God will never leave us out in the cold

We had a freeze warning here in Florida, something that we don't get every day.  We have two outside cats so my daughter and I had to make a warm place for them to go last night so that they did not freeze.  Once we were finished and went inside, I immediately was thankful for a nice warm home in which to stay. 

I began thinking that we as single parents sometimes feel left out in the cold.  When we try to battle our way against the storms of life, we often lose the battle.  Sometimes when the pressures of life get to be too much, it seems that we do not have anyone to turn to.  It seems that we do not have a shoulder to cry on or someone to help carry our load.

But just when it seems like we've been left out in the cold to freeze to death, so to speak, a gentle voice whispers, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."  We can then put our head on his breast and rest, safe and warm.

Turn to God and rest in his love. He will see you through and keep you safe and warm.

God supplies our needs

I have found myself getting very discouraged recently because Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming.  Don't take me wrong, I love Thanksgiving and Christmas, anyone that knows me, knows that; however, funds have been scarce and I am not going to be able to do for others like I usually like to do and it discourages me.  I like to cook a Thanksgiving dinner and invite people from church over that do not have family to share the holiday with and I like to give as many people as possible something for Christmas, but it's not looking like I am going to be able to do much of either. 

While my human nature wants to have a two month-long pity party, the Holy Spirit directed me to
I Kings 17: 10-16, the story of the widow woman.  In this story, the prophet Elijah is directed by God to go to the city of Zarephath and find a widow woman.  When Elijah reached the city, he found the widow woman collecting sticks and he asked her to fetch him some water and bring him a morsel of bread.  The widow told Elijah that she did not have a cake, but just enough meal and oil to feed her and her son one more time before they died.  Elijah still requested that she make him a cake first and then feed herself and her son, then he added, "For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth." 

If a widow woman who had nothing but a little meal and oil left could trust God without question and make what she thought was the last cake for a stranger, then why am I so discouraged when it looks like I don't have enough?  Why do I tend to sometimes question God when the widow woman did not question God at all?  Why can't I trust God to supply my needs?  Why do I let circumstances get the best of me when I have seen God miraculously provide many times before?  I am human, and even though my heart knows God will provide, my head and my circumstances tell me otherwise.

I wrestled with this posting for several days and I started not to post this blog because I know this is not the right way to feel, I should be stronger than this. But I wanted to post this blog because, like you, I am a single parent and like you, I am human.  I want you to know that I know exactly how you feel because I often feel the same way.  Even though I try to be an encouragement to you, I have days when I am not very encouraged.  Even though I try to show you how little things in our lives can make more sense when seen through God's eyes, many times it's hard for me to make sense of things in my life. 

Aren't you glad God is not like us?  He is a just and all powerful God, yet not without feelings for us and how we feel.  He hurts when we hurt, He sorrows when we sorrow, He is happy when we are happy.  The Bible tells us that He sees when the sparrow falls.  If God watches over a little bird, how can we question whether He is watching over us or not? 

Don't forget that God is our provider and He loves us more than anyone ever could.  Let's determine to be thankful for what we have and not let circumstances dictate our outlook on life.

Happy holidays!

We all want what we can't have

If I had to pick one person that I thought would never want for more, it would be Eve.  However, Eve wanted what she could not have and things were never the same.  Imagine with me for a minute what it must have been like living in the Garden of Eden.  I picture the garden as being full of flowers (especially roses), waterfalls, luscious green grass and trees, and a climate between 65 - 75 degrees.  God made sure Adam and Eve had everything they needed.  All of their food was provided.  They did not need air-conditioners or heaters because the temperature was always just right.  They did not need jobs because everything was provided for them.  They did not need beds because the grass was luscious and soft (not to mention they did not have back problems!).  And Adam did not need a couch because they never got into a fight.  But the most amazing thing of all was that God walked with them in the cool of every evening!

One day when Eve was walking through the garden, she came to the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Adam and Eve had been warned by God to stay away from that tree and not to touch or eat of it or they would die. It is not stated how or why Eve came upon the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but Satan was there waiting for her in the form of a serpent.  Eve told the serpent that God warned them to not to eat or touch of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and if they did, they would die.  Satan told Eve that if she ate from that tree, she would be as gods, knowing good and evil.  Eve looked at the tree and saw that the fruit was beautiful.  Perhaps she even touched it and smelled it before she actually took the fruit, but it was not the actual look or smell of the fruit that made Eve take it, it was the fact that Satan told her she would become as gods.  Eve wanted something more even though she had everything.

Maybe you are looking at the grass on the other side of the fence today thinking things would be so much better if you could just get over the fence, when in fact you have everything you really need on this side of the fence.  Sure, there is nothing wrong with dreaming, but there is something wrong with wanting something we are not meant to have or something that we know is wrong.  The grass is not always greener on the other side.  My pastor has said many times that the grass that looks so green on the other side usually turns out to be artificial turf!  We need to learn to be content with what God has given us, and in turn teach our children to be content with what God has given them.  God does not give hand me downs, but He also does not give us more than we can handle.  God sees the future and He knows in His great wisdom what we need at that moment.

Let's determine to be content with what God has given us.  We will find that our children are more rested and at peace when we are content.

Hope you have a day full of content!

Getting back on track

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."  Proverbs 3: 5 - 6

My life has gotten "off track" lately because of our recent move.  When you move it disrupts everything in your life and things can get quite disorganized.  All single parents know there are more things than moving that can get our lives off track.  Sickness of a child, falling grades in school, bad behavior, etc.  A multitude of things can get us off track, especially when we are one parent trying to do the work of two. 

Sadly, when our lives get off track, more times than not the one thing that slips our mind or gets put to the side until things get "back to normal" (if there is a normal!) is our devotions and our quiet time with God.  But it is in those hectic times in our lives that we need our quiet time with God.  When our mind is screaming because there is too much to do, our work load at work is overbearing and our children are trying to find our breaking point (or so it seems), it is at those times when we need to get alone with God and let Him quiet our spirit and mind and put things back in order.  When we go to God with our heartbreaks, our frustrations, our confusion, He takes it all and makes sense of it.  He quiets our hearts, calms the frustration, and makes sense of our confusion, one simple word from God and every thing is at peace once again.

If you haven't taken time to be with God today, to talk to Him and share your innermost feelings, take the time.  He is always there and you will never get a busy signal with God.  He WANTS to fellowship with you, He LOVES to hear your voice and He LONGS to spend time with you.  The God of the universe loves you and wants to help you, heal your hurts, and strengthen your heart.

When your life gets off track, let God put it back on track.  Let's determine that we will have our quiet time with God each day and let Him direct our paths.

Moving

I haven't been able to blog in the last week or so because my family has been moving.  Raise your hand if you like moving???  No one?  I can't think of a single person who has ever told me that they like to move.  All those boxes to pack, furniture and boxes to load in the truck only to unload them at a new place and then not be able to find anything.  And Murphy's law comes into play when you move.... whatever you are looking for the most will be in the last box you unpack!

I could not help but think all week of a place that I will be more than glad to move to.  When it is time to move to this place, I will not have to box up any boxes, move any furniture or drive the moving truck (LOL).
When I go to heaven my new place of residence is already going to be ready for me to move into.  All my worldly possessions that I boxed up with such care here on earth are going to be left behind. But I am not going to worry one little bit about those earthly things because I am going to get to see the face of my heavenly Father!!!  I feel like lifting my arms up right now and letting God pick me up and take me to heaven, but that is not how it is going to happen. 

While I am here on this earth I am suppose to be serving my Heavenly Father and then when it is time, He will call me home.  I've moved quite a bit here on earth, but Heaven is my true home.

Let's determine to not take our eyes off of the prize.... our heavenly home.  Serve God today and every day to be best of your ability.  It will be worth it all when we see Jesus!!!

Hoarders

I was watching the show "Hoarders" the other night.  While watching it I began to wonder how someone, anyone, could let their house get so out of order that they had to crawl over things just to get in the front door.  There was a man on the show that was explaining how his house got so out of control.  He said that at first when things were not put away it looked messy, but he did not do anything about it.  And then as time went on and more and more things were out of place, it began to look normal.... he got used to the mess and accepted it as a normal thing.

I began thinking.... that is exactly how sin gets into our lives.  We let "little" sins into our lives and they stay there, we never confess them and get rid of them.  And then more sin come into our lives and pretty soon we get used to the sins and they take over our lives.  Soon it gets to where we don't see our sins as being sins, we just see them as ordinary, every day things.  We need to wake up and do some cleaning of our hearts and lives.  We need to remember that our children are watching us.  Do we want our children to get so used to sin that it doesn't bother them?  Do we want our children to be so used to sin that they are not convicted when the preacher preaches against sin?

Let's determine that we are not going to be hoarders of sinful things.  Let's raise Godly children who know right from wrong.  Children that will stand against the attack of Satan and not let sin into their lives.  We can't raise our children to be strong and not let sin in when our lives are so filled with sin. Let's determine to clean out our hearts and lives, get rid of those things that are not right in our house, get rid of those video games that are destroying our children, get rid of those TV shows that tear down the family, get rid of that music that talks of sin and enjoying it.  Let's have homes that are not filled with sin but homes that are filled with things that are pleasing to God and things that uplift the family.  It's time to clean house before it is too late.

Encouragement goes a long way

A story is told that a man had a puppy that he was training to do things and one of the things he was training his puppy to do was get the morning paper and bring it to the door.  The first morning the puppy brought the paper to the door and the man showered the puppy with praise and gave him several treats.  The next morning the man opened his front door and to his surprise he found 10 papers!  The puppy was so delighted with the praise and rewards that he received the day before that he went around the neighborhood and collected other papers to bring to his master.

While our children certainly are not animals, they do love to hear us praise them.  Sometimes we get so busy with everything going on in our lives that we only tell our children what to do and we never take the opportunity to praise them.  But if they do something wrong, we are quick to point it out.  If we aren't careful, our children will start questioning why they should do what they are told to do when we are only going to point out the bad things.  What is the use?  They are more than likely going to get yelled at anyway so why should they even care if they do a good job.

While we should not teach our children to expect praise or reward when they do a good job, we do need to praise them often and tell them we love them every day.  When I was a child my brother and I had to stay at a preacher's house for a few days and while we were there I heard the preacher and his wife tell their children they loved them and they said it often throughout the day.  Those were words that my brother and I did not hear in our family and even though I was a child, I made up my mind that when I had children they would hear the words "I love you" often... and they do.

We have no promise of tomorrow so let's make it a great day today.  Tell your children that you love them and praise them when they do a good job. 

Have a great day!!!

Lest we forget.....

9/11 is a day that will live on in the memory of most of us for years to come.  As the day began, it was a day like any other..... people woke up, ate breakfast, brushed their teeth, got dressed, drove to work and began their day.  The people that worked in the twin towers had no idea what was in store for them that day.  I've often wondered if they had known that they would not be returning home that day then perhaps would would have said they were sorry for whatever had caused their marriage to drift apart, or perhaps they would have forgiven their loved one instead of holding a grudge for another day.  Perhaps they would have held their husband, wife or children closer to them as they said good bye and whispered a long over-due, "I love you!" in their ears.  Many people that day did not get another chance to do or say the things that needed to get done or said. 

I noticed that for a little while after 9/11 we became more tolerable towards one another.  There was not as much road rage, families spent more time together and more importantly, the churches were full.  We realized what was important and that it could have been us in the towers, we could have been the ones that never returned home.  That same truth still holds true today.  We have no guarantee of time.  We may not wake up tomorrow, we may not make it home tomorrow evening, none of us know when our time is up.  For that reason, we should treat today as if it were our last.  We should hold our loved ones close and tell them how much we love them... MANY times each day.  Don't carry a grudge, forgive and remember that no one is perfect.  Tell your children how much they mean to you and how proud you are of them... we can NEVER say that too much!  And most of all, live your life for God.  Be faithful to Him and put Him FIRST in everything you do. 

Let us never forget......           Have a great week!!!

Trusting God

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.  Proverbs 3: 5-6

When your problems become too much to bear, don't ask for a lighter load but instead ask for a stronger back.

Have you ever asked your children this question, "When are you going to learn to trust me?"  Especially when they become teenagers, it seems like the parents all of the sudden become these people who do not know anything and could not possibly have their best interest at heart.  If I've explained to my kids once, I've explained to them a thousand times that they mean everything to me and I love them very much.  Their best interest is what causes me to make the decisions I do. 

Recently after one of those "talks" with one of my teenagers I began wondering if they were ever going to learn to trust me.  And then a thought came to my mind.... that must be how God feels when I try to do things on my own and I try to make my own decisions.  I know God loves me and I know He would not do anything that would harm me; however, when something comes up that causes me stress or grief, I automatically try working it out on my own.  And sometimes when God doesn't answer me like I think He should, I sometimes question His decision.

Life can be overwhelming at times for everyone but especially for a single parent.  Let go of your situation and let God handle it.  He is more than capable of handling anything that might come your way and He wants to handle your problems.  When those times come that He doesn't answer they way you thought He would or should, remember that He has your best interest at heart.  He loves you so very much that the choices that He makes are the choices that are best for you, even though it may not seem like they are at that time. 

Trust in God with ALL your heart today.   Have a great day!!!

Sandra

Statistics

My name is Sandra and I’ve been a single mom for 18 years. God blessed with me with three
children who are my world. When my children were small I would hear people talk about statistics of children from broken homes. The statistics all said that children from broken homes were more likely to
grow up and make homes just like the ones they came from, get into more trouble, use drugs, etc.  This broke my heart because I did not want my children becoming a statistic.  My preacher told me that most statistics are true; however, it was up to me how my children turned out.  He said that they did not have to become a statistic. From that day on I decided that my children were NOT going to be a statistic and I’ve worked very hard to make sure that they did not turn into a statistic.

My children are far from perfect and I am the first to tell you that. But I believe it is the job of the parent to make sure that their children do not turn into statistics. As a single mother I know just how hard it is to raise children. It is twice as hard, if not harder than that, on a single parent.

The purpose of this blog is to encourage you. To try to help you have the strength to get up every day and raise your kids for God. Without you, your children do not have a chance at all!  Please read my blog when you have a chance and share your thoughts with me as well.  You are not alone out there and with the help of each of us we can get through this and become better parents and raise better children.  God bless you!
 
Sandra