There are certain things in my life that can only be overcome with something extreme...
For example in year 3 of our marriage, I was really struggling to respect Joey as the head of our home...
At the time, we were pregnant with our twin boys, Joey was making a whopping $1000 a month (No that was NOT a typo :) working at our church as a youth pastor and doing random side jobs for whoever needed pretty much anything. When we found out we were pregnant, I just assumed that he would quit his job at the church and find something that would provide a little bit better for our family (after all, we had two babies on the way and our expenses would inevitably be going up. :)... But Joey felt that the Lord was asking him to stay right where he was.
At that time I began to pray that the Lord would put something in my life, more specifically in my marriage, that would cause my respect for Joey to increase in a mighty way...
And so He did...
Cuz He's good like that...
But it was what I least expected...
We spent four days in the hospital losing our boys and Joey stayed with me the entire time... He never left my side... He was my voice when I didn't have the strength to say what needed to be said, when decisions needed to be spoken out loud and no longer just talked about amongst ourselves.
When we got home, I had nightmares and Joey would wake up in the middle of the night and he would fight fervantly for me in prayer... He would put me in the car @2 am and drive me up and down the coast at let me talk about whatever I wanted when I couldn't sleep... I am so grateful that Joey continued to work at the church during that time... Between our family and our church family we had more love and support during that time than I could ever put into words...
Although I know that there are probably many reasons unknown to us this side of heaven as to why we lost our boys that year, I believe that one of the biggest blessings in it was the tremendous amount of respect that I have gained for my man. I needed something THAT big... I needed that loss... to truly change my heart in that area of my life.
*************
And here I am again through God's amazing grace, finding overwhelming blessing in the extreme...
I have confessed to some of you throughout the past few years the struggle that I have with anger when it comes to my kids... Who ever would have thought that three little people could infuriate this Mama to such an extreme???
I have spent countless hours praying that the Lord would take this anger from me... I have memorized scripture and read an abundance of books on the subject in hopes of finding specific ways to overcome the anger that I daily battle with towards my children.
I've asked, and begged, and pleaded with the Lord that he would just remove this struggle from my life... and each day I would find myself losing it in one form or another...
That is, until we moved into this house... With this amazing godly mother... who exemplifies patience to me in a way that i have never been so blessed to witness before... Sweet Tara has a way of staying calm on the outside, even in the midst of fits, tantrums, and frustration. I know that she feels bothered on the inside but she exercises self control and a gentle voice on the outside as she joyfully trains her son in righteousness... She's not perfect, she's human, but the Lord is using her in the most awesome way to anwser some very specific prayers of mine.
The past two years I have struggled and struggled and struggled... And since we have moved into this house I have not raised my voice or lost it on my kids even one time... Living with someone else provides me with an unspoken accountability partner. She doesn't really have to say anything to me, just knowing that someone else is around causes me to stop and think about how I am going to respond to any given situation with my kids. Instead of just reacting, I take the time to figure out what the real problem is. I check my tone before it comes falling out of my mouth. Since moving in, I have really dug into the scriptures to find ways that I can help my kids through their struggles with God's Word and not just my own opinion.
Without a word, Tara has exemplified Hebrews 10:24 to me just by the way that she lives... the way that she loves... the way that she seeks her Savior...
I needed something extreme... I needed to move into this house, against every desire in my body... I will be the first to admit that the first few weeks were rough for me... But my God is oh so faithful to provide purpose and victory in ALL the things that he takes me through...Even if this freedom from anger is the only reason that the Lord brought me here, I would be forever grateful! But I have this feeling that He has even more blessing up His sleeve for me.
Things are not perfect with my kids... I wouldn't be a real mom if they were... But I can see change... I can see the Lord working mightly in my life in this area of anger... And I am grateful... Oh man, am I grateful!!!!!
Blessing Upon Blessing....
PS.. Oh, and by the way, Tara is the one who continues to make my blog look so stinkin awesome! For that, I am also grateful! Thanks friend!
For example in year 3 of our marriage, I was really struggling to respect Joey as the head of our home...
At the time, we were pregnant with our twin boys, Joey was making a whopping $1000 a month (No that was NOT a typo :) working at our church as a youth pastor and doing random side jobs for whoever needed pretty much anything. When we found out we were pregnant, I just assumed that he would quit his job at the church and find something that would provide a little bit better for our family (after all, we had two babies on the way and our expenses would inevitably be going up. :)... But Joey felt that the Lord was asking him to stay right where he was.
At that time I began to pray that the Lord would put something in my life, more specifically in my marriage, that would cause my respect for Joey to increase in a mighty way...
And so He did...
Cuz He's good like that...
But it was what I least expected...
We spent four days in the hospital losing our boys and Joey stayed with me the entire time... He never left my side... He was my voice when I didn't have the strength to say what needed to be said, when decisions needed to be spoken out loud and no longer just talked about amongst ourselves.
When we got home, I had nightmares and Joey would wake up in the middle of the night and he would fight fervantly for me in prayer... He would put me in the car @2 am and drive me up and down the coast at let me talk about whatever I wanted when I couldn't sleep... I am so grateful that Joey continued to work at the church during that time... Between our family and our church family we had more love and support during that time than I could ever put into words...
Although I know that there are probably many reasons unknown to us this side of heaven as to why we lost our boys that year, I believe that one of the biggest blessings in it was the tremendous amount of respect that I have gained for my man. I needed something THAT big... I needed that loss... to truly change my heart in that area of my life.
*************
And here I am again through God's amazing grace, finding overwhelming blessing in the extreme...
I have confessed to some of you throughout the past few years the struggle that I have with anger when it comes to my kids... Who ever would have thought that three little people could infuriate this Mama to such an extreme???
I have spent countless hours praying that the Lord would take this anger from me... I have memorized scripture and read an abundance of books on the subject in hopes of finding specific ways to overcome the anger that I daily battle with towards my children.
I've asked, and begged, and pleaded with the Lord that he would just remove this struggle from my life... and each day I would find myself losing it in one form or another...
That is, until we moved into this house... With this amazing godly mother... who exemplifies patience to me in a way that i have never been so blessed to witness before... Sweet Tara has a way of staying calm on the outside, even in the midst of fits, tantrums, and frustration. I know that she feels bothered on the inside but she exercises self control and a gentle voice on the outside as she joyfully trains her son in righteousness... She's not perfect, she's human, but the Lord is using her in the most awesome way to anwser some very specific prayers of mine.
The past two years I have struggled and struggled and struggled... And since we have moved into this house I have not raised my voice or lost it on my kids even one time... Living with someone else provides me with an unspoken accountability partner. She doesn't really have to say anything to me, just knowing that someone else is around causes me to stop and think about how I am going to respond to any given situation with my kids. Instead of just reacting, I take the time to figure out what the real problem is. I check my tone before it comes falling out of my mouth. Since moving in, I have really dug into the scriptures to find ways that I can help my kids through their struggles with God's Word and not just my own opinion.
Without a word, Tara has exemplified Hebrews 10:24 to me just by the way that she lives... the way that she loves... the way that she seeks her Savior...
I needed something extreme... I needed to move into this house, against every desire in my body... I will be the first to admit that the first few weeks were rough for me... But my God is oh so faithful to provide purpose and victory in ALL the things that he takes me through...Even if this freedom from anger is the only reason that the Lord brought me here, I would be forever grateful! But I have this feeling that He has even more blessing up His sleeve for me.
Things are not perfect with my kids... I wouldn't be a real mom if they were... But I can see change... I can see the Lord working mightly in my life in this area of anger... And I am grateful... Oh man, am I grateful!!!!!
Blessing Upon Blessing....
PS.. Oh, and by the way, Tara is the one who continues to make my blog look so stinkin awesome! For that, I am also grateful! Thanks friend!
