The desk is the one I bought at an antique shop while traveling in Tennessee. My heart loves old things. I love to imagine who used it and the letters they may have penned to love ones while sitting at the desk. Not long after I purchased it, it fell over in the back of my van. It seemed to have broken at every joint–at every place where one piece of wood joined another. Looking like a jumble of puzzle pieces, I didn’t think it would ever be whole again. That Christmas, my husband and father-in-law spent the day gluing and securing the desk back together, one piece at a time.

I walk by these words each morning after I awaken. I look at the desk and it reminds me that all things broken can be made whole.

Each night before I rest my head on my pillow, I am already forgiven for all that’s happened during the day. When I awaken the next day, God has fresh mercy ready and waiting for me.

New mercies each day–a gift each morning; an opportunity to start again. Like fresh fallen manna to fill the stomach, His mercy drops fresh each day to feed my soul.

By the end of each day, I am weighed down by all that’s gone on. The times I raised my voice, the times I grumbled and complained about my life, and all the times I didn’t love bare down hard on my soul.

What if I lived life in the strength of mercy and grace rather than my own?

What if I rested in the promise that He makes all things new?

Each day is a new day and a new opportunity to live in the grace we’ve been given. When I awaken and recall that all I’ve done the day before is thrown as far as the east is from the west, I begin anew with a heart full of gratitude. As I go about my day, remembering how much I am loved by the Father, it strengthens me to live for Him. Each time I stumble and fall, I remember what Christ did for me and that I am completely forgiven. There’s nothing I can do to make Him stop loving me or stop Him extending rich mercy toward me.

God has mercy and grace in so much abundance to lavish on us that He gives it anew each and every day. His love and forgiveness for us is beyond measure. May this truth fill the hunger of our souls each morning as we awaken and strengthen us throughout whatever the day brings.

Do you take this gift of mercy extended to you each day?

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3: 22-24

“To grasp the old faithfulness of God anew every morning, to be able–in the middle of life–to begin a new life with God daily, that is the gift that God gives with every morning.” Deitrich Bonhoeffer

This post is from the “Encouraging Word Newsletter” by CSAHM. Sign up to day for weekly encouragement!

“Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man” – C.S. Lewis

Pride is not an easy thing to overcome, simply because we can be blinded by our pride to not even know we have an issue with pride. I will have to say, if you are a human being then you probably have an issue with pride.

One thing I have personally learned about pride in my own life, and watching those around me live a life filled with pride, is that it’s truly pride that keeps us from having a FULL and authentic relationship with the Lord. It’s not our sins. Our sins have already been forgiven and the bridge for us to cross over into God’s presence is there and was placed there when Jesus died on the cross. It’s our pride that keeps us from crossing that bridge.

Often with our pride our goals, dreams, and aspirations can take us to a place of discontentment. I love this quote from C.S. Lewis simply because I personally know how it feels to just want more. You see when it’s really all about God then our motivation will not be about having MORE it would be about having as much as God wants you have.

It’s really amazing how we can turn something good into something selfish…

Prayer:

Father I ask for you to help me to receive your blessings with a humble heart. Every morning I wake up I am blessed but my pride tells me otherwise. My pride is keeping me from you Lord. Help me to receive You, let the Holy Spirit in me break my pride and shine through. I pray this in your mighty son Jesus’ name. – Amen!

P.S. Family Bible Study Time – Being a Good Helper: On sale for $0.99! Check it out: http://familybiblestudytime.com

Sometimes I just want to be seen. So often my heart desires acceptance, acknowledgement, and popularity.

Sometimes I just want to be successful. So often my heart desires to see big numbers rather than an individual connection.

Sometimes I live in the future. So often my heart desires for tomorrow’s blessings RIGHT NOW!

Click here to continue reading…

Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. – Romans 12:13

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,
As we enter into the time of year where we celebrate your grace over our life, Lord help us to be more giving. Help us to share what you have given us. Show us that it is better to give than to receive. Help our heart to pour out your grace on to those we know. Thank you Jesus for your grace. Lord help my heart that is burdened for those who do not know Your grace and who are not living in the abundant life you have laid out for them. Show me way I can share your love and grace with them. I pray this in Jesus’ name. – Amen!

Sometimes we can get discouraged by our circumstances or the mountains we need to overcome. But the fact is that God has already plotted out a way for us.

~ Healing has already come from whatever you may be dealing with in your health. Tell yourself “I’m already healed by the blood of Jesus!”

~ God has already blessed you. Say, “I am blessed RIGHT NOW!”

~ The path has already been set out for you. Say, “I will move forward in faith because God is directing my foot steps.”

~ There really is no need for fear. Say, “Through the trials my relationship with the Lord grows deeper!”

Whatever you are going through today know that the battle has already been won, you are already healed, and God is the one Who is in control of your life.

So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Mark 11:22-24

This post was taken from the Encouraging Word Newsletter by CSAHM. Sign up today to receive weekly encouragement!

“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” 1 Peter 4:9

This month we are focusing on Biblical hospitality. What is it? What does it look like? Last week’s post focused on the calling we all have as Christians to practice hospitality and how it differs from how the world may view it.

Today, I want to explore the question–what if hospitality isn’t my gift?

The Bible teaches that we are all called to be hospitable, however some people seem to be especially gifted in that area. For some, cooking a delicious meal seems to come naturally. For others, they love having people in their home. Some enjoy decorating their home, making it cozy and comfortable for guests. While for others, hospitality does not come naturally. The book of 1 Peter interestingly tells the Christians to practice hospitality without grumbling. That implies that hospitality does not come as a joy to everyone.

It’s true that hospitality is a lot of work. Most of us don’t live in huge mansions where we can host masses of people. In fact, maybe there is some embarrassment about where you live or the condition of your home. And what if you aren’t the best at cooking? Yet, the size of one’s home, their decorating skill or even their ability to cook an unburned dinner wasn’t a factor in whether a person should practice hospitality in Scripture. We are simply told to do it.

It is scary to invite people into your home. Our homes are really a reflection of our hearts. It’s often the place we feel safest. Inviting people into that private space is difficult. They may see a side of you they didn’t know. And what if they don’t like what they see?

When we practice hospitality as an act of service to Jesus Christ, in response to all He’s done for us, we are freed from fear. We don’t have to have it all together. We don’t have to be a perfect hostess. Opening our homes to others is like taking off a mask. We open the door to other’s because we are all sinners. We all struggle, we all have fears and none of us are perfect. But because of Christ, we are forgiven and we can freely share with others.

Pray to have an open heart to hospitality. Pray for God to give you opportunities to serve others. Hospitality is a matter of the heart and when it doesn’t come naturally, we have to pray for God to give us the desire and strength to do it. God is stronger than any of our weaknesses. Paul knew that well for he wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:13)

Practically Speaking:

What if your house isn’t big enough: Practicing hospitality doesn’t mean that we are all expected to invite the entire town over. Even inviting one lonely neighbor to your home for a meal is an act of hospitality. In fact, a gathering of a small group of people is ideal for creating community and deep fellowship. Do you have a front or back yard? Set up to eat outside if there’s little space inside. Store a folded table and folded chairs under a bed and bring it out for when guests come. Better yet, borrow them from a friend when you need extra seating.

If you don’t cook well: That’s a challenge I can relate to! When I got married, I had no clue what I was doing in the kitchen. It was after watching older women in their kitchens and requesting their recipes that I learned to make a few worthy dishes myself. When you eat a good meal at someone else’s house, ask them for the recipe. Start off with something simple and easy. Perfect it and make it your signature dish for company. My favorite: crock pot meals!

If you are shy around groups: Okay, I can relate to this too. My husband is the outgoing one and is the one who usually invites people over to our house. Honestly, it can be intimidating to me to have large groups of people in my house. If you struggle with shyness, keep your gatherings small. Perhaps invite a couple of close friends with whom you feel comfortable as well as a couple of people you don’t know well. Little steps are the best ones to take when you are not confident in your social interactions. Perhaps invite a new neighbor over for an afternoon play date. As you become more confident, invite more.

Ask for help: One of the best things you can do in the practice hospitality is to ask for help. When hosting a gathering, big or small, ask friends to participate. It could be supplying extra seating, bringing food, helping to clean up afterwards and even helping to facilitate community.

Next week we will continue looking at hospitality. Today, perhaps you’d like to share any struggles you’ve had with hospitality? Leave your comments in the box below.

Do you ever feel like you’re pushed to the edge of a cliff?  Just one more step and you’re sure to fall.  Are you one proverbial straw short of the one that broke the camel’s back?

I’ve often had days where I’m afraid that if just one more thing happens, I’m sure to fall apart.

As moms, we often give and give and then give some more.  Because I am a stay at home mom, my job never ends.  I don’t get a break or two during the day as I did when I worked outside the home.  However, when I do get a few hours away by myself, I return refreshed.  I always think to myself, “I need to do this more often.  This is just what I needed.”

It’s true, moms need to schedule regular time to ourselves.  Restorative time.  Time to regroup and step away from whatever chaos is churning in our lives and see it from a fresh perspective.   We need time to pause, reflect and feed our starving heart and soul.

When a mom spends all day and night giving and feeding the minds, hearts and bodies of their family, it leaves her empty and fatigued.  We give from the depths of our being and forget how important it is to refuel our dried up and empty stores of energy and strength.  Just as a car will stop running once it’s out of fuel, we too will fail to function as mothers if we are not refueled and refreshed.

Jesus, the Servant of servants, took time away from his work and ministry.  He rested and spent time with his Father.  He left the crowds when he needed to and was known to enjoy being alone in the olive groves.  He also spent time away from ministering to the needs of the crowds and enjoyed sweet fellowship with his closest friends.  It was these times that gave him strength to continue down the road that led to greatest moment of selfless love.

To be effective in our role as mothers, we need to be mentally rested and recharged.  We need to rest our bodies and get restorative sleep.  Our emotional and physical health is important to attend to as well.  And most importantly, we need to be spiritually nourished from the Bread of Life.

Some important steps to refueling:

1. Communicate your needs to your spouse and other supportive people in your life.  Tell them how you are doing emotionally, physically and spiritually way before you are close to the edge of the cliff.

2.  Consider waking up 15 minutes earlier each day.  Use that time to feed your soul on the Word to give you fuel for the day.

3.  Commit to taking time to yourself each week.  Perhaps its a run to grocery store by yourself.  Maybe your spouse takes care of the evening routine while you rest and relax in the bedroom.  Take a bath.  Read a book.  Call a friend.

4.  Once a month, set time to get together with friends.  Have a girls night out or meet for brunch on a Saturday.  Or go somewhere by yourself that will give you the break you need.  Take a walk, get a haircut, or go to a park and read a book.

Mom’s are givers by nature.  A mom who gives until there is nothing left to give cannot be effective in her role as a mom.  The best thing a mom can do for her family is be well fed spiritually, physically energized and emotionally healthy.  On an airplane, a parent is to put their own face mask on first, before placing it on their child.  In the same way, mom’s need to be intentional in meeting their own needs so they can effectively meet the needs of their family.

When was the last time you had restorative time alone?

Lately I have been exercising a lot and often I find myself going back to two worries:

1.) I’m not doing enough.
2.) I’m doing too much.

I have found that I worry about these two things a lot, and not just with exercising and losing weight, but also with homeschooling, taking care of the house, the websites and books I have online, etc. I worry about these things when it comes to relationships too including my relationship with God, my husband, my kids, and everyone else in my life.

I think I worry about these two things because I have the idea in my mind that if I did more, or maybe even less, then I could somehow control the outcome. But the fact is I am not in complete control of my life, or those around me.

Take homeschooling for example, I can teach my kiddos a lesson but I can’t control how they will learn. Sometimes I have to teach a lesson in a different way, and even try and explain it differently until they get it. It can take all day to get a lesson through to each of my three kiddos, maybe even an entire week. But no matter what I can’t control how they will learn or when they will grasp the concept.

Same goes for exercising and losing weight. Sometimes counting calories and exercising doesn’t always result in a weight loss. Not to mention there is probably bigger issues surrounding the weight we are physically carrying, which may even be tied into the mental weight of worrying all the time, that we need to work on too. I have been down the weight loss journey many times before, and now I’m leaning on God for my healing because I am already healed through Jesus, and with that God has been working on my heart too. Not only that but He gives me the motivation.

Well, the truth is all we can do is plant the seeds. We can’t control whether or not the weeds will appear, or if it will rain, or if the sun will shine. We truly can’t even control how big the harvest will be. But we can plant the seeds. The rest is up to God…then the harvest. We will reap what we sow. I need to remind myself of this promise daily along with everything I do for HIM will not be done in vain. One thing we can guarantee is if we sow the seeds we will reap a harvest…That is one of God’s promises.

All you need to do today is choose what type of seeds you are going to sow…

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Galatians 6:7

I am a pretender.

I recently purchases a few new clothing items to wear on an upcoming trip to Paris. When I wore the clothes in public, I received a lot of compliments.

Yet, while wearing these clothes, I didn’t feel like myself. I felt like I was merely pretending to be something I wasn’t. In order to wear the “Parisian style” scarf I had wrapped around my neck, I had to study a downloaded tutorial over and over. I felt certain I would choke to death. Because I’d really rather be in my comfy shorts, tee-shirt and Birks.

Do you ever feel like you are a pretender? Whenever you leave the house do you put on your pretend self, the one you show the world?

We often paste on a smile when we’d really rather cry. We say we are doing great when our lives are really falling apart. We put on our best selves and pretend life is wonderful when everything is far from good.

Why do we do that to ourselves?

Many of us have been hurt in the past and pretending can be a way to protect our broken hearts from further damage. Sometimes we want the acceptance of others so much that we fear letting them see who we really are. There are also times when we can’t face for ourself what is going on and pretending can be a way of denying how bad things have gotten. We also can pretend when we don’t think we deserve kindness and compassion from others.

Much of my pretending, if not all, stems from the idols of my heart. Idols such as power, success, control, love and acceptance. Idols like these can be motivators to put on masks and pretend that our life is different from it really is.

Oh, but what freedom we could have if we were able to be ourselves! What if we only cared what Jesus thought of us rather than what anyone else thought? What if we gave all our cares and worries to God and trusted Him rather than tried to control everything ourselves? What if we forgave those who have hurt us in the past so we can trust those we know today?

The only way we can be ourselves is to accept the fact that we are children of God. We are part of his family and heirs of the kingdom. We are loved and accepted so much that the Father sent His own son to die for us. He has forgiven us of every sin we’ve ever committed or will commit. He has only the best intentions for His children and whatever He allows to happen in our lives will turn out for our good.

When we remind ourselves of how much we’ve been forgiven, we can forgive others. When we live like a child of God, we trust Him to care for our every need. When we believe we are loved beyond anything we can understand or imagine, we don’t have to worry about what others think of us.

I don’t like pretending. I want to live in freedom so let me tell you who I really am: I am shy and often insecure. I’d rather read than go to a party. I am often impatient with my children. I struggle to love and serve others. When I’m depressed, I overeat. I often fear the worst. I am selfish. But that’s not all. When God sees me, He sees Jesus’ perfect life. He sees the confidence Jesus had in his relationship with the Father. He sees Jesus’ patience with the children. He sees Jesus loving and serving to the point of death. I’m not defined by my imperfections and weaknesses. I can be free to be who I am in Christ because of what He did for me.

What about you? Would you like to stop pretending?

As a mom most of my daily, or weekly, chores includes laundry. Laundry in a family of five is never ending, there is always laundry that needs to be washed, folded, and put away. I spend a lot of time washing clothes because I want to make sure my kid’s have nice clean clothes to wear. I go out and spend money on new clothes because I want my children to have clothes that fit them, and again I want them to have nice clothes to wear.