Being Cheerful

All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast. Proverbs 15:15


Last night I hardly slept at all. I was woken up twice, once by each of my boys, and then after over an hour of trying to get back to sleep I woke up with a terrible leg crap that would not go away. I would probably be pushing it if I guessed that maybe I got 3-4 hours of sleep. When I am pregnant, for some reason, my body only chooses to sleep in spurts all through the night. I know this is common, but it can really wear me down after a while.

I have been convicted lately of not letting my circumstances effect my ability to show joy and gladness. I woke up this morning thinking about my entry this past Sunday when I woke up to a bright and sunny morning and "felt" like rejoicing and being cheerful. The true test is when it is a dark rainy day like today and I am extremely tired and don't really "feel" cheerful. Can I can still give God the praise and honor that he deserves? Can I still give my family the gift of a cheerful mother and a happy wife? This morning I had to practice something I tell my kids all the time....A cheerful look brings joy to the heart..... proverbs 15:30

Try it! It really works. It is impossible to be grumpy or angry when there is a smile on your face. Even if it is fake one at first, I can feel my attitude gradually change when I chose a joyful look.

I read this quote this morning from Marie Freeman..."God is good, and heaven is forever. And if this does not cheer you up, nothing will!"

It reminded me of my blog on Sunday ".......Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father. What else really matters right??"
But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. Psalm 68:3

learning what I teach

If you where to ask me what I struggle to teach my kids more than anything else, I would with out a doubt say obedience. Having said this, I have to confess that this has only brought me to a constant realization that I struggle so very much with the same issue myself.

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. 2John 1:6
This verse made me think today..... The way that I show God that I truly love him is by obedience to Him. I think He tests me on this quite often. I am sad to say that I often fail.

This morning I have to confess that I was disrespectful to my husband. Something made me so mad and although I knew that I should not approach him about it, I let me flesh lead me and did exactly what I felt God telling me NOT to do.
you are to obey his commands instead of following your own desires and going your own ways, as you are prone to do. Num. 15:39

Now I have spent the whole morning feeling bad about my choice, and wishing I had just obeyed. Which brings me to another little thing I have been teaching Brayden......Obeying makes us happy, disobeying makes us sad. It felt good at the moment to tell my husband how I really felt and get it off my chest, but it only lasted for a moment. Now it feels "sad" and I wish I had chosen the better.

This is my prayer for today.....
Lord I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. Today I am ever grateful for your forgiveness and the the truth that if I confess my sins, you are faithful and just and will forgive my sins and purify me from all my unrighteousness. Amen

the glory of the morning

at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:10-11

This morning I woke up to the most beautiful bright sunshine beaming into my bedroom. It was so wonderful that it prompted me to get my Bible, a cup of coffee, and head out to my back porch before touching anything in the house. We moved our boys in together yesterday, and I think the idea of being with each other has some how made them comfortable enough to sleep in a little longer today, or maybe it could be the fact that they were up giggling and playing until 11:00 last night!! Either way, I am enjoying it!!

As I came out here on the porch and just soaked up the beauty of the morning, I tried to think of a verse to sum it up, and as I started to read Philippians, I came across 2:10-11 and realized that it just says it all. Jesus Christ is the Lord! He is the glory of the Father. Nothing else really matters. If this morning is so bright and splendid that I can hardly see the screen of my lap top (I better proof read this typing when I get back inside!) how much more breath taking will it be when I stand before the Lord one day!!
I need to wake up to more days like this....not confessing that the dish washer needs emptied, the living room is a mess and the washer and dryer both are full with 2 other loads waiting to go in, not that I have 3 kids and myself to get ready for church this a.m., but just opening my eyes to the morning saying.......Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father. What else really matters right??

The way up is down

I have been preparing this morning for a new women's Bible study that I will start tonight at my church. As expected, this has brought with it feelings of inadequacy on my part. As I prayed about it this morning, I realized that God has me to feel these feelings for a reason. Not because I am inadequate, but because God wants me to remember where my strength comes from. I am no more than an insecure scaredy cat! My wisdom and strength comes only from God.

As I read this morning in Philippians I focused a lot on the topic of humility. My daughter is really struggling right now with obedience and submission to our authority. I thought this would be a great lesson for her as well, and prayed that God would help me to present it to her in a way that she will receive. Philippians 2:8-9 gives us Christ’s example to us of humility.

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to death–
even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, Philippians 4:8-9

On a human level Jesus’ humility really didn’t get Him very far…..it resulted in death, but on a divine level the result was astounding……He was highly exalted and given a name above all names. This shows me that humility may not seem like anything in this world, in fact it appears in earthly form as a weakness, but in heaven it brings great reward.

Dying to self is so hard. I am thankful for Christ’s example of complete selflessness and sacrifice for others. This will also help me so much as I prepare to share my desire for God’s Word with other women.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. Philippians 4:3-7

I will no longer feel bad about my feelings of inadequacy. I am thankful for them, as they remind me that I am humble servant of God. I truly can do nothing with out His help.

God's Peace

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7

This weekend and yesterday I have been extremely busy for me. I have several projects around the house that I have started and been unable to complete, my husband has painting and other "house" projects that I have had to help with, I start leading a new Bible study at church tomorrow night that I am completely unprepared for, my house is completely in shambles, and I feel like I am in over my head. I have to admit, that I have had no time in the word, and limited time in prayer over the past week. As you can imagine, this has brought me no where but to a place of anxiety and lack of peace.

Yesterday I spiraled into a full blown anxiety attack about something completely unrelated to anything on my to-do list. It had to do with a fear that came over me, and it was so bad that I got physically sick over it. I even had a moment when I doubted and questioned my faith. That situation taught me how quickly I can fall away from God and my faith ad trust that He is in control of all things.

Today reading Philippians 4 I realized 2 things. One I have not been rejoicing in all things and two I have not been praying and presenting my needs to the Lord. Thus, resulting in my lack of God's peace which is the only way to guard my heart and mind. When I become anxious or overwhelmed in my circumstances, I am not trusting God.

Today I read this sharp quote that cut me deep........"Anxiety or lack of trust is a species of "unconscious blasphemy" against God"

Wow! I think I better get my act together. This morning, against the will of my flesh, I went into a long time of prayer and was amazed at how quickly that brought me back to where I need to be......... rejoicing in the Lord and protected by His peace which will stand guard against the anxieties that want to attack my heart and mind.

Cast your burdens

Cast your burdens upon the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous to be shaken. Psalm 55:22

Sometimes I can get so frustrated with how early my day starts, and how little time I get to spend in the Word before my busy morning hits full speed. Today I only had time to read this one little verse, and it spoke multitudes to me. When I first read it I said..."Lord, then why do I always feel shaken?" The answer was so obvious. The verse it self gives me my answer......because I do not cast my burdens on the Lord!!
Why do I do this?? Why do I let myself get so bent out of shape about things my kids do or things that are not going the way I would like them to? I choose to take it on myself rather than praying and casting it upon the Lord.

I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:8

He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Psalm 62:2

Hmmmm...looks like I really have no excuse to be "shaken", except that I am not letting the Lord do His job.

Thinking right thoughts

whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. Philippians 4:8

A few weeks ago the Lord convicted me of a bad habit I have of thinking negative thoughts. These thoughts can be negative about a person, a situation, what ever. I know that speaking negatively is a bad thing, but I had never really thought about the things that I don't say but think in my mind.
When I am doing dishes or drying my hair, I will often times just think about "stuff". The other day on the way back from talking with a neighbor I found myself "thinking" a something about her in my head. Lately I have started to ask my self if what I am thinking falls under one of the characteristics above. When I started actually paying attention to this habit, I was shocked at how often my thoughts are negative and do not follow the Philippians 4:8 way of thinking!!

This type of thinking can really harm my relationships with people, and add to my fears and anxieties. Luke 6:45 says: The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. (or in my case..his mind thinks!)

Today in my devotional book I read this little quote from Barbara Johnson...."You must learn to resist negative thoughts before they hijack your emotions." Oh how often my negative thoughts hijack my emotions! Sometimes it can be negative thinking that can make me bitter or irritated with the people I love (especially my husband!) or it can be negative thoughts that lead me into a spiral of fear and anxiety.

So glad God brought this to my attention, now I just need prayer to help me keep it in check.