Sometimes, as a mom of two little ones, days can seem mundane. Get up, feed kids, dress kids, entertain kids, clean up messes after kids…and repeat this cycle three or four times till bed time. But really there is so much more – like watching a tiny person who can’t do anything at first learn things overnight. Aidan will say a word today he didn’t know yesterday. Eóin will learn to spell and write.

It’s amazing – God made how we grow as humans an everyday miracle! Really my life is not mundane at all – I get to sit and watch miracle after miracle every day and praise him by saying – wow God – you created these little people. You gave them their fun personalities and shaped and molded their tiny bodies that are growing all the time. And it’s amazing that I get to see that every day Thanks God!

Here’s me and my crazy robot guy

When he read an article about a town in the US that showed it was one of the most obese and unhealthy places in America, he thought he would see if the program would work here too. So he left his family behind to help this town learn to eat healthily. Now – if Jamie Oliver came to my town offering to teach me how to cook great healthy food for me family, I would be ecstatic! BUT these people really were not! It was so weird. Even the people at the local hospital seemed to be more concerned that he would ruin the image of the town instead of jumping on board to change it! A local radio icon really seemed to make it his personal responsibility to tell Jamie they did not anyone telling them what they could or could not eat. WEIRD.

I was totally shocked that people would so utterly reject something so good for them, but then people have been rejecting good since the beginning. Matthew chapter 8 is such a good example of this. Jesus arrives at a town and is met by two demon possessed men who are soo dangerous that no one could even go near where they lived. Jesus casts the demons out and sends them into a herd of pigs nearby. Sadly for the pigs, they ran into the lake and drowned. the herdsmen went and told the people of the village what Jesus had done and the village came out to meet Jesus. You would think they would be filled with wonder over his miracle, but no – they “begged him to go away and leave them alone.”  REALLY? JESUS – LEAVE YOU ALONE? What were they thinking? They were thinking that he ruined a source of money I guess. Their focus on themselves blinded them to the miracle right before their eyes. They wanted no part in this great thing.

Before I end with thinking just those people are weird, I think about myself. How many times do I ignore what I know Jesus has told me to do. Because I think I know what is best for myself, I don’t want any part of the good that Jesus wants to do in my life. I guess I am weird too. Seeing it in this example just opened my eyes to how foolish it really is to ask Jesus to leave me alone instead of following him with my whole heart! I really don’t want to be that weird

Today was no exception. Aidan was super crabby because I wouldn’t hold his hands so he could walk around so he kept climbing back up my legs every time I put him down. It’s very hard to get clothes ready and the bath filled when there is a PERSON wrapped around your legs.  I needed to get Eóin on the potty but he was lollygagging about, asking if he could play computer games after his bath. I could not get that child to move in the direction I wanted him to go. Finally in a tone of voice that I’m sure did not portray how much I really love my son, I told him in no uncertain terms to just GO POTTY!!!!!

Usually when Eóin is using the potty, he sings or spells, but today he started quoting our Bible verses. “In everything give thanks…be patient with everyone…” over and over again!!! I don’t think 3 year olds should be allowed weapons, but today God put the sword of the spirit right in my little boy’s hands. So while I was sitting on the bathroom floor beside the toilet I had to explain to Eóin that I was not being very patient and apologize to him and God. I have two sweet boys he has entrusted to my care and if part of that job is giving them a good scrub every now and then, I thankfully accept I now have two sweet smelling boys to cuddle and enjoy!

One of the main characters, Demetri, is an FBI agent. He is worried because he didn’t see anything at all during that time. He finds out later, that it is because he will be murdered on March 15th. He didn’t see his future because there was no future to see. So he spends the next several months in a panic, terrified of dying, and hoping he can find his killer before his killer finds him. There are many times when he just becomes an absolute wreck, lashing out at people and making stupid decisions. The emotional pressure of knowing when he is going to die is just too much for him to handle.

Transition for a minute to a book I have been reading about simplicity. There is a chapters that deals with anxiety and how Jesus talked a lot about worry and anxiety. One of the things Jesus said was “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34). I don’t want to make an irreverent comparison, but in some ways, Jesus was in the same situation as Demetri. He knew he was going to be murdered, when and how it would happen. Except he also knew WHO would kill him and he did nothing to stop them. He knew how much pain- physically, spiritually, and emotionally – he would have to bear and still did nothing to stop it. More than that, HE DID NOT WORRY ABOUT IT.

Even if I was strong enough to keep going through with a path that I knew would end in my death, I know myself well enough to know there would be times I would lash out at people or be preoccupied with what was about to happen. But Jesus spent that time loving those around him, taking any fears he had to the Father in prayer (which he did in the garden – he was human too after all). He showed us by example what to do with our anxiety and worry – take it to our Father and leave it with Him. Then we are free to take his easy yoke upon us – leaving our heavy one at his feet. He will carry the weight – no matter what the future may hold!

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the  Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

¹⁶Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

I was reading this passage yesterday and was struck with the thought that because Jesus was tempted in every way just like we are he knows the feelings that come with every situation we could ever encounter. He has felt every hurt we could ever feel and so he has mercy on us and compassion when we face those situations.

The passage goes on to say that although he faced every situation, he never sinned. Somewhere inside me a little voice has always thought that because he never sinned, just maybe the situations he faced were not the same as mine – they couldn’t have been or he surely would have reacted the same way as me. But no – that is not true at all. In fact, he faced things much harder than things I will ever have to face – like knowing the people surrounding you will be responsible for your death and loving them anyway!

The good news is that because he was righteous enough and powerful enough to resist sin, he now offers me grace to help in time of need  something he could not have done if he gave in to sin himself! And because he has been where we are, he knows just how much grace we need for any situation. It is sufficient – and He knows it is because he has been there. Amazing!

He can offer us mercy AND grace!

Instead of dealing with hours of crying and getting out of bed, I have started what I know is probably a bad habit of rubbing his head until he falls asleep. One night, I decided to just let him cry it out. It was TERRIBLE. For starters, he shares a room with his 9 month old brother who woke up to the screams of terror and joined in! I was just exhausted. Finally, I gave in and went in to put them both asleep. I was so frustrated and just started praying about the whole thing.

Then my attitude changed as I was looking down at the tear stained sleepy faces and I started to pray for them – hey I was already on my knees! This has started a new habit for me of praying for my boys as I kneel beside them at night. I have always prayed for them in bits during the day, but I feel like God has used these nightmares and scared times of Eóin to almost make me really get serious about praying for them.

Now, I have started praying over different aspects of their lives each night. For example:

I pray for their bodies physically, that they will be healthy and kept from danger.

I pray for their hearts, that they will give them to God, and save them for the one they will marry one day. That they will be good husbands and daddies and I also pray for their future wives.

I pray for their minds, that they will be kept pure from all the filth the world will throw at them and that God will give us wisdom to know how to help them deal with it all. And that they will do well in school and that I will have wisdom to know how best to teach them.

I pray over their strengths and weaknesses as I see then now and ask God to use them for his glory in the future.

I pray for their relationship – that they will always be friends and encourage each other to walk with God.

I have really been enjoying this time with the Lord and with my boys (even though they are sleeping). Even though it always starts out as an inconvenience to me, it always turns out to be a blessing. I really want to grow in my prayer life in other ways during the year (although I hope there will be no more bad dreams to get me there!).

I reviewed a new edition of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” and a Christian fiction set soon after Jesus’ resurrection called “The Hidden Flame” on my family blog if you are interested

Click here to follow the link

Click here to read the review

My husband, Jonathan, used to ask this question all the time when we were dating. He has a very        analytical personality so he wanted to know how I felt things were going in our relationship. I am not so  analytical and so it usually took me a while to purposefully think about the answer to his question.

Fast forward almost 6 years…engagement, marriage, children, mortgage, bills…(well you get  the picture). Things are not quite as simple as they used to be. Life gets busy and it’s easy to get distracted  by responsibilities. We don’t sit down very often and have the “how are we doing?” conversation any more.

This is the reason I really like this book. The Burns’ realize that life is busy for the normal couple and so they recommend spending half and hour once a week to have meaningful discussions together. There is one chapter to read together for every week of the year. The chapters are short – a couple of pages – Usually beginning with a short passage of scripture, then some thoughts on the passage or a story to illustrate the meaning. The main part of your time together is spent talking to each other. There is a section of questions called “Faith Conversations.” These questions are aimed at helping you as a couple really open up to each other about ways you need to grow and apply Scripture and how you can help each other. The next section is called “A Step Closer,” and then helps you apply your discussions on a more practical level. One chapter for example has you make a list of things you want to do on dates together. One has you list ways you are thankful for your spouse and then share the list with each other. They are not hard things but I think they are very helpful because ordinarily we would be too busy to do them on our own. We have tried other couples devotional books but found them to be pretty shallow and almost trite, but this created deeper discussion with practical application. Not just read a page and then go on not really having been drawn closer either to God or each other.

Jonathan and I have only completed two chapters together (I did read the rest for the purpose of reviewing), but I have really enjoyed the conversations that we have had and the time we spent together. I am looking forward to continuing the book with him!

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers for the purpose of reviewing

As I prayed about his future, I thought about the present. I brought his strengths and weaknesses before God asking him to show me this year how to encourage his strengths to keep growing, and help him overcome his weaknesses.  It really occurred to me that I am a steward of my children. I am charged with a huge task of raising my children so they will be ready to do whatever God asks of them when he asks it. I am to equip them for life and ministry.  It’s pretty easy to see to their temporal needs – feed them, clothe them, wash them Seeing to their spiritual needs is something I need to work on intentionally doing.

Obviously, when they grow up, they will have to make their own choices, but I want to say that I gave them what they needed to be able to make that choice when it comes time for them to be independent. I want to teach them by word and example what it is to walk with God and depend in Him. I want them to see Christ lived out in reality not just at church. Someday I will give account of how I influenced my children. I don’t want to bury this treasure, hiding and shielding it from the world; giving it no room to grow. I want it to multiply and grow to do great things for God. Wow – only by the grace of God can we be what we need to be for our children.

Along those same lines, today I read a really good blog about using my time with my children when there are so many distractions. http://www.girltalkhome.com/blog/year-in-review-day-1 Gives me a lot to think about for this upcoming year!