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By Posted on Posted in contentment 2 Comments

Tough times in my household. I realized that my baby boy is capable of sleeping through the night. He did it three nights in a row recently.

So, it’s time to get tough. I’ve spoiled him so… nursing him to sleep and letting him sleep in my room. All of those habits have taught him that he can eat any time he wants to, and the boy does not know how to go to sleep on his own. I’ve spent this week letting him fuss himself to sleep at every nap and even in the middle of the night. It’s been tough on both of us.

I realized today, while having a quick lunch with a friend, that my approach to parenting right now resembles the way that God deals with you and me.

I can give my baby what he wants… it will make him happy, and solve the problem for the moment. However, giving him what he wants at every juncture creates major problems in the long run. I’ve already seen the consequences for giving in to his whims all the time.  Not only does it make my life crazy, but it hurts him. On the days that we have no schedule, and I let him eat and sleep whenever he wants, the boy is SO fussy. He’s not happy. He doesn’t feel good.

I ask God to do things for me all the time. If He gave into my every whim… I would be happy for the moment. But how would that affect me in the long run? I would never know what perseverance is. I wouldn’t have patience. Would I really be grateful… never having waited for anything?

Sometimes the thing I want is the very worst thing for me! How grateful I am to have a heavenly Father that knows what is best for me… and isn’t afraid to be tough with me. He lets me cry myself to sleep sometimes… and instead of giving me what I want, He gives me what I really need in that moment.

By Posted on Posted in direction, spiritual lows 1 Comment

Must be a “bloggy” kind of week. This is my third post in five days!

All day yesterday, a book sat on my fireplace and called my name. I finally got to it this morning. A few thoughts from Oswald Chambers just hit me. Reading the passage brought some major clarity to my life today.

Mr. Chambers was talking about Moses. Remember in Exodus 2, when he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave? He killed the Egyptian. I had always thought of that as such an impulsive thing to do. Never understood where that came from… Moses was not a violent man.

After my reading this morning, I think that in his soul, Moses already felt the calling to lead God’s people when he was a young adult in Egypt. Seeing one of his fellow Hebrews being abused, the passion for leadership that God was developing in him came to the surface. Granted, his actions were wrong, but I think that he was responding to God’s call in his flesh (in his own power and timing).

How often are we guilty of that? We sense God’s call on our lives, and we begin to act on it before He can lay out each step before us.

So, Moses spent the next 40 years in the desert with sheep. God needed time to work some things out in Moses. The calling wasn’t canceled, just on hold until God’s perfect timing came to pass.

Feeling like you’re in the desert? I sure am. Sometimes I wonder if God is going to lead me back into the kind of service that I know falls in line with the calling of my life.

God showed me that I need this time in the desert to further prepare me for future ministry. The calling is not cancelled… just postponed for now.

I must trust that His timing is perfect!

By Posted on Posted in desires, gratitude No Comments

Learned a lesson today… something so simple, even a third grader can understand it.

I was teaching a bible lesson to my daughter, and the curriculum suggested Psalm 37:4 as her memory verse for this week. She read it to me in her version, and I learned something new.

That’s what I love about being a teacher… whether I’m instructing my own kids or adults in bible study… the teacher always learns more than the student. I love that.

I know verse four as, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will grant you the desires of your heart.” I claim this verse in my life often… I want God to give me what I want. (I know, I’m so spiritual.)

My daughter’s bible read, “Find your delight in the Lord. Then he will give you everything your heart really wants.” (NIRV)  I paraphrased it for her, and as the words were coming out of my mouth, my heart opened wide to receive this new insight.

If you first love what God has already given you… then He will let you have the other things that you want.

So simple, even a third grader could grasp it.  It’s sinking in.

Thank you, Lord… for all that you’ve blessed me with. Help me to be grateful for each and every blessing and provision. I will wait patiently for the rest.