The Resolution for Women - Overflowing Blessing

"The contented woman, when required to give of her time, her love, her resources...herself...is secure in the knowledge that she possesses enough to do it.  And she looks forward to experiencing the promise of an outlandish return on her investment."--Priscilla Shirer

When I hear the sermon on God returning your giving in abundance, my mind automatically turns to finances.  Which, is part of it, but what I need work on right now is energy and love.

I have always struggled with low energy levels.  It has sort of turned into this cycle.  I'm tired so I covet sleep.  I have this fear that tomorrow I'm not going to have enough energy, so I try to store it up today.  Like somehow the nap I had today will sustain me tomorrow when there is no time for that.  But I end up having no energy today and no energy tomorrow.  Since my post on trusting that God would give me the energy I needed to get through the day, I have learned that giving my energy to BubbaJ or my girls or my husband produces much better results than taking a nap.  God looks at that as serving Him and in return provides me with more energy. 

Also, I rely way too much on my husband to fill my "love bank."  He will never be perfect, he will never love me enough, and he will never fill me up.  When I don't feel loved, I tend to pout or feel sorry for myself.  Which then turns into me not wanting to do anything for anyone because "they don't love me like they should."  If I would simply rely on God to fill me up, I would have all the love I need and so much more to share with my family and friends. 

"It appears that the best way to get more of what you need is to give away the little you think you have left--at the appropriate time and in the appropriate way.  Yes, the best way to be surprisingly satisfied is to be irrationally released to respond to God's promptings to serve, even when doing so seems impossible because of your perceived lack." - Priscilla Shirer

The Resolution for Women - The Secret

Contentment.  It has always been a secret to me. That's probably why Paul has always been one of my favorite people.  "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.  I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot."  Philippians 4:11-12. 

"A satisfied woman is such a surprising woman.  She is shockingly noticeable to a world that lives on a watered-down version of the secret--a secret that she obviously got the truth about.  You can tell it by her peace and serenity, by her solace and restfulness, by the mysterious sense of ease that accompanies her.  Her presence alone delivers an air of refreshment to any setting she enters, to anyone she's around." The Resolution for Women

I WANT THAT!  To not want that girl's hair or that girl's clothes or that girl's well-behaved kids.  This world is so good at convincing us that we need something different or newer or better.  It's a constant battle to remind myself that God has given me everything I need for this very moment in my life. 

"Your God can be trusted to grant you the supply you need to excel at His purposes.  So if you don't have it - whatever it is - it's because you don't need it.  You may want it, but it's not necessary in order to accomplish what He knows is most important for your life today."  The Resolution for Women

My Needs                     God's Provision
Food/Shelter                 wonderful home/more than enough food
Energy                          somehow there is always enough(sometimes just enough but enough)
Support                         Christian husband, family and friends
Guidance                      Scripture and Biblical books

There are so many reasons for God to withhold blessings from me.  I'm selfish, I'm greedy, my heart is not ready to accept them, I am not ready to use them the way He wants.  I trust that God will help me to change those things and bless me when He sees fit.

The Resolution for Women - Every Bite Counts

I am currently reading The Resolution for Women by Priscilla Shirer based on the movie Courageous.  I want to document the journey I go through as I read it, so I am going to attempt to post for every section I read.  First, I have to say that I did not seek out this book.  My husband and I watched the movie when it was out in theaters and I secretly wished that it had touched more on mothers.  As I walked through Walmart the other day, I was thinking that I needed a book that would really engage me.  And that's when I walked by an end-cap filled with this book and also the one for men.  I truly hope God uses this book to change me and that others will be able to see and feel that change.

Today I read about being content in the moment.  I had never thought of it this way, but Priscilla explained that she doesn't have many memories because she spent most of her life just looking forward to the next stage. 

"I recognized that by rushing through life, I'd been subtly devaluing those around me and experiences I was involved in, not appreciating the importance and significance they bring to my life at this very moment, not grasping my responsibility for holding dear and treating well these gifts God has entrusted to me.  Instead of embracing the privilege of being a blessing to my husband, my children, my friends, and others, I'd been quietly communicating that I wanted them to change and speed up, to get busy being somebody else, someone who's more in line with what I want and need, to hurry along to a place where they could make me happier than they currently do."


I went through most of my life trying to get to the next stage too.  Until, all of a sudden, I realized my kids are half grown.  They will never be babies again.  They will never need me to tie their shoes again.  They will never graduate from kindergarten again.  And there will be a day when they will never live with me again.  That's why with BubbaJ, I have been living in the moment.  Enjoying every stage as he goes through it.  Because as Priscilla said, "Only for these fleeting moments would my children talk, look, and act exactly like this.  And if I chose to hurry through them in an attempt to avoid the parts I didn't like, I'd simultaneously miss all the things I did like about this season."

I Love You Most-est

Sissy has discovered a new game.  Here is how it goes:

Me:  I love you Sissy.

Sissy:  I love you more.

Me:  I love you most.

Sissy:  I love you most-est.

Me:  I love you most-infinity.

Sissy:  I love you like God.

I love that she knows God loves us more than infinity. 

Raising Pharisees

I recently got connected with the blog Raising Godly Children.  It is a wonderful Christian blog that has the same core beliefs that I do.  One of the articles I read the other day really hit home for me.  Bubba and I have worked really hard at disciplining our children.  Obedience and self-discipline are important concepts in scripture.  But after I read that article I was reminded that they are secondary to the love of Jesus Christ.  We don't want to raise well-behaved children and miss out on teaching them the love that our Father has for us.  Since their example of His love for them is our love for them, I want them to feel that unconditional, always present love from me that I feel from Jesus every day.  I don't want them to grow up and think they have to can earn their salvation.  Yes, I tell them all the time that I love them no matter what, but I just want to make sure that my actions are saying that to them as well. 

Resolve

As the new year comes and everyone is making New Year's resolutions, I have realized that there are many things that I would like to do this year, but few things that I am actually "resolved" to do. 

Here are some things I would like to do:

Eat better - less snack food and more salads and broccoli.
Exercise more - or just exercise:)  I still have lots of baby weight I would love to lose.
Go to the beach - I have been hinting shouting at my husband that for one of our vacations this year I would like to go to a resort on the beach.
Start jogging again - I have discovered that I love to jog outside, but despise it inside on the treadmill.

Here are the things I am resolved to do :

Read my Bible everyday - I downloaded the YouVersion app on my phone and have been keeping up with this so far.
Do my Bible study 5 times a week.
Cherish every moment with my kids - even Precious and Sissy when the moments I have with them are increasingly more emotional and awkward(that's a whole other story).

I figure if I write theses things down, I will be more likely to follow through.  So feel free to hold me accountable (on the things I'm resolved to do anyway). 

Things I Never Want to Forget Cont.

The way BubbaJ puts his arm around mine to hold on when I carry him on my hip.  I never want to forget carrying him on my hip for that matter either.