Monday ramblings...

While we were sleeping...

Gotta love waking up to this! I was not too happy about picking up each of these gross, chewed up, pieces of yuck off the ground. Luckily we had some gloves.

That's a stray cat for you.

All I can say is I cannot wait until we get our second trash bucket! By mid week we are almost always to the brim with trash, and by the time trash day rolls around, well, it's just plain embarrassing!

Happy Monday everyone!

 I will leave you with this insightful text my dad wrote me this morning..."Have a great day honoring God in everything you do. It's the little things we do over a lifetime that add up to be a lot so don't grow weary in well doing".

Goodness I love him! He is always writing something to encourage me. Even thought I'm no longer his "little girl", he still does everything he can to help me grow in my relationship with our Heavenly Father. I'm so thankful for a dad like that.


Blessings,

Another post about how God uses motherhood to change me for the better. (Warning: I did not proof and wrote this on my phone so it's probably going to sound like a hot mess!)

  So Zayne has had a very hard time transitioning back into having homework again since returning back from Christmas break. Before break he was doing well but each day this week have ended with either none of it completed or only partially. Thankfully he has an amazing teacher that is so understanding and helps any way she can. We have tried it early in the day and later in the day but no time is a good time for Zayne. He completely shuts down and either laughs and tries to be silly, or becomes so exhausted that he almost falls asleep at the table. And that's just after the FIRST question!! Last night was really bad. We tried everything that normal parents do when a child is not behaving as they should, he even ended up with 2 little spankings (which we hardly EVER have to come down to that, but that just tells you how bad this was getting). He just balled louder and still could not even complete one problem. (Keep in mind that one of the biggest challenges autistic kids face is transitioning, especially when they are transitioning into something they DO NOT ENJOY.) So finally we said, out of desperation and resources, to eat dinner and go on to bed and when he woke up, he could finish it then. It was only around 6:30pm at this point. He was so distraught and let's face it, WE were distraught. I know, I know, not our finest parenting moment but there is so much truth to the old saying desperate times call for desperate measures! He refused dinner and went into his room and sobbed in his bed. I couldn't stand it. I knew that there was more to this than just simple defiance. He wasn't trying to give us a hard time, he was having a hard time. I went to his room, laid close to him, and softly asked him if he wanted to pray to Jesus to help him with this. He said yes, so he, with a determined look on his face, repeated a little prayer after me. With his eyes closed, we prayed that God would help him not be so upset about homework. He made sure to repeat every word of the prayer that I said. After the prayer he was still upset but not as much. Then I remembered Drew needed to go to Lowes. I asked Zayne "hey, how would you like to go to Lowes and look at the toilets"? (Because with Z, a trip to Lowes is never complete without a trip down the toliet isle). He softly replied, "yes". I said "I tell you what, you complete your homework without tears and we will go look at every single toilet that Lowes has to offer. And you can show me your favorite toilet and I'll show you mine." Then I asked him which toilets he preferred, and said, "I like the toilet with the flusher on top"). "Cool Zayne". Then I said "so, do we have a deal"? And he said, "yes". Then he went to get up and said, "I'm chillwe" so I asked him, "how would you like to do your homework by the fire tonight?" (that's what he calls the electric fireplace in our bedroom, he LOVES "the fire"!!!) he excitedly said, "yeah!" So sitting by the fire he and Drew raced through all of his homework and he got ALL the problems right faster than I've ever seen. Let me just say he can do 3 numbered addition problems in his head faster than I can! LOL 

   Little did I know when I was saying that prayer with him, I was really praying for myself because it took me changing my way of thinking to get through to him. Sometimes we pray for others to change when its really ourselves that need to be changed. I was praying for Zayne to change his behavior but God reminded me that sometimes I have to change my behavior in order to sync with the needs and uniqueness of my special child. It takes love, prayer, creativity, out of the box thinking, lots of encouragement, and much patience to figure out this complicated world he has to deal with. 

  So, we went to Lowes and not only did we see every toliet but we also had to see all the lights, doors, refrigerators, bathtubs, kitchen cabinets, and anything else that you can install in a house. He hated to leave, he had many opinions about some of them, and he ooooowed and ahhhhhhhed over lots of them! 

  One of the greatest, most difficult things I've ever had to do is be a mom. But oh what a great blessing it is! While we are raising and growing our children, God is also raising and growing us. 

With love,

The battlefield called life.

Ephesians 6: 10-12
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiled of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

I was listening to Jimmy Evans this morning and something he said really made an impact on me.
 He said, "The devil wants your mind, he wants your body, he wants your marriage, he wants your children, he wants your family, he wants your destiny. he wants everything you've got. And if you don't fight him for it, you will lose."

 The devil aims so many things our way. Sickness, depression, pain, hurt, jealously, idleness, discontentment, bitterness,  hatred. The list goes on and on. All of these things can be destructive to our lives. Poison to our very soul. Without the protection of armor, then we are destined to die. But thank God he doesn't leave us to fend for ourselves! He provides us with the protection we need to get through the battle. It may be a hard battle, dodging bullets from every angle. Its not an easy fight. But the devil can't penetrate what is not exposed. So make sure your fully covered. When the fight is over,  the Lord will say,  you have won the battle! Well done my faithful servant!

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Sacred Parenting

I'm re-reading Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas. Already I'm getting more out of it that I missed the first time. Like Gary Thomas states, 'this is not a "how to" parenting book that teaches you how to discipline and raise your kids, but more like how God uses our kids to change us.'

 I don't know about you but having children has changed me. It has definitely exposed some raw layers about myself that I never knew existed. And just to warn you, its not always a pleasant sight!  Sometimes it's just easier to push it back down, below the surface. Pretend they do not exist. But God already knows. He said to give it ALL to Him.  How can we give ourselves fully to the Lord?  How can we give our children the best us possible? How can we navigate the mission field nay battlefield of parenting (and life in general!) if we're not willing to peel off the layers that hold us back? Sometimes it is our own selves that stand in the way of what is and what is meant to be. I know when I try and do it alone, I am harshly reminded that if I parent these children that God has so graciously gifted us, by myself, in my own strength, I will fail. Miserablely.  I must FULLY rely on God! Only He can give me the strength I need to win the race. Realizing that raising children is a divine calling, a special mission specifically given to us, by God, motivates me to not just do it, but do it well. And with the right attitude. 

So does that mean that we'll be the perfect parents? By no means. If perfection could be achieved then we wouldn't need a Savior. But this kind of reliance on God is what drives the "die to self" attitude and  motivates us to pick up the pieces and try again and again. 

There will be challenges everyday. Everyday the negative voices inside your head, the ones that provoke you to throw your hands in the air and admit defeat, will try and press its way through. But guess what? You don't have to wave the white flag! Hallelujah! We are more than conquers through Him who loves us! Rom. 8:37 

 When you wake in the morning, everyday, specifically pray that God will help you to be the parent/spouse/etc. you need to be. Ask God to reveal any "layers" that are getting in-between you and your relationship with God, your child, or your spouse and then pray for the will that it takes to peel them off, layer by layer, until what is left is a renewed spirit, ready to face the challenges that will come your way. 

  I like NLT translation of this verse Matthew 10:39  "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it." Apply it how you will, but this scripture speaks to me as a mother. When you become a mother, your life is no longer your own. Sacrifices are made. Some dreams might need to remain dreams so that we can remain focused on the truly pressing matters at hand. My hearts cry is to know 'no greater joy than to know my children are walking in the truth'. There is such a small window of time to impact children that I wouldn't want to miss out on teaching them the purpose of why they were ever loaned to me in the first place. 

Messy Motherhood.

Motherhood. A tool that God uses to break us and then makes us into the woman He desires us to be. There is a message buried deep in all that mess. God will meet you there. Right where you are. When the kids are thriving or when they won't stop crying. Momma who is weary to the bone. Momma who carries a smile on her face and deep burdens on her heart. 
His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He is there to take the weight off, all we have to do is,
 ask.
 seek. 
 find.
 Knock and open up all the blessings that God has bestowed upon you.

"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOUL. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:29-30

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7: 7-8