Happy Mother's Day!!!

What is a single mom?

     A single mom is someone who tirelessly takes care of her children even when she has no energy left.
     She gives medicine and kisses away the boo-boos even when she has no one to take care of her.
     She makes sure her children's stomachs are full, even though she hasn't eaten a good meal in days.
     She makes sure that her children's birthdays are special and fun even though no one has recognized her birthday in years.
     She spends her last dime to buy warm clothes for her children even though she is in dire need of  warm clothes herself.
     She sees potential in her children even though no one else does.
     She forgives her children even though they have not asked for her forgiveness.
     She makes a home where her children feel safe.
     She loves her children unconditionally, and wants nothing but the best for them.
     She prays for her children and believes in them even when everyone else has given up hope.
     She wears the "jewelry" that her children make for her and she wears it proudly to work and the grocery store.
     She makes sure that her children get as many gifts on their Christmas list as she can possibly afford on Christmas even though she has not been able to get anything on her Christmas list for years.
     She showers her children with unconditional love even though she herself has not felt love for many years.
     She spends the day with her children because here is nowhere she would rather be.

To all of the single mothers out there, I salute you.  I know exactly what you are going through and I encourage you to press on.  I encourage you to be the best mother you can be because you are the one your children believe in and rely on.  You are raising tomorrows future.

Happy Mother's Day to the best mothers there could ever be!!
    
    
    

God understands

What do you think of when you hear the story of the disciples in the boat and Jesus walking on the water towards them? The first thing I think of is the disciples' lack of faith.  They were friends with Jesus, they knew Jesus would not let anything harm them and yet they were genuinely scared.  Each time I've heard the story it has always been pointed out that the disciples should have had more faith.  While that is true, I would like us to focus on the first part of the story.

In all of the confusion of the wind and seas tossing everyone about and the disciples crying out in fear, Jesus softly calls out to them and says, "Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid".  Jesus could have rebuked them for their lack of faith, but He was concerned for them and He understood what they were feeling.  He was not focusing on the fact that they were not trusting in Him, He was focusing on them and how they felt during a very confusing and scary time. 

Are there storms tossing you about?  Are you afraid of what lies ahead of you?  Do you feel as though you might be swallowed by the very waves that are thrushing around you?  Jesus understands exactly what you are feeling and He cares.  He wants you to know that He is right there and He is watching out for you and protecting you.  There is nothing that can harm you without going through Him first.  Sure, we should trust God and look to Him for directions, but in those times that we are paralyzed by fear, in those times that we cannot find the words to say, in those times that we are sure we will be swallowed up by the waves that are tearing at our souls, He understands and He cares.

Let's make a difference by reminding ourselves or maybe someone else that Jesus cares and He understands what we/they are going through.

God wants to hear you sing

God wants to hear you sing when the waves are crashing round you
When the fiery darts surround you, when despair is all you see
God wants to hear your voice when the wisest man has spoken
and says your circumstance is as hopeless as can be,
That's when God wants to hear you sing.

My children and I are singing the song "God Wants to Hear You Sing" in church on Sunday night. Another part of the song says, "He loves to hear our praise on our sunny days... but when suffering comes along, and we still sing Him songs, that is when we bless the Father's heart"

To be honest, it's been hard to sing lately.  However, I was recently reminded of the importance to sing praise to God no matter what was going on in my life by a little bird.  Lately we've had a bird right outside our front door that sings it's little heart out all day long.  The strange thing is, when night falls and it is very dark outside, he still sings his little heart out.  I thought it was a bird that perhaps just forgot that night had come or perhaps he had more to sing and wasn't ready to quit, but this continued for about 2 weeks.  God convicted my heart through a little bird.  If a bird can sing even though darkness has fallen all around him and he has no idea of the prey that might be out there lurking, I should be able to sing praise to God even when it feels like night all around me. It took me almost two weeks to get the message God wanted to me to get from that little bird and then he was gone.  Perhaps he is now perched outside the door or window of someone else that needs to be reminded of the same thing.

Am I saying that life is now a bed of roses and I sing every day and night just like that bird?  No, I don't think God was trying to tell me that if I sing when things are going bad that the sun will instantly come out and I will have no more worries, that is just not how life is.  But if we sing to God when our heart is breaking, it encourages our hearts and reminds us that God loves us and that He cares when we are hurting.  Singing when we are alone and in the deepest pit of despair reminds us that God is with us wherever we are, He will never allow us to walk alone and He will give us the strength to make it through another day. 

Are you faced with problems that overwhelm you?  Is your heart breaking to a point that you are not sure if it will ever heal?  Do you feel like no one understands what you are going through?  Sing to God even though you might not feel like it, sing and remind your heart that God is there, He cares and He will be there for you.
Perhaps you are not going through a trial right now, but you know someone that is, remind that person to sing and remind them that there is not a problem too big for God.

Let's make a difference and SING!!!

BRB

If you have teenagers that text, chances are you know what BRB means.  I was texting my son one day and in the middle of our "conversation" he sends me a message that says BRB.  I could not figure out what in the world he was trying to say to me.  I sent him a text to see what he was talking about but he did not respond.  A few minutes later he started texting me again and picked right back up where we had left off.  I later found out that BRB stands for Be Right Back.

I wonder how many times God has tried to talk to me only to get a reply from me, "BRB".  Perhaps it was in church when He was speaking to my heart through the message and I was distracted by something going on around me, or perhaps I started thinking about what we were having for lunch, or what I had to do at work the following week.  Perhaps it was during my devotions that God tried to speak to me and I was too tired to stay awake, or too anxious to find out what was on TV, or needed to hurry to finish up a few things before either starting the day or finishing it. 

What if God told mes BRB right in the middle of my sobbing and pouring my heart out to Him?  What if He got distracted during my prayer requests because I was taking too long?  What if God fell asleep while I was talking to Him because He had experienced a long day and just could not stay awake?

I am so very thankful that my heavenly Father does not send me a message saying "BRB".  I am thankful that God WANTS to spend time with me, He looks forward to spending time with me and He does set a time limit for me.  If my heavenly Father listens to me without distraction, does not set a time limit on me and gladly hears anything that I want to say, then shouldn't I do the same for Him?

Let's determine in this new year to listen to God's voice and not become distracted.  We as single parents have so many things competing for our time that it is very hard to give everything and everyone the time that they deserve.  God should be at the top of our priority list and not at the bottom.  Let's spend more time listening to God, He will make everything else fall into place.

Have a great week!!!

Do you have a virus?

I've been without a computer for a while..... a virus was the culprit!  I became victim to an old trick that has been updated.  I received a message stating that I had contracted a virus and I needed to run my virus software to find it and get rid of it.  Well, this wasn't the first time I've seen that trick so I did not click on the yes or no button, instead I clicked on the X in the top right hand corner to get me out of it.  OOPS!!!  Wrong thing to do.  Because I clicked ANYWHERE in the box, I was doomed.  I was not on a new website, I had not clicked on something that was forwarded to me and I certainly had not opened an attachment, I was just surfing the web and the message came up.

I started thinking that our lives are just like computers and we can pick up viruses at times we least expect it. It can be so easy for sin to sneak into our lives.  We all know that we must guard our hearts and minds by being careful what we watch on TV, but sometimes if we are not careful, we will get a virus through something as "simple" as a commercial.  Other times it comes in through our favorite show that has nothing wrong with it until something is "slipped" in that we ought not to be watching or listening to.  Perhaps our favorite radio station that has nothing wrong with it becomes over powered by a radio station that has music on it that we ought not to be listening to, but music that is so tempting.
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I now have a very good virus software.  Of course, the virus software will not do me any good unless I take it out of the box, download it and run the scans.  If I just buy the virus program and leave it sitting in the box, you think I could convince the company that they did not do their job?  No, they would immediately tell me it was my fault I was infected because I did not load the virus software onto my computer.  The same is true in our lives.  We cannot have a Bible, leave it sitting on our coffee table, and expect it to protect us from the viruses of the devil.  We must use read the Bible daily and hide God's Word in our hearts because if we don't, we will just do all the wrong things when we are tempted.  The devil knows our weaknesses and he knows exactly what to tempt us with.

Let's determine in this new year to not let any viruses into our homes. Let's make a habit of having our devotions, praying and staying in church.  Strive for a virus free year!

Happy New Year!!!!!

Our advanced form of communication

The other day I was reading the Christmas story and I read where the angel told Mary that she was going to be the mother of baby Jesus and the angel also told her that Elizabeth was also pregnant and was approximately 6 months along.  I've read that so many times, but not until this time did it occur to me that the angel had to tell Mary that Elizabeth was expecting because they did not have phones, the postal service or email back then.  Of course I knew they did not have those forms of communication back then, but I had never given thought to the fact that Mary probably had no idea that her own cousin was 6 months pregnant until the angel told her.

It made me think of my first boyfriend.  I remember when we used to write each other (his father was a missionary so they did not live local) that it seemed to take forever for his letters to come and once they finally came I would read them over and over again because I was so "hungry" to hear how he was doing and so happy to hear that he was thinking about me. 

It was then that I had to bow my head in shame because I realized that have a love letter that is even more important, yet I do not read it as much as I should.  We all have that love letter, it is from God and it is His Holy Word.  God longs to hear how our day went and He longs to hear us tell Him that we love Him.  God longs to speak to us as well and He does that through His Word.

Not only am I lazy about reading God's Word, but I am also lazy about telling my family how much I love them and how much they mean to me.  We have so many forms of communication now that I think we actually take them for granted and don't use those forms of communication to express our love to our friends and family.  If we did not have phones, U.S. Mail or email, we would realize how important it was to express our love every chance we got.

This is the Christmas season.  Let's determine to spend more time expressing our love to our friends and family, but more importantly, express our love to the Lord Jesus Christ by reading His Word and spending time with Him each day in prayer.

Happy holidays!!!

Brighter days ahead

I usually can't contain myself when the holidays start up, but this year I am having a hard time getting into the holiday spirit.  I could not write anything for the last week or so because I just could not put into words how I was feeling, nor could I write anything because nothing seemed to "fit". 

My blog is turning over a new leaf.  I will write at least every other day.  It may not be a devotion every day, but it will be something uplifting, helpful or encouraging.  While looking through a book called, "Life Can Be Hard Sometimes", I found the following poem.  This is not a poem based on scripture, but I hope you will find it encouraging, like I did.

Look to the Future and Brighter Days Ahead

Sometimes it seems like the world is crumbling around us and we just can't go on.
But those are the time when we most need to look to the future, to hold on to our
faith and hope and to each other.

One of the hardest things to accept is the realization that things that make no sense
to us now may never make any sense, but life will go on anyway - with no explanations
or apologies, and that we somehow survive the changes thrust upon us.

We even manage to grow.... but nothing grows without rain, so when it begins to pour,
let it flow.  And when the storm has passed, let it go.  Be kind to yourself; ask for what
you need.  You are not alone.

Kerry McCaskill