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I came across this and thought I'd share it here:
A Mother’s Prayer You say: “I’m too tired.” God says: I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28-30) You say: “I can’t go on.” God says: My grace is sufficient. (II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15) You say: “I can’t figure things out.” God says: I will direct your steps. (Proverbs 3:5-6) You say: “I can’t do it.” God says: You can do all things. (Philippians 4:13) You say: “I’m not able.” God says: I am able. (II Corinthians 9:8) You say: “It’s not worth it.” God says: It will be worth it. (Romans 8:28) You say: “I can’t manage.” God says: I will supply all your needs. (Philippians 4:9) You say: “I’m afraid.” God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear. (II Timothy 1:7) You say: “I’m always worried and frustrated.” God says: Cast all your cares on ME. (I Peter 5:7) You say: “I don’t have enough faith.” God says: I’ve given everyone a measure of faith. (Romans 12:3) You say: “I’m not smart enough.” God says: I give you wisdom. (I Corinthians 1:30) You say: “I feel all alone.” God says: I will never leave you or forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5) |
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Civil Air Partol. Ever heard of it? It is an auxiliary of the United States Air Force. The three missions of CAP are aerospace education, cadet programs, and emergency services. While a member of this proud organization (years ago) I met my fine husband. Now, our 14 year old son is a member. It is great to see him learn and experience the things we did. As a homeschooler, I love this even more. My son enjoys the social outlet, all the while growing in integrity, excellence, respect, and volunteer service. During his membership - about a year and a half, he has volunteered at air shows, fly-in pancake breakfasts, attended bivouacs, a cadet leadership school, had an orientation flight, marched in parades, and is currently attending ground school. I am also happy to report that my son recieved the distinction of being named Honor Cadet of the month for his squadron. He was also given the responsibility of being his element leader. There are so many benefits, I cannot list them all. If you would like more info on this organization you can visit www.cap.gov |
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We were very fortunate when we moved to have many friends and family present to help us. At one point, I counted 22 people helping us settle into our new place. As box after box was loaded into the van, it really struck me.... Wow, we have a lot of stuff. It was incredible. When you see it all laid out before you, I think any reasonable person would ask, "Do I need all this? How much do we need to live?" I am a fairly neat person, and am not by nature a pack-rat, but I had to evaluate, where did all this stuff come from? Why did I have it? Let me preface this by stating that I am not talking about the normal paperwork that has to move with a family, nor am I refering to the mounds of books that accompany home schooling families, I am even omitting the loads of toys my children possess. I mean basically that my family had too many housewares, decorations, clothes, dishes..... we had it all in abundance. I think the answer is two-fold: Number one, my family had a large house, and I think in an odd way, I felt obligated to fill it up. We had 17 kitchen cupboards, all of them full (this does not include a pantry for food). We had a seperate closet for the vaccum cleaner and cleaning supplies, a seperate closet for medicine and linens, and yet another closet just for blankets and sleeping bags. Sounds like a dream, doesn't it? I thought so before I lived it, and became a slave to all my stuff. The second reason was that I thought I was being frugal saving all that stuff. I did not want to get rid of that extra set of measuring cups because I might need them someday.... What if they got lost, or the kids took them to the sandbox? What if I need those scraps of material, or every stitch of clothing my children have ever worn? What If I forget what thier artwork looked like when they were four years old? I found myself becoming enslaved to all this junk. I thought it was frugal, now, I think it was a little foolish. I also am not so blind as to think there might be one other cause to me saving all this stuff... I was trusting my stuff, feeling secure because I had a reserve. I was storing up my treasure where moth and rot could destroy. I was not trusting God. That was a real revelation to me. All the material possessions were not security, they were enslaving. Now that I have accepted this, it is easier to get rid of stuff. Not that I don't still have lots of boxes to go through, but I can let those things go and trust in the Lord. If he promises to look after the lillies and the sparrows, he will not abandon me. If I give something away with a cheerful heart, and need it later, I know the Lord will supply all my needs. Wow, now I am inspired, I'd better go unpack more boxes. |
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Want an answer on how to keep your house cleaner? How to feel less frazzled? How to acomplish more in a day? I can answer in one word...simplify. There are times in our lives when we experience a paradigm shift - a new understanding. I recently came upon this while my family and I were moving. In my former mindset, I would have considered our move a negative. However, Our Heavenly Father, in his infinite mercy has shown me the beauty and joy of living a simple life. We lived in a home in the country (about 3 acres) in an old ranch house that was in constant need of repair. This property was beautiful, but extremely high maintenence. I had visions of peace and tranquility... space for my children to run and play.... an organic garden... the whole nine yards. Do not let me decieve you, the setting was gorgeous. The house was nice, we were very happy, we had a pool, but we were also very busy. This house was also expensive, and with mounting repair bills, we considered my husband getting a second job. We tried unsuccessfully to refinance, and eventually had to say enough! When we weighed the pros and the cons, we decided to move. When I pondered the thought of my husband having to work 2 or 3 jobs in order for us to keep the house and fix it up, without him ever being there to enjoy this house, it really made me sad. What would our house be to the children without their father? It was not worth it. We began looking for houses to rent. Always trusting, I prayed: "Dear Lord, I am being specific in my prayer, Please find us a house where there are at least one and a half bathrooms, with space for the kids to run and play, Oh, and if you could squeeze it in, I'd like to be able to paint and decorate the way I want to." Wouldn't you know, that is exactly what we got! Our house is smaller, but I have begun to see this as a blessing. I now realize that I spent so much time just trying to keep up on the housework, I hardly had time to take a breath. There were times when days would go by in an endless flurry of chores. Every Saturday had to be consumed with yard work. That was no way to live. I will be sharing more reflections on this journey and the constant task of de-cluttering in later posts. For now, I'm going to enjoy my family. (and go to the museum this Saturday!) |