by Debbie Stovall

Raising kids is sometimes a guessing game. You do something one day and it works, but the next day you do the same thing and it doesn’t. As grandparents now, Randy and I are able to look back and evaluate our parenting. Here are a few of the things we did that turned out to have more value than we realized at the time. All three deal with managing our money or possessions, and all have paid off in my children’s attitude toward possessions. So just in time for the holidays, here is my gift to you! Hope it helps in your mommy-journey or spurs you to think of new ideas of your own!

#1 – The “Less is More” Trick

No one in my family is a picker eater. We love food! So from the time they could toddle around, my children all wanted more snack than I thought was best. I found a little trick with my first child one day when I was impatient. I offered him a cookie, only one, because it was almost supper time. He immediately said, “No. Two.” In my impatience, I respond testily, “Ok, you can have zero then.” He promptly decided one was better than none, took his cookie, and was fine.

The light bulb went on for me! From that day on in negotiating with my kids I used that same trick; if they started asking for more, I began to retreat on what I was willing to give. If I offered two marshmallows, they would want three, so I would drop back to 1 which made the original offer of two very satisfying to them. If I told them I would buy them a toy at Wal-Mart, they would see two and want both. When I let them know that if they couldn’t decide on one they wouldn’t get any, they would find a way to choose one. When I told my 16-year-old to be home by 10:00 and he responded that everyone else was staying out until 11:00, I would pull my offer back to 9:00. Then 10:00 suddenly looked pretty good.

The trick is saying it kindly with a tender expression on your face. If you get mad and shout “No you only get one now!” or “Well Bud, just for that you have to be home at 9:00!” you bring yourself down to the child’s level and he keeps arguing. But if you stay calm and unruffled, he realizes he has a choice to make. If he wants anything, he has to play by your rules. He may not always be happy about it, but battles will de-escalate.

#2 – Keep-Give

From the time that sweet baby is born every parent longs to give that child every good gift we can, just like our Father in Heaven does for us. But somewhere between 9 months and 3-years-old the toys begin to take over. As a parent it’s a struggle to know how to get rid of some of this abundance, because after all Grandma gave them this, and that is recommended by Parents magazine, and all the cool moms say every child needs those. So what is a mom to do to get the mess under control and be a good steward of the family’s possessions?

We came up with a solution. We called it “Keep-Give.” I would plan a day to do nothing else. I would take into the children’s room a large garbage can with several extra garbage bags and some boxes labeled “Give.” Then I would sit in the middle of the room and dump out a toy box or bin, one at a time, in front of me. I would hold up one toy at a time and ask, “Keep? Give? Or throw away?” If someone said keep it went back into the toy basket. If they all said, “Give” it went into the cardboard box to be given away. If it was broken or had missing parts or was beyond being used it went into the trash. Each of the children could have his or her say, and if even one of them said, “Keep,” I would honor that. (However, many times the lone person saying “Keep” would later change his mind and pass the treasure on.)

It was a very fun and revealing experience. (And it still has a hearty affirmation from everyone in the family, parent and child alike.) It usually took most of the day, but it was worth it. I was always shocked at what they gave to others that I thought they would be unwilling to part with. I actually heard wisdom coming from them like, “We don’t play with that much anymore, but some other kid might like it.” It gave them a chance to make wise choices about their possessions without me controlling it. And it gave them a chance to be generous. The revelation for me was that some of the things they were willing to get rid of, I was not! I would remember the high cost of the toy or think that a certain toy “should have” sentimental value to them because of who gave it, and therefore would not want them to give it away. So this exercise helped me with my own greed issues. I did make a few exceptions. The one-of-a-kind toy Aunt Joyce had sent them from Bahrain, the American Girls doll they’d outgrown that I wanted to save for my grandchild, those sorts of things I put aside and stored in the attic at the end of the day.

It was a character forming procedure, too. I always explained first what we were doing and how the procedure worked because the little ones had to learn how. We would talk about how blessed we were with all these great toys and how some kids didn’t have as much as we did. We would discuss how it’s good to give things and not to hoard everything. As they got older we incorporated Bible verses on giving and generosity, always including my favorite from the time I was 6 years old, “God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7 “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”)

This task is well worth the time spent. We did it twice a year, usually before Christmas and sometime in late spring. Sometimes we still ended up with too many toys, so I would divide them up into laundry baskets. I would leave one basket down for the kids to play with and put one basket in the top of the closet and swap the baskets out every month or so. This was refreshing to the kids when they got bored with the toys they were used to.

#3 – Three Bowls

As the kids got old enough to do chores we decided we needed to teach them about money. So we gave each child assigned chores and a set allowance each week. It’s never too early to start this. Even 2-year-olds can start to fold wash cloths! And DO make a game of it! By 5 years of age they had to put away their own toys and could wipe down sinks & counters with a cloth and spray bottle containing only water. At 6 they were setting the table, putting their laundry away, and dusting. By 8 they could load the dishwasher, help cook dinner, and make their bed (messily). At 10 they learned to do their own laundry, iron, vacuum, and mow grass. So they earned money every week doing their chores.

Of course we did not want them wasting it all on candy or cheap toys each week. So here’s what we did. We saved 3 of the small-sized empty margarine spread bowls for each child. (If you can find plain colored ones or ones without the brand name written on it, they are cuter.) We wrote with a permanent marker on each bowl either “Spend,” “Save,” or “Give.” Dad cut a neat little coin slit in each lid. We chose to have them put 10% into the “Give” bowl (their tithe), 20% into the “Save” bowl (to teach them to save up for bigger things they wanted to buy/do later) and the other 70% into “Spend.” We always made sure we gave the allowance money to them in a way that was easy to divide. ($1.00 would be given in 10 dimes, or $10.00 given in 10 ones.) Every Saturday evening as we were laying out clothes for church, we’d help the ones who were school age fill out their offering envelopes and put their “Give” money in to take to church the next day.

I highly recommend this “trick.” It teaches kids the value of money as they take their spend money to the store and see what they can afford to purchase. It teaches them delayed gratification as they build up money in the “Save” bowl for something special down the road. And it builds the habit of tithing in them from the time they are little children. You may want to change the ratios, 33-33-33% is the easiest. Or some people add a 4th bowl labeled “Taxes” and the money from all the children is then pooled together down the road and used for a family vacation or outing (promoting the concept of paying taxes to the Government which should use it for our corporate good).

A few other things to consider:

• Do I overdo presents on birthdays and Christmas or do I celebrate within my means?
• Do I give in at the grocery store or Wal-Mart and buy something for the child because they have put up such a fit to get it?
• Am I personally satisfied with what I have, or do my children see and hear me lamenting over what I don’t have or what I wish we could do?
• Is our family tithing (10% to God) and living joyfully within our means?
• Do I view everything we own as belonging to God? Leaving God’s broken down vehicle on the side of the road is much easier than leaving Mine. Live with an open hand toward possessions.
• A favorite children’s book of ours on the subject of greed is an old one, Gimme by Stephen Cosgrove and Charles Reasoner.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the tips. I’m sure other moms would love to hear your special tips and tricks if you’d like to share them in the comments below!

 

 

by Joy Hutzler

Judges chapter 6 tells us an amazing story about a “nobody” named Gideon.  Gideon was the youngest son of a poor man in Israel. In those days, the Midianite army would sweep through Israel each harvest season and utterly destroy all the crops and livestock of the Israelites.  God’s people had resorted to hiding in caves in the mountains during this time of the year for fear of the Midianites.  After some time, the people of the Lord, who had begun worshipping other gods, grew tired of the oppression of the Midianites and cried out to God for help. One day, Gideon was hiding in a winepress, beating out some wheat to hide it from the Midianites, and an angel appeared to him with a message from the Lord.  As a way of greeting, the angel said, “The Lord is with you, man of courage.”  Here was Gideon hiding from the Midianites, and the Lord called him a man of courage. I imagine Gideon looked around to see who the angel must have been referring to. The angel went on to give Gideon instructions about what was to come and how the Lord was going to use him to deliver the Israelites from the Midianite army. But first, God wanted Gideon to tear down the idol of the false god Baal, which was standing in the way of victory for the Israelites.  Every time he was given instructions, Gideon asked for confirmation that it was truly a message from the Lord. Gideon was afraid. He was afraid of the Midianites.  He was afraid of the men of his village.  He doesn’t sound much like a “man of courage.” But each time after he confirmed the Lord’s message, Gideon was obedient and did what the Lord had told him to do.

My husband and I are raising a son amidst his three sisters.  Trying to teach him to be strong and fearless is a task that I don’t always feel equipped for.  I often tell him when he is afraid to have courage.  I remind him that, “It isn’t courage if you aren’t afraid.”

God asked Gideon to trust him and to obey some outlandish and seemingly impossible commands.  He was afraid. I would have been, too! Gideon was given an army of 300 men to stand up against the great Midianite (and Amalekite) armies. There were more of them than could be counted. But God didn’t really need Gideon’s help. He wanted his trust and obedience. God didn’t let him down.

Sometimes in our own lives God asks us to trust him and obey him in situations that seem far above our capabilities. We cannot even fathom at times how God could possibly work a plan to handle an overwhelming situation. We are confused why he even wants to involve us in his plan in the first place. We are afraid of the circumstances or cower at all of the “what ifs.”

God called Gideon a man of courage before he even gave him the first instruction, because God already knew who Gideon was. God already knew Gideon was afraid, but he wanted to give him a title that would help Gideon understand that God saw something about him that he couldn’t see for himself.

Maybe you don’t feel very courageous. Maybe you feel very unworthy or ill-equipped to handle a task the Lord has given you.  But this is where God loves to work!  God loves to work in all of our inadequacies because that is where HE gets the glory. That is where HE gets to shine and show his power.  If you have been given instructions from the Lord, go ahead and get confirmation, then in all of your fears, inadequacies, and uncertainties, OBEY! The Lord is with you, Woman of Courage.

 

by Morgan Ramsey

“Morgan, he doesn’t like me. I guess I wasn’t good enough for him. He just wanted to be friends. I am not worthy of someone like that.” As a girls’ minister, I hear this plenty from the middle school and high school girls at my church. And as hard as it is to hear that, I know it’s even harder to say out loud. Why? Because it gets at a fear that we as girls, and even more so as women have: a fear of rejection. Rejection is hard. It’s a low blow, and demolishes any ounce of self-esteem that we may have had. Why? Because we let it.

But we let it because we believe a lie that could not be further from the truth: You aren’t enough. As young girls we hear it and see it everywhere we go. This lie can be found in magazines, or songs, or in a movie, or in the school hallways where the other girls make fun of how we look. We can find it in people’s comments about what we are wearing, or when every single girl is in a relationship BUT US. And we don’t grow out of this when we graduate high school. As women we can see it every single day if we look in our own lives and in the lives of other women around us.

Yeah, I know. I get it. I struggle with it every day of my life. My surroundings have changed, but the lie remains. Instead of seeing it in high school hallways, I see it in my work place, in my personal life, in my family, and in the way I think about myself. And I’ve realized unless we get to the root of the issue, it will metastasize from middle school to adult life. It’s a silent killer It’s hard to rid yourself of this lie, because well…  it’s so stinkin’ believable!

I’m reading through a book called Lies Young Women Believe, and it goes through all of the different lies that Satan throws at us every single day. There is also an adult version for women as well, and it is equally as powerful. The amount of lies that Satan throws at us daily is scary. But what is even scarier is the thought that women BELIEVE these lies every day. The one that keeps coming back to me is this lie of “you are not enough.” And to a certain extent, that is true. We AREN’T enough. But in Him, we are more than enough.

The Lord calls us something different. He calls us into a different type of living. He calls us worthy. He calls us beloved. He calls us His masterpiece. He calls us His prize and possession. He calls us chosen. And most importantly, He calls us to live in freedom, not in bondage to a lie that has no place in our lives.

Because of Him, we become faultless, holy, blameless, righteous, pure, and enough. Because He has made us these things and even more, we don’t have to be burdened by rejection. When people say we aren’t enough, we can look up and look at the Father and say, “He makes me enough, because He is more than enough”. We don’t have to live burdened by what people think of us. We can live abundantly in the truth of what He calls us.

The lie of rejection always hits you hardest in the place where you feel least satisfied. So for middle school girls and high school girls they face this lie head on in relationships. The desire to be wanted and loved by a guy is strong in this age group. I’m starting to realize you can find this lie anywhere. I told you how I see it in my life, but I’ve seen it in the woman who has worked for years with her company and didn’t get that promotion. I’ve seen it in the woman who watched a lifelong friend walk out of her life. I’ve seen it in the woman whose child wants nothing to do with her. I’ve seen it in the woman who struggles with miscarriage and the woman who can’t get pregnant after years of trying. I’ve seen it in the woman who has prayed for marriage for years and is still single at 33. I’ve seen it in the woman who has a perfect marriage on the outside, but on the inside feels an immovable separation from her husband and is plagued by loneliness.

The lie of rejection always hits you hardest in the place where you feel least satisfied. 

Fill in your blank. WE ALL deal with this. Sometimes we can’t control what comes our way. But we can control how we respond. So. How are you going to fight the lie of rejection this week? I tell my girls that one of the best ways to fight this is to remember who you are. Not who you are as a person, but who you are in Him. Remember sweet girl or woman of God, the God who made you so intimately, cares a ton about you.

by Michele Mann

We met for an early (but not too early) breakfast. We chatted and laughed in between sips of caffeine ( because mid-morning is still morning). We discussed husbands and kids and ailing parents and busy lives. We talked about the struggle of trying to juggle an endless to do list with maintaining healthy relationships with Jesus and our husbands and our kids. She briefly mentioned a couple of struggles she was walking through, and then quickly added, “But I’m okay.” I nodded and listened for a few more minutes as she slowly stirred her coffee. She had to scoot out for an appointment, so I prayed for her and she darted out the door.

As I watched her leave, my heart sank. She most definitely wasn’t okay. She was drowning in the abyss between desire and expectation and reality. I’ve been there. It’s a hard place to live—made even harder when we fall prey to the lie that we have to hide our heartache. I’ve gone about my days with a placid smile and a sorrowful heart. I’ve said all those things a follower of Christ is supposed to say when life gets hard like, “God is faithful,” or “God’s got this,” or “God is good.” When all the while my mind and heart are wrestling with doubt and fear and wondering if God is really there, if He really cares. I want someone to tell me it’s okay to not be okay. I want someone to remind me that God is okay with me not being okay.

When I am in that dark and desperate place my mind wanders back to a trio of siblings. Three whose hearts were knit with each other and knit with the heart of the Messiah. They loved well. So well, in fact, that Jesus spent as much time with them as He could when He walked the earth. He made their little house in Bethany, just a couple of miles outside of Jerusalem, His getaway. Even Jesus needed a quiet place to reflect and rest. And the siblings loved hosting Him. They knew He was the Savior of the world, but to them He was also a cherished friend.

So on that dark day when their brother became ill, the sisters knew whom to call. They expected Him to rush to their side. But the days passed and there was no sign of the Savior. Mary and Martha sat vigil by Lazarus’s bedside waiting, waiting for Jesus to come. But He did not. Lazarus took his last breath and the sister’s wept and mourned and still no Jesus.

Four days after the sisters laid their beloved brother in his tomb, Jesus arrived. Martha, the sister who was rebuked by Jesus for chiding her sister for sitting at His feet, was the first of the sisters to find Jesus. But Mary, the one who poured out her precious perfume at the feet of Jesus and sat at His feet and listened to Him for hours and hours, stayed home.

Martha met Jesus with words of a tested, but steadfast faith. “Lord if you had been here, our brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” But Mary sat at home in her grief. Her heart broken. Her eyes swollen with tears. Why had He waited so long? Why didn’t He save Lazarus? Mary was awakened from her anguish by her sister, who took her aside privately to tell her the Teacher was here and was calling for her. Mary quickly got up and made her way to him. Through her sorrow, she made the same statement to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” But she could not utter words of faith, her broken heart wouldn’t allow it. At that moment, Mary was at the end of herself, and was raw before her Messiah. She had no words, only tears. Jesus did not chastise her lack of faith or judge her honest words of despair. He did something so tender, so kind, so beautiful. He wept.

I’ve often thought back to this encounter when my heart is broken. What was it that broke the heart of Jesus? Was it simply His compassion for Mary? Was it His heartache that she had to suffer such agony in this sin-sick world? Was it His sorrow over the reality of death? Was it a combination of all these things? Whatever the reason, the comfort comes in knowing Jesus understood Mary’s pain and cried with her. And like Mary, when I come to the end of myself, I allow Jesus to reveal His glory. Mary found she could be real and raw before Jesus and He didn’t condemn her, He wept with her. He understood her pain and the depth of His love was revealed in more beauty and power than she could’ve ever imagined.

As time has passed, I’ve prayed much for my friend. I let her talk and encourage her to be honest before God. I tell her it’s okay to not be okay. I tell her it’s in those deepest, darkest, end of ourselves moments God is able to be to us exactly what we need Him to be—our Rescuer, our Redeemer, our Friend. Because it is not in our strength or our ability or our talent that we are made strong—in God’s strange, absurd, upside down world—it’s in our weakness, in our lack, that we find God is all we need. And He is okay with us not being okay. In fact, He welcomes our broken hearts.

“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29

A challenge for today:

Starting today, document what you are grateful for. You can start a Gratefulness Journal recording at least one thing a day for which you are grateful. Or you can join the Instagram #100daysofgratitude phenomenon. Whatever you choose, if you are faithful to it you will find that having a grateful heart will change your perspective on life.

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The blog article today is written by YOU! We’ll all chime in too! In the “Comments” box below please share at least one thing you are grateful for today or this week. Let’s have a flood of replies to remind us all that there is much more to be grateful for than we may feel we have. Sometimes the worries of life and the struggles of relationships and the fears about the future keep us so bound up we lose sight of all we are truly blessed with!

So whether it is Thanksgiving day you read this, or a week from now when things are settling down, as the old hymn tells us “Count your Blessings, Name them One by One!”

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

by Dena Green

You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Psalm 128:2

When we want to catch up with friends or family, what do we usually do?  We plan a dinner date or a cook-out or special meal at our home.  We celebrate holidays, birthdays, or special events with meals together.  When was the last time you invited the members of your household to a meal at your table?  TV off, cell phones and electronics put away, out of sight and hearing distance.

In the Bible,  many times we see Jesus having meals with people.  Meals with his disciples, his friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus.  It is part of our Biblical heritage as meals together are mentioned all through the Bible.  God gave feasts for his people to observe “together” in remembrance of Him. Important things took place at meals.

Meals together are so important for a family. It is a time when we can teach our little ones table manners and how to act and behave at the table. They can see you pray as a family over a meal and realize the importance of giving thanks to the Lord for all he provides for us.  They learn concern and compassion for other as each person or only one shares something about their day, good or bad.  It is a place to connect as a family for a few minutes out of the day and for the kids to share with mom and dad about anything on their minds.

Is meal time always pleasant?  Absolutely not!  Many times when our children were younger,  we came to the table and had tears and frustrated parents and moody teens.  Meltdowns occurred because they didn’t want to eat.   Big brother picked on little sisters and little sisters annoyed their teen siblings.  Some days, we wanted to throw in the towel and give up.  But many, many more times we came together and had belly laughs over something funny.  We laughed just because someone else was laughing and not really sure why.  We took time to pray for an upcoming test or a classmate going through a rough time. We prayed over family issues or a sick loved one.

Your meal time may not look the same as other families’, but find what works for yours.  Be deliberate and persistent. Don’t feel overwhelmed or guilty.  If you don’t feel you have time, start with just one meal and work toward it becoming a habit. This is an important investment in your family and the dividends will be well worth your efforts.  Even secular studies report the positive benefits for a family that connects during at least a couple of meals each week. Check out this Washington Post article.

As a mom, I fought against distractions and activities to have meals around our dinner table as a family, and we managed to get together at least a few times each week in spite of school events and other activities. Even now, with older and two married children, we try as often as we can to catch up with one another with a meal at our house.  We have the best times together! If you feed them, they will come!

Psalm 127:4-5  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. 

 

 

 

 

 

by Blaire Stephens

OK so what is it? You know, that thing, person, place that keeps you from experiencing God? For me, many times it’s all three. I go throughout my day questioning where God is, what He’s up to, or to be perfectly honest, am I even hearing Him? I get so wrapped up in where He has me instead of who he has called me to be in that place where He has me. Why is that? Well on different days there are different answers to that question. You know what else? Regardless of my answer to that question, who God is and who He sees me as DOES NOT CHANGE (Malachi 3:6).

The grace that has been given that the Creator of the universe (the one who knows my faults, my “secret sin,” the sin I try to convince myself I don’t have) sees me as blameless! Seriously? After all I have done and the person I try so hard not to be, He still sees me without fault? Don’t take my word for it, because quite frankly that could be the worst decision you ever make in your life. Let’s look together and let the realization of His love swell up inside of us.

Colossians 1:19-20 says it pleased God to live in Christ so that we may be reconciled with Him. God doesn’t just put up with us or tolerate us, HE WANTS US!

Colossians 1:21-22 says:

“This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him WITHOUT A SINGLE FAULT.”

The fact of the matter is that as a child of God I was evil but now…now I am called holy. I was not able to be looked upon by the Father because of my sin and now… now He has brought me into His presence, not because He has to, but because He wants to. Deep within His heart He longs to be with me and for me to be with Him. He not only wants me in His presence, but He provides a way. And then again, He doesn’t only provide a way, He leads me in just so everyone knows I’m His and He loves me! Song of Solomon 2 :4 says “He escorts me to the banquet hall; it’s obvious how much he loves me.”

Oh how He wants us to get that fact. He wants us, He wants you. In your mess, in your confusion, in your stubbornness, in your rebellion, He wants you. He wants to wrap you up in His arms and show you that regardless of what is going on He loves you and wants to change the world for His glory using you.

by Tracy Hacker

Two years ago, our pastor asked our congregation to petition God for a word for our families for the year. I did as he requested, and my word came. I was hoping for a word like “boldness” or “wisdom” or “change,” maybe even “joy,” instead, my word was “resolve.” Webster’s Dictionary defines resolve “to make a definite and serious decision to do something.” My favorite definition is one I heard a pastor give several years ago “stick-to-it-ness.” This has proven to be a much better definition!!

Over the past two years, I kept thinking this word might change or maybe God would speak another word, but the word He kept giving was “resolve.” To be honest, I had a hard time understanding what I could do with this word. Would God give me a platform or a circumstance for this word to come alive? Instead of a platform, He has given me a daily stage for this word to show up in my life and has given me plenty of opportunity to learn to live it out! I have found myself at times asking God for guidance and praying for the meaning of this word “resolve” to sometimes just get me through the day. You may be like me in that the everyday tasks seem to be overwhelming some days. The mundane tasks that seem so unimportant. The laundry that never seems to stop. The dishes that seem to “always” be in the sink. (Did I mention that 8 people live in my house?!) Fingerprints  seem to be on everything, smudges on my front door, and toys on the floor. God has used these things each day to show me exactly how my “resolve” would be used. Those tasks that seem to be insignificant in the big scheme of things are sometimes where our “resolve” is tested the most.

“Resolve” is what keeps a heart going in the midst of chaos, in the middle of a storm. When the world would say “give up,” “let someone else do it,” resolve says, “God called you to this, He will keep you.” “Resolve” or “stick to it-ness” says, “I am tired, I am overwhelmed, but God has a plan.” Satan would like nothing more than to see us stop living our purpose because of how we feel, because of our circumstances. The “resolve” that God has placed within each of us gives us the strength to keep moving, to press on, to go forward even though we don’t “feel” like it, even when there is no grand stage. You may be reading this blog post right now from the sofa next to a huge pile of clothes that need folding, or maybe sitting at your kitchen table looking at a sink full of dirty dishes just over the top of your computer and the defeat has already set in for the day. GET UP!! God is too good and His purpose for you is too important for you to let the enemy’s schemes hold you back today.

God has been so faithful to show me over the past two years that part of His purpose for my life in this season is to care for the people in my home and that my “resolve” is to do it DAILY with all I have. There is no grand stage, no huge crowd to share with, just a few little faces that fill my table. Small hands and hearts that fill our house with laughter and love and are evidence to me that He sees each soul as priceless, redeemable and worth dying for. Somewhere in His grand plan is a place for me.  I GET TO serve Him. There is a place for the talents He has given me and a place for my soul to find rest and He delights in me. Resolve counts when is gets hard, when it’s not fun, when we would rather be somewhere else that does not require work, or at a movie or just sitting somewhere quiet. Resolve says, “When I don’t feel like living out my purpose today, I will move forward.” Resolve means that at the end of a long day, I can lay my head down at night and ask God for the strength to do it all again tomorrow, not the option to give up. Resolve means no retreat, no opting out. To quote one of my favorites, Beth Moore, “Let’s do the thing!!”

God, give us vision for our future, and place within us the RESOLVE to move when You call!!

“Jehovah is my strength and song; And he is become my salvation” Isaiah 12:2