Children are a gift...

Psalm 127:3 "Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him."

Now, I TRULY believe that children are a gift - I am so thankful to have three babies born to me (carried to full term with no problems or complications) and what a privilege it is to have them!

But I am reminded in SO many way each and every day - what that word "gift" truly means in each child...

With Chayse - its her telling me yesterday "I love cleaning the house with you Mom! You make it fun!" YEAH!! A child with a heart to clean (it just doesn't always flow out of her in regards to her own room)!!

With Connor - I LOVE his laugh (and I love that he loves to be tickled so I can hear that laugh often)!! He and I are known for just looking at each other and giggling... I love that! (I hope he never loses that!)

With Colton - it is his wit and wisdom (he also gives the BEST bear hugs to any nearby legs!!) but today I have to share with you some of Colton's profound wisdom that he shared with me this morning...

Colton:  Mom, when do I turn 8?
Mom:    Colton! You just turned 7 - its a whole year away!!
Colton:  I know Mom, but what day?
Mom:    November 29th - same as this year... (wondering to myself, what comes next??)
Colton:  You mean, I have my birthday every year on November 29th - the same day - NO WAY! That is too cool!!
Mom:    (Bursts into laughter!!)

See why I know that children are a gift from the Lord - I NEEDED that laughter this morning and maybe you did too!!

Enjoy every moment... they go by way too quickly!

Forgiveness... its tricky

 This is a devotion I read the other day that made me stop and think - so I thought I would share it with you...

Matthew 6:14-15 "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

"In life, we all have unfair things that happen to us." Isn't that the truth!!

"We can choose to hold on to the hurt, become bitter & angry, and let it poison our future; or, we can choose to let it go and trust God to make it up to us." (I think that is easier said than done sometimes!!)

"You might not think that you are able to forgive because someone hurt you so badly."

"But realize, you don't forgive for their sake; you forgive for your own sake. When you forgive, you are taking away their power to hurt you."  (That is the part that just makes me stop & think...)

"But if you hold on to that offense and stay angry (hurt or offended), you are only poisoning your own life and disconnecting yourself from God."  (My hurt and offense disconnects me from my loving Father - that's just NOT right!!)

My mother-in-law often makes a statement to anyone listening - she says "Just because you think you have the right to be angry (or offended) - doesn't mean that you should be. Mercy is better than justice any day..."
Now, as much as that statement frustrates me when I hear it - it is a great reminder...
He had nothing in His heart but forgiveness and mercy for the people that had hurt him (even in the midst of his pain). So how can I stand as His representative and not do the same...

So me, I'm working on forgiveness today...
1 John 4:12 "No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us."

A new view to Christmas

I found this over at Pete Wilson's blog and it just JUMPED out at me - SO perfect for Christmas!!

I had someone tell me about a Christmas reading plan called Rediscovering The Christmas Season that was available at YouVersion.com. I checked it out and love it so I thought I would invite you to read along with me. I’ll probably post on it from time to time over the next couple weeks.

I put the first two days of the plan below but I really encourage you to go to youversion.com and sign up for a free account. It’s a wonderful tool I think you’ll love.

So here we go… I'm on Day 2.


You in?

Dec 1: Luke 2:21-40

Dec 2: Matthew 1

After reading the overview of the plan - it explains Advent a little more (which I have to admit, I've not taken a whole lot of time to understand before). I understand the 1st Advent that happened, and that we're waiting for the 2nd Advent (Jesus coming).
But here's an interesting statement they made on this Christmas reading about Advent (which started yesterday):
"Advent reminds us to look forward to His return every day. This season is about resetting Jesus Christ at the center of our lives."

So there's my goal for the next 25 days - to "reset Jesus Christ at the center of my life". Instead of letting presents, baking, decorations, parties & just general "busyness" be the center - I'm taking time (myself and with my kids) to take a different look at what the first Christmas season looked like.

Consider yourself challenged...