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Posts Tagged ‘God’s love’

My Father’s Wisdom

Posted in My Daily Life, tagged , , on January 13, 2015| Leave a Comment »

wisdom

 

 

When my kids were young, I often thought how easy parenting would be when they grew up. My daughters are now 21, 20 and 18 and I now know that parenting gets much tougher when your children grow into adults and start dealing with adult problems. It gets tougher when, as a parent, you give them advice and it goes unheeded. You sit back and watch them suffer the consequences of their decisions, wishing that they would have listened to your wise advice before rushing head first into a difficult situation.

 

It never ceases to amaze me, how God can use my experiences in parenting my own children to give me glimpses of His character. How many times has my heavenly Father tried to warn me about a course of action that I was hell bent on taking? How many times has the Holy Spirit said, “this isn’t the best thing for you”? I understand now that He must have sat watching me suffer the consequences of my decisions. He must have been heart-broken knowing that I could have been saved this suffering, if I would have listened to His advice. I know that I am heart-broken knowing that this child that I love could have been spared this heartache had she listened to us, her parents.

God gives us free-will and sometimes we have to learn things the hard way. Sometimes we have to take the tough road in order to know for ourselves that it isn’t going to work the way we want it to. It is never easy, watching your child suffer. It is even harder when it is an adult problem and there isn’t anything you can do, but watch and pray.

Dearest heavenly Father,

I am so sorry for not listening to you. I am so sorry for not heeding your advice, when you tried to save me from the consequences of my own decisions. I know now. I get it. I see how hard it must be for you to watch me suffer when I didn’t have to. Help me to use this life lesson in the future. Help me to listen to you before I rush head first into a difficult situation. I love you, Jesus.   Amen.

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Day 6: Palms Up

Posted in Contentment: A 7 Day Devotional, tagged , , , on August 7, 2013| 1 Comment »

praise God

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The goal of practicing contentment, the goal of rejoicing is to be given the gift of God’s peace. The peace of God is a gift. It is a gift that our loving Father wants to give us, but it is up to us to receive. I have started an Online Bible Study through Proverbs 31 Ministries. This study is based on the book, “When Women Say Yes To God” by Lysa TerKeurst. One of the tag lines for the study is Palms Up. Are we living our lives tightly holding on to what we have, or are we living our lives with our Palms Up, willing to give it ALL to God?

In order to receive the gift of peace, we have to be willing to let go:

1. We have to let go of our own agendas. You may dream of being a missionary in Africa, but that may not be where God wants you right now. Look around and see where you can serve in your own community. Let go of what you want and embrace what God wants for you.

2. We have to let go of our materialistic attitudes. Let go of everything you think you HAVE to have and embrace the fullness of God as He meets your needs on a daily basis.

3. Let go of the climb up the corporate ladder. If you are only working for material possessions or the greatest vacations, I encourage you to take a step back and really seek God’s will for your life. We ALL have a God given purpose on earth. Let go of living in the rat race and embrace the simple, but blessed life God has waiting for you.

I am ready to let go of greed, worry, fear, and anything else that keeps me from accepting the gift of peace. I am ready to live my life with Palms Up, embracing the peace and joy God has waiting for me. I invite you to join me, as I let go and live Palms Up.

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Giggles in the Night

Posted in My Daily Life, tagged , , , , , on March 12, 2013| 3 Comments »

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As I was laying in bed last night, waiting for slumber, I heard the sounds of giggling coming from Kiowa and Cree, in the next room. As I listened to the soft banter and the childlike giggles of my 18 and 16 year old daughters, I was reminded that, as much as I delight in these daughters of mine, even more so does my heavenly Father delight in me. In my journey of parenting 5 children, I have shared the joy of achievement with them and I have shed tears of sorrow with them. I have laughed with them, wrung my hands in frustration and even yelled in anger. Through all the emotions of parenting, I have loved them deeply and always will. Through the emotional highs and lows of parenting my own kids, I have been reminded of God’s tender mercies in parenting me. I have been reminded of how God deals with me when I frustrate, disappoint and even anger him. He is always tender in his discipline, gentle in his rebuke and even when I have to suffer the consequences of my own actions, I know my Father in heaven loves me so much that he has counted every hair on my head. He convicts my spirit firmly, but is careful not to wound my heart.

My question to myself when disciplining my kids is, “is this how God disciplines me? Am I showing the same gentle correction to them that God has shown me?”  I don’t ever want to wound my children’s hearts. I want to encourage them always, even when having to discipline them. I am tempted to tell the girls to go to sleep, but decide I would rather fall asleep listening to the giggles in the night.

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