It's All About Perspectives

I looked around the room.  All looked to be normal & in order.  It looked peaceful to me.  We were ready for Daddy to come home.  But, Daddy didn't feel see or feel peace at all when he came in.  He saw the box by the front door, the shoes scattered, the papers on the counter, the basket of clothes in the living room.  He saw everything that I didn't.  Admittedly, I am not detail oriented.  The kids & I are here all day, every day.  I have been praying for quite some time about how to make Daddy's homecoming more peaceful for him.  I was doing everything I knew to do.  We were both frustrated.  The power of prayer.  God reminded me of how detail oriented Daniel is.  He has walked into church & afterwards referred to the "lady wearing the fancy shoes".  Huh?  Who in the world are you talking about?  I just didn't see.  Every day, he was walking into our home, and seeing everything.  And becoming overwhelmed.  Kind of like a little boy who watches too much t.v.  He was overstimulated & agitated.  This little insight into how God made my husband has been life changing.  As the kids & I are cleaning up, preparing for Daddy, we remind one another to look on the floor.  What did we "just not see" the first time around?  A few extra minutes has made such a difference.  

I started praying about the small changes I could make in our entertainment area.  The t.v. looked like a shrine.  It was cluttered.  I hated it.  After some prayer,  a talk with D, we decided to move the t.v. cabinet (actually an old dining sideboard) into the kitchen and move an antique shelf that a friend gave us to the t.v. area.  What to put the dvd's in?  I searched online.  Nothing.  I went to Walmart.  Nothing.  I prayed.  I had several little baskets in our linen closet that worked perfectly for our movies.  The dishclothes that were in them were moved to the sideboard.  Perfect.  And free.  

This is just the beginning of our journey to declutter & simplify.  We have a big pile of stuff to be sold in a garage sale some time soon.  My sewing area is in need of major attention & our shelves down in the basement need to be cleaned off & taken down.  BUT, this is a journey & I am just super excited about the progress.  I am excited that I am able to serve my husband in this way, even though I never really saw the clutter.  It never really bothered me. But it's not about me or my preferences or feelings.  It's about God & His glory.  It's about obedience to God's Word.  He clearly states my calling here on this earth.

^{Titus 2: 4-5  4}That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

 ⁵To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. 

It turns laundry & organizing into a heavenly task with eternal value.

In His Grip,

Daniel & Laura

"But, that's how you say it, Mama..."

I am blessed.  I'm blessed to have such a wonderful God & Saviour who has not left me to myself, but who disciplines me & corrects me in such creative ways.  Sometimes I am daunted by the task of raising them & training them to be God fearing, God loving adults who thrive & serve their Lord & Saviour.  The other day, I realized how much God uses them to teach me & train me. 

They are my "mirrors".  And I have 7 of them.  It's like walking through a fun house at the fair with all those funky mirrors.  I look at this one and see this about myself.  Look at that one & I see "Daddy's" daughter.

     A few days ago, we were in our school room.  We were cleaning up after Hurricane Toddler.  I was trying to be joyful, trying to sound happy.  Anya & Izabella were in there with me.  I don't remember what Izabella took, but Anya corrected her.  "Izabella, do NOT touch that!"  I looked at Anya & said in a very sweet voice, "Oh, Anya, ask her nicely, like this.  Please don't touch that, Izabella".  "But Mama, that's how you say it," said Anya in her very sweet voice.  Ughhh...  What could I say?  I knew it to be true.  

     I have really good moments, where I'm prayed up.  I'm alert.  I have a song in my heart.  I'm truly joyful.   

     Then there are those moments (or days) when I'm distracted with other things or other people.  My to-do list becomes my idol for the day. The garden getting perfectly weeded becomes more important than their hearts & souls & minds.  I'm not here and they know it.  I'm pretending and they know it. My voice is slightly tense and they feel it.  My voice is slightly louder (or not so slightly) and they can tell.  

     My prayer is that I will continue to be alert, that God will truly transform me into the kind of woman I want my daughters to be & the kind of woman I would want my sons to marry & that I will truly depend on God for the strength, courage, love & joy that I need to be the kind of woman that's husband & children rise up and call her "blessed."

      

^{Titus 2: 4-5
4}That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

 ⁵To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. 

We hope & pray that you are blessed as you seek the Lord, for His direction in your home.  If you know & believe in Jesus, then you have the Holy Spirit living in you and Philippians 4:13 promises, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  If you are at the end of your rope, please go to this web site and read and find that strength & love & joy that only Jesus can provide.

Have a blessed weekend!

In His Grip,

Laura & Daniel
(I could not write without his love, support & encouragement)

But, It Made Her Happy

     Daddy & I went on a much needed date last night, with the older watching the younger children.  We got home after everyone was in bed, so this morning, I asked Lukasz how the evening went.  He said it was good and then went on to explain how he had given Izabella a bottle of hot sauce.  Startled, I looked at him.    
 "You did WHAT???"  

 "She wanted the bottle of hot sauce so I gave it to her.  It made her happy." 

      But not for long.  She put it in her mouth, top off, of course. 
And her mouth was on fire.  (Daddy is a connoisseur of fine hot sauces, you see)  
      As I explained to Lukasz that we must look out for one another, that he must look out for Izabella & keep her safe & tell her "no" if she wants something that would hurt her, I thought what a perfect example of our Loving Father in heaven.  We see something we want.  We want rescued from a situation right away.  We pray, knowing that God gives his children everything there hearts desire.  (sorry, that's the American church translation)   He says, "NO", because He loves us.  He knows something about the situation that we do not.  He has an eternal perspective, a bird's eye view.  
       Do I whine & pout when I don't get what I want?  Do I doubt His love for me?  Do I turn my back on Him or figure out a way to get the coveted item on my own?
     Or do I trust my Father, that He is good & He wants what is best for me?  Do I seek His face & draw near to Him?  Do I praise Him?
      In America, we have been brainwashed to believe that life is about making sure I'm happy & secure.  It's a hedonistic (new favorite word) mentality & far from the Bible's call to "pick up your cross & follow me daily" mentality.

      Our response to "no" or "not right now" will show the quality of our relationship with our Lord & Saviour.

      Is He your Lord or your Divine Butler, as Ray Comfort puts it?