When the Prayer Request Changes

Financial Provision.  It is a prayer request I have had for many years.

I realized yesterday that I don't have that as a prayer request anymore.  God is providing financially for us! In fact, He is providing above and beyond what we need right now. We are finally able to put money away in savings and are working to get enough money saved up so we can move & give my in-laws back their house. They have been so amazing & patient letting us stay here. We don't know when we will move & we don't know where, we are doing this slowly to make sure we don't make any emotional decisions. But for the first time in 5 years we have consistent income! Don't you know I am doing the Praise-Jesus-dance!!

Scott is working for a company called Pilot. They are hired by an insurance company to handle their home insurance claims. It isn't a fun job, but he does enjoy those he works with. The hard part is he works 12 hours a day, 5 days a week and then he has to drive an hour to work & an hour home. So we don't see him much during the week. I hate that part, but it is what the Lord is using to provide for us right now, so we are all thankful for it. And I'm very thankful for a husband who is willing to do what every he needs to do to provide for us.

I am working from home, part time. I blogged about a year ago about how I was about to start pursuing a business with Young Living Essential Oils. I'm so thrilled that the Lord is greatly blessing this & we are now receiving enough income to completely cover many bills and our groceries. And the great part is, this business just keeps growing and getting bigger. Not only has the Lord used these products to change our family's health, but now he is using this company to change our lives and bring about things I had lost hope over.


It's the little things that excite me.

• Sarah & Morgan went to Ireland this month with our church mission team & we were able to contribute to their fundraising....many times!
• We bought a car! I finally have my own reliable car to drive for the first time in 3 years.
• I bought our home school materials, everything the kids needed with out asking for my parents help in paying for it.
• I met a friend for lunch & I paid for her lunch!
• I can go to the grocery store & buy whatever we need.

We are not rolling in money by any means, but how refreshing it is to be able to take care of our needs & a few wants without worry. How fun it is to bless others with what God has blessed us with!

I blinked...and he grew up.

I remember when I first began having babies, a sweet little old lady at church told me,
"Don't blink or they will be all grown up and you will miss it."

I didn't really care what she was talking about because I was drowning in diapers, babies and spit up.

I should have listened.

I blinked.

Little did we know that when our son left for the West Texas oil fields he would meet the girl of his dreams.

I blinked.

He brought her over for dinner and I gave her a good look over.

I wondered, "Is this the one I've been praying for?  Is this the girl God designed, created and loved just for my son?"

I couldn't help but think about these things. As a mom, you hope and pray your son will recognize God's girl for him when he meets her.

Conversations became serious after we met her.

"Mom, she's the one. I know it. I can't explain it, I just know it."

Little did we know that she was having the same type conversations with her family.

I don't remember blinking, but I did.

My little boy is gone. Now a man, bringing her home to meet her future family. Proud & smiling from ear to ear.

I love looking at this sweet girl my son has chosen and thinking, "I've been praying for you, since you were a little girl, I've been praying for you."

I feel like I am meeting an old friend I have known for years even though we have just met.

 

They stood before God and their family and friends and  committed to love each other and be faithful to each other no matter how hard life will be. And life will be hard.

I've gained a daughter of whom I love and adore. I pray for her and for him because now it is them. Instead of praying for a mysterious, unknown girl, I am praying for my son's wife, she has a name, face and a place in my heart.

I will try not to blink as much because I do not want to miss what God has planned for this couple.

Just a quick update.

I haven't written anything since May. I can't believe it has been that long, but things have been really busy & there just hasn't been much time to blog. So I thought I would give you a quick update on what all has been keeping us busy.

June came in with an invitation to Scott to participate in a 2 year project with the company he has been working catastrophic claims with since 2011. He accepted & began work in mid June. The drive is long & so are the hours, but we are so thankful for the income. But we really miss him not being here. We look forward to the weekends when he is home. This job has been my first true hope of us being able to get back on our feet & move into our own house eventually. This coming November will be 3 years since we had to move.

Scott has been helping me with my Young Living business, so when he went back to work & had to get used to working solo and that has taken quite a bit of adjustment for me. This is my job now. I officially call myself a "Work at Home Mom". I am excited to be earning enough income to cover many of our bills each month & cover the Young Living products we need.  You can visit out "oily" website to see why I love doing what I do.  I am teaching classes, meeting with moms and helping people find a natural way to improve their health.

July brought us an exciting announcement. Josh & his girlfriend, Chelsea are getting married.  We really like Chelsea & have enjoyed the time we have been able to spend with her & are so excited to have her in our family. The wedding is August 23! Yikes!!! 

The rest of the summer has been full of church camp, family reunions, swimming & sleeping late.

We are starting school back tomorrow simply because these kids need some routine in their day & I need routine also! I don't even have all of their school books yet, but that is what the internet & a printer is good for. :)

Be Mindful on Mother's Day

This Sunday is Mother's Day.  For many woman across the globe, it is a great day.

But for some it is a dreaded day.

The Lord has placed 2 women in my life who have inspired me is so many ways.  Their lives are lived not just in service to others but in a way that encourages others to seek truth in Jesus. What these 2 women have in common is they have not been able to have children.  According to society, they are not moms.  But I do not agree. They may not have given birth to children or raised children in their home, but both of them have had a huge positive influence on many children, touching their lives in a way than most mothers never will.

One friend I have already blogged about in this post.  But, I decided to introduce you to my other friend.  Of course I won't use her name. I just want to tell you a little about her and how she has inspired me.

Like I said, my friend has no children of her own and desperately wants them. She has experienced the painful loss of miscarriage. Her heart aches & yearns for children. So, you can understand why Mother's Day is a very difficult day for her.  She yearns for the day when she can be celebrated by her children.  She looks forward to the day when in church on Mother's Day they ask all mother's to stand and she can join the other mothers in the room.

While she waits for the Lord to give them children he has her very busy at a very difficult job.  She counsels young girls considering abortion.  While her heart is aching for a baby, she sits across the table from a young girl wanting to get rid of her baby.

Can you imagine the pain my friend experiences as she counsels with these young, very confused girls?

I can't imagine.

But yet she does it. It is important enough to her to push through her own emotions and do what God has called her to do.  She has amazing stories and testimonies by young women whose lives were changed. What she is doing is possibly changing whole generations.  The Lord is using her to save lives!

In addition to that, she also speaks in schools to students about the right kind of sex education.  She teaches abstinance...an unheard of concept today. She spends time with young people, pouring herself into them encouraging them, teaching them truth and equipping them to make wise decisions. For many of these students she is the closest thing to a mother any of them will ever experience.

The Lord is using her is such a huge way in the lives of so many students and young girls.  I'm so thankful for her.  She is such a blessing to me and has inspired me in so many ways to reach beyond myself and look for new ways to bless others.

I hope & pray that one day my friend will know the joy of being a mother. Until then, I love how she continues to do what the Lord has called her to do.

I encourage on this Mother's Day you to be mindful of those dear friends we all have whose dream of being a mom hasn't or will never come true. Maybe send them a special note or give them a quick phone call, letting them know how much you are blessed by their life.

Lessons from Charlie

Here is my view as I write.

Today is Charlie's 2nd birthday. Yes, I know...already!

He is very much a typical 2 year old boy. He loves to eat everything he isn't supposed to & not eat what he needs to. He is a boy of few words, but knows how to get his point across.  He is happier outside then inside (the reason for the sand table). He will take a bucket of cars over a book all day long.

Last year I blogged about the difference a year makes. The Lord has often felt very far away, but Charlie is our constant reminder that indeed he is also very close by.

I have said it many times before on here, but Charlie truly is the joy of our family. It isn't because he is the youngest.  God has used Charlie to teach our family many very important things.

1.  Dates are important to God.  15 years ago today is when the kids & I were in that horrible car accident that triggered a season of depression & panic attacks for me.  For many years we hated the date, May 7 because it always reminded us of what had happened. We do not believe it is coincidence that 13 years later the Lord blessed us with Charlie on that same day.  Now, May 7th is a day of celebration for us.

Sarah and Charlie near the site of the accident.

See the bent t-post? They never fixed it. We found Sarah laying under the post. That post saved her life. The suburban rolled over that post, bending it. She has no memory of the year before or the year after the accident.

2.  Joy is possible in the midst of difficult days.  Even though we were thrilled when we found out we were expecting Charlie, we were in the midst of a very difficult time and I was really concerned about having this baby.  I knew God had a purpose, but trusting his purpose was a totally different issue. Here is my post about what was going on at the time: You Have Given Me Greater Joy!  Little did we know the impact Charlie would make on our family. The Lord used Charlie to bring our family together during a trial that could easily have torn us apart.  He brought joy to our lives.

3.  God truly knows!  Not that I ever really doubted this, but ok...yes I have.  When I realized we would have to move unfortunately one of my first thoughts were not, "God knows what he is doing." It was more like, "Really? You are letting this happen now?" And yes.  I was upset with God.  If it were left up to me, I would never have chosen to have a baby at that time. I am so thankful it isn't left up to me. I can't imagine the blessings we would have missed out on if we had decided 10 kids were enough & made sure to not have anymore.  Charlie is proof we do not know, but God does. His timing is perfect. He could easily have given us Charlie several years earlier,but he didn't. He could have never given us Charlie at all.  In the eyes of many that would have been best.

I'm so thankful God knows what I need exactly when I need it!

When I begin to doubt God's timing or plans, I look over at Charlie and am reminded that God knows, He gives joy & everyday is important to him.  Suddenly, my doubts fade and my joy is renewed.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:12

My latest lesson?  Sitting outside with your laptop while your boys play in the sand will result in sand all over & possibly inside your laptop. Not sure that was a good idea.

Choosing Gratitude

It is such a simple thing. In the grand scale of life it really doesn't matter at all.  But for some reason on this day I made it matter a lot and that set off a progression of emotions that were just out of control.

I had to wait to take a shower.  And if that wasn't bad enough, once I finally got in there to take a shower there was no towel. By the time I tracked down a clean towel to use someone was in the bathroom again! So, again I had to wait!  I finally got into the bathroom to take a shower only to discover there was no hot water! Really! This can't be happening.

Now I was not only in a bad mood, but I still had greasy hair. And for the rest of the day, nothing went my way. Charlie didn't nap long enough. My kids didn't finish their school work. My husband thought I should just get over it. And to top it off...I could not find any chocolate in the house ANYWHERE!

When a family of 12 lives in a house built for a family of 4, there are going to be challenges. And not having enough bathrooms has been one of those challenges. Waiting to use the bathroom is nothing new, in fact we have become quite used to it, almost to the point of thinking we could totally live in a house with only 2 bathrooms. Until I have a moment like I just described.  And then I decide that no matter where we live, I want my own bathroom...even if I have to go outside to use it. (And if my husband reads this he will say that is totally doable!)

By that evening I couldn't stand myself.  My mood was just ridiculous!
"Lord, what is the deal with me?"
His response was very simple, yet so profound (because he is God and I'm not) because it forced me to look in the mirror and see what I was doing.

He said, "What are you thankful for?"

Plenty!  I'm thankful for so much!  My life is so full & blessed! But why can't we just have a house & have one with plenty of bathrooms?

What are you thankful for?

Ok, I get it.  I'm thankful we have a bathroom, with water (even if it is cold) and a toliet & tub.

I was choosing what to be thankful for & that isn't how it goes!  
True Gratutude doesn't choose, it just is.

Of course, the benefit of choosing to just be grateful was huge & a sweet blessing not just to me but to my family.  They liked me more. I was happy & cheerful. And I liked myself too.  And, my whole perspective reflected the attitude of Jesus in that I chose to see the blessings in my day instead of dwelling on the challenges and trials.

The next time I heard someone grumble about waiting to get into the bathroom I stopped them. Choose to be grateful we have a bathroom.

Are you choosing what you are grateful for?  Or are you choosing to just be grateful!

Overwhelmed by His Grace

It's Good Friday.

Our day really hasn't been much different that most Friday's.  But yet it is.  

My Bible reading this morning took me back to the events that lead up to Jesus arrest, crucifixion and death. If I'm not careful I can read that like I read most books.  Just looking at the words, not taking it in.

I recieved a message from a friend this week who spoke about her son who is autistic and really has a hard time this time of year.  He gets very emotional when he reads the scriptures about Jesus death.  He cries and is very upset. He struggles with separating the past from the present and even though his parents assure him that Jesus is not dead, his emotions are over whelming as he reads what Jesus went through.

I have to side with Jeremy on this one.  I can't read those words without becoming emotional.  And I pray that never changes.

Are you humbled by his life and death?  It was all done for you.

If you can read the account of Jesus death without your emotions being stirred, I challenge you to re-read it & use your imagination.  Put your self in that crowd.  Smell the smells.  Hear the cursing and yelling.  Watch the beating done by the Roman soldiers who literally didn't know who they were beating.

16 The soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of the governor’s headquarters (called the Praetorium) and called out the entire regiment. 17 They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head. 18 Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” 19 And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. 20 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified. Mark 15:16-20

As horrible as it is to read what was done to Jesus, what a blessing to know the story didn't end there.  

Sunday we celebrate the rest of the story.  We rejoice that sin was conquered and God's plan for salvation was accomplished.

Let this resinate in your soul. 

Immerse yourself in the beauty of God's love for you and the wondrous grace that covers you.  

Let it overwhelm you like it does Jeremy. His love for Jesus should insire us all to respond in the same way.

By the way, April is Autism Awareness Month & I am so thankful for the special people the Lord has placed in our lives that bless us and inspire us to love the Lord.

When They Leave

I knew it would like this. But I didn't know it would be like this.

When my kids were all little I would hear older moms remind me to enjoy these days with my kids because one day they would leave. There were days, of course, when I thought they would never leave.  But there were even more days when I knew they would and I did not look forward to that day.

Since we homeschooled, my kids have always been with me. My days were filled with moments with my kids, good & bad of course. I remember watching them play together, fight together, eat together, just be together and would treasure in my heart those moments because I knew...someday...they wouldn't always be together.

I'm here. I have arrived.  Actually I arrived about 2 years ago, but it is really setting in now.  My kids are growing up and leaving home.

When we had to move 2 years ago, Sarah moved in with friends.  That was hard, because I didn't feel like she was ready but it was a situation that was out of our control.  She loves the family she is with and they love her being there.  BUT...she is only 10 minutes away and visits often.especially around dinner time.

A few months after we moved, Ashley was offered a live in nanny job...20 minutes away. So, she moved in with the family and now we only saw her on the weekends. 6 months later that job ended and she took another job as a live in nanny an hour away.  So, now we rarely see her.  It took a while to get used to her not being around. It was hard on momma.  Still is.  I love when she visits, because we just don't get to see her enough. Thank goodness for Facebook and cell phones because she is only a call or text away.

I never expected my girls to move out before they got married.  I had hoped they would live at home until that happened.  But it just didn't work out like that, and I am still learning to be ok with that.

When your little boys start to grow up something happens.  They stop wanting & needing mom as much and start needing Dad.   I was all good with that when my boys started pulling away from me.  But the God given desire to leave & start their own life...that I haven't not been as good with.  Once again, I knew it would happen.

Josh has been gone 2 weeks now.  He and a friend of his drove out to West Texas looking for a job on the oil fields.  The day before he left it really began to settle in that he was moving really far away.  No weekend visits. No stopping by for dinner. He would be gone.This week he finally got the official word.  He starts his new job on Tuesday.  I'm proud of him for stepping out like this & leaving.  He has already made friends with a family out there who are letting him stay in their RV until he can afford his own place.  Leave it to Josh to move 5 hours away from Momma and find another momma to cook for him.  I'm tellin' ya....that boy is smart!


So many thoughts run through my head with my older kids gone.
What if they get in trouble.
What if they get hurt.
What if they get sick.
What if they run out of money.

The goal of motherhood is to prepare your kids to leave your home. I can only hope I have prepared them well.  But at this point of their life I just have to trust that  I did and leave it all to the Lord.  I know that when I left home I didn't know what I needed to know.  I learned it.  I taught myself to cook, clean, keep a home.  So, I know they will be ok.

We got a text from Josh a few days ago. He & his friend had not heard back about the job they had applied for so they applied somewhere else and were immediately hired.  At first thought we thought this was great, until he told us the company has the worst safety record of all the oil companies out there. They went to the orientation and began watching the safety video's.  Josh told us in the text.
 "I began to feel sick. I knew something wasn't right. I had this feeling we needed to get out of there fast. As the man began to talk to us I could hear the Holy Spirit telling me we needed to leave and never come back. So we did"
Can I just tell you this Momma was so proud of her boy, knowing he could still hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.
The next day, the first company they applied with called and said they start Tuesday.  I'm so thankful God revealed himself to Josh, once again, and reminded him that He has it all under control.

I don't like my kids leaving me.  But I do know the Lord is watching them.  They are not out there alone.

You Can't Fix Him

I had had it!  He didn't care.  I was convinced!

 I was so frustrated with my marriage. My husband wasn’t meeting my needs and it didn’t matter what I did, nothing changed.  We seemed like two cars, going in the opposite direction.

One night, around 2 AM, I woke up & couldn’t go back to sleep.  I was so bothered by my husbands’ lack of affection & attention to me.  On this particular night I couldn’t sleep so I started to pray for my husband.

  When all else fails pray…right?

“I just can’t get Scott to wake up & realize how he is not meeting my needs & I would really appreciate it if you would tell him to do these things for me. I just feel so lonely and frustrated. You are God. Tell him to buck up & be a man lead his family and take care of his wife. I can’t fix him, I need to you to do that!”

 As I prayed, telling God what I needed from my husband, my prayer shifted from me and onto Scott.

“I LOVE him so much God.  He is a wonderful father and an even better husband.  He loves you more than he loves me.  Thank you so much for giving him to me.  What does he need from me?”

The words were barely out of my mouth before the Lord began to fill my mind with a long list of things my husband needed from me.  I got up and went in the other room so I could write these things down.  I looked at this long list and began to weep.  I understood now.

How could I expect my husband to do anything for me when I was not meeting his needs?  I expected him to do for me what I would not do for him.  I wept and asked God to forgive me and help me to act on these things that God had showed me. 

Part of my list:

o   tell him you appreciate him,

o   tell him you are proud of him

o   tell him he is a great dad

o   Thank him for being a fantastic husband.

What was not on my list?

o   More sex

o   Wash his clothes

o   Fix his dinner

God knew what he needed even if Scott didn’t know. And it wasn't Scott that needed to be fixed...It was me!

Over the next few weeks I worked on the list.  I tried hard to encourage him and bless him with positive words.  I noticed something after a while.  He was meeting my needs.  He was doing many of those things that I wanted him to do and I had never mentioned any of them to him.

Now, when I begin feeling needy I examine my own heart and actions towards my husband.  Many times I am the one who needs to shape up.  I ask the Lord to help me be faithful to my role as Scott’s wife.  It isn’t easy, but I am always blessed by the results.

Proverbs 31:11. 

 Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life.  

She will not hinder him but help him all her life.

ADHD is not a Disorder

We are on a new journey with our son Sam. He is our #10 kid in the sibling line up and is 7 years old.

Sam is sweet, sensitive, funny, creative and just all around wonderful.  When Sam was a toddler we noticed when he played with his brothers hot wheel cars he lined them up perfectly and sorted them according to color or size.  Strange for a toddler to do this, but we just chalked it up to being a little OCD, plus we thought it was cute.

When I would bathe Sam and rinse his hair, he screamed.  Every. single. time.  From the time he was a baby if I poured water over his head, he screamed.

Sam has always hated clothes.  He insisted all tags be cut out of his shirts. I hated doing this.  But I needed him to wear clothes so I did it. Same with his socks. He often would wear his shoes without socks because they bothered his feet.

School was a disaster for him last year.  He was supposed to be in Kindergarden. We barely got anything done.  It was obvious to me he wasn't ready & since he is the 6th boy I have homeschooled I knew that often my boys are just not ready until 1st grade to structured academics so I stopped pushing it.  When we started this year it wasn't any better, in fact it was much worse.  Tantrums are not something Sam has ever done, but he was doing them very well now.  Running away from me when he couldn't remember how to say his phonic sounds. Banging his head on the table or hiding under the table became an everyday thing. Hearing him say things like, "I wish I was dead." or  "I don't want to be here anymore" broke my heart.

I made an appointment with a special doctor at our Pediatricians office for an evaluation.  She was wonderful and spent a lot of time with Sam asking him questions.  She had me fill out a questionaire.  Once it was all said and done she agrees with me.  Sam is ADHD and has Sensory Processing Disorder.  She wanted to send Sam for a more detailed eval but we haven't had the money so we have taken what she said and tried to come up with a plan.

This so called diagnosis isn't really life changing for us.  Josh was ADHD & Dyslexic.  Ashley was ADD & Dyslexic.  But it is the sensory issues that have brought more disruption than anything else.  It is another new normal for us.  It is a new mindset towards his behavior. His "episodes" are not always because of rebellious behavior.  He isn't just picky. He isn't trying to be difficult.  There is more to it than that & I am glad we finally know what it is.

Sam & I enjoyed a smoothie after his appointment.

What I thought were cute little querks about Sam are more complex.

He is old enough now to put words & explanation to these querks and I am getting a glimpse into this sweet little boys distorted mind.  He is full of anxiety & fear.  He is afraid of the unknown...who isn't?  But his mind tries to convince him of things that are completely untrue.

When I would pour water over his head in the bathtub he thought I would drown him.  When I asked him about it he said, "I know you would never do that, but when you pour water on my head I think I will drown and that scares me."

He is super sensitive to touch.  No tags in the shirts.  Socks are often wore inside out because they bother his feet. He hates the way his hands feel when he runs water over them to wash his hands. He hates sudden loud noises. He doesn't like for people to touch him, but he will touch anybody, anytime he wants. He won't eat if he thinks someone else has touched his food or if his food will make his hands dirty.

When Sam was a baby, I could put him in a baby wrap & wear him.  He loved it. Even if he wasn't sleepy, if I put him in it, he would immediately calm down and go to sleep.  Now, when he is upset or acting out all I have to do is come up behind him, wrap my arms around him and hold him tight and he calms down.


So, what are we doing?

The first thing we did was change his diet.  Taking high fructose corn syrup and dyes out of his diet made an immediate difference.  He is sugar sensitive which means when he has sugar or other sweetners other than Agave syrup or Stevia he becomes hyper and sometimes aggressive.  He says, "Sugar makes me crazy".  I am looking more deeply into the Feingold diet to see if this is something we can do that will help him even more.

Next we are using essential oils to help him calm down and focus.  They are working & we love the results.  Through Young Living we are able to get oil blends that were formulated specifically for hyperactive kids.  When he is overwhelmed or feeling very down (which often leads to agressive behaviour if left alone) I can have him inhale an essential oil and it helps him a great deal. More about this later.

Next, we never ever tell Sam there is something wrong with him or that he has a disorder. Because he doesn't. I know other's may disagree with me here, but Sam does not have a disorder. He is ADHD & has sensory processing issues, but I do not see those as disorders.  He has an opportunity to learn how to do things differently & handle life circumstances differently than someone who isn't has not been diagnosed.

We praise him when he does really well, we discuss everything about his day that went well, we discipline when we need to and do not let sinful behavior go. We treat Sam no different than we normally would, except that now we know there is something driving him besides just being a typically little boy.  We know that often he acts out and doesn't understand why he did it.

One day when Sam & Gracie went to the store with me there were some boys who were looking at Sam and whispering.  Sam thought those boys were talking about him and got very upsetto the point of crying.  Every isle we went on he was afraid of those boys being there, no matter what I said.  As we were walking out of the store he says to me, "Mom, I don't understand why I did that.  I know those boys wouldn't hurt me.  Why did I cry?  I couldn't stop crying." That made me very sad for Sam.

Some days are good.  Some days are bad. Some days we just take it one minute at a time.  We already live like that so it's all good.  Sam is still my sweet lovable, huggable little boy who loves to climb up in my lap and kiss my face.  I'm thankful for the challenges because they are preparing us for more challenges.  I'm thankful for the good days because they are good.

The Battle of Motherhood

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 {The Message}

^3-6 The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.

I'm in a battle.  It's a battle for my children. Not a day goes by I don't see evidence of Satan waging war against my family. The temptation is to fight the worlds' way. 
Worry.  
Fret. 
Become fearful. 
Interfere.

But 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 reminds me of the truth.  We don't fight our battles like the world does. 

When I see one of my kids on a path that I know cannot end in a good place, my temptation as a mom is to interfere, voice my opinions & just flat out get in the way of what God is trying to do in their life. It is hard to resist doing this. And to be completely honest, most often this is my first reponse.

But what is the Lord's way?

Psalm 37 has the perfect recipe for how to fight the battle of motherhood the Lord's way, & not the worlds way.
Psalm 37: 1

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong.

The best way to fight is by not worrying about the outcome.  Know that God is ultimately in control of this & he will win!

Psalm 37:3,4

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 Take it to the Lord.  This may sound "churchy", but it isn't.  It should be the habit of every Christian to take their worries & trials to the Lord before they do anything else.  Trust that the Lord cares more for your child than you can.  His love is deeper than yours, which I know is very hard to imagine.  But when I understand this & rest in it I am better able to trust the Lord with the life of my child.

Psalm 37:5,6

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.

Commit to do things the Lords way. Once we trust the Lord can fight for the life of our child better than we can, then we are able to commit our ways to him.  Every mother wants to stop their child from making stupid mistakes, but often they need to make those mistakes to feel the sting of the consequences.  Often I have prayed, "Lord, this is what I want to do, but I want my ways to be your ways so please help me to trust you completely." 

Psalm 37:7

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Be still & wait.Oh, I think this is the hardest part.  To be still.  To do what we feel like is nothing.  When we see our children hurting or in trouble our momma bear instincts come alive.  But the Lord often calls us to be still.  This can make no sense unless you understand who the battle is really against.  The enemy wants nothing more than for you to interfere with what is really going on.  The enemy wants your child to turn against you and the Lord. And he would like nothing more than you use you to make that happen.  But when we are still, and let the Lord fight for us and patiently wait for Him to bring our child back; we disable the enemy.

Psam 37:8

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;  do not fret—it leads only to evil.

Here is another reminder to not worry and don't get angry.  It is so easy to get angry at our children or at those who are causing them hurt. When we let our emotions lead our decisions that only leads to more wrong decisions. It only interferes more with what the Lord is trying to do.  We have to remember though the enemy fights ugly, our God never loses!

Psalm 37:34

Hope in the Lord  and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

Never lose hope!  Never stop praying for your children.  Never stop trusting the Lord will bring your child back to him.  It's so hard. I know that.  I have days when I am tempted to believe the lies of the enemy, that my child is gone for good.  But the Holy Spirit always comes back to remind me that he loves my child more than I ever could and is at work though I might not can see it.  
The enemy will be destroyed.  We are promised that many times in Scripture.  In fact, that moment Jesus returned on the 3rd day after dying on the cross marked the eternal defeat of Satan.

I encourage you to look to the Lord for the salvation of your child. Let him become your stronghold rather than the world.  The victory belongs to the Lord and to you!  You can do this! Run to the Lord the cling to his promises.

For more encouragement visit my Facebook page: JoyMoms