TeAcH mE tUeSdAy~ Patience

Hi Friends,
Every Tuesday I am going to do a Teach Me Tuesday post.  This is going to be a devotional on something God has been teaching me lately. My prayer is that through me sharing what God is teaching me, He will teach you too!  Isn't He always trying to teach us something?  I'd love it if you left a comment sharing what God has been teaching you as well!  We can all learn from each other :)

James 1:4 "But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
When I was in 6th grade I participated in a talent show and sang a song along with a friend called "Have Patience."  We both dressed as turtles and sang the words...

"Have patience, Have patience, don't be in such a hurry.
When you get impatient, you only start to worry.
Remember, remember that God is patient too,
Just think of all the times that others have to wait for you!"

It was a cute little thing to do but I can't tell you how many times that song has run through my head in the past 20 something years!  I guess it is something God has been working on in me for a long time.  Patience means the capacity to endure hardship, difficulty, or inconvenience without complaint.   What is harder, more difficult or more inconvenient than children?  Let's face it, being a parent requires a LOT of patience.  And the key component of that definition is the last two words...without complaint.  That is tough.  But God is patient with us so of course he desires us to be patient with others.  Aren't you glad He is patient with you?  I sure am!  I pray that God would help me to have patience with my family and with the things in life for which I am waiting.  It's a daily struggle but the more you do it the easier it gets (right?).  So now it is your turn, what has God been teaching you this past week/past hour/past five minutes?

Motivational Mondays

I know I am not the only one who could use a little extra motivation on Mondays.  I think every other post on Facebook is something about how bummed people are that the work week has started.  I don't "go" to work but I do homeschool my daughter and take care of my son and my home and I still feel that "Here we go again" feeling. 

Here is a great quote to get you through the day:

If you can dream it, you can do it. 
~Walt Disney

I love it!  So simple but so true!  What gets you motivated for the week??

A few Changes around here

Hi Friends,
Please bear with me as I am working on changing the look/features of this blog.  I am a computer novice for sure and am trying to make this place more visually appealing! :)  I also want to give my readers a better idea of who I am.  Hopefully that will be a good thing!  haha  

Thank you for your understanding!

God dwells WITH us!

I spent some time today updating my blog and I found the verse that I posted above.  I love it.  I love the part that says, "God himself will be with them and be their God."  Wow.  We are truly not alone.  Sometimes as a Christian, I get so caught up in my own life, my own friends, my own BUSYness that I forget that God is with me.  He's not floating up in Heaven far far away but he is right here with me all the time.  I can't see Him with my eyes but that doesn't mean he isn't close by.  How often do I acknowledge Him, do I ask him for advice, or lean on Him when my kids are driving me crazy.  Definitely not as often as I should.  Part of that is that I forget that he is there.

Another one of my favorite verses is "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)  It reminds me of my daughter, when I am in the room with her she has far better behavior than when she is away from me, outside hitting her little brother with a plastic baseball bat.  Would she do that with me standing right next to her?  No way.  My presence keeps her accountable.  Kind of like God's presence should keep us accountable too.  We may forget (or at times try to forget) that He is there but that doesn't change the facts.  I think this week I am going to try to remember that fact.  I am going to try to remain conscious of His presence.  I wonder if it will change the way my week goes... I will let you know :) !!

Still here

It has been a while since I have posted anything here and I am sorry about that.  It has been a tough couple months around here since my husband lost his job.  It's crazy how hard it is to hear from God when your thoughts are consumed with worry and fear.  Maybe that is why God tells us not to worry, because it draws us away from Him instead of toward Him.  I have been worrying a LOT and although I have continued to pray every day and have definitely seen God provide in some amazing ways, I haven't sat still long enough to go deeper with Him.

We've moved into a new home this past month, actually right into the house next door to where we lived!  You would think it would be easier that way but not so much.  It was the most difficult move we have ever had.  But now we are settled in and I am feeling that longing to find a new cozy place where I can focus on God and what He wants to say to me.

Already God has blessed us in this new home.  My husband just got a job offer this week and we are very excited for this new opportunity for him.  Also, this coming Thursday is the long awaited hearing for our foster son in which we will find out if his case is moving towards adoption or reunification.  We have fallen so in love with this boy and are praying that it will be adoption.  Any prayers you could send up for us would be very appreciated!!!

I hope to be back here posting more in the next few weeks.  God Bless!!

Do It Anyway

All day today I have had this song running through my mind.  It is called "Do It Anyway" by Martina McBride.  In light of all the things in our life that are up in the air right now it is so comforting to me.  Life is not always going to be perfect but God is alive and working through us.  He has plans for us that we are not aware of yet and we can have faith that He has our best interest at heart.  Hope these lyrics encourage you like they encouraged me.



"You can spend your whole life buildin'
Something from nothin
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway

You can chase a dream
That seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway

God is great but sometimes life aint good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anyway

This worlds gone crazy
And it's hard to believe
That tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway

You can love someone with all YOUR heart
For all the right reasons
And in a moment they can choose to walk away
love em anyway

God is great but sometimes life aint good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
Yeah I do it anyway, yeah,

You can pour your soul out singin'
A song you believe in
That tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway
Yeah sing it anyway, yeah, yeah

I sing
I dream
I love anyway, yeah."

A May Day

I feel like I have been waiting for May for a while now.  I've been wanting to say "Next Month."  Next month we will be moving and next month we will find out what is going to happen with our foster son, whether it be adoption or reunification.  Next month will bring answers! Finally!!  I love the little guy to death but the waiting is the hardest part of all of this.  I just want to know so that we can have an idea of what our future holds.  If it is "with" him I will shout Hip Hip Hooray! and do a happy dance and sing praises.  If it is "without him" then I will prepare my mind and heart for a different journey.  It will just mean God has some other awesome kid or kids for us to fall in love with. 

My husband lost his job two weeks ago and has an interview with a great company this Tuesday at 9 a.m.  The job is perfectly suited to all of his skills and abilities and we are PRAYING hard that it will lead to a job offer that day!  It's good to hope right?  So we will hope and pray.  We know God has something for him, we are hoping this is it! 

As for the move, we *think* we are moving into the house next door.  It has been the plan since last October and we've been looking forward to it.  But of course we didn't anticipate this job issue.  We have until May 15th for my husband to find a job for us to be able to move into this house.  The owners are friends of ours and we want to give them adequate notice to find another renter if need be.  If we can't rent the house we will be looking at renting a condo or a month to month house.  It would be a challenge but I know we'd get through it. 

This is such a time of uncertainty, we should feel overwhelmed (and did at first) but God is so good and He has given us both a pretty strong peace.  God has not forgotten us, He loves us, and he promises to be with us always.  God never promised a 3 bedroom/2 bath with a yard but He did say that He would never leave us nor fosake us.  We are trusting in His Word.  We can't wait to share all that He is going to do in the next few months and see how all of these uncertainties become blessed realities!!