Teaching me about His provision and faithfulness

I love this time of year....especially Thanksgiving....as we turn our minds and hearts toward the things that really matter. During classes that I lead at Church (Cubbies, WOW- worship on Wednesday) I asked the children to go around and tell us what they were thankful. Almost every child said someone's name not their possessions. They were thankful for mom, dad, Jesus, grandparents, etc. It's a good lesson and the older I get the more I realize what matters. This life is so short; the Bible describes it as a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow. And through the good times and the bad, the times of plenty and the times of poverty, God remains constant and faithful, teaching us through trials, healing and restoring and sanctifying as we journey through this life. Our relationship with Him and our relationships with family and friends, are they my priority? In the busyness of life I need to constantly be putting those priorities in order.

As I was looking through old pictures there were a few that brought God's truths to my mind - Even when we feel like we are losing our way, God has His plans and purposes for our life. His Name is on us and our name is written in His book of life. He is always faithful and He continually provides for our every need.

So, the first story is one of a turtle....we found this turtle as we were driving down the road and we kept it for awhile and before we let it go Joe engraved Lily's initials on it. He told her we might see it sometime and we would know it was her turtle. So after being released into the wild for a few months Joe was driving along and yes...he found it! In that God showed me a spiritual truth - sometimes we may feel as though we are wandering in the wilderness but God is directing our path and has a plan. And the verse that came to mind was Isaiah 49:16

"See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me."



 

 

The next story is one about a mommy bird and her babies. Last year we were visiting my Dad and they had their annual visitors, the birds. I watched them interact with their mommy and it was amazing how they stayed put, trusting that their mommy would take care of them. And when they knew she was coming they would sit up and open wide to receive what she had for them. She fed them on an individual basis and she knew which ones to go to each time. Every baby got a turn if they had their mouth open. Watching this showed me another beautiful spirtual truth....

If I wait on the Lord He will provide for my needs. Those babies didn't know what she was bringing them but they trusted her. If they had been too busy doing something in their nest they would have missed it. They had to be open to receive the provision and be watching and expectantly waiting on mommy to come back. Am I anxiously watching and waiting on the Lord, trusting His provision for my life and the life of my family? The verse that came to mind was Psalm 81:10

"I am the Lord your God,
Who brought you out of the land of Egypt;
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it."



look closely in the corner of the porch

watching and waiting...



...getting ready

waiting on their provision

open wide

 

 Isn't God faithful!! "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself."

2 Timothy 2:13



Rest in the Lord

As many of you know Maw Maw has been battling 2 types of cancer for 5 years now and the Lord has been so faithful to give her strength to endure. We are thankful for her doctors who have been instruments of God's grace....giving her treatments that have healed her body numerous times. Even though on June 5 we received discouraging news that the recent treatment is not working we continue to trust in the Lord. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are above ours and we know that all things are possible with Him so we continue to pray and trust that He knows what is best.

One of the benefits of being in a relationship with God is the fact that He is speaks to us and touches us in those dark moments of despair. On the morning of June 7 before Maw Maw went to the hospital for surgery (she had fluid around her heart that was impairing her breathing) she was in much pain and discomfort and as I helped her get ready to go she exhaled a prayer to the Lord "You have been so faithful Lord and I don't beg you often but I do now...please give us some REST and peace." As we walked to the car she stopped by her open Bible on the couch and read for a moment. After her and Joe left for the hospital I tried to get Lily to go back to bed for a little while. Of course she resisted but I tried to persuade her by saying "ok, you don't have to go to sleep but let's lay down and REST for a few minutes." She said, "Mommy, what is REST?" ....."Well, it's when you stop rushing and working and you relax, trusting that you are being cared for; you stop trying to take care of yourself and believe/know that God is holding you, providing for you and knows what is best." As I laid there I couldn't help but think of Maw Maw's prayer - she wanted rest. So after a very few minutes Lily was finished "resting" and she was ready to get up :) When we went back to the living room I sat down to read the passage of scripture that Maw Maw had stopped to read as she left for the hospital. It was opened to Psalm 37 and the heading said "REST in the Lord" Those are the moments that you can feel His tender touch. I realize He wants us to walk by faith and not by sight but there are times when He seems so near. As I read Psalm "Rest in the Lord; wait patiently for Him to act....Don't fret and worry - it only leads to harm" I was encouraged.

So, for the past month we have been resting in His faithfulness and enjoying our time together as a family. Staying with Maw Maw is such a blessing - waking up together and drinking our coffee and spending time in the Word; watching her and Lily sit together and read books, play on the IPad and love one another. I don't think anything puts a smile on Maw Maw's face more than watching Lily "entertain" - dancing, singing, playing with her kitchen set, tea party, being the teacher to her babies.

Life can be so busy and full of distractions that take us away from the things that really matter - time in the Word as we grow in our relationship with our Savior, time with our family & friends as we enjoy the moments and love one another, and above all RESTing in the Lord's faithfulness. As I've been looking through photos I'm overwhelmed by His blessings in my life. Over the next few days I'm going to add slideshows that are filled with things in which I'm thankful. Here's a "look back" -

Still striving...

When will I learn to rest? Does it come with maturity in the Lord? Maybe not because God says that we are to come to Him with a childlike faith. A child completely trusts and rests in her parent's care. She never stresses over her needs or her circumstances. REST has been my theme for the past week or so. (or should I say....for most of my Christian walk) I find myself striving, trying to manipulate my circumstances and always looking to the future instead of resting in my Father's will. Knowing that it's not about the destination but about the journey and experiencing His sufficiency moment by moment.

So, as you know God loves to teach me Truth through Lily....this is the latest -
We haven't reached a point where Lily can lie down in her bed and go to sleep by herself. I still have to lie down with her until she goes to sleep (at night and for nap time). I was at work a few days ago and I wanted her to "hurry" and go to sleep b/c I had ALOT to do during nap time. And as I lay there I thought "how much time do I spend trying to get her to rest???" The Lord spoke to my heart..."how much time do I spend trying to get you to rest in Me???" Oh Lord. Help me. I know You are perfect and Your plans for me are good. Why can't I rest knowing that You are in control of my life and will lead me and sustain me in all seasons of life.

There's a verse that I have on my bathroom mirror that I read regularly but that I don't obey as often. Deut 20:3-4 “When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you. When you are approaching the battle, the priest shall come near and speak to the people. He shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’
Ps. 37:7 "rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him"
the word "rest" in the original language means to be silent, still and quiet, cause to die - That really struck me "to cause to die" !! To me it means that I need to die to myself and surrender to Him. Whatever is to come let Him live His life through me. Die to me and REST in Him.

Peace (part 3)

Our ongoing theme of peace continues....Maw Maw shared her devotions with me this morning and they were both on....peace!
This one especially spoke to me:
"Strap on Your Boots of Peace"
...shod your feet in preparation {to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news} of the Gospel of peace...Eph. 6:15 (amplified version)

Peace is a powerful force. It's not just a puffy cloud-like thing. It's not just soft and sweet like spring rain or whispers or candle light. It's strong and hefty. As Col. 3:15 says, peace rules! (How could a puffy cloud rule anything?) Peace garrisons and mounts guard over your heart and mind. It's lke a bodyguard. It has muscles.

That's why the apostle Paul instructs us to put on peace as a part of God's whole armor so that we may be able to successfully stand against all the strategies and deceits of the Devil. Before I understood the true nature of God's peace,  I couldn't see how it could possibly be considered armor. I would read in Ephesians six about things like the breastplate of righteousness, athe helmet of salvation and shield of faith, and I could easily envision  those things as being the strong pieces of armor that Roman soldiers wore. But the verse about peace puzzled me.

I'd think, Here's this soldier all outfitted in his military attire of breass and wood and leather, and now he is going to put on these little soft bedroom slippers of peace? That just didn't seem to fit. So I did some investigating into what kind of shoes Roman soldiers actually wore - and it turned out, they weren't bedroom slippers!

From the knee to the foot, they were solid brass, strong enought to protect a soldier's legs from any kind of lacerations or bruises. They were so sturdy and impenetrable that they enabled the Roman infantry to march over rocky or thorny terrain without injury.

That's what the peace of God does for us. It makes us able to go on dangerous missions for the Lord without suffering harm. It helps us forge our way throught the rockiest situation without injury.

No wonder Paul says we're to be shod with it! The word "shod" means to fasten on very tighttly. We don't ever want to wear our peace boots loosely. We want to wrap God's peace around us so tightly that no thorn or stone of the enemy can wedge its way in. Through prayer put on the force of peace and allow God to win great victories in your life.
Scripture reading: Eph. 6:10-18

Peace

Tried to go back to sleep this morning at 2:30 am after Lily finished throwing up but couldn't do it. Decided to just get up and work on my Bible study. Why is it that my most precious moments with the Lord are before 6 am? :-) and it just so happened that I'm studying Psalm 119 right now and this week we are looking at verses 145-176 (v147 "I rise before dawn and cry for help, I wait for your words"). Let's just say I put that verse into practice today! I was planning on waking up at 4 anyway to take Maw Maw to the hospital. She had surgery this morning to remove the spot in her throat. Everything went well and she should be home this afternoon! We will know the results of the biopsy in a few days.
So, as I am praying and studying this morning I was encouraged by Ps. 119:165 "Those who love Your Law have great peace and nothing causes them to stumble." The discussion questions 1)Do you experience peace in your life? 2)Do you perceive it in people around you? 3)When you experience peace, what characterizes your thinking? 4)Think about a time you lacked peace and describe your thinking then. Of course the times that I lack peace are times that I'm trying to control my situations and trusting in my own understanding of things. Not relying on God...my Creator and Savior. "for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." Phil. 2:13 If I would rely on Him He could accomplish His work and in the process I could experience His PEACE.
As I considered the question about others having peace, I immediately thought of Maw Maw and my friends April and Jennifer. And it was like a lightbulb turned on...the people that I see the greatest peace are those who are facing the greatest trials. April was diagnosed with a brain tumor 11 years ago and has gone through so many treatments and sufferings during this time. Yet she and her family has been a trophy of grace and peace through it all. Then our friend Jennifer had a baby (Owen) 6 months ago and was told that he has a heart defect. How do I see her responding? PEACE. Trusting the Lord. How could we truly experience God's peace or see it in others if it were not for trials, testings, sufferings? Today I find myself praising God for the hard times and being able to see my sisters in Christ being carried through their trials (on His wings like eagles). "Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right." 1 Peter 4:19 This slideshow is dedicated to my hero, April Lawrence.

Make your own slideshow

Moments

The Lord has really been teaching me alot about "enjoying the moment" and "keeping it simple"....in life and in my relationship with Him. Things get so busy and I tend to make things so complex that it takes away from what God has given me and how He really intends for me to live. Seeing Lily grow up so fast has caused me to slow down. I guess it's the natural desire to try to hold onto the "now" and the resistance to her becoming older and not my baby anymore. So, it's like that with the Lord. Instead of constantly wanting to move on to the next thing I think He wants me to look into His beautiful face and take in the moments that I have with Him. Psalm 16:11 "In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever." It's not always about gaining more knowledge about Him but simply to sit at His feet and enjoy Him. I think about the story in Luke 11:38-42 and Martha was so busy preparing and doing but Mary "had chosen the good part" as she enjoyed her time with Jesus.

And even this morning I was busy "doing" laundry and housework and Lily said "Mommy, I want you to hold me" and she simply wanted me to sit down and hold her (as we watched Shirley Temple). I could have told her I had too much to get done but I stopped and enjoyed the moment. That's really what life is all about. Enjoying our relationships that God has blessed us with - family, friends, and HIM. Here's a slideshow of some of our precious moments as a family.

Free photo slideshow created with Smilebox

Teachable moments

I always thought "being a mom" meant that you had to be a good teacher and that you should always be teaching your child something about Jesus. Well, it seems that Lily teaches me about Jesus ALOT. I guess it's God using her to teach me things that are so very important for this journey called life. So here are a few things that come to mind:

• Today I took her for a walk in the stroller and we were pointing out things that we saw along the way. Of course she always notices things that I don't - like shadows. As we came around the curve she said "where did the shadow go?" and I said "if you are facing the sun there are no shadows or darkness." And immediately I thought - how true! When my focus is on the Son (Jesus) my mind and heart are at peace....when I'm not facing Him I begin to doubt and darkness (shadows) creeps in. 
• We were in the car this morning singing "This is the Day that the Lord has Made" and I asked her "Lily, who made the sun?" and she looked at me like that was such a silly question and said "God and Jesus did" :)
• As many of you know, Lily is very independant and most things she wants to "do it all by herself"....and she has been practicing walking down stairs without my help. As much as I want her to grow up and be able to do things I still want her to know I'm there. I know that the day will come when she won't need me to swing her or hold her hand anymore but I still want her to look at me and allow us to have tender moments together. I know God must feel that way about us on an even greater level. We so quickly become self sufficient and feel that we don't need him for "this" or for "that" but we do. It's about the relationship. Will I look at His face as I'm learning to swing myself or walk up the stairs by myself? He is there, encouraged that I'm learning and growing, but still wants that closeness and trust that is between a parent and their child. "But I have stilled and quieted myself, just as a small child is quiet with its mother. Yes, like a small child is my soul within me." Psalm 131:2
• As I was cleaning Maw Maw's house recently I was dusting a little jewelry box with the scripture engraved on it "Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Luke 12:27 and the framed picture next to the box was a photo of Lily. God touched my heart at that moment and reminded me that I don't have to "worry"....He is faithful. Consider Lily!

Lily is such a blessing and she is already being used by the Lord. :) Just the other day one of my friends was having a bad day and she sat down and began to talk to God about things and the thought that came to her mind was "look at Lily." She opened an old email I had sent her that had a picture attached and she began to cry...just thinking about God's faithfulness. Lily is a picture of God's grace. My prayer is that God will continue to use her for His purposes and plans.

Working it out...

Well, I started my new nanny job on Monday and it's going great so far.  Lily has stayed with her Daddy for the past 2 days and I was missing her so much that he had to bring her over for a visit today.  I plan to keep her with me but I thought I would go solo for the first week. I wanted to make sure I can handle 3 kids under the age of 2 before I try 4 :)  Joe finished his real estate classes and is studying for the test to get his license.  We are excited to see what God has in store for our family.  He has been so good to us...providing and giving us precious time with Lily and we will continue to cherish these moments.  I'm always amazed at how God teaches me through her life. Actually He can use just about anything to give us visual lessons on things He wants to imprint on our hearts and for us to "work out" in our lives.  Today just happened to be one of those lessons....where He used a visual aid to help me understand.

I was sitting by the window rocking one of the babies and I noticed a couple of birds on the porch and they were building a nest in the awning.  So the string of thoughts that I had were - isn't it amazing that God gives them instinct to know how to do that, He provides for their every need but they have to do a little work along the way; however, the work is done by God's empowerment, He is the One who gives them the "know how" to do it.  In the same way God provides by His GRACE everything we need for salvation yet He calls us to "work it out every day with fear and trembling. For it is God who is at work in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Philippians 2:12-13 Just like those birds are led by God's design and His strength to do what they are created to do, as Christians He has given us the Holy Spirit that enables us to live as God intends.  The other thing I noticed about those birds is that there were 2 of them working together....not being frustrated with one another. They just knew what their part was and did what God called them to do.  One would patiently wait for the other to come out before he flew in to add to the nest and the materials that they were gathering for their nest were exactly what was needed.  God truly is Jehovah Jireh (my Provider) b/c He not only gives us what we need He empowers us to live the way we should. 

I know God wants to speak to us every day but sometimes it's so noisy and there are so many distractions that we can't hear Him. In the quiet moments of rocking babies is a great time to hear His voice :)  Since I'm on a nature kick I'll show you a picture of my jasmine that's climbing up the porch this Spring.  It smells so good when you step out on the front porch.  Lily likes to smell it and she says "ssstink"  Whether something smells good or bad it "ssstinks" to her.

Following

As we drove to Church this morning I was singing and some of the words just caused me to lift my hand (just one...I kept the other on the wheel) as my heart praised and loved on my Jesus.  And as I looked in the rearview mirror Lily was raising her hands and smiling.  In that moment I just prayed - Oh Lord, let her know how awesome You are and let her worship You all the days of her life.  It is incredible to think that I can teach her about Jesus but I can't make Him her Master.  There will come a day that she will choose who she will serve. (only 2 choices - Jesus or Satan....people don't like to think about it like that.  They say "oh, I don't follow either one."  wrong.  You either serve yourself and live out of your own best thinking or you look to God and follow Him / total abandonment to His will.) 

What an awesome God and I hope that He will be Lily's Master and Lord one day.  Here are a few of the words to the song I heard this morning...makes me want to raise my hands to Him again :)

The very same God
That spins things in orbit
Runs to the weary, the worn and the weak
And the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken
They conquered death to bring me victory


Now I know, my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
Let all creation testify
Let this life within me cry


I know
My Redeemer
He lives
To take away my shame
And He lives
Forever I'll proclaim
That the payment for my sins
Was the precious life He gave
And now He's alive and
There's an empty
Grave!

Trusting the Father

Lily followed me onto the front porch and these days she is faster than I give her credit for.....well, her Daddy was right behind her and I heard him gasp as he grabbed her arm (she was about to FLY off the porch after me I guess).  Anyway, Joe said "she is so used to us being there and reaching for her hand to keep her safe that she doesn't think about falling."  And the thought came to me - do I know and recognize and trust God's faithfulness and care in the same way?  Am I so used to Him being at my side and leading, directing and protecting that I never consider Him "not" taking care of me?  Do I question His love and His will for my life and for my family's life?  He has always been faithful!  And I think He wants us to have the same trust that Lily has in her Daddy :)  Jesus spoke of this....having a chidlike faith - "Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive and accept and welcome the kingdom of God like a little child [does] positively shall not enter it at all." Mark 10:15

Oh by the way, Lily is quite the Daddy's girl these days!  Everything is "my Daddy" and she insists on following him around especially when he's going for a ride in the truck.  I guess she sees him grabbing a hat before he goes outside b/c when he starts for the door and asks if she wants to go for a ride in the truck with him she starts for the door but then pauses and says "hat."  Joe gives her one of his ball caps and she puts it on backwards and continues her trek to the door. 

I wanted to give y'all an update....Joe's mom went into the hospital on Sunday and they gave her the news from the PT scan on Monday that cancer was back and they started chemo treatments immediately.  She is responding well to the medications so far and we are very thankful that they found the cause of her pain and suffering and are able to treat her.  She has lymphoma in several parts of her body but mainly in her neck, throat and mouth.  She is taking 4 different types of chemo and we are praying and very hopeful that this is the tools in the Father's hand by which He will bring healing to her body.  We've been taking turns staying at the hospital with her and I had my first night away from Lily on Monday night.  It's a good thing that she's gotten so attached to her Daddy because they did great without me.  He didn't have too much of a hard time getting her to sleep and she slept through the night :)  Please continue to pray for Sue (Lily's Maw Maw) and we will continue to trust our Heavenly Father that He cares, protects and provides in ways that are unimaginable.

Clean and cuddly

We had a messy morning….Lily decided to comb her hair with her fork that had been dipped in syrup and blueberry pancakes. We usually take a bath at night but this called for a morning dip in the tub. When she got out it was time for her nap so we cuddled and as she was nursing I started thinking about how I love to snuggle her when she’s all nice and clean. And I thought about how God must love to be near us (His children) when we are clean and living in obedience. I don’t love Lily any less when she’s dirty or covered in a poopy diaper but there’s a distance that comes from that and there is water and washing that is needed to clean things up. And I think it’s the same way with God….He doesn’t love us any less when we are in rebellion and covered in the dirt and filth of this world but in order to be near us and “cuddle” us there has to be a washing and purifying – that only comes through Jesus and the washing of the Word. There was a scripture that the Lord gave me a long time ago….actually when He was drawing me to Himself, wanting me to repent and come to Him. Isaiah 59:1-2 “Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden {His} face from you so that He does not hear.” Just like I long to be near Lily I know the Lord must have that same longing for His children. I pray that I will continually be washing in the water of the Word and living my life CLOSE to the Lord. I can’t help but think about John, the disciple, and how he is referred to as “the one whom Jesus loved” and “the one whom leaned back on Jesus shoulder.” He wasn’t the only one whom Jesus loved but he recognized and acknowledged that love and knew that the best place to be was “near Jesus”….leaning on Him. “But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.” Psalm 73:28 Thank you Lord for teaching me things through Lily’s life! Here’s a picture of our messy girl this morning –

I missed my girl!

Yesterday was the longest I've ever been away from Lily (9 hours) and I was missing her so much.  Even though it was a wonderful day of visiting old friends, my thoughts were never far from my girl.  On the way home a passage of scripture came to my mind from Isaiah 49:14-16...

"But Jerusalem said 'The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.' Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child, can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See I have engraved you on the palms of my hands."

Isn't that beautiful!  Those precious nail pierced hands are a reminder of His great love for His children.  I think it's great that God gives us descriptive pictures and illustrations so we can have a deeper understanding of His compassion, care, and love.  Let me tell you....the description in this verse of a nursing mother who can't forget her child.....it's very clear to me! :)  I was emotionally and physically missing Lily!  Here are some photos of my time with my friends and of course a few of our girl :)

My dear friend, Paula, will be moving to Pennsylvania on Dec. 28 and I was so glad to be able to spend some time with her before they go.  Her husband is going back into Senior Pastoring and they have taken a job at a Baptist Church there.  Could they be any further from us?! 
I will miss them so much.

My sweet friends that were in the youth group at Calvary Chapel and took part in the discipleship group that I led when I lived in Gulf Breeze.  They are all grown up now! It was awesome to see them and be able to spend some time sharing how the Lord is working in each of our lives.

(me, April, Jesse)

And since I missed spending time with Lily yesterday....

we spent the day together and had so much fun! She loves

Christmas trees so I took her to see a giant one at a local

shopping center.  They also have a splash pad (water falls)

and she thought that was neat too.

these photos are in sequence:

first reaction to seeing the fountains

not quite sure what to do

but she figured it out...

she's going for it!

this is just a sweet photo I took after

Church on Sunday

and this was Sunday night...

is this the cutest little blue jeaned babe you've

EVER seen!? :)

 

Resting in Him

"Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him." Psalm 37:7

Once again the Lord spoke to my heart through the act of my sweet baby girl. I was rocking her to sleep the other night and she is getting so long and heavy it's more of a challenge to get her in the right position. Not so much that she's uncomfortable but to get myself comfortable (so she's not breaking my arm :) ). Anyway, the Lord's still small voice said...."this is how I want you to be." Lily was COMPLETELY resting in my arms. She wasn't fretting or trying to lift herself so she wouldn't be as heavy or being fearful that I would drop her....she was simply RESTING. And for some reason I got the picture of how a person kind of holds themselves up when they are sitting on someone's lap (trying not to be such a heavy burden :) ) and that is me with the Lord. He wants me to trust fully and completely in Him and not try to do things my own way (trying to "help" Him out). He is very much able to handle things in my life on His own. From much experience when I try to insert my good reasoning and ideas into the equation it turns out....bad. If you ask me if I trust the Lord my answer would be "yes, of course" but through His words the other night He made it very clear to me that I am not fully trusting and resting in Him. This has been a theme lately with me. I'm studying the book of John right now and we just completed the 15 chapter. WOW! What a chapter! We are to be continually abiding in the true vine (Jesus) and not acting independant from Him. But in studying about vines and vineyards I discovered that oftentimes vines will grow and will put out sucker roots on the ground and begin to gain nutrients "for themselves" rather than getting their nutrients from the vine. The result: bad fruit, drying up, wilting, dying. Oh Lord, help me to stay connected to you and not put out sucker roots to do things my own way and be independant from You.

As many of you know our family is walking through a tough time....just not knowing what the Lord has in store for us in the area of jobs. However, God has been so faithful!! Just recently He provided a temporary job for Joe at the local airport and that has been a blessing. (even though it's REALLY hard work and he comes home completely exhausted) So, every step of the way the Lord is providing. And through it all He is speaking to us and teaching us more and more about resting and trusting in Him alone.

I just wanted to share how the Lord is blessing us and using Lily to speak to us about MANY things. And you know I have to add some photos.....here are a few of Lily "resting"

What's on YOUR floor?

I remember the days when I would sweep, mop and vacuum once a week…..well, those days are over. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining (well maybe I am), I just wanted to share with you the current condition of my floor. I’m not sure the number of minutes that I spend cleaning the floor every day but it’s a lot! These days our floor is covered with food and toys. I’ve told you guys before that Lily has “a thing” about feeding herself so the conclusion to that story is that there’s a lot of food that ends up on the floor. I feel like I spend ½ the day cleaning food off the floor or picking up the toys and stacking them back in “their place.” They stay in “their place” until Lily and Blake wake up from their naps and you know the rest.

I kept Blake today and bless his heart….he is such a good eater. He doesn’t insist on feeding himself, he lets me feed him baby food and the only food that’s dropped is just a tad on his bib. His tray is nice and clean and the floor under his chair is crumb free. And I look from his highchair over to our darlin’ Lily’s….she has hummus and blueberries smeared all over her face, neck, hair, on the tray, in the floor; there’s pieces of cheese and chicken on the floor. (this is a normal picture of mealtime for us) So, today I decided to just dunk her in the bathtub after lunch and Blake came along for the fun.

In the midst of all this concern over my floor and as I grumbled in my heart “how many times am I going to have to clean this stuff up?” God spoke to me….this is a season that we are going through and she will outgrow it. Will you mature and outgrow the areas that I’m constantly cleaning for you? In that moment I thought – if I get so irritated by the mess and the cycle of picking up toys and food, I can’t imagine how my Heavenly Father must grieve over the many times that He has to clean me up as I make the same messes again and again and again. And the verse that came to my mind was Isaiah 40:28, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.”

Praise God! I know I have a long way to go in my spiritual walk but He is patient and He doesn’t get tired or weary like I do! I have hope that seasons come and go and maturity is a process. There won’t always be toys and food on the floor and I pray that there won’t always be the same sins that I tend to struggle with. Philippians 3:12-21

Here are a few pictures that illustrate my post :)

the living room floor

Mommy, is this where the plate goes?

What about here?
With a smile like that she can throw as much food on the floor as she wants!

Bath after lunch...

she was so excited that Blake joined her

I had to run a few errands so Daddy fed Lily "breakfast"

I don't know what the American Pediatrics would say

about biscuits for breakfast but Lily says "the bib says it all!"

(did you notice the camouflage pj's....those were Daddy's idea, too)