this” or worse “what is YOUR problem!!!!!!”  Like I said, I was feeling extra generous last night.  I just laughed out loud and told each of them to take care of their business, wipe up, and put some new pants on.  We strolled down the street.  It really was a beautiful evening.

So, here I am, once again on this Friday morning.  I think I am able to write on Friday mornings because my children have become so exhausted by the weekend they sleep longer.  Starting on Sunday, I’m sure Josh will be up at his usual time, 6:30 sharp.  But it’s now 7:05 and I will enjoy my time right now.  However, I rarely have anything to write about in the morning…my day’s struggles have yet occurred.  But it’s good to be reminded of God’s goodness and faithfulness.  I can ALWAYS find these things in the morning time.  Perhaps I should ALWAYS write in the morning and when things get a little crazy during the day, I can go back and be encouraged in the goodness of our Lord. Today I’m reading Psalm 25.  It’s perfect for me today.  I wish I could include the entire passage here…every verse is so great.  I encourage you to read this passage today if you are where I am sometimes and want to spend time with the Lord and really don’t know what to read.  Be encouraged today and hopeful…..do you have concerns?  Is something weighing on your heart?  Do you need a word from the Lord?  Remember He will….

“Make me know Your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.  Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For you are the God of my salvation.” Psalm 25:4-5

“Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He instructs sinners in the way” (v.8)

Never forget that:

“all the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.” (v.10)

All of you have a GREAT day today!  May the Lord bless you and keep you and shine His face upon you!

You have been my God from my mother’s womb.  (Psalm 22:10)

It’s early this morning.  Chris has left for work and the Lord has kept the eyes closed of three precious children so I may enjoy some time with him.  Oh, the little gifts I begin to notice when I’m paying attention.  I was thinking about when I first accepted Christ as my Savior the other day.  I know in one of my bibles it is written that I was baptized, I think when I was like 7 years old.  My mother tells me that the pastor came to our house in Atlanta, GA and prayed with me and then the next Sunday I “walked the aisle”.  Although, it’s funny….  When I think about when I asked Jesus to “come into my heart”… I don’t remember being in my house in Georgia.  I see a dark room.  I see a twin bed..an old record player…pictures of ocean scenes on the wall.  I remember being in my old room in our beach house.  I remember lying in bed one night…looking up at the ceiling and saying in a prayer quietly “Jesus, I love you and I want you to come into my heart.”  I remember saying those words… and that’s all… I don’t remember anything about “sin” or “dying on the cross” …nothing that I eventually came to understand.  One day I shared these things with my mom and she just looked at me.  She said one morning while we were vacationing at the beach I came into her bedroom and announced that I had asked Jesus to come into my heart…..I was 5.

I read this verse in Psalms today and I am reminded of God’s sovereignty.  Of His purposes in our lives.  I am reminded that He is at work in our hearts not from the time we can understand the gospel… not from the time we attend our first Sunday school class… not even from the time we take our first breath… but before we are even formed into being…..

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.  Psalms 139:16

Oh, God you are have been my God since before my mother’s womb.  Praise be to Your name!  This is always good for me to be reminded of.  I toil and rest uneasy in the pressures of trying to “save” my children.  This is NOT my role as a mother.  I may talk about His truths…I may bring them to church…I will pray for them… I will teach them about Jesus… I will try to  be a Christ-like example for them… but Jesus is their Savior….HE and only He is the one mighty enough to save their precious hearts.  This encourages me this morning. Not in the sense that I’m ‘off the hook’, so to speak… but because there is something greater at work in our lives….our GREAT redeemer, Jesus Christ!  Only through Him is the perfection we long to obtain… the words we long to speak… the hearts we desire to have.  Bound by His grace, we obtain our freedom.  Embrace your freedom in Christ today, my dear friends.  He longs to set you free.  Do not be bound by worries today for your children…concerns about your jobs….fears for your marriages.  No, Christ knows all of these things…He’s KNOWN them “when as yet there was not one of them.”  Our lives are in the hands of someone greater than ourselves.  We are called to give Him our loads… our burdens…..so that He may carry them for us…..and carry them all the way to Calvary.  He has freed us of these things….and “if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”  (John 8:36)–a promise.