How’s Your Heart?

I love to carefully take care of the condition of my home in order to keep it off the “disaster area” list. But, how much attention do I give to my heart?

When the Bible says that the heart is to be guarded because it is the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23), it means that it is from our hearts that the rest of our attitudes get their cue. Depressed? Check the contentment quotient of your heart. Feel like griping? Once again, review you heart and then you’ll know why.

Rather than cleaning up the outer edges of our lives, we’re wiser to pay attention to the deeper parts of ourselves. Running the vacuum cleaner through a few ventricles, we may discover a layer of dissatisfaction, of envy, or even of anger that we’ve stuffed out of sight.

There’s no use trying to paste on a happy face or a good attitude to show in public if our hearts are cluttered with hidden issues. What’s stuffed down in our hearts will sooner or later spill over into our days with our spouse and children, our neighbors, our co-workers, and God.

Hey, you look great and your house looks great. But How is Your Heart?

Mom’s Devotional Bible

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“Daniel” Women

Yesterday I turned on the tv to watch the news, you know, to stay “informed.” Then, I felt overwhelmed by so many weird and scary stories… The thing that stoked me the most was this obvious sins of all kinds all around us. Ok, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I’m perfect and never did something weird or stupid or may be horrible, but at least I have learned with God’s help (like most people) to listen when his Holy Ghost rebuked me and to do my best to change where it is needed. Also, I learn from my mistake or other’s and try hard to avoid it next time.

But, our world seems to just enjoy sin, harming others and themselves and never ever learn from its mistakes! Sins of all kind are around us and inside us. How can we break free from them and be distinctive people in Christ? Daniel, in the Bible (book of Daniel) is part of my favorites characters. Not surprising, our oldest boy is called after him!

Now, how as a woman can I be like Daniel? How to Be a “Daniel” woman? Well, my devotional book says this: “The “Daniel” woman doesn’t walk out on her husband (I add, except in particular circumstances mention in the Bible: 1 Corinthians 7 & Matthew 19:1-8 ), she doesn’t hang up on her mother (God have mercy, I did that sometimes to my mom when our arguments got out of hand, instead of just shutting up or calming down…there’s always another way right? Proverbs 15:1) She doesn’t ignore the needs of her neighbor (to be kept in mind every day, especially in that Christmas season.) She doesn’t insist on playing the game of life by her own rules (sigh…), but rather chooses to play consistently, obediently, sometimes even painfully, by God’s design. She recognizes and respects the bonds of a pledge.” The list can go on…

Dear friends, (Guys, this applies to you too!) a woman who listen to God, disregards the popular beliefs of her day and lives instead by God’s standards (as Daniel did in his day), stands by her commitment, fights for healthy relationships is a “Daniel” woman: a distinctive person of Christ Amen!

 

 

The ExTrA in the Ordinary

Believe me or not, it’s been a year now I’m trying to find  a job in teaching (my passion): a paid position or as volunteer. Now, believe me or not, it seems like all the doors stay closed, a very complicated paper work vicious circle…!

What on earth would someone with 4 kids and a lot to do at home be so desperate to find an extra work? Well, I guess my life was becoming too ORDINARY and needed an EXTRA…! Can you think of a place where life is more ordinary than home? Come on, I am not talking about those extra things you do to make your home vibrant.

What about the ordinary stuff like, cleaning, vacuuming, laundries, cooking every day, eating familiar food and discussing routine subjects. As we complete one stack of dishes, another one piles up. Each week we return to music lessons, Cheerleading, football training, help with homework and wash mounds of clothes (in our case, for 6 people) and realizing it is the same clothes I washed just the week or the day before: ordinary life!

As monotonous as such everyday patterns can be, I realize there is an upside to their repetition. A predictable, you-can-count-on it home life provides security that can carry us through even the most difficult days.

It is comforting to hear my husband saying how thankful and bless he is to know that he can be away for days for his work knowing and trusting that the house will be taken good care of (he is away right now for his work.) It is good to know that the kids will come through the door about 3:30 pm for the girls and 4:10 for the boys with that joyful look in their eyes, they thrive when they know their mom will be there, ready to help handle the day’s events. Not to mention hugs and compliments they give me when they find a clean house and their favorite snack ready…

Finally, my friends, finding the EXTRA in the ORDINARY at home means looking beneath the boring surface of the mundane and discovering that it’s a blessing to be a stay home mom for my dear and love ones!

Now, if this doesn’t apply to you but you somehow complain about any monotonous, boring or ordinary situation you’re in, may be there’s something to take here!

As for me, I choose to enjoying my EXTRAORDINARY home life, not every mom have that chance!

 

 

 

Stuck!

Moses stands on the edge of the Red Sea with the Israelites bleating like scared sheep while the Egyptians bear down upon them. “It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” NIV (Exodus 14:12).

Moses’ response to the Israelites is much like God’s response to us in the unbelievable moments of our lives when the Red Sea blocks our way and the Egyptians of our day are closing in. “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” NIV (Exodus 14:13-14)

Who are the Egyptians bearing down on us today?  What is the Red Sea that threatens our hope? Where the tendency may be to worry, panic, and run, God tells us that we “need to be STILL.”

This day, this minute, STUCK between the Egyptians and the Red Sea, YOU can choose to LAY aside panic and instead BE STILL!

Blessings.

Mom’s Devotional Bible NIV

The Best In YOU!

“Promise Yourself

To be so strong that nothing
can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity
to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel
that there is something in them
To look at the sunny side of everything
and make your optimism come true.

To think only the best, to work only for the best,
and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others
as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past
and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times
and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself
that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear,
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world,
not in loud words but great deeds.
To live in faith that the whole world is on your side
so long as you are true to the best that is in you.”
― Christian D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them