Category Archives: Story Time

Sweet Dreams Little One

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 19 March, 2014 None comments

There is something so powerful that happens for me as a mother to watch my little man sleep.

The precious breathing, beautiful face, calm presence and perfection lying before my eyes. His sweet little body snuggled so tightly to his blanket while his mommy rubs the small of his back. Longing to capture that moment as if my eyes could take pictures. Pictures that only a moment can describe. A picture truly is worth a thousand words, yet that same picture holds no depth that that current moment so intently held.

“Look Mommy a Kitty”

I can’t capture the deep love I have for my son in words. I must honestly and humbly say, I think only a mother truly understands. The deep protection, longing and heartache that follows a mother is only the beginning of what raising a child is all about. The precious moments, the moments you take for granted, the frustration of discipline, the joys of laughter, the snuggle time, the cute little language developing, the precious kisses and hugs, the beauty of reading and holding your child is just a small portion of all the emotions that encapsulate being a mother.

“Truck, Truck” while on a coffee date with Mommy

Sometimes when the craziness of life sets in, I begin to regret the moments I didn’t soak in as I know he is growing up and will only be my little man for so long. One day I wont be able to kiss him anytime and all the time, I wont be able to hug and snuggle him, pick him up and hold him tightly. These are moments that will pass and before they do, my goal is to try and hug and kiss him beyond measure that I get so sick of it (this will be impossible and that’s exactly my point). Not letting wasted time pass, but enjoying the present and not wishing it away!

Baby Powder that caught his attention while daddy snooped for ice cream!

I love you more than life Cooper John and can’t believe you are almost two in 3 months!

Moment of Truth: Relish in the present even when life becomes chaotic and you wish all your kids could take a nap at the exact time so you could clean the house or feed your tummy. Delight in your children, they are blessings!

The Struggle of Trust

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 19 March, 2014 None comments

Just when you think you couldn’t lose your trust in someone, it happens. The devastating blow that what you had known previously has now crumbled to the ground. How do you push through, how do you manage your life when life revolves around trust in all aspects? Every relationship we hold begins with trust whether it’s a solid foundation or has become excruciatingly severed. What I’ve come to realize through the years is the only reason trust does not exist in a relationship is due to selfish gain, insecurities and fear of failure. Pride breeds lies.

As soon as a tone begins within a conversation or a defensive state occurs, immediately my guard pops up. If you are an honest person you do not have a reason to get defensive or develop a tone. I honestly believe through watching people, circumstances, and learning through psychology that a person who can’t show all their colors upfront is hiding something they are either ashamed, embarrassed, incompetent, seeking approval and/or fear of disapproval. These feelings unfortunately can dictate a relationship and destroy a family immediately. A friendship or marriage cannot exist without trust.

So how does one stay in a predicament that is untrustworthy? Where does the stamina occur to hold their part of the marriage or friendship together? And when should someone simply walk away?

These are questions I have struggled with for a long time within many different relationships I’ve had throughout the years. I have learned that my character and integrity lie in the hands of whether I prove to be a trustworthy, honest individual. Why would I expect someone to hang on to what “could” be if I constantly fail to gain their trust? I CAN’T!

This is something we all long for and unfortunately some of us stay in heart wrenching relationships in hopes to change them and gain a solid trust to feel complete in that particular relationship. There is a significant difference between a marriage relationship and a severed rope with a friend. In marriage vows we promise to hold dearly and care for our beloved through sickness and in health, through richer and poorer and through the good and the bad. But what do these vows truly mean? Do you honestly wholeheartedly believe those words? Now, we don’t promise those same vows to a dear friend and although maybe we should, the covenant between a marriage and friendship is different. Marriage is not only a covenant but a covenant with our Heavenly Father.

Unfortunately we as humans were created for a greater design, yet our instincts are out for ourselves. When you boil it down, the scary truth is we are only in it for ourselves. If you aren’t, than you have to continually make the choice to humbly serve our “brothers and sisters” of the world. The reality is friendships unfortunately are destroyed and marriages burn with affairs, addictions and utter disrespect. So the question is not what to do if this happens to you, the proper question is ‘how should you respond when this does occur’. It’s inevitable that you will travel through life without broken trust, broken hearts, and broken friendships. Unfortunately this is all part of the fall of man; the sinful curse.

The exciting news is there is hope. There truly is, you cannot change any person out there let alone to truly change oneself for the better. The only hope we have is in Christ Jesus. To some of you that may sound foolish, but once you have hit rock bottom and come to a honest reality of who you truly are, it’s ugly. We are all nasty people trying to save an extra buck, losing work ethic, purchasing items that are not healthy and beneficial for our mind and bodies, deserving you should be first in line or not cut off on the freeway and putting ourselves before ANYONE else! Christ calls us to lay our lives down as a sacrifice for our neighbor. Did you catch that? Our neighbors! How many of you know your neighbor and know them intimately? Probably not too many of us! When push comes to shove would you willingly lay your life down to the neighbor on your right? How about the neighbor on your left?

My neighbors seem nice enough, but I can’t honestly say I would lay my life down for them. I long to wholeheartedly say I would do this in an instant but I would be lying to you all. There is a few people I have no question, I would in a heartbeat. But the rest of ya’ll out there….I’m not so sure! This is a sad reality. I know each and every one of you have a beloved story to tell. One that would probably bring me to tears, others that would make me laugh with joy and in either case, having heard your story would make me want to do lay my life down for you! The transition needs to happen prior to any story I hear! I want that deep love of Christ that even the man who cuts me off on the road and slams on his breaks I would easily say “Okay, for you I will!”

Lets be honest, without the love of Christ there is NO WAY any of us would give it a second thought. But even WITH the love of Christ the battle rages and poses one to many questions to immediately talk yourself out of it. So here we are and we evaluate the true meaning of love and honesty. Those who hurt us we make excuses for, those we don’t know, we automatically judge, the high performers we speak poorly about. Insecurity after insecurity flows from our mouths and actions.

So how do we love our neighbors and how do we trust those who betray us? We aren’t always given the answers! Every scenario is different. But just remember when you aren’t walking with Christ, you must expect bridges to be burned. Good cannot sustain itself in a worldly environment. Remember there is a battle fighting for your soul, a real battle taking place at this very moment; don’t let the enemy win and conquer your mind and/or soul.

Philippians 4:6- Give thanks in spite of difficult circumstances.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 – The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds…..taking every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.

Colossians 3: 13- Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Acts 26:18- to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

2 Samuel 7:28- Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.

These are just a few verses that have stood out to me giving encouragement. We don’t have all the answers but we know that man is utterly deceitful and the only trust we have lays in the arms of Jesus Christ; hold tightly to truth. The power of sin is beyond what our eyes can see. There is so much more raging around us in spiritual warfare. Pricilla Shirer Said it like this “Every good gift, Satan counterfeits.” This is exactly the essence of our daily walk through life. Every positive step you take, Satan’s next five steps to ruin your one. Walk with the eyes of Christ, if you walked in this confidence you would constantly walk on Satan rather then allow him to walk on you.

God doesn’t tell us exactly what to do with every scenario we face. The basis I have seen is to still love your neighbor as much as you love yourself. God calls our focus to be on Him, so when those lies and deceit show up, KEEP YOUR EYES ON CHRIST. Take the next right step for God, not yourself or that person. God will conquer evil and already has. That doesn’t mean your marriage will be redeemed or your friendships healed, BUT it does mean, if you are seeking God and walking with Him in the midst of your pain, he will be gracious to you and bless you. Now what happens with the relationship is unknown but keep your eyes on Christ! Do not hold grudges, do not be angry and do not dwell.

Moment of Truth: This is not an easy topic and often doesn’t solve each individuals pain. All I can offer in the midst of my own heartache, is that Christ still gives me the strength and wisdom to get through the next moment and the next day. How that will look, is often beyond what I had envisioned. Trust your instincts when you are in the Word, but remember if you aren’t walking solely with Christ, be careful in trusting your instincts as we can make decisions based on fear rather than faith.

This is tough stuff…unfortunately my advice is even when a marriage is burned down to ashes, pray for healing, don’t give up. Walk in confidence knowing you did everything in your God given power to save your marriage. I do care about the heartache, but not when it comes to walking away. God will be faithful to you! You made that covenant before the Lord! He will bring healing whether your spouse walks away or stays. The healing begins within yourself, not them! Push through dear friends. (There are circumstances that simply aren’t safe, I’m not advising on these particular circumstances) Seek godly council and pray for wisdom! God will bless you beloved!

In regards to friendships, you must weigh what the Lord is pressing on your heart. Seek Him and ask for wisdom. Are you walking in Christ but still living in the places that the enemy reigns? If so, than run away from those broken friendships. God calls us to turn from evil and by turning from evil not only means placing your faith in Christ alone, but then by responding by walking down the opposite side of the street avoiding the roads the enemy tromps. You can’t walk down the same streets you walked before you came to Christ and expect different results. You must change your route, build new friendship, and seek godly wisdom not worldly advice!

I’m not suggesting this is easy, even as I share this with you all, I feel the battle fighting to not believe what I tell you. Living my life for Christ will bring about spiritual warfare but I must take my mind captive as the battle is out to destroy my soul and relationships around me. Holding tightly to God’s promises rather then my fear will bring about faith!

In Christ’s I place my trust!

-Amen

Ditch Digging….NEVER ENDING!

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 16 March, 2014 None comments

Little did I know that digging ditches was a part of my future. I was really uptight about digging our French drain and having done so I have come to realize that was easy as pie compared to the new ditch I’ve been hacking at. I say “hacking” as digging seems to be limited while trying to hack at the rocks or shall I say boulders and the massive trees that are growing underground.

The picture below if from digging our French drain a couple weeks ago….

Let me explain: When I mentioned our pipes had been clogged and we had a pipe to fix, I wasn’t quite sure that fixing the pipe was our issue, the real issue is the 6×4 feet of dirt that needs to be eliminated. Do you hear me, this is a four foot cave I’ve been trying to dig. I honestly feel as I enter the center of the earth I’ve come to believe lava and volcanic fluids do NOT reside down there. The farther you dig, the harder the dirt becomes and the more roots you bump into.

Day 1:

I spent three hours digging four feet down. Yes, I dug four feet down! It was brutal and this is what I call backbreaking; all seriousness in the word backbreaking. I had every neighbor on the block watching this miraculous hole get deeper and deeper with a tall, gangly girl holding a shovel. When I realized I found a pipe or another cement block I stopped for the day. Hot, sweaty and longing for an iced coffee I went and showered and did not receive the iced coffee.

Here’s the first small tree I ran into with the very first pull of the shovel….

I got my creative juices and decided since I was extremely too weak to lift a 2×2 foot of grass and dirt, I would shove two shovels on each side and jump on them. This helped get it out of the ground so I could lay it on it’s side. It worked, but I must say the neighbors were probably extremely confused by my shovel jumping exercise.

Here are just a couple of the many rocks/boulders I ran into….

Another look at another tree underground…

My four foot hole…

The long attempted rocky, rooted ditch

Oh…just another tree….

Day 2:

The second day approaches. I head to bible study and come home to only begin this nightmare of a job to only find more and more roots hindering my ability to saw through and eliminate them. My hands blistered, sore and back throbbing only led me to deep anger for this “situation.” I threw the shovel down and sent my husband an email stating very clearly that this is absurd and I’m not cut out for this job. “We WILL hire someone to continue this project!” Though he previously told me we should hire someone and I blindly ignored him as I thought it was Ludacris and how hard would it actually be to do it ourselves. Well little did I know day 2 I would be begging for a laboer to come and take over.

As I was already incredibly muddy, I continued to fill up our yard debris bin as this seemed like paradise compared to what I had just been dealing with. This time, iced coffee in my blistered hands, I was able to appreciate the warm day knowing I was done with this project!

Day 3:

We had a gentleman come over yesterday to continue the work and I must say the “situation” has turned extremely confusing and we are unsure what and where to tackle the “real” issue. The pipe is found, ditch being dug, but where is the problem and do we dare break open the pipe to find something larger than what we had expected? The frustration is never ending with our house! I pray this is the last of the issues and that it is less complicated when the pipe is revealed. :)

Day 4:

The job is still in process. We will have our workers come back out on Monday and finish the digging and continue this project. Pipes have yet to back up…pray they continue to last!

Moment of Truth: The ditch digging is never ending, but this gal has ended. I choose to no longer partake in backbreaking work. This is not my duty as a mother, wife or a woman. :)

When Addictions Enter In

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 15 March, 2014 None comments

When addictions enter in, it will rule someone’s entire life; marriage, work, friendship, motivation, personal growth, children and ultimately self. This reality will ruin a person and/or those around them. An addiction can come in any sense of the word: drugs, alcohol, money, pride, food, sex and gambling just to name a few. Manipulation usually goes hand in hand with an addiction as most addicts can’t accept responsibility for themselves. I must preface this with the reality that I am not a psychologist but do see things as I have experienced life and have taken many classes in psychology as my degree is in counseling. I am not a professional but I have seen many people struggle through deep depression and insecurity while they try to mask their pain with what we call “habits.”

Thanks to eglo.info

I have struggled myself with anxiety and fear of failure. When I was younger I always wanted to be accepted no matter the cost. I thought being “cool” was the way of life. I think every child to some degree or another longs to be accepted, it’s how they ‘earn’ their acceptance that is challenging. I’ve heard the prevalence of drugs and alcohol being the way of high school acceptance these days. The main struggle I see is how the parents relationship with one another directly impacts our children on many levels but especially self-confidence. What they see and how they feel at home is what they will strive for with their friends. Now, there is the exception that children also have an immense amount of peer pressure as well that they succumb to on their own, it isn’t always due to parenting. There is a distinction that needs to be clarified. Kids need to learn what life is truly about and need parents to be solid in their foundation to guide appropriately the road of life for their children. Our relationship as parents and husband and wife are the foundation for our children. What they see is what they will learn. Not what they hear. We all know actions speak louder than words.

I am very passionate about our children and the environment they are raised in. I have seen terrible childhoods as well as excellent childhoods. A child’s early years will form their beliefs about life later in adulthood. We all say at some point or another “I will never do that when I am older as that is what my parents said or did.” But unfortunately the reality is we will become what we despise from our childhood unless we strive to change those predispositions. What we see is who we become unless we choose to actively dispute those attitudes or ideas. The Bible even talks about generational sin, we will continue our generational sin or ‘habits’ if we don’t daily strive against it. What do you want your children to say of you when they are older? What good traits are you hoping to pass down and what traits are you praying they never take on? Pursue what is pure.

Addictions affect our families more than anyone or anything else. Our families are the people we spend the most time with and they see the depths of our true colors. Unfortunately some addictions are subtle and become manipulation rather than the deeper issue; the addiction itself. The reason I believe manipulation goes hand in hand with addictions is because people who are addicted to something are in self-denial. When you are in self-denial you tend to blame everyone else for the deep battles within yourself. Addictions or no addictions we all want to blame other people for their actions instead of accept responsibility that our actions affect our family and friends.

Thanks to drmichaelroth.wordpress.com

What keeps racing through my mind through all of the heartache in the world is ‘not to waste my life.’ What does this look like when heartache is staring you down, filling your soul and attempting to triumph over your life? How do we strive to live a happy life learning from our regrets? Letting history remain as history and allowing the present and future to be created with self-confidence, battling the demons inside of us and not ignoring them. Lets allow friends and family to be our accountability rather than them become our defense.

Throw out past regrets, anger and resentment and ask the Lord to bring about healing so you may live a life that’s fulfilling to Christ. “Seek and you will find.”

Sometimes my husband tells me I’m really hard on him and without actually saying it I am saying “suck it up.” He is right, sometimes I get so caught up with the “junk” when in reality I’d rather not dwell in it but suck it up myself, deal with it and move on. Life is exhausting in and of itself trying to maintain relationships as well as working through our own junk. But through the last couple years I’ve physically seen the grace of God through many circumstances in my life that I’ve been learning life isn’t worth dwelling on the problems. I want to live a life that is extraordinary and not simply ordinary. I have learned how to better manage dealing with the “wheelbarrow” of junk we carry around as my life has seemed to become wasted when I let past experiences rule my life rather than basking in the joy God has blessed us with and push forward instead of looking back.

Moment of Truth: I heard it recently said that in the middle of the battle while you continue to press forward to fight the battle, you have your shield every step of the way protecting you. The moment you turn around in hesitation, your protection has now disappeared, defeating the purpose of your shield. The same goes for God. God is there protecting us as we walk through the battlefield but the moment we choose to fight our own way, our shield is lost.

Thought of the Day

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 12 March, 2014 None comments

I heard this morning on the radio:

A negative attitude makes it extremely difficult to move in a positive direction.

This is not something new to me, but hearing it again shines light on the reality that positivity is extremely difficult to maintain when negativity breeds negativity.

Moment of Truth: take the next hour remind yourself of all the blessings in your life. Watch your attitude change for the morning. Write your blessings down on paper!

Juice Detox…

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 8 March, 2014 None comments

The juice detox began and ended. I had mentioned a couple of days ago about our date night cheating episode. I must say Michael did okay but I killed the detox, I placed a knife directly in the middle of it and said “forget this!” :)

We went to Mexican food and I order a wet chimichanga. There is absolutely no positive health factor in this dish. (basically a wet chimichanga is a deep fried burrito but with delicious cream sauce lathered on top) I stuffed myself on chips and salsa as I always do because I am starved by the time I reach the restaurant that it’s almost pointless to order a meal. Michael on the other hand ordered fajitas but ate it without the tortillas. Pretty much no carbohydrates in this meal but he joined me pretty heavily on the chips and salsa.

By the end of the meal Michael thought he was going to throw up. I say this not to gross you out but because he realized how the 20 minutes of pleasure leads to 24 hours of pain. The exciting reality of going out to eat is all roses until after the meal when your tummy begins to hurt. The fruit and vegetables has been a huge eye opener for us. He honestly looks healthier and hasn’t craved the sweets he used to crave; the fruit fulfills that craving. He also mentioned that his energy has sustained him throughout the day instead of hitting the afternoon slump.

We decided we would stick pretty much to fruits, vegetables and healthy eating throughout the week and then come the weekend we will eat in moderation what we desire. :)

Moment of Truth: If you do a detox do NOT go out to eat when you decide to cheat. Ease yourself into the garbage you are craving. :)

He’s not finished with me yet

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 7 March, 2014 None comments

There’s a song that says “He’s not finished with me yet” but I find that hard to believe that Christ is ever finished with us until we go home to heaven. We are imperfect beings and will always fail no matter how many times we learn a lesson. But the great news in that still resides: “Christ isn’t finished with me yet!”

No matter how many times those around you fail and let you down or how many times you fail and let others down, you don’t have to earn back trust and forgiveness from God as we do from our loved ones. He meets us where we are, not where we need to be!

Don’t abuse your right of forgiveness by continuing to live in sin but live a life worthy of your calling. How many of you out there truly feel you know where God is calling you in life? This is a tough question. My husband and I have been battling this question for a couple of years. We know where we are is not where we want to be, but what road, path, steps laid before us are extremely blurry at this moment in time. We long to understand, we long to see and to walk confidently. Sometimes we say “if we just knew what lays ahead than we would avoid the problems along the way.” Unfortunately I completely disagree with that statement as if I knew what lays ahead of me, often I would avoid the road all together to avoid pain, hurt, and failure which in turn would keep me from going anywhere. Be careful what you wish for, often the blind roads are the roads worth traveling and ultimately bring the most glory. If you are in the midst of the beaten path in utter darkness and can’t even see the hand in front of your face, I can promise if you seek God, you will look back and say “I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.” Many times God uses the beaten, broken path to force dependence upon Him utilizing us for His glory, not our own.

Thanks to dubiousdub.blogspot.com for the picture

I know that my husband and I want to take steps to change our current circumstances, but many questions often remain. Sometimes we try and light our own path forgetting that we are lost in the forest with no compass but the Lord. Lately, I’ve been trying to remember that our circumstances are petty compared to who our God truly is. He created the heavens and the earth. He tells the sun when to rise. He taught the rooster when to crow. (Job 38) Do we understand these concepts? He is beyond anything we can comprehend. We must not doubt our God as He knows what is best for us!

Read these verses and lift up your concerns and doubts to our Heavenly Father who spoke us into being.

38 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:

²“Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge? ³Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.⁴“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. ⁵Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? ⁶On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— ⁷while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?⁸“Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, ⁹when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, ¹⁰when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, ¹¹when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt’?¹²“Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, ¹³that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? ¹⁴The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its features stand out like those of a garment. ¹⁵The wicked are denied their light, and their upraised arm is broken.¹⁶“Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? ¹⁷Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness? ¹⁸Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this.¹⁹“What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? ²⁰Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings? ²¹Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years!²²“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, ²³which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle? ²⁴What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? ²⁵Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, ²⁶to water a land where no one lives, an uninhabited desert, ²⁷to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass? ²⁸Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew? ²⁹From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens ³⁰when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen?³¹“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Can you loosen Orion’s belt? ³²Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs? ³³Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?³⁴“Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? ³⁵Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’? ³⁶Who gives the ibis wisdom or gives the rooster understanding? ³⁷Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens ³⁸when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together?³⁹“Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the lions ⁴⁰when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket? ⁴¹Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food

God is not finished with you yet. He is longing to show His power to you in the best possible way, but you have to allow Him to do this and accept it. Do not fear the Lord and His will over your life. You can have an extraordinary life if you seek for it! When you are walking in blindness you must constantly seek the Lord for your very next step. Stay on the narrow path! Don’t lose sight and look too far ahead as you may miss what comes next.

Moment of Truth: Ask God to reveal the things you do not have the capacity to know without His divine revelation.

Bad mom moment

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 6 March, 2014 None comments

Attention! Attention! Calling all bad moms, yes calling all bad moms.

I had a moment last night where my son fell and hit his head numerous times and kept crying and crying. It was so sad, his little feet would whip out below him and he would fall so hard on his little back. Rushing to his aid I would cradle him and hold him tightly and say “it’s going to be okay, mommy’s here!” Where is the bad mom moment, well here it comes…

Here’s a little back-end of the story, earlier in the day I had polished our floors. Not only did I polish them but I swept, vacuumed, mopped and then I proceeded to polish our wood floors. Our entire house is wood floor except for the bedrooms. Our floors were desperately needing a good solid hands and knee scrub. It was a lot of work and I felt a huge sense of accomplishment….. until now. I placed my son in his little jammies getting him ready for bed with plenty of play time still ahead in the evening but I wanted him all ready for bed when Daddy arrived home from work.

This little man and his little jammies were in such a battle with our freshly polished wood floors. The bottom of his feet would whip out from below him. Causing him to fall on his back and ultimately his head. His little feet could not grab on, he had absolutely no control. He wiped out probably 6 to 7 times, yes I am a bad mom for even allowing that many falls. Finally I began to hold him but that didn’t work he wanted down, he wanted to run, he wanted to play, he wanted to get all of his little wiggles out before he laid his head down for the night. The very last time he slipped, he looked like Bambi on ice trying to walk for the first time. It was slow motion, his legs bouncing back and forth, back and forth and finally he falls, feet so high in the air he hit his head first. I ran to his side swooped him up in my arms, began to cuddle and hold him dear…. okay hold it… I wish that’s what happened! Although it did happen the previous 7 times unfortunately this time I swooped him up with a belly roar of laughter.

At that moment last night of snuggling and cuddling the 7 times he fell, it was so sad yet there was nothing I could do….I couldn’t make it stop. But the last time, I hysterically started laughing, laughing so uncontrollably hard I was crying myself. The very thought of trying not to laugh only made me laugh harder! It was that deep belly roar of a laugh, the tears were flowing and poor little Cooper being held in my arms crying big crocodile tears couldn’t understand, he would stop in the middle of a deep cry and look at me utterly confused and broken. This poor boy needed compassion and sensitivity as this was not the first fall of the evening. I handed him to his father who was in the other room and had no clue what had just happened; his son crying and wife hysterically laughing her head off.

thanks to someecards.com

Have you ever had a particular moment such as this? A moment where you have no control but something is so funny at that particular time that all you can do is deep belly roar? Do you ever have those moments looking back feeling like a failure of a mother? Where was that compassion and sensitivity that you always have?

HA! Been there, done that! But I must say it still gives me a good chuckle thinking back on it. There was no rhyme or reason as to why this was funny to me, it just was at the moment in time.

Lesson Learned:

Problem after Problem

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 5 March, 2014 None comments

I can’t seem to grasp that life simply just happens…. You literally have no control over what takes place and the reality is why try? It’s going to happen anyways. I guess this is what I am resorting to. You have heard of all our house drama with the clogged pipe, desperate need of a French drain, flooded laundry room, rotten pipe leaking waste, and now this. This morning on my way to Church I smelt gas filling our driveway. It was almost as I walked into a gas chamber with myself, Cooper and the car. I strapped Cooper in his car seat and head out not feeling too concerned as the smell only resided outside at that particular time. When I reached church the smell was incredibly pungent when I stepped outside. A gal who parked behind me even commented on it.

“but why mommy, I don’t understand”

As I was leaving church I received the strong scent killing my brain cells as I stepped towards the car. This time as I was driving down the road, the smell began to fill the entire inside of my car. Who passed out first, Cooper or me? Well thank the good Lord above no one passed out but I must say I had to pull over and call the dealership as I was extremely frightened that my car was going to ignite and scatter us into a million pieces. And to be quite frank, I was extremely light-headed!

Knowing that our car would need to be fixed we didn’t want to make any drastic decisions that our pocketbook would later say “this is no good.” So I put our lives on the line and drove 25 miles to my husbands work to exchange cars while he did some research. Good thing I did because this has been a common problem with thousands out there. We also have a friend who lives in California who works for the same dealership and solidified our concerns. He said we wont blow up into a million pieces but it needs to be fixed very quickly.

It’s extremely weird but the problem only exists when the gas tank is full. Once the fuel level drops, the leak desists. Needless to say, I was thankful to rotate cars as I was concerned for my son but it doesn’t help that my husband now has the problem.

Pray he doesn’t pass out on his drive home tonight. ;)

Moment of Truth: We are alive and didn’t pass out and I live to see my husband and son another day. :) Rejoice in the little things.

Wickedness

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 4 March, 2014 None comments

This morning I headed to Bible study and it seemed as though everything kept me from being on time as usual:

Cooper woke up soaked from head to toe. Quick bath. Quick breakfast. Coffee spilt. Beat traffic. Drop Cooper off in toddler room. Head back to the car for his pacifier and diapers. Rush into study 20 minutes late.

This is how my morning proceeded but I kept plugging along. It did get better. Although many times I kept asking myself why I was trying. Surprised I didn’t give up on the morning, I took a sigh of relief as I sat there for the remainder of the devotion taking place. Hearing the last few sentences before heading to my personal class on Deeper Still by Beth Moore, Kay Arthur and Pricilla Shirer unsure why every time I try to proceed with something positive and healthy for me, everything is against me trying to keep it from happening or simply causing many distractions to take place before I even step foot in the building. Unfortunately the many questions of why should I keep trying to plug through, my tiny brain telling me I am there for a purpose and a great purpose that is; to grow deeper in my faith with Christ. Standing to break as we head to our individual classes I head immediately to get a refill on my coffee that was well needed this morning; taking a break to chat along the way.

I sit in class for a second trying to compose my self, focus my thoughts and prepare to listen and learn.

(Sigh)

Awe the thoughts that rushed through my head all through study continued to fill my mind even on the drive home:

I’m realizing as each day passes, God is doing a mighty work. Friends, we must choose to believe this. This is same God that gave us the power to move mountains if we simply believe. We don’t understand that power. We just don’t! We would live a radical life if we truly believed this one fact Christ has given us. We hold such weight on our immediate circumstances that our vision becomes cloudy before we even realize it. Our perspective gets lost on the trivial situations we face rather then the purpose God is trying to fulfill through these situations. Every day brings about hundreds if not thousands of distractions. Are you one full of distractions as I am, or are you simply pushing God away feeling He serves no purpose in your life? Or do would you rather not be involved with the hypocrisy of “Christians,” you get along just fine without Him or them?

Here’s some food for thought…

Our pastor spoke on the simple distractions that cause our belief to become angry towards God and keep asking for more signs as if we haven’t already been given enough.

The cornerstone of wickedness is what you do with it for Christ.

People can see Jesus if they want to, yet many people simply push it aside because they don’t want to hear about it. They think they are better than that and have life under control; their control. (I’m speaking more towards those who make excuses for committing their life to Christ) I used to be there, I thought I had life all figured out, I was a responsible adult and didn’t need any advice unless it was my own. I was blind, blind to truth and things that ultimately mattered for eternity. My simple pleasures in life would quickly blow away in the wind, no weight holding them down; materialism and popularity was all I believed in. Being on both sides I can relate, but I still find utter foolishness for blaming the hypocrites of the church as we will search to find anything wrong with a “Christian.” We avoid looking into the mirror realizing we have too many of our own problems that it has become easier to convince yourself that Christians are hypocrites and that’s your final answer. Rather than turning towards Christ, you turn towards people to convince you of this truth or rather steer you away. Your hope is in the wrong thing, people will always let you down.

When people start to question the Lord, it’s easier for them to begin blaming others out of fear that their deeds well be exposed (John 3:20-21). Their heart will show their true colors and that can be very scary for most people who want to push God away. People who want ‘signs’ that God is real and wasn’t simply a historical figure begin demanding that Christ performs that miracle He said He could do. These people are out to “test” God for who He says He is rather then acknowledge the signs already given to them; they’ve chosen simply not to see it.

Thanks to asburyandasbury.typepad.com for the photo

John 7:17 states “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teachings come from God or whether I speak on my own.” He is stating the truth that penetrate the hearts of those who believe in Him. Truth will be shown to those who seek; they will find. The problem is the disposition of the heart; is your heart teachable or do you have a defensive heart shoving truth to the farthest corner possible? This verse also explains why unbelievers simply don’t get it; their hearts are unteachable and they don’t want to see the real truth. And until their hearts begin to change, no one can ever convince someone of Christ’s promises. I’ve been there, my heart was beyond unteachable for years! I had every excuse under the sun as to why I didn’t need God and why my life was so much easier on my own. Unfortunately, God took my words and found me in the pit of despair; I had nothing left to offer. It was ugly. Sometimes it takes our stubborn attitudes to be completely humiliated before we finally surrender, this was me, I had to come to a humbling point in my life to realize the deep need for Christ. I learned the hard way, I know unfortunately too many others who have or are going through their humbling experience as well; pride is the root of all evil.

It fascinates me that we are the one nation that has everything figured out; wealth, fame, materialism at our fingertips, job security, suburban lifestyles, 2.5 kids, and so on and so forth. But do we really have it all figured out? We are also the one nation that has Christ at our fingertips yet we are the one nation who takes Christ for granted because we have everything else to make us happy. There are countries burning people at the stake for their faith. People choosing God and living a radical life is causing them to die, people care so much to keep faith uncovered, ignored and controlled, that they would rather kill one another to attempt to disprove God. Many countries have underground churches and we have every opportunity to believe in Christ and have His very Word in our homes but we still need more signs, more miracles to convince us. Many homes in America have the Bible, even homes that don’t believe in God. Hotels even have a Bible in the nightstand while most of America still chooses to not believe. We hear all too often that it’s just another book, yet for some reason it brings about controversy and is important enough to have millions of rooms throughout thousands of hotels filled with the Bible. But it’s just another book right? Lets keep killing people for something that is ordinary and has no power. Friends, if this was true, other countries wouldn’t fight to stay alive and fight for God and fight for that freedom or religion that we have.

The love for the world is so deep. Stop asking for signs, you have it readily before you. The spirit convicts and you choose to listen or willfully be blind.

Moment of Truth: God does not call you to put your trust in a church or its people, only Jesus Christ who is no hypocrite. Seek and you WILL find.