Dear Lord,
THANK YOU for your mercy and grace. Today my heart felt heavy. Hurting for so many things done and said - years gone by and yet you met me. Oh how the devil really tried to side track my heart and mind but You were so ever faithful. I am so grateful for you and your untiring love and grace. Lord, oh please confront me all the days of my life. I know I don't have the strength to endure the cunning tricks and tests created by the enemy. I am so thankful that when I am at my weakest you remain steadfast. Thank you. I know I do not deserve your devotion but you give it anyway. All praise be to you.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Cross
The cross it the pictures above is hanging in our home on the cross wall. The cross is homemade. Our family loves to hike at a park not far from our home. We went there right before Christmas and found these branches. After we arrived home, the cross was created and hung on our wall.
This cross represents so much to me. First of all, Jesus died on a rugged cross to save me from myself. He laid His life down for mine. Secondly, my family created this from materials found in one of our favorite parks. Over the course of the last two years, I have spent some great times in the park. I have prayed, cried, and spent quality time with my family there. I feel like it is a sacred place to me. Jesus always meets me there. Lastly, my family and I created it together. My daughter and I found the branches. My husband and son loaded in the car and nailed them together. My son and I wrapped the twine. My daughter, son and I hung them in the living room. It took all of us working together and it turned out absolutely beautiful.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Favorite Bible Verse
"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
Be still and take all life has to offer. This verse reminds me no matter what happens in life God still sits on the throne. We need to praise Him in the good and bad. It is easier when things are good. When things aren't so good it is hard not to question God. However, He is still God and in control. He has a plan to prosper us and not harm us.
Be still and take all life has to offer. This verse reminds me no matter what happens in life God still sits on the throne. We need to praise Him in the good and bad. It is easier when things are good. When things aren't so good it is hard not to question God. However, He is still God and in control. He has a plan to prosper us and not harm us.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Divorce and Snow Storms
The last couple of days we have been snowed in our home. We received more than 10 inches of snow and for central Oklahoma that is alot. We are not really use to dealing with it. Well, we do deal with it. Everything shuts down and we all stay home.
During this unplanned break, I have been cleaning my office. I ran across something my daughter wrote. It is called Love is War. She talks about doing stuff we will later regret - some big or small. She refers to divorce as big. As I think about her writing, I am grateful that she at nine sees divorce as a regret. I am not judging anyone who is divorced, sometimes it is the best solution especially in abuse. However, I do feel that too many people rush into divorce thinking that if only they had someone new or if they didn't have to deal with the person their with's faults their life would be better.
I am not going to go into too much detail here, but I will tell you that my husband and I hit a really rough patch in our marriage a couple of years ago. Most people would have cut and ran. Quite frankly, it seemed it would be easier just to let him go. I won't pretend to think what he was thinking about it all but I am sure he probably felt the same way.
As I thought about us and our family and sought God's guidance, I really believed and later found in the Bible that God hates divorce. He hates families being broken up and torn apart. In the second chapter of Malachi, it states "I hate divorce, says the Lord God of Israel." God uses marriage and family to teach us about Him. As humans, we hurt the ones we love and we don't deserve their love or forgiveness but often we get it anyway. That is what Jesus did on the cross for us. We don't deserve it but He did it anyway.
If you are reading this and struggling with your spouse, read "Love and War" by John Eldredge. It is a great book that challenged and changed the way I viewed marriage. You will not be sorry you read it. I promise even if you don't feel like it, working on saving your marriage and family will not be time wasted no matter the outcome.
God does not promise us easy or perfect lives. However, He promises he will never leave us. I speak from experience when I say during those dark days when I felt my marriage and family ripped right out of my hands, He was there. I knew He held my tears in His hands. He had a plan. He has helped us restore our marriage. I am so grateful when I say that I never knew just how cool, strong, sexy, fun, and thoughtful a man my husband was. Now I am keenly aware of how much I adore him. I am thankful he is by my side and partner in this life.
During this unplanned break, I have been cleaning my office. I ran across something my daughter wrote. It is called Love is War. She talks about doing stuff we will later regret - some big or small. She refers to divorce as big. As I think about her writing, I am grateful that she at nine sees divorce as a regret. I am not judging anyone who is divorced, sometimes it is the best solution especially in abuse. However, I do feel that too many people rush into divorce thinking that if only they had someone new or if they didn't have to deal with the person their with's faults their life would be better.
I am not going to go into too much detail here, but I will tell you that my husband and I hit a really rough patch in our marriage a couple of years ago. Most people would have cut and ran. Quite frankly, it seemed it would be easier just to let him go. I won't pretend to think what he was thinking about it all but I am sure he probably felt the same way.
As I thought about us and our family and sought God's guidance, I really believed and later found in the Bible that God hates divorce. He hates families being broken up and torn apart. In the second chapter of Malachi, it states "I hate divorce, says the Lord God of Israel." God uses marriage and family to teach us about Him. As humans, we hurt the ones we love and we don't deserve their love or forgiveness but often we get it anyway. That is what Jesus did on the cross for us. We don't deserve it but He did it anyway.
If you are reading this and struggling with your spouse, read "Love and War" by John Eldredge. It is a great book that challenged and changed the way I viewed marriage. You will not be sorry you read it. I promise even if you don't feel like it, working on saving your marriage and family will not be time wasted no matter the outcome.
God does not promise us easy or perfect lives. However, He promises he will never leave us. I speak from experience when I say during those dark days when I felt my marriage and family ripped right out of my hands, He was there. I knew He held my tears in His hands. He had a plan. He has helped us restore our marriage. I am so grateful when I say that I never knew just how cool, strong, sexy, fun, and thoughtful a man my husband was. Now I am keenly aware of how much I adore him. I am thankful he is by my side and partner in this life.
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