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Friday, July 31, 2009

Surrending to God's will

Do you ever have the feeling God is waiting on you to do something? We are always asking Him to solve this, fix that, take care of this list....but the longer I walk with the Lord the more I am convinced that sometimes He is waiting on us. Perhaps He has laid something on your heart that takes a real act of faith...or maybe he has revealed something to you in His word that you can't seem to obey. I have come to believe that in order for some problems to be fixed in our lives, we may have to step out in faith first and just do what He has asked us to do....and THEN the blessing or answer will come.

Over and over again I have found myself waiting for the Lord to move in situations in my life.....to end a trial or suffering of some kind. After all, He often uses difficult situations to change us....to shape us on His potters wheel. If we will just trust Him and walk holy and righteous before Him....if we will just surrender to Him in total obedience....won't he be faithful to take care of the rest? I'm certain that he will.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Women were designed to bear children

Research suggests that women who have few or no children, and wait to have them until they are older, have a higher risk of developing breast cancer than those who start younger and have a larger number of children! Lack of breastfeeding and use of oral contraceptives (the pill) also play a role.

"All women are at risk for breast cancer, regardless of hereditary factors. In fact, no more than 10 percent of people with breast cancer have a genetic predisposition to the disease. Other known risk factors and personal characteristics include personal or family history of breast cancer, high breast tissue density, earlier onset of menstruation (12 years or younger), later menopause (55 years or older), late first-term pregnancy (30 years or older), no children or no breast-feeding, early or recent use of oral contraceptives, more than four years use of hormone replacement therapy, postmenopausal obesity, alcohol consumption, exposures to secondhand cigarette smoke and exposure to ionizing radiation."

http://www.breastcancerfund.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=kwKXLdPaE&b=70679&ct=90248

"As more countries modernize, more women will enter an increasingly sedentary workforce, delay childbearing, exert control over their reproductive lives, live longer, and eat a more Westernized diet. Their breast-cancer rates will no doubt increase. It is crucial that women's awareness of their risk and their expectations of their government and the medical community regarding detection and treatment increase at a similar rate."

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/358/3/213

These same factors (aside from the pill) also increase the risk of ovarian cancer.

Just one more reason to give in and let the Lord control the womb. His ways are perfect and they don't need to be adjusted. It is our sinful and selfish hearts that need to be cleansed! As much as most women don't like it, we were designed to be keepers at home and raise kids....and I have the scripture to prove it : )

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Where do babies come from?

Seriously....where do they come from? Most followers of the Lord would quickly answer that they come from God. That is absolutely true. So if it's true, why do most Christians use birth control? "Well, because God wants us to use wisdom." That's the answer I've heard over and over again. But if God is the giver of ALL life, why do we need to try and control the number of children we have? Does the Lord really need our help? Or is His wisdom really all we need to rely on?

The Bible shows over and over that He opens and closes the womb....that he is capable of making one fruitful or barren. To put it plainly....the womb belongs to God to use as he wishes. Maybe he will bless us with 20 children, maybe 1. The bottom line is that he is quite capable of giving or withholding conception. He doesn't need us to step in and use our so called "wisdom" in this area. The real blessing comes when we give our bodies to Him willingly, to be used for His glory.

Now I know it sounds ridiculous to most people in this present age to take the chance of having such a large family. But the more I read the scriptures and study some things, the more I see that large families are considered a blessing and something to be desired, not despised. Questions always arise from those who choose to use birth control...things such as "How will I provide for a large family?" or "How will I ever have the patience to handle so many children? The two I have now are more than I can deal with!". The simple answer to those questions is this - You can't but He is able.

The flesh is very selfish....having a large family to care for forces you to die to yourself and serve others. It is good for you! You may have to give up some of the things that most people have become accustomed to in their lives - extra cars, big houses (with empty rooms!), costly vacations, the latest fashions...or maybe cable TV. All of those are things the world chases after and those with a large family are often forced to give them up - it is the Lord pruning worldly desires out of your life. None of those things are needs, they are all things that the flesh wants.

One thing I know is this....the Lord is able to provide for the lives He sends to those who trust in Him. It may not be in the way you expected, but he will do it one way or another. You can't go wrong when choose to trust Him.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Homeschooling decisions and like-minded friends

My head has been reeling this week just thinking about our next homeschool year. There are so many things to evaluate and decisions to be made. What do we know works for sure?.....Do we have time for this?.....Is this what the Lord would have us spend our time studying? The list goes on and on. In the midst of the whirlwind of catalogs and choices my sweet Lord sent a time of refreshing my way!

I was able to talk with my sweet sister in Christ for about 45 minutes on Wednesday. That may sound like no big deal to most people but for my friend and I, that is quite an accomplishment! We are both very busy moms with large families and 45 minutes on the phone is A LOT of time out of our day. It's so nice to be able to talk to someone who is walking the same path and who has the same basic convictions, beliefs, and goals for their family. She and I are in some ways different and in others just alike. It is in those "just alike" areas that I seem to have a very hard time finding any like-minded fellowship. So to be able to chat and bounce around ideas with someone who gets what I'm saying and who has some of the same scheduling problems (i.e. tons of kids...lol) is a tremendous blessing to me.

We were able to share curriculum and scheduling ideas, discipline methods, sheltering concerns, etc. Did we figure everything out? Not by a long shot. But we did end our conversation with prayer and a promise to talk again soon. When we said goodbye and I hung up the phone, I thanked the Lord for the confidence he had given me through this conversation. My strong hope is that my dear sister was as blessed as I was : )

Thursday, July 9, 2009

The high calling of motherhood

I think it's safe to say that most of us know that being a mother is hard work. However, being a mother is more than just hard, it is God's high calling for our lives. Caring for, teaching, nurturing, and serving little ones is kingdom work and it's important to our Lord. In a large family, it is easy to get caught up in the day to day busyness that having many children brings. This makes it easy to forget what a blessing our precious children are! They are each unique individuals, specially created by God and given to us to raise for His glory. The time and energy we invest into these precious gifts may go unnoticed by the world and be seen as insignificant, but our Lord is watching and taking into account every act of service and love. What the world thinks doesn't matter....it is the approval of the King that we should be seeking.

I'm just feeling so blessed to be a mother lately that I'm practically bubbling over with thankfulness to my Savior. The children He has placed in our care really belong to Him. This makes motherhood a job of utmost importance and truly a high calling! When we look into their faces and eyes, may we remember who we are really serving through serving them.











Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Oh so faithful

After waiting and waiting....wondering where God was and when he would move, I'm starting to see a few much needed rays of light in the darkness. The answer to my prayers is coming through and it's a marvelous thing to behold once again. God is so good and His faithfulness astounds me. Just like I knew He would, He has shown up on His timetable and the timing is of course perfect! Words are insufficient to describe the wonder of watching the Lord move. It is something that must be experienced so you will then stand in awe of His marvelous ways.

I'm not talking about a short wait here....I'm talking about a LOOONNNGGG wait. There have been many tears shed, many thoughts of giving up, and many one sided talks with the Lord telling Him how I was starting to doubt. Once again, the maker of heaven and earth had a plan all along and it was better than what I could have imagined. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness towards me!