My new year resolution is to seek out peace in my all areas of my life and relationships.
Wow.
That feels lofty after writing it down.
Not that my life is not peaceful. there are moments.
But with 4 kids, a dog, sports, school, work, a house, bills and life, that feeling of peace often goes out the window.
Ah ha and therein lies the problem for me- the feeling of peace goes out the window
So peace must be more than a feeling.
A practice?
A part of my character?
I'm not exactly sure what to call it right now but I hope to find out.
This morning, I read psalms 4 and verse 4 really spoke to me:
do not sin by letting anger control you
think about it overnight and remain silent
So many words to replace anger came to mind-
do not sin by letting jeaously, fatigue, negative thinking, criticalness, impatience...control you
think about it overnight and remain silent.
Remain silent. For I know that in silence peace can be found.
Jesus, please help me remain silent at times when my emotions threaten to steal my peace and therefore the peace of those around me. Remind me to choose silence today over sin.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Thursday, December 27, 2012
A Baby Changes Everthing
Early every morning, before anyone else in my house is awake, I get up and go for a walk.
It's dark and it's cold, but it's also wonderfully peaceful.
It's my time.
My time to pray, think or listen to music.
It's one of my favourite parts of the day.
Last month, I started to listen to Christmas music while walking and one of my favourites quickly became the song; "A Baby Changes Everything."
It's true.
Jesus' birth, God sending His son to earth as a baby, changed everything; for you, for me, for all of humanity.
A baby's birth. God's son coming to earth. A beautiful, yet quiet declaration of His love for us. Setting the path for us to eternal life. Giving us hope.
Having children does change everything.
I have four children; 3 boys and 1 girl, ages 12,11,8 and 6. Being a parent is so much harder than I ever expected it to be. I mean, if you're in it, then you're in it, right? As a mom, I know that I need to teach, coach, and come along side my kids as they find their way in life. And I have dreams for them. Lots of dreams. Most of all, I want them to be good people. To live the life they were called to live. To be difference makers in this world and in the lives of others.
One of the most unexpected blessings for me as a mom, has been the way my kids encourage and teach me. Last summer, the five of us, biked to the beach regularly. Attached to my bike was the trailer that Carys sat in, surrounded by various items- snacks, flippers, towels, chairs. Each of the boys carried some items in their backpacks to help lighten the load, butthe trailer was often still heavy. Biking back was sometimes hard for me. It was uphill and windy most of the way. And there were several times that I just didn't think I could do it. Carys would always be cheering for me to keep going from her spot in the trailer. And two of my sons kept leading the way and cheering me on from ahead. And it was my 11 year old son, who came back to bike with me. Zachary rode beside me, keeping the same speed I was, telling me over and over - you can do this Mom. And I did. Because of them.
My kids have also taught me that there are things I still need to work on. Um hm, like patience, maybe?
My children teach me in small ways everyday, and a few weeks ago my daughter taught me something big.
In the fall, we found out that my husband needed to have surgery. Nothing major, Just day surgery but they would be running some more tests after just to make sure nothing was really wrong.
Now if you know my husband at all, you know that doctors, hospitals, surgeries are really not his thing. He has passed out getting his blood pressure taken. So needless to say he was feeling very anxious about his upcoming procedure. And I was worried too about how he would do and what the outcome of the tests would be.
A week before his surgery, we were at the rink. My daughter had just gotten off the ice and was playing with a friend. Suddenly I heard crying and my daughter's friend came running to tell me that Carys was hurt. I folllowed the sobs and found Carys, eyes wide as saucers holding her hand against her. "My fingers did the splits Mommy!" she said. I looked at her hand and her pinky was not where it should have been. It was sticking out sideways. Her finger had done more than the splits- it was broken.
We arrived at the hospital and everything happened very quickly. Within 45 minutes, Carys was assessed, xrayed, put under and her finger reset. It wasn't until I was waiting for her to wake up that it all hit me. Sitting there alone beside her hospital bed my thoughts started race. Would she be ok when she woke up? Would she be in pain? How would her finger heal? How am I going to keep her from injuring it more while it heals? What about Mark? How is he going to do? What will the tests show? And then there's.... And so on and so on.
By the time Carys did wake up, I was in quite a state. I felt anxious. I felt fragile. I felt alone.
As Carys stirred I leaned close to her and asked her; Are you awake honey? Are you ok?
Nodding her head, she turned her precious little face toward me and whispered three words; "Trust in God".
Then she closed her eyes I went back to sleep.
Trust in God.
So simple. So completely true.
I settled back in my chair in stunned silence and allowed her words to wash over me. And as they did, all the fear and anxiety that had gripped my heart began to fade away. And I felt a peace I hadn't had in a long time.
Trust in God. We can. Because of his love for us. Because of the way He demonstrated that to us by giving us His son. Baby Jesus. Changed everything. Turning our hopelessness into hope. Replacing our fears with joy.
It's dark and it's cold, but it's also wonderfully peaceful.
It's my time.
My time to pray, think or listen to music.
It's one of my favourite parts of the day.
Last month, I started to listen to Christmas music while walking and one of my favourites quickly became the song; "A Baby Changes Everything."
It's true.
Jesus' birth, God sending His son to earth as a baby, changed everything; for you, for me, for all of humanity.
A baby's birth. God's son coming to earth. A beautiful, yet quiet declaration of His love for us. Setting the path for us to eternal life. Giving us hope.
Having children does change everything.
I have four children; 3 boys and 1 girl, ages 12,11,8 and 6. Being a parent is so much harder than I ever expected it to be. I mean, if you're in it, then you're in it, right? As a mom, I know that I need to teach, coach, and come along side my kids as they find their way in life. And I have dreams for them. Lots of dreams. Most of all, I want them to be good people. To live the life they were called to live. To be difference makers in this world and in the lives of others.
One of the most unexpected blessings for me as a mom, has been the way my kids encourage and teach me. Last summer, the five of us, biked to the beach regularly. Attached to my bike was the trailer that Carys sat in, surrounded by various items- snacks, flippers, towels, chairs. Each of the boys carried some items in their backpacks to help lighten the load, butthe trailer was often still heavy. Biking back was sometimes hard for me. It was uphill and windy most of the way. And there were several times that I just didn't think I could do it. Carys would always be cheering for me to keep going from her spot in the trailer. And two of my sons kept leading the way and cheering me on from ahead. And it was my 11 year old son, who came back to bike with me. Zachary rode beside me, keeping the same speed I was, telling me over and over - you can do this Mom. And I did. Because of them.
My kids have also taught me that there are things I still need to work on. Um hm, like patience, maybe?
My children teach me in small ways everyday, and a few weeks ago my daughter taught me something big.
In the fall, we found out that my husband needed to have surgery. Nothing major, Just day surgery but they would be running some more tests after just to make sure nothing was really wrong.
Now if you know my husband at all, you know that doctors, hospitals, surgeries are really not his thing. He has passed out getting his blood pressure taken. So needless to say he was feeling very anxious about his upcoming procedure. And I was worried too about how he would do and what the outcome of the tests would be.
A week before his surgery, we were at the rink. My daughter had just gotten off the ice and was playing with a friend. Suddenly I heard crying and my daughter's friend came running to tell me that Carys was hurt. I folllowed the sobs and found Carys, eyes wide as saucers holding her hand against her. "My fingers did the splits Mommy!" she said. I looked at her hand and her pinky was not where it should have been. It was sticking out sideways. Her finger had done more than the splits- it was broken.
We arrived at the hospital and everything happened very quickly. Within 45 minutes, Carys was assessed, xrayed, put under and her finger reset. It wasn't until I was waiting for her to wake up that it all hit me. Sitting there alone beside her hospital bed my thoughts started race. Would she be ok when she woke up? Would she be in pain? How would her finger heal? How am I going to keep her from injuring it more while it heals? What about Mark? How is he going to do? What will the tests show? And then there's.... And so on and so on.
By the time Carys did wake up, I was in quite a state. I felt anxious. I felt fragile. I felt alone.
As Carys stirred I leaned close to her and asked her; Are you awake honey? Are you ok?
Nodding her head, she turned her precious little face toward me and whispered three words; "Trust in God".
Then she closed her eyes I went back to sleep.
Trust in God.
So simple. So completely true.
I settled back in my chair in stunned silence and allowed her words to wash over me. And as they did, all the fear and anxiety that had gripped my heart began to fade away. And I felt a peace I hadn't had in a long time.
Trust in God. We can. Because of his love for us. Because of the way He demonstrated that to us by giving us His son. Baby Jesus. Changed everything. Turning our hopelessness into hope. Replacing our fears with joy.
"My whole life was turned around.
I was lost but now I'm found.
A baby changes everything."
Thank you Jesus for coming to earth and changing our world.
As we celebrate your birth, help us remember that no matter what lies ahead of us,
all we need to do is trust in you.
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