I’ve Developed An Insanity Syndrome!

It was a typical day for me, trying to fit as much as I can into the few hours that was left of the day. As a virtual assistant, stay at home mother, wife, part-time web designer and member of my local church nominating committee it was just a typical for me to be multi-tasking.

At almost 11:00pm that night I heard the scream of my 2 year old son just as I was shutting down my computer and I sighed, “Will there ever be time for just me?” You see, just as I made the decision to call it a day (umm, night) I decided that I will make myself a nice cuppa hot chocolate and put my feet up in as I watched some television. That may not sound like much of a treat but it is for me. I had to change my plans as I went in to attend to Zachary.

Honestly I beleive that I have developed such an insanity syndrome that everytime I think of getting a rest or doing something for myself I immediately attract some form of chaos. I focus on keeping my clients lives as organized and stress free as possible but somewhere along the line I feel like I have lost control of mine! Welllllllll, almost!

This morning I prayed that God would show me how to once again regain control of my days. I thought I had the answers but somehow I wanted God to validate them. The answer came to me an hour later and not in the way that I thought. As I shifted my bible to a corner of my desk to make room for my laptop, it fell open to Luke 10 and as I read the story of Martha, Mary and Jesus I marveled:

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41, 42.

Definitely not a time management tip that you will find the popular books but a great one nonetheless. Spend time with Jesus as a friend! Oh my, I had missed the mark! Recently my devotionals and time with God had been cut shorter and shorter and somehow my once dear friend was not a special appearance guest in my life. eegadd!  Thank God for his mercies, his loving kindness and his forgiveness that even when get lost and confuse my priorities he is there waiting for me to get the right. Finally a remedy for my Virtual Insanity!

Finding God In Everything

Since the birth of my son almost two years ago I have lost what used to be my uninterrupted time with God in the mornings. That quiet time is now filled with diaper changes, bottles, fits of laughter or would be tantrums (depending on the morning) baths and tripping over forgotten toys.

I’d pray a short prayer asking God to forgive me for cutting our time. I would ask him to show me how to get back to the way it used to be, when I would spend time with him without the interruptions and then I’d have to ask for forgiveness for calling my son an interruption.

Since then God has shown me new ways to spend time with him. It was an adjustment but I now realize that I can still speak with him and hear him at bath time, when I pick up toys off the ground and even when I change dirty diapers.

Looking back at the life Jesus our example led we can see that even though he spent quiet time with God, he was still connected to his father even when the crowds pressed upon him. He showed us that we can stay connected even when we perform little acts of service.

Now I see each task in a new light. When I am forced to remove stuffed Pooh from a sink of dirty dishes for the eleventh time, I am reminded that there is no limit to God’ forgiveness. As I stare in dismay at my pile of clothes that needs to get laundered and see the stains caused by spilled food, I am reminded of God’s promise to cover us with his righteousness.

So even though I no longer have the “quiet time” that I once craved I have adjusted and found new ways to invite and enjoy God’s presence.

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

How do you find God in the chaos that we call life?

Train Up A Child

Each day I am confronted with the challenges of training my son. All of the books written on parenting could not have prepared me for this. There are times when I look at my almost angelic child and think that being his mom is the best thing that ever happened to me. And it is.

But then, he awakes from sleep. I am then confronted with his stubborn streak that he must have inherited from me and I wonder where did I go wrong? At these times it is sometimes easier for as a parent to say, that I’ll just let him be because I am just tired of repeating myself. It may seem easier to give into the tantrums because then I won’t have to deal with the screaming.

It is at these times, god reminds me that I am responsible for training him in the way that he must go. In this popular verse, God did not offer a suggestion to parents. He commands us to train our children and by doing so we shape their future.

So how does God want us to train our children? What exactly is child training? And what single principle can parents teach their children that they will carry throughout their lifetime?

I believe that God wants us as adults to accept the bible as the ultimate authority for our lives. By demonstrating the authority of the Bible in our lives we teach our children to accept God’s authority over their lives. This is a guiding principle that no one can depart from.

I believe that our relationship with our children should be a reflection of God’s relationship with us. Just as God is patient, loving, forgiving, faithful, kindhearted and trustworthy with us we ought to be the same with our children. By doing this we are revealing God’s true character to them.

As I write this post, I am reminded that God wants me to train up my son in the way that he ought to go. I am reminded that yelling, nagging, rules, time out, television, toys do not fall under the category of child training.

Today I resolve to make a consistent effort to train my son to know the Lord. I trust that God will bless my efforts and one day my son will grow into an adult that I can be proud of. Lord help us to raise children in whom you can be well pleased!

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

God Meant It For Good

Growing up I always heard from my grandmother say that all things work together for those who love the Lord. This seemed to be her anthem for all all life’s misfortunes, everything will work out in the end.

As an adult, a Christian, a mother, daughter, friend, wife, sister I hold on to that promise. Unlike my grandmother I do not believe that we would come out smelling like roses in the end. The New International Version puts it as  “in all things God works for the good.” It does not say that all things are good. If it were so I would question my Christianity because some pretty bad things can happen to good Christians.

I have experienced things that caused me to wonder where is the God that I serve. Each and every time I come out of it I see where he used those situations to shape my character and brought me even closer to him.

I can now write about this because I have been on both sides of the spectrum. There was a time that I turned my back on God and when moments of despair came I wondered about the purpose of life, I would drown myself in despair because I had no hope.

Today, I love and enjoy the good times and I welcome the not so good times because all through my trials I would ask God to show me the lessons that he wants me to learn. He always does! At the end of it I find myself more in love with him because he was right there with me through it all.

Dear reader, today I pray that you let God in, even in the midst of trying circumstances. He will walk with you and show you the way out. He will help you to be victorious even in the hard times. Why do I say this? Because I’ve been there and I know that God keeps his promises.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

I Know The Plans I Have For You!

Do you have a plan for your life? Maybe you have a plan for your children’s lives. The thing is we often have plans for our lives that is contrary to the plans that God in his wisdom has prepared for us.

We often think that the plans that we have made is far superior to God’s and more in keeping with our needs but simply put “it is foolish for us to think so.”

There are some who go about thinking that they have completely messed up God’s will for their lives. I have been there. We become slaves to our past deeds and so we believe that we can never get back on track with God’s will. I want to tell you that if that were the case then God would not have a plan for any of us since we have all sinned and come short of God’s glory.

Isn’t that good news? That in spite of our past God still has a plan for our lives. I am thankful for that. In Jeremiah 29:11-13 God spoke to the nation of Israel, reminding them that he has a plan to prosper their lives. He has similar plans for us today.

If you are reading this you may probably ask, “how do I learn of God’s plan for my life?” Its quite simple actually. God lovingly calls us to seek him and to trust his promises. When he seek God we learn more about him.

So my dear friend seek God, obey his will (commandments) because he has already told us what to do. Only then can we truly know that plans that God has in store for us.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

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