For the Lord God is our sun and our shield.  

He gives us grace and glory.

The Lord will withhold no good thing

from those who do what is right.

Psalm 84:11

I read this today as my son and I had our devotionals.  My son's bible (NIrV) said it a little different...

The Lord God is like the sun that gives us light.

He is like a sheild that keeps us safe.

The Lord blesses us with favor and honor.

He doesn't hold back anything good

from those whose lives are without blame.

Either way it is written, these promises are true.  He IS our light, our protector, and giver of good gifts...but I have to do my part.   I have to stay true to His Word.  I have to strive to keep his commandments and follow His lead, His path.  Will I fail, do I fail?  Yes, daily I fail.  But I believe that the Lord looks at the heart.  God knows that my heart wants to please Him and desperately wants to follow His lead each and every day, but He knows that I am but dust (Psalm 103:14), He knows I will sometimes fail, but His grace is sufficient and His promises remain true.  He is still my protector, my shield, my light, and wants to give me good gifts even when I fail.  

I love that we have a God who cares and wants to pour His favor out upon us.  I choose today to believe that even in my weakness and even when I fall short, He will still bless me.  I choose to believe it because I have seen it. God loves His children and He does indeed bless them...abundantly. 

 

Growth

Growing pains are inevitable when it comes to...well, growth!  My son will sometimes complain that one of his ankles hurt or his toe or some other part of his leg.  We pray for it and then I will sit by his bed and massage the ankle or leg that hurts until he thinks he feels better.  I explain to him that these are natural pains that are associated with growth and that he is on his way to becoming a big, strong man.  

I am quite familiar with growing pains.  I often pray for growth in an area where I am weak.  I pray for strength and patience and that the fruits of the Spirit would just shine through me.  So God begins a work in my heart and life and it begins...to hurt.  How could it not hurt?  Love, joy, peace, and patience are not naturally in me.  It is quite unnatural for me to have self control when all I feel I have is to grumble and complain about this or that.  It is unnatural for me to bite my tongue when I just want to have the last word...I mean, how else will anyone understand me and my feelings??  But I know that this "self" that is within can harm me and my family.  The self that wants the last word, or wants to feel better by complaining can do so much damage to our family environment.  "Self control", I say to myself.  "If I desire to learn and grow in Christ, I must have self control".  And so, it hurts.  The flesh fights the Spirit and I can only fall to my knees and pray that the Spirit will win.  I need the Spirit to win because only then, will there be peace in my home and I will experience joy;  joy that comes from knowing Christ and obeying His Word. 

And He comforts me and lets me know that He sees my frustration, He sees my struggle and my pain.  I don't need to ruin my home atmosphere by grumbling and complaining to be heard and understood.  God understands. 
I am thankful for the growing pains.  I am thankful for the growth.  And step by step, He will one day complete the work that He has begun in me. 

"And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns".
Philippians 1:6

Pondering...

This June morning I am thinking about this... If I believe that God's Word is true and He is who it says He is, then what should my life look like to reflect that belief? Am I living it out, and if not, what does that look like? Just thinking... :)

God Smiled at Me Today

Today, I received a gift.  It was from God.  I know that it was from God because He is so good to me...even when I don't deserve it.  He is so good to us all, and not one of us deserves it.  But He hears our heart's prayers and He cares.  Even for the smallest of prayers. 

Today was supposed to be a stormy day and instead I found myself outside with my kids at 3 IN THE AFTERNOON! enjoying the shade from the cloudy skies that threatened rain, but never did pour.  I took the kids out to get some fresh air before we would have to spend the rest of the day stuck indoors listening to crashing thunder and lightning. But as we watched the skies, the rain just seemed to be waiting...waiting for us to finish enjoying God's beautiful handiwork.  And we did enjoy it!  I sat and watched my children build sand castles in a sand box, dig into the earth in search of earth worms, and spray each other with water until their clothes were sandy and soaked.  And I knew.  I knew that today God smiled at me and in His loving mercy and grace gave me a mid-June afternoon that was refreshing to my soul.  


Thank you Lord for gifts like today; moments in our day or week where we can stop and soak in the beauty of this earth and feel the warmth of Your smile as You watch and listen and care.

I LOVE MY JOB

I love my "job".  I love being a mom.  I may not always have the right attitude on those hard days and in those hard days, I may not always feel completely contented in my role as "mother", but when I stop for a moment; amidst all the busy-ness, noise, and goings on in my home, I am grateful for this gift that I have been given of precious time with two wonderful souls.  

My heart melts every time my one year old daughter comes running to me the moment she feels pain or discomfort.  Like when her hair gets tangled in the buttons on her dress, she immediately runs to me and places her head against my leg in search of comfort.  She knows that I, her mother, will find exactly what it is that bothers her and if I do not know immediately, I will continue to search for an answer, and if I still can't find her problem, I will find the right people to help.  And I will comfort her all the while.   My son does the same.  He is five years old and way too "rough and tough", but when he is hurt he will immediately bury his head in my chest as if to hide from the world until his pain is gone.  He trusts that I will hold him and help all I can to ease his pain.  


My children look to me for comfort, shelter, love, food, direction, and guidance.  God has given me this role as mother to, along with my husband, provide these things for my children.  These things, these very necessary things, that I look to Christ for, my children look to me for.  I am to love and serve my children just as Jesus loved and served his disciples.  And I am to teach or disciple them so that when they are grown they will know that they too can look to Christ to fill these needs.  So while I may be a comforter and protector for my children while they are small, they will one day need to know that Christ is their ultimate comforter and protector.  


It is my job, my privilege, to train up these children in the knowledge of God, serve them, love them, and point them to a merciful God who will love them, and comfort them, and guide them as they make their way through this world.  


Thank you God for the privilege of mothering two beautiful and eternal souls. 

H-A-R-D

Lately, life has just been a little bit harder than normal.  I am facing new challenges and new levels of...discomfort? confusion? discontentment?...and I am really having to push myself to hang on to the only One who can make things make a little bit more sense.  It is taking everything within me to not give up on my ideals, to stay strong and hold on to what I know is true.  Have you been there?

It is in these moments, I am learning, that you have a decision to make.  One can either stay the course, hang on to the truths that they have been filling themselves with, even if it hurts; or one can do what would grant temporary relief, what makes sense at the moment, and let go of what they know, deep deep down, is truly wise and unfailing.  There it is, I said it...deep deep down, I know what the right thing to do is.  I know I must trust in God to give me strength to work through each and every situation.   Hanging on to God's promises will not let me down.   What my "self" wants to do is not what God would want for me to do. Psalm 55:22 says, 

"Give your burdens to the Lord,

and he will take care of you.  

He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

God wants me to give Him all my fears, worries, and concerns, and He says that He will take care of me...He will not let me fall.  

Today, I choose to trust and choose to persevere, even though life has been...hard.  He didn't promise life would be all daisies and roses, but He did say he would be our strength.  

Philippians 4:13  For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.  

So even though I am weak today, I choose to obey Him, I choose to persevere. 

Blessings today,

Jenna