Monday, January 16, 2012

JOY

Happy New Year! I've been on a blogging hiatus of sorts. I have enjoyed the Christmas break and have celebrated the New Year. I am back and ready to blog again! Thanks for taking the time to read what's on my heart.

Angela Thomas is my favorite author at the moment. I have four of her books. I'm currently reading 52 Things Kids Need From A Mom. I've been reading it for 41 days so far (that would be one chapter a day for 41 days ha ha ha. ANYWAY. I am also working through her Choosing Joy devotional for this year. Joy is my word for 2012.

So back to today's chapter. Kids Need Their Mom... "To be patient about things like thumb-sucking and pacifiers." This is the one chapter I have been dying to get too. My Jordan is 5 and he still has his baby blankie that old, dirty blue blankie that he lugs around everywhere. I have a family member that threatens to take it from him each time she sees him. Drives me crazy. But, I've always had the approach that he'll give it someday when he's ready. I ask him all the time if he's going to have it when he's daddy's age and he always says yes. I highly doubt that. LOL

Angela shared a few things in the book that spoke to my heart and I thought would be good to share. She says on page 170, "Oh, how I regret being uptight about too many little things when they were little. Why did I worry so much about appearances and buckteeth and what other people's children were doing? For goodness' sake, uptight has been the embarrassment of my mothering. I wanted to be the best, most conscientious, most organized mom ever. All wonderful and noble aspirations until the overwhelming stress of self-imposed expectations begins to eat your lunch. And your spirit. And your joy. Slowly and painfully, God taught me that there is a difference between what my kids needed and the illusion I was trying to paint."

I can relate on so many levels. I don't want to be uptight anymore. I have asked God to forgive me for being uptight and wound up over nothing. Like Angela, being uptight has been the embarrassment of my mothering too. But thanks be to God, He is faithful and is working with me to let it go. I am learning that peace is found in Him and to be thankful. He is also showing me that as I am in His presence, His joy will be given to me. I am thankful that He is with me always-even when I don't know what to do next, when I feel inadequate, when my friends are gone, when I feel alone, when I am uptight. Always. Even til the end of the age. Thank you Lord.

I have joy. I have so much to be thankful for. And now, I just want to share a little of that here with you:

898-904

a chance to start again
heart training
finding joy in God
being satisfied with Him
brining glory to God
a fresh word from God
i don't know but He knows (and that's all I need to know) :)

Happy New Year dear friends in blogland.

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