This summer was a good one. It was somewhat laced with anxiety but I never felt overly anxious because I live for a savior who is in the business of setting all things right. I didn't feel anxious because I trusted his plan for me. I was so desperate to hear and do whatever it is God wants me to do. I couldn't get enough, I couldn't read enough, I was content just being in his presence. I think in the midst of walking through this daily life I finally knew and accepted my place. By that I mean, I knew that it's not about me. It's not about how I feel, what I want to do, or what other people are thinking. I knew my place as a woman created in the image of God to be in relationship with God for the purpose of making God known.
As a sit here writing this, I wonder why I can know my place one day, and wake up the next day back in the same ole grind of "going through the motions". I'll tell you one thing though, even on ordinary days we can be confident of our place in Christ and his love for us. So everyday, whether good or bad, let us agree with the psalmist...
" I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Psalm 27:13
Monday, August 20, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Ansley
I had to blog this because I want to remember it forever. :) Yesterday at lunch Ansley and I were talking about all kinds of stuff because I was gone over the weekend and we hadn't talked in a while. Then she told me, "Mom, I know I love animals but I think I decided I want to be someone who teaches other people how to read about Jesus. Then when I go talk to them everywhere they will have all kinds of new animals for me to see. So I can tell people about Jesus and see lots of animals." My response was, "That is a great idea"! My heart was full. I get nervous sometimes that walking with Jesus is just a family thing to her (which is somewhat good). However, I don't want her to skip over the personal relationship God wants to have with her just because "church" is kind of our way of life since Jay is a youth minister. I was just encouraged that she seems to be getting it a little. I know God has good plans for her future and I am trusting him to move in her heart at just the right time.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Borrowed from "Stuff Christians Like"
Stuff Christians Like is a blog written by Jon Acuff. This was his post about 2 weeks ago. I wanted to share it so here it is.
False Humility
John Eagan was a high school teacher in Milwaukee. After his death, they published his journals. Brennan Manning quotes the introduction from the journal in his book, Abba’s Child
. I thought it was pretty amazing and worth sharing:
. I thought it was pretty amazing and worth sharing:
“We judge ourselves unworthy servants, and that judgment becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. We deem ourselves too inconsiderable to be used even by a God capable of miracles with no more than mud and spit. And thus our false humility shackles an otherwise omnipotent God.”
I love that line, “We deem ourselves too inconsiderable to be used even by a God capable of miracles with no more than mud and spit.”
The next time the enemy tells you that God could never use your life in his story, remind yourself what he accomplished with mud and spit.
Monday, July 16, 2012
My girls and Adalynn's birthday
This is actually two posts in one. With Adalynn turning two I started really thinking about who she has become over the last year or so with her personality become increasingly more apparent. It made me realize my girls are so different. Each unique with their own gifts and struggles, they bring something very needed and special to our family. So humor me as I spend a few minutes writing about my girls.
PART 1:
Ansley, the first born, exhibits so many characteristics typical of that birth order. She is smart, tough, independent, and stubborn. Ansley L-O-V-E-S animals. I mean all children like animals but I mean she is crazy about them, and she knows so much about them. It's crazy how smart she is. She is my outdoor, physical activity player. She loves to be outside finding bugs, chasing butterflies, catching toads, etc. She is a good runner (a trait she obviously inherited from her father). I mean she is a 6 year old girl so I'm not saying she can run a marathon or anything, but she does love to run just for the sake of running. For example, she will run from on side of the yard to the other and back just to see if she can make it faster the next time. This can go on for 10 or 15 minutes. She likes to climb trees, swim, and jump rope (which she is better at going backward-- weird). Ansley is also very friendly. She meets new kids and these strangers become friends very quickly. Ansley loves for you to read to her. Her ability to memorize books and songs is crazy! It has proven to be a frustration in learning to read. She has so many "sight words" memorized that when she comes to one that she doesn't know she just skips it. We have to remind her that its ok the sound out words... that doesn't mean you are a bad reader, it means you are still learning. This skill typically means she learns quickly. Ansley is a talker! She learned to talk early and hasn't stopped since. I used to say that God thought Jay and I were boring so he gave us Ansley. :) She definitely adds much needed spice in our lives because Jay and I are both pretty easy going, quiet people and Ansley likes to shake things up.
Adalynn, on the other hand, is a completely different kind of girl. She is sensitive, curious, and loving. Adalynn is very polite, she almost always says please and thank you and sorry without having to be asked. We had to talk stern to Ansley for her to take us seriously, but if you talk that way to Adalynn she gets the sad lip and looks down at her feet and isn't sure how to handle that. She responds much better to positive reinforcement. Adalynn also gets upset when others are upset and she tries her hardest to comfort you when you are sad or hurt. She is a hugger! She has always been a more cuddly baby than my first born and she still, when being carried, pats your back. She is way more curious than Ansley ever was. She unrolled the toilet paper, pulled all the kleenex out of the box, and has taken my clothes out of the drawers (several times). Ansley never did any of those things. Adalynn pulls every toy out of every box and off every shelf. The plus side is she actually does play with toys... Ansley isn't great at playing with toys (remember her physical nature). Adalynn already seems much more girly. She likes shoes, purses, and wearing lip balm. She also has these bracelets that she loves to wear. She plays with baby dolls and likes to change their clothes and push them around in the stroller. I wouldn't say Adalynn is behind but she started talking later than Ansley and so she gets frustrated sometimes when she wants to communicate with you but just still isn't sure how. I would say Ansley is more of a singer (she's pretty good too), and Adalynn is more of a dancer. As soon as Adalynn could hold herself up she was grooving to the music. I just think it's fascinating to see how 2 girls from the same parents can be knit together so uniquely. We have such a creative and good God, don't you think. I know I do!
PART 2:
My baby turned 2 last week! I can hardly believe that I've got a 2 year old and a 6 year old. That's just crazy! The second birthday is a hard one because the child really doesn't care and will be excited about anything. Also at 2 they don't really have their own friends. I mean they have friends but not self-appointed friends. At this point, they are really friends with whoever mom decides to hang out with. All of that to say, I was having trouble with what to do for this blessed occasion. So, we ended up partying with my family at my parents house. On the actual day of her birthday we ended up making a little after dinner celebration with just the 4 of us also. It was fun and I think Adalynn enjoyed that as much as having a party. She definitely knew the day was hers. :)
PART 1:
Ansley, the first born, exhibits so many characteristics typical of that birth order. She is smart, tough, independent, and stubborn. Ansley L-O-V-E-S animals. I mean all children like animals but I mean she is crazy about them, and she knows so much about them. It's crazy how smart she is. She is my outdoor, physical activity player. She loves to be outside finding bugs, chasing butterflies, catching toads, etc. She is a good runner (a trait she obviously inherited from her father). I mean she is a 6 year old girl so I'm not saying she can run a marathon or anything, but she does love to run just for the sake of running. For example, she will run from on side of the yard to the other and back just to see if she can make it faster the next time. This can go on for 10 or 15 minutes. She likes to climb trees, swim, and jump rope (which she is better at going backward-- weird). Ansley is also very friendly. She meets new kids and these strangers become friends very quickly. Ansley loves for you to read to her. Her ability to memorize books and songs is crazy! It has proven to be a frustration in learning to read. She has so many "sight words" memorized that when she comes to one that she doesn't know she just skips it. We have to remind her that its ok the sound out words... that doesn't mean you are a bad reader, it means you are still learning. This skill typically means she learns quickly. Ansley is a talker! She learned to talk early and hasn't stopped since. I used to say that God thought Jay and I were boring so he gave us Ansley. :) She definitely adds much needed spice in our lives because Jay and I are both pretty easy going, quiet people and Ansley likes to shake things up.
Adalynn, on the other hand, is a completely different kind of girl. She is sensitive, curious, and loving. Adalynn is very polite, she almost always says please and thank you and sorry without having to be asked. We had to talk stern to Ansley for her to take us seriously, but if you talk that way to Adalynn she gets the sad lip and looks down at her feet and isn't sure how to handle that. She responds much better to positive reinforcement. Adalynn also gets upset when others are upset and she tries her hardest to comfort you when you are sad or hurt. She is a hugger! She has always been a more cuddly baby than my first born and she still, when being carried, pats your back. She is way more curious than Ansley ever was. She unrolled the toilet paper, pulled all the kleenex out of the box, and has taken my clothes out of the drawers (several times). Ansley never did any of those things. Adalynn pulls every toy out of every box and off every shelf. The plus side is she actually does play with toys... Ansley isn't great at playing with toys (remember her physical nature). Adalynn already seems much more girly. She likes shoes, purses, and wearing lip balm. She also has these bracelets that she loves to wear. She plays with baby dolls and likes to change their clothes and push them around in the stroller. I wouldn't say Adalynn is behind but she started talking later than Ansley and so she gets frustrated sometimes when she wants to communicate with you but just still isn't sure how. I would say Ansley is more of a singer (she's pretty good too), and Adalynn is more of a dancer. As soon as Adalynn could hold herself up she was grooving to the music. I just think it's fascinating to see how 2 girls from the same parents can be knit together so uniquely. We have such a creative and good God, don't you think. I know I do!
PART 2:
My baby turned 2 last week! I can hardly believe that I've got a 2 year old and a 6 year old. That's just crazy! The second birthday is a hard one because the child really doesn't care and will be excited about anything. Also at 2 they don't really have their own friends. I mean they have friends but not self-appointed friends. At this point, they are really friends with whoever mom decides to hang out with. All of that to say, I was having trouble with what to do for this blessed occasion. So, we ended up partying with my family at my parents house. On the actual day of her birthday we ended up making a little after dinner celebration with just the 4 of us also. It was fun and I think Adalynn enjoyed that as much as having a party. She definitely knew the day was hers. :)
Thursday, June 28, 2012
"I Swear"
Last weekend I went to my friends baby shower. She lives a little over 2 hours from me, but I was so excited to make this trip to see one of my best and oldest friends to celebrate a family of three soon to be family of 4. Another of my dear friends was there too, and was also pregnant with her 2nd baby. We all went to high school together and these girls have been so precious to me no matter where we are or what we've been doing with our life.
I mentioned that trip was 2 hours because that means lots of radio time. This is notable because I could listen to whatever I wanted without interrupting anyone else's plans (ahem... a certain 6 year old comes to mind). On the way back after having a great visit with my friends, I was flipping through radio stations and came across a country station playing something I thought was worth stopping the channel surfing for. (even though now I don't remember what was playing) What I do remember is the next song that came on was John Michael Montgomery's song, "I Swear".
As soon as the song started even before any words were sung I was instantly thrown back to junior high or high school dances. I was the nervous girl fidgeting, wondering if anyone was going to ask me to dance because when I was that age everyone danced to the slow songs and the up tempo stuff you were free to do whatever you liked. Is anyone going there with me? I don't know if it happened because I had been with my old friends all day or what, but it was awkward to the point my stomach was even feeling unsettled for a second.
I sat there and remembered all my friends and was thankful for all the ways God has worked in my life since those days. After a few minutes the whole thing just made me smile really big and love the life God has given me. I now have a forever dance partner, who I will always think is the best looking man in the room! ( : I have two darling girls who love to dance and play with their mom (for now). Lastly, maybe most importantly, I am satisfied with who the Lord has made me. Don't get me wrong there are days when I think,"I guess these love handles are just always going to be a reminder of the blessing of being able to bear my own children.", or think "I'm almost thirty, shouldn't I have grown out of pimples already?". But in general I am thankful to be who God made me and I am comfortable with my lot in life.
I can recall several times I've told those younger than me that adulthood is overrated, but I have been truly blessed beyond measure. Maybe glimpses into the past, like I experienced, are meant to show us how far we've come and to praise the Lord with increasing confidence that "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6).
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Each Chapter
"As we surrender to divine interventions (or not) each chapter of our lives puts God on display."
Priscilla Shirer in
Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted
The idea of chapters in life has been one that has intrigued me for several years. It was even the theme of our D-Now 3 or 4 years ago. I know I am part of the big story God is writing throughout history, but my life also is a story and each chapter is necessary and different. Switching chapters is always a struggle in my mind, but so is remaining in a chapter when I feel a new one should start.
While I was getting my haircut last week this came up again. Ashley (who cuts my hair) was asking me about life, as all good stylists do. :) Jay had just gotten back from Haiti so I was telling her about that when she asked me if I would have liked to go with them. I said yes, but it's not my season for that. She agreed and identified with that. She completely understood and felt the same way. She loves the Lord and lives to serve him too.
The season I'm in is focused on doing ministry with our girls and being "busy at home" (Titus 2:5) I'm learning to appreciate this a little more each day. If there is any chapter of life I feel completely unqualified for, it's this one. I do not like to cook, bake, sew, clean or anything else you typically associate with "traditional" female roles. I can see you rolling your eyes now because you're thinking, "Jamie, it's 2012. Isn't that why feminism came along. Traditional roles don't matter." You're right. I appreciate that girls and boys alike have the same opportunity to be who they want to be. I come from a family where Mom always worked. My husband's Mom also always worked. Let me just say it was completely my idea to stay at home when I had kids. Please don't feel like I'm oppressed by this societies gender issues blah blah blah... I say that because throughout my education, specifically my undergrad history classes and my graduate communication classes, people often wanted me to assume that to be a liberated woman relevant in the 21st century I had to be independently successful as measured by financial standards. I feel a little like Julia Stiles in the movie Mona Lisa Smile. Okay, enough on that, that is for another post maybe.
The point I started to make is that I chose this life that I feel unqualified for, but a life that I appreciate a little more every day. I look at the examples the world offers my girls, and frankly it makes my stomach hurt. I want to train my girls to be women who love graciously, are wise and pure, work hard, and live appreciative of their God given purpose in life. I wrestled the Lord over my station in life. I refused to move until I heard from him about it one night. You know what happened, he answered so clearly and honestly so contrary to what I wanted. What I want is a full time job. I wanted to hear that my time as SAHM was coming to a close. We've become accustomed to living off one salary so mine would allow us to save for the girls and retirement, go on cool vacations, get Jay a new car, etc. But what he said to me was that my girls souls are more important than any of that. No one is better suited to train my girls in the way they should go than me. He orchestrated my life in such a way that I could stay home and spend my time with my girls, and I should thank him rather than rebel and insist on my desires and comforts.
I know God has different plans for each of us, so please, don't for a second feel any condemnation over living your life different from mine. All I would say is that if you haven't "wrestled" with him over it that you should. If you have given your life to Christ, ask him what he wants you to do with it (your life). I'm pretty sure he'd love it.
So our summer Bible study is the book of Jonah and I felt inspired to share my latest "divine intervention" as Priscilla Shirer puts it. The quote at the top was great because more than anything else I want to put God on display. For now I'll aim to display him in our home and to my little sweets!
Priscilla Shirer in
Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted
The idea of chapters in life has been one that has intrigued me for several years. It was even the theme of our D-Now 3 or 4 years ago. I know I am part of the big story God is writing throughout history, but my life also is a story and each chapter is necessary and different. Switching chapters is always a struggle in my mind, but so is remaining in a chapter when I feel a new one should start.
While I was getting my haircut last week this came up again. Ashley (who cuts my hair) was asking me about life, as all good stylists do. :) Jay had just gotten back from Haiti so I was telling her about that when she asked me if I would have liked to go with them. I said yes, but it's not my season for that. She agreed and identified with that. She completely understood and felt the same way. She loves the Lord and lives to serve him too.
The season I'm in is focused on doing ministry with our girls and being "busy at home" (Titus 2:5) I'm learning to appreciate this a little more each day. If there is any chapter of life I feel completely unqualified for, it's this one. I do not like to cook, bake, sew, clean or anything else you typically associate with "traditional" female roles. I can see you rolling your eyes now because you're thinking, "Jamie, it's 2012. Isn't that why feminism came along. Traditional roles don't matter." You're right. I appreciate that girls and boys alike have the same opportunity to be who they want to be. I come from a family where Mom always worked. My husband's Mom also always worked. Let me just say it was completely my idea to stay at home when I had kids. Please don't feel like I'm oppressed by this societies gender issues blah blah blah... I say that because throughout my education, specifically my undergrad history classes and my graduate communication classes, people often wanted me to assume that to be a liberated woman relevant in the 21st century I had to be independently successful as measured by financial standards. I feel a little like Julia Stiles in the movie Mona Lisa Smile. Okay, enough on that, that is for another post maybe.
The point I started to make is that I chose this life that I feel unqualified for, but a life that I appreciate a little more every day. I look at the examples the world offers my girls, and frankly it makes my stomach hurt. I want to train my girls to be women who love graciously, are wise and pure, work hard, and live appreciative of their God given purpose in life. I wrestled the Lord over my station in life. I refused to move until I heard from him about it one night. You know what happened, he answered so clearly and honestly so contrary to what I wanted. What I want is a full time job. I wanted to hear that my time as SAHM was coming to a close. We've become accustomed to living off one salary so mine would allow us to save for the girls and retirement, go on cool vacations, get Jay a new car, etc. But what he said to me was that my girls souls are more important than any of that. No one is better suited to train my girls in the way they should go than me. He orchestrated my life in such a way that I could stay home and spend my time with my girls, and I should thank him rather than rebel and insist on my desires and comforts.
I know God has different plans for each of us, so please, don't for a second feel any condemnation over living your life different from mine. All I would say is that if you haven't "wrestled" with him over it that you should. If you have given your life to Christ, ask him what he wants you to do with it (your life). I'm pretty sure he'd love it.
So our summer Bible study is the book of Jonah and I felt inspired to share my latest "divine intervention" as Priscilla Shirer puts it. The quote at the top was great because more than anything else I want to put God on display. For now I'll aim to display him in our home and to my little sweets!
 |
| My girls love summer! |
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Inconvenience: The Price of Good Parenting
| I subscribe to get emails from iMOM and this was from yesterdays. SO good and so true. Just wanted to share. April 16, 2012 | ||
| Inconvenience: The Price of Good Parenting | ||
| My father, now a grandfather to seven, was reflecting recently on his own journey as a parent. He said, “By far, the hardest part of parenting for me was consistency. If it’s wrong today, it’s still wrong tomorrow, even if following through with the consequences for my child does not fit the schedule.” And it’s true—the bedrock of good parenting is consistency, and consistency is often ridiculously inconvenient—to the parent! Good parenting is work, and doesn’t go away when we’re tired or over-scheduled. So when you’re at a parenting crossroads, you may be asking, “Is it really worth the inconvenience to me to: take away his cell phone, ban her from the computer, or keep her home from the sleepover? Most of the time, the answer is yes. So stick with your parenting plan, even if it means you’re the one who’s inconvenienced. | ||
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