Because He first loved us....

It's true..."We love Him, because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19  Face it...we didn't want Him.  We wanted to serve the flesh and continue in our sin, all the while denying our need of God or that we were even sinning.  It was in His mercy that He came to us and opened our eyes and hearts, drawing us to His bleeding side and giving us eternal life, and that more abundantly.  We didn't want it, and we certainly didn't deserve it.  However, our Lord is patient and kind, full of mercy and grace.  God's word is clear...every one of us is born a sinner. 

I'm not writing anything new.  Any born again believer knows these things.  So why do we expect better of our children than what we were?  They are born in sin the same as we were.  Our children aren't born wanting to submit to us, to obey us, or more importantly...to obey God.  They, like we, are born selfish, rebellious, and disobedient.  As parents that have been redeemed, shouldn't we extend the same grace, mercy, and patience toward them that God so lovingly showed us?  Instead of lashing out with harsh words or angry outbursts, we must tenderly and lovingly correct them - pointing them to the One who can change their hearts.  We must never treat them cruelly or harshly because they aren't treating us the way we think they should.  That's not God's way...He is good to us, all the time - whether we are walking in obedience or stumbling along the path.  Correct them we must, but it must be done with love.

We are by no means perfect and will certainly fail.  I pray we will be quick to realize our failure and repent before the Lord, also asking our children to forgive us.  You've seen the look that crosses their precious faces when we've hurt them with our words or actions....looks of confusion and pain.  They love us and trust us...they look to us to protect them.  They are like tender little plants that need to be pruned...may we be careful not to trample them underfoot because we have failed to keep our eyes on Jesus, praying for His divine help and the patience and stamina that it takes to love them the way He loves them!

A busy season of life

As a mother of 8 precious blessings, I can certainly testify to this being a busy season of life.  My days are long and yes, even trying sometimes.  But my heart?  Well, my heart is full to overflowing.  It is hard to put into words how amazing it is to have a broad age range to tend to.  On one hand, I've watched in awe as my oldest "baby" boy has become a man...while on the other hand I'm watching the youngest baby boy learn to roll over, babble and try to sit up on his own.  I have some learning to read and some learning to multiply.  Each of them has such a distinct personality...one loves to draw, one takes wonderful pictures and one is the resident "geek squad"...there is no new piece of technology he doesn't understand.  My youngest girl is two and wants to run the house.  I have one young one who loves to cook and one who lives to color pictures for mommy and daddy.  And then there's the baby...he loves to smile, drool, and soak up all the attention from his siblings....and oh how they love him!

There is a never-ending list of tasks...math and phonics lessons, dishes, baths, cooking, laundry...  Am I busy?  Yes, of course.  But above all else I am exceedingly blessed.  I will forever count it a privilege to watch them grow and learn, and develop into the special people God has created each one of them to be.  Like all seasons, it will one day end.  So rather than grumble and complain about the hard work and constant training, I will continually give praise to the One who entrusted each precious soul into my care.

A peek at new life

I finally made it in to the doctor to have my first appointment of this pregnancy. You know the routine ladies, right? They give you a cup to...well you know : ). Then they lead you to the room, take the vitals, and leave after handing you a very immodest gown and asking you to get completely undressed. I absolutely dread that part of the first visit. However, I was looking forward to the sonogram I knew I would be getting. I wanted to see that everything was okay and going as expected.

After the humiliating exam (ick...did I mention I don't like that part?) my doctor says "okay...lets take a look on ultrasound". When you've had as many little ones as I have, you've probably had a lot of ultrasounds. You pretty much know what to expect and what to look for. As I expected, everything looked just the way a growing baby should look at this point in my pregnancy. What I am NEVER prepared for is how incredibly wonderful and amazing it is to SEE that new little life that God created....with the tiny limbs and beating heart. Even with my 8th baby, I found myself staring in awe at what the Lord has done, and is still doing, with the new life growing inside of me. Tears sprang to my eyes as I watched the screen and looked on in wonder of what the Lord had planned for this tiny new life. It is amazing to think that the Lord already knows everything about this new person He has created....the number of hairs on his/her head, and the number of times that heart will beat. What an awesome creator we serve.

Not my will.....

If you had peeked through my window this morning very early, you would have found me sitting at the laptop....crying. I wasn't crying for any one particular reason....sometimes life is just tough. Now that I've shed a few tears, I'm trying to stay focused on the Lord and His plan. So....

• When the morning sickness gets worse throughout the day, may I say......
  
• When I'm exhausted and the baby is wide awake, may I say......
• When the veins in my legs are throbbing, may I say......
• When homeschooling is hard, may I say......
• When the kids need to be disciplined, may I say.....
• When I'm pulled in 100 directions, may I say.....
• When I'm weary in well doing, may I say.....
• When I feel like giving in, may I say.....

Not my will, but yours Lord!!!!

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 : )

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.