Author: jamie

By Posted on Posted in contentment, endurance, motherhood, service 2 Comments

I just returned from a retreat for homeschooling moms. God took our simple plans for a refueling, reviving weekend and He blew it out of the water!  The theme was “From Empty to Overflowing”. We talked a lot about allowing the Lord to fill us. Several times we delved into Psalm 23 and listened to what God had to say about His plans to fill us and provide for all of our needs. I learned so much from Him this weekend.

I have to admit that one thing I resent about mothering is the constant serving, constant demands, constant turnover of laundry, dishes, messes, food, etc.  How futile and unappreciated many of my responsibilities seem. I have been praying like crazy for God to fill my heart with joy as I serve at home. I long to be filled with joy no matter how many times I have to clean something, cook something, put something away.

I realized this weekend that my problem is that I want to be filled by the Lord, but I do not want to be emptied out! Each moment that I spend seeking His face and pouring through the pages of His word results in the filling of my “cup”.  God showed me that the reason He fills me is not so that I can stay full.  He does it so that I can be poured out into the lives of others around me. Then I can go back to Him and be filled anew… to be poured out again.

God brought to mind a water wheel, and I thought about how each nook collects water on the lower part of its journey and then pours the water out on the upper part of its journey. The wheel goes around and around, repeating the same actions over and over again. To look at one revolution of the wheel, one would not be impressed with the outcome. However, as it moves through countless cycles, energy is produced. The wheel shows its effectiveness by plodding away, hour after hour, never giving up on its assigned work.

What a picture of motherhood.

I’m asking the Lord to fill me with joy and to remember that the repetitive revolutions of my day are accomplishing the great work that He has called me to:   raising educated, respectful, passionate children that will love Him and go wherever He wants to send them.

So, here I go again….

By Posted on Posted in direction, God's leading, obedience 2 Comments

You never know what the day will hold!! I dropped my daughter off at a club meeting about 11 miles from our house. On the way home, I decided to avoid the terribly congested freeway and take the windy road through Lake Matthews.

As my car approached the section of road that goes up and over the lake, I noticed the car in front of me getting impatient.  She made the mistake of moving a little too far to the right. Suddenly, the dust and gravel on the side of the road got under her tires… and she lost control. Swerving one way, and then the other, her car was facing me in a matter of seconds and I looked her right in the eyes. It was unbelievable! A moment later, she smashed into the half-wall that kept her from plummeting to the bottom of the lake.

I was so shaken! Half thrilled that my car did not get sucked into that destructive vortex… and half panicked about the condition this woman would be in when I approached her car. Thankfully, several people stopped and someone helped the injured driver step out of her car.

So thankful. So grateful to have averted disaster.

Now that I am home… this crash has me thinking and praying. And a little ticked.

I am so tired of watching people in my life spin out. Swerve across the lanes of their lives. Crash into the wall and hurt other people. I am stinking mad at the enemy who lives to destroy families, isolate people, and break hearts.

I’m seeing marriage after marriage end. I’m watching good people try to do what’s right and hurt others in the process. I’m witnessing relationship after relationship implode as miscommunication and hurt feelings run rampant.

Meanwhile, I’m just trying to keep my own life on track. Trying to avoid crashing into the wall that I see others smashing into. Life is not easy! Relationships take more work than anything else in life.

I am far from perfect. My marriage is miles from where I’d like it to be. I yell at my kids. Mess up the finances from time to time. Look my failures in the face daily. But one thing I can say….

I AM NOT GIVING UP.

After today’s experience, I am even more convinced that I have everything to lose if I do not let Jesus take the wheel and lead me on this road of life. I’m letting go so He can have control.

By Posted on Posted in contentment, trusting Him No Comments

“Mom, did you feel that?!?!”

We were sitting in the car on Magnolia Avenue as it extends over the 15 freeway in Corona.

“Why are we shaking?!?!”

I explained to her that the steel and concrete bridge was built to be flexible. It was made to withstand the ebb and flow of traffic, the pressure of large multi-ton vehicles, and the rumblings of earthquakes. The bridge was made to flex and absorb shock rather than resist it.

I went on to tell her that if the bridge was built to be stiff,  sturdy and strong… it would crumble under pressure and wear. Because it can flex, the structure will last a long, long time.

Immediately I knew that God was speaking to my heart.

Be flexible. When you are stubborn, holding onto things, bracing yourself for pain or loss… then you will crumble under the pressure. The worries and stresses of life and its constant changes will wear you down.

Let Me lead. Let Me choose. The words flooded my heart. Let Me guide you along the path that I have chosen for you. Let go of the ideas and expectations that you have. Send them up to Me in prayer, and then release them. Let flexibility and trust rule your heart so that it will not break so easily. How can you hold onto My hand when both hands are grasping onto the things that you think you can’t live without?

Change me, Lord! Cause me to bend and yield to Your will. Let me find joy in all of the ways that You are working in me today.