Take Root and Write

Heaven on Earth

It’s hard to see God in this world sometimes. You have to really look for Him. The world’s evil is extremely prevalent and it can seem like God is far away in a place called heaven. 

Somewhere in my thinking, I’ve assumed that God created the earth, hung around quite a bit in “olden times”, sent Jesus to die on the cross and rise three days later, left to go prepare a place for us, and then nothing…nothing until His glorious return.

When I was young, I was always afraid that Jesus would come back before I got married and had kids. Although I would fervently pray for His return on my way to the dentist! However, the last decade or so I would be perfectly fine if Jesus came back right this second. I often long for heaven when the weight of this world lies heavily on my shoulders.

One of my present-day heroes is Rob Bell. In his book, Velvet Elvis, he talks about “heaven coming to earth.” To be honest, I really didn’t like this phrase at first.  Heaven on earth? I cannot imagine this earth being heaven at all. I don’t even want to think about the two having anything in common. 

Slowly over the years, this phrase stirred in my brain…

Heaven on earth…

This earth transforming to heaven one day…

A few years back, I studied heaven quite a bit and it made me yearn for it even more. But it also made me somewhat stagnant in my life because I just wanted to be in heaven. It would be the ultimate, quick-fix, extreme makeover.

So easy.

Everything. Would. Be. Perfect.

Woman at the Well

Jesus and His disciples were on their way to Galilee. He had been causing the Pharisees some headaches by gaining more disciples than John the Baptist.  Jesus left Judea for Galilee by way of Samaria. Now Jews often avoided Samaria. The Samaritans and the Jews did not get along.  The Samaritans were a mixed-blood race from the intermarriages of the Israelites and Gentiles and therefore much hostility occurred between the two people groups in Jesus’ day (NIV Study Bible p. 1484). Jesus, however, didn’t go around Samaria to get to Galilee…He went through it!  Leave it to Jesus to follow the road less traveled! 

On their journey, Jesus stops to rest at a well while the disciples leave for town to get food. While He’s there, Jesus asks a Samaritan women for a drink of water and they start talking. 

First of all, it amazes me that Jesus spoke to the women. He even asked her for help.  How many times do we talk to people? How often do we ask complete strangers for help while doing our every day normal activities? 

Secondly, I wonder if Jesus was actually thirsty? Or if He really needed to rest? Or if He even needed to go through Samaria at all?  Did He go through Samaria just to talk to this woman?  This average, every day woman Jesus came to see. And what was she doing?  She wasn’t doing anything spectacular. . . she was getting water.  It would be like us going to the grocery store or getting gas for our car, nothing out of the ordinary. . .just something that needs to be done.  

Another thing that is amazing is that Jesus goes against culture by talking to a woman in public- not to mention a Samaritan woman. Rabbis were not known to talk to women at all. But Jesus goes against what society says and talks to her. 

Finding Your Purpose as a Mom (Part 4)

In my life, questions like. . .What am I doing? Why am I here on earth? Am I making a difference in my life?  Does what I do matter? What does this life mean?. . . have often plagued my thoughts...Click here to read Part 1,2 and 3 of this series.

Expect Your Heart’s Desires 

It only takes one person to change the course of history. It only takes one person to say yes to God’s call in order to change eternity. Moses was one person that said yes to God.  Tamar was one person that said yes to God. Rahab was one person that said yes to God.  And they changed history forever. You may be thinking- who am I to change history? I am not anything special nor do I have any special talents or clout or power or money or influence. But if we look in the Bible, it is filled with ordinary people:  young girls, tent makers, fisherman, shepherds - lowly common people that God, the creator of the universe, chose to put forth His will. . .for His glory. . . for His master plan. . . for His goal for eternity! What was the commonality between all these people? They said, “Yes!” to God. They were willing to listen to His voice, hear His calling and do His will. 

Are you willing to say yes to God? To delight in Him? 

When my daughter Emma was two, she would say, “Hi Mom. I love you Mom.” Of course I would say back, “I love you too baby!” Then she would respond, “You’re welcome Mom.”  How did she know I needed to hear those sweet little words! 

Finding Your Purpose as a Mom (Part 3)

In my life, questions like. . .What am I doing? Why am I here on earth? Am I making a difference in my life?  Does what I do matter? What does this life mean?. . . have often plagued my thoughts...Click here to read Part 1 and Part 2 of this series.

In Part 2, I wrote how loving God is the first step in finding our purpose as moms.  The second step is loving people. Loving people is loving God in action. 
 
I think most of us long to make a difference in our lifetimes but doubt that God has big plans or even significant plans for us. How could He use me?  I’m not a Billy Graham or a Rick Warren. But I think one of the things that I love the most about our great God is that He has a specific plan for us. It says in the Ephesians 2:10 (NIV), that He “created us to do good things- He planned for us long ago.” 

Read this quote from George Barna’s Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions:  "Our children will define the future, which makes them our most significant and enduring legacy. After all, God never told his followers to take over the world through force or intelligence. He simply told us to have children and then raise them to honor God in all they do." 

Finding Your Purpose as a Mom (Part 2)

In my life, questions like. . .What am I doing? Why am I here on earth? Am I making a difference in my life?  Does what I do matter? What does this life mean?. . . have often plagued my thoughts...Click here to read Part 1 of this series.

At  Bible Study one morning we were talking about the importance of serving. There was a mom there that had two young girls. She was so discouraged because she didn’t feel like she was doing her part. She said she felt like she was on the side-lines of the big game. . .watching. . .not doing her part.  I could relate. How is being at home with my girls part of the game?

We are in the game!  We are the forward, the quarterback, the point guard, and the coach. We don’t get rest. Our children are our service and we are specifically called to minister to them. Just because you aren’t in the jungles of Africa doesn’t mean you aren't serving.
 
Take this quote to heart…

"…the investment I made in my children’s lives did (and does) matter.  Parenting isn’t just my responsibility, it is one of my God-ordained roles in life…Mothering is an anointed role.  Don’t beg for distractions.  Instead, immerse yourself in the experiences of today.  Value them and make the most of them.  At the right time, God will lead you onward, and you will be able to see the importance of today’s ordinary tasks in the total scope of God’s purposes." (Katie Brazelton, Pathway to Purpose for Women)

Finding Your Purpose as a Mom (Part 1)

 

In my life, questions like. . .What am I doing? Why am I here on earth? Am I making a difference in my  life?  Does what I do matter? What does this life mean?. . . have often plagued my thoughts. 

Recently I was reading an article from Family Circle called, “The Secret Life of the American Wife”. It stated that 61 percent of American wives would change something about their life if given the chance.

Here are the five top changes they’d make:

1. Get a higher-paying job
2. Marry a different man
3. Marry later in life
4. Have more kids
5. Have kids at an earlier age

Everyday Miracles Part 2

(This is Part 2 of a 2-part series on Everyday Miracles.  If you would like to read Part 1, click here.)

A lot of times when we think of miracles we think of the big pie-in-the-sky miracles: parting of the Red Sea, miraculous healings or walking on water. I think it tends to make us think that miracles only happened in Biblical times or at the very least they rarely happen today. I have found however that it is the seemingly small miracles that are big.

I promised more miracles and here they are...

Miracle #4:  Applesauce

I have a receipt on my fridge to remind me of God’s miracles. A couple of years ago we were going through some financial trials and we had no money in our account- I mean a big zero! I had just started leading my first book study and I was getting reimbursed for the books. One of the ladies paid me and told me to keep the change (it came out to a couple of dollars).

The next morning, my daughter who was in kindergarten at the time, was supposed to bring in several apples to her class so they could make applesauce. I had completely forgot and knew we did not have the money for even such a small purchase. I suddenly remembered that I had a couple extra dollars from the night before! God had remembered and knew that my little girl needed apples so she could make applesauce. This small miracle was such a big deal to me and it reminds me of how intimately God knows us- down to the smallest detail.

Miracle #5:  Five Little Words

I had my annual doctor's appointment recently and oh the terror of five little words, "Please step on the scale." These words strike fear in every woman's heart. We have a love/hate relationship with the scale (mine is mostly hate) and it's usually a very private affair when one is stepping on it. But to have to do it in public! I know it's a doctor's office but is it really necessary to know my weight for my check-up? Is it really necessary to make me get weighed with my clothes and shoes on? (Which I'm sure add 10 extra pounds!) Is it really necessary to announce it over the intercom? (At least that is what it feels like while they are writing it on their clipboard). Anyway, I politely asked the nurse if I could not be weighed and he said, "Sure, not a problem!"

Sure, not a problem!

Attention women everywhere who are afraid to go the doctor because of those five little words- ask and a miracle could happen!

Everyday Miracles Part 1

 

There are miracles everyday. Do you see them? For the past eight months I've been keeping track of some of the everyday miracles God has done in my life. Some of them may surprise you!

Miracle #1:  Paid our bills

Money is a necessary evil. I hate what it does to me. I hate that it can make or break my day. I hate that it can wake me up in the middle of the night and send me in a panic. I hate the hold it can have on my thoughts and actions.

Last summer, we were getting ready to leave for the weekend for my brother's wedding. We had no money in our account to pay for the trip. The day before we left, my husband got a check that paid for the majority of our trip!  A miracle!

One of my preparations for the trip was making sure the finances were in order. We had bills to pay after we returned so I wrote the checks and got them ready to send. The last day I could send them was the Monday we returned so I decided to let them sit until then. One of things I have learned is to pray while I'm doing my finances so I don't start hyper-ventilating. I usually "remind" God of all the bills He has to pay! (If everything is His - I guess that means the bills too!) I was leaving the bills in His hands. Mind you- we have no money in our account and about $1100 in bills to send on Monday.

The wedding was beautiful. We had a wonderful time with family and friends. I didn't think about the bills one time. (This is a huge lesson that I have learned - worrying doesn't pay the bills! Bills aren't a life and death situation!) When we returned, I was going through the mail and we received about $600 in reimbursements from our medical insurance that I wasn't expecting and a family member had hidden $500 in my wallet that I didn't find until we got home. Our bills were paid! Another miracle!

101

My great-grandma died recently. She was 101 years old. Amazing! Even though it is an incredible blessing that she is in heaven where she wants to be, it still hit me kind of hard: a life gone from this earth. In some ways I’m even a little jealous. I could handle being in heaven.

As I look back on her life, her biggest joy was her family. She would brag on us anytime she could - counting up the grandkids, great grandkids and even great-great grandkids! One person in particular that she would brag about was my grandfather - her eldest son. She would say that he was perfect (it’s pretty much true!) My grandfather is true entrepreneur (he started several successful businesses), a self-learned man (never went to college but reads encyclopedias for fun; he's the wisest person I know), loves people (he knows and genuinely cares about everybody in town) and a man after God’s own heart. She raised a fine young man!

This year my grandfather is turning 80 (yes, all of my family married really young!) and we are celebrating his birthday along with my grandmother at a mini-family reunion. We “stole” all of their old 8mm and Super 8 home movies and got them transferred to DVD as their surprise birthday present from the family. We have tape from 1948! On the invitation to the party, my cousin wrote:

We're celebrating Papa and Mom!
80 Priceless years and still going
strong...their unconditional
love, wisdom and guidance has
been the foundation of our
family legacy.

Permission

As moms we give our children permission to do certain things. I believe this concept transfers over to ourselves. Where do we get permission? I give you permission for the following things (you wouldn't dream of doing some of these things, but now you can!):

-to be a mom (I didn't say "supermom"- a mom...nothing else, nothing more.)

-to take a nap.

-to leave the dishes in the sink.

-to not make your bed.

-to give your kids a break from making their bed.

-to have a pajama day.

-to go the library and look for books that you want to read.

-to have coffee with a friend.

-to have breakfast for dinner.

-to have dessert first.

-to not finish all the homework.

-to do your devotions in the car.

-to let your kids fix dinner and make a mess!

-to hug and kiss your kids.

-to sleep in.

-to take a long bath.

-to break your self-inflicted rules.

You may be saying to yourself, this will create chaos in my life! That's OK every once in awhile! I find that I've placed these unrealistic expectations on myself to do A,B,and C in a given week.  Sometimes I find that I'm so worried about A,B, and C that I forget how to give love and attention to my family and I come down really hard on myself. Actually when you don't have such unrealistic, unmovable, unloving expectations on yourself, you get more done because the pressure is off. 

Now go...take a nap!!

Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.  (Romans 12:1-3 The Message)

 

©2009 All Rights Reserved Trina Loucks

Get Rid of the Old, to Make Room For the New

Twice a year I go through my entire house to reorganize and get rid of things we don’t use. I’m definitely a “chucker.” If I haven’t used it recently it gets sent to Goodwill. I try and accomplish this task after Christmas and during the summer. It’s usually quite a process and it takes me awhile to get motivated but once I do, it’s a wonderful feeling. There is just something that feels so good about a clean, organized house.  (My husband thinks this is a sickness!)

One of the more challenging tasks of this endeavor is sorting through the kids’ rooms. We find toys that they haven’t played with in months but as soon as they see it, they don’t want to part with it. All of a sudden, it’s the most desirable toy in the world; something they couldn’t possibly live without. I gently try to explain that we have too many things and if we don’t get rid of some things, we won’t have room for the new toys. I also want to teach them about sharing our things with other people who are less fortunate. 
It’s difficult for me to understand why it is so hard to get rid of these toys that they don’t even play with!  Why would you want so much clutter in your room? If you aren’t using it, why not give it to someone who could!

Once again, I have stop myself and realize that I do the same thing. Why do I hold on to past hurts, experiences and regrets? Why don’t I remember God’s love and forgiveness more often? Why do I fill my life with clutter–worrying what others think, doubting my purpose, fearing the future, and stressing over minor situations?

I decided for 2009 that I would get rid of the old to make room for the new. I didn’t write any New Year’s resolutions. My pastor encouraged me to write out a sin list and a prayer list. I would encourage you to do the same. On the sin list, write out all of your sins, ask for forgiveness and then burn the paper. Share your sins with your accountability partner so you are supported in prayer. 

For your prayer list, make four columns:  Date, Prayer Request, Where it was Answered, and When it was Answered. Be very specific about your requests so you will see specific answers. Share your list with a trusted friend. You’ll be amazed at how God answers prayers–a lot of times we don’t even realize it. I started my list yesterday and already two of my prayer requests have been answered! This will be an incredible reminder to you and others what God has done in your life.

Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers, asking for all you need. 
To do this you must always be ready and never give up! 
Always pray for All God’s people.
(Eph. 6:18 NCV)

www.myheartsdesireministries.com
©2009 All Rights Reserved Trina Loucks

Don't Give Up

My husband and I have been helping our daughters with their piano lessons.  Music has been a huge part of our lives and we would love to impress this upon our children.  It’s pretty evident that they have some basic talent and a growing love for music.  It’s often a musical at my house as the girls are singing their conversations and dancing about the house. 

A challenge for us is when we introduce a new piece of music.  The excitement and novelty wear off REALLY quickly when it’s challenging and they can’t play it perfectly the first time.  There have been tears, frustration, threats of wanting to quit and yet we don’t let them. 

I start shaking my head, wondering why don’t they get it? 

“It’s just practice!  It will take some time!  I know you can do it!  I know you have it in you!  Don’t worry about making mistakes.  It’s not worth getting so upset!  I love you.  I believe in you.  With me you can do anything.  Trust me.”

Then I stop. 

And think. 

How often do I want to quit when it gets hard…
    …or I think it’s taking too long…
        …or I want to just take the easy road and give up? 

It's Not So Bad

Maybe the recession isn't so bad.

The ebb and flow of our economy has got me thinking (it probably has gotten a lot of people thinking!)  The media insist we are in a recession and I just heard a report saying that we've actually been in a recession since last Christmas - we just didn't know it!

I'm wondering if the recession is a good thing.  If you look at any financial institution (i.e. business, non-profit or personal) there are cycles:  expansion and growth, excess, scale back, expansion and growth...and it continues.  It looks similar in my own finances!

Would it really be so bad if we had to cut back?

It concerned me at first that the most common piece of advice has been to "watch your spending" or "don't buy unnecessary items."  This can be good advice but it won't necessarily help the economy.  But then I started thinking...

Would it be so bad if we didn't spend so much?   

    ....if we didn't spend so much, people wouldn't have to work as much...

         ...if we didn't work so much, maybe life would have more joy and we'd have more time to do things  we couldn't do before...

What if we depended more on our family, friends and neighbors instead of buying everything or paying someone to do it?

    What if we could wait to purchase items and not run up our credit?

        Would it really be so bad?

God's Timing

God’s timing is an amazing thing.  It often seems like it’s not my timing but always ends up being the best possible timing. Why do I still doubt God’s timing? Is it because I’m a control freak or is it a natural tendency of a wife and mom? We’re in the business of timing. We have to schedule not only our schedules but also the schedules of our whole household.  We have to figure out the timing of when to start dinner, when to start homework, when to start getting the kids into bed, and when to go to bed so we can get up in the morning (to name just a few!)

As Christmas quickly approaches (I do not have all of my decorations out or presents wrapped like some of my friends- I haven’t even started!), I’m reminded of the timing of Jesus’ arrival.  Did it seem like great timing…

    •    for Mary to get pregnant before she was married?
    •    for Joseph to be publically humiliated because of his pregnant fiancé?
    •    that there was a census that required Mary and Joseph to travel right at Mary’s due date?
    •    for Jesus to be born under the rule of Caesar Augustus?
    •    for there to be no room at any inn?
    •    that Jesus was born in a stable surrounded by animals?

It doesn’t seem like God picked the greatest timing for the greatest thing to happen on earth or did He?  It definitely doesn’t look like it from our earthly standards but as I often remind myself, “God’s ways are not my ways.”  (Isaiah 55;8)

Let’s commit as moms to rely on God’s timing!

©2008 All Rights Reserved Trina Loucks

Being Thankful

With Thanksgiving only days away, we tend to gear up for the holiday season (actually it seems as if it is starting at Halloween now!)  We are busy preparing and organizing and we know in the back of our minds that this is the season to be thankful - maybe we can be thankful after the meal is cooked, cleaned and put away! 

I love the idea of a holiday dedicated to giving thanks to our Lord for His countless blessings, but I want to offer another suggestion.  John Ortberg (one of my favorite authors and speakers) suggests that we "review the dailies."  At the end of each day he reviews the day of it's blessings.  We can get so focused on what went wrong in a day, that by the end of it we just want to go to bed!  If we review our blessings each and every day, our perspective on life quickly changes and in turn we are more aware and grateful for all the Lord has done for us!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving (even BEFORE Thanksgiving), here are a few of the blessing the Lord has given me:

• My kids make me laugh every day
• My daughter can read and write
• Our family is healthy
• We have enough food
• God gives me new and creative ideas
• He uses our Pastor and church to change lives
• God answers prayer- even prayers that were prayed years ago
• God loves me no matter what
• My kids call me Mommy
• I have a supportive husband and he’s a good dad to our kids
• I can pray to God any second of any day
• I can teach my kids about God and His love
• My kids want my attention
• I can play games with my kids
• God teaches me through my kids

May this encourage you to review your blessings each and every day!

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
since as members of one body you were called to peace.
And be thankful. 

Colossians 3;15

©2008 All Rights Reserved Trina Loucks

Prayer Warrior Mom

 I've been reading a book lately with one of my Life Coaching clients called, The Power of a Positive Mom by Karol Ladd.  I highly recommend it.  One of the sections addresses the call for moms to pray for their kids.  I realize that I need to pray more specifically for my kids.  We pray before school, at meals and at night as a family and I pray through my day but I love the idea of praying with a purpose.  Here are some specific prayers and accompanying Scripture that Ladd suggests in her book:

Pray that your kids will come to know and follow Christ:  That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.  Roman 10:9-11

Pray that your kids will be able to recognize evil and hate it:  Let those who love the LORD hate evil,
for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.  Psalm 97;10

Pray for their protection against the evil one:  My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.  John 17;15

Pray that your kids will be kind and forgiving:  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  Ephesians 4;32

Pray that your kids will choose wise friends:  He who walks with the wise grows wise,
but a companion of fools suffers harm.  Proverbs 13;20

Pray for a hedge of protection around your kids:  If the LORD delights in a man's way,
he makes his steps firm, though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand. Psalm 37;23-24

I would encourage you to pick a verse a week.  Write it out on an index card and put it in a visible place- your bathroom mirror,  near the sink where you do dishes, in your Bible or on your nightstand.  Prayer matters!

Battling the Worry-Monster

I think it's safe to say that most moms (if not all) battle feelings of worry.   It's something we genetically inherited as women!  The "what ifs" tend to plague our mind with doubt, fear and anxiety.  It can make us second guess our every decision, cause great stress and negatively effect everything we do.

Have you ever worried about...

• what school your child should attend?
• feeding your family healthy food?
• getting enough exercise?
• deciding the activities  for your family?
• words you've said to your kids?
• your child's safety?
• your child's future?
• paying the bills?
• being a good enough mom?

As a fellow worrier, I could tell you why you shouldn't worry about such things and even if my suggestions were valid and made total sense - it would still be hard NOT to worry!  I remember when we brought our infant daughter home from the hospital, I was extremely tired.  It was more than the usual sleep-deprivation after birthing a child - I had not slept for days.  Why?  I was worried!  I was so afraid to fall asleep because I was afraid she was going to die.  Now I know this is a real possibility and I mourn for those of you who have lost babies, but I had no reason to be worried about her health - and more than that, it was something that was totally out of my control.  I finally remember crying and praying to the Lord, "Please Lord, I have to sleep.  I give my baby up to you.  If it be your will that we only have her for a few days, than thank you for the wonderful days we've already experienced."   It wasn't until I prayed that prayer was I able to sleep.

A Time to Rest

We make sure our kids get plenty of it, we work our whole lives so one day we can have it and we may even day-dream about it...any ideas as to what it is?  REST!

After I had my second baby, I was working two jobs, transitioning from one kid to two, breastfeeding (and pumping), taking care of the house and trying to get all this done without getting a full nights sleep! (Hang in there all you moms with newborns!)  I knew that I was in trouble when I used to dream of being in solitary-confinement so I could do nothing but rest!

Of course we all heard the advice to "rest when the baby is resting," but do we do it?  No way!! That suggestion is for slackers!  Why would I rest in the middle of the day?  I'd be... well... a baby! When they are sleeping this is the perfect time to catch up on my to-do list! 

I am now a proud advocate for rest time.  My house has regular rest times every day and my kids are way past the age of regular naps. (I eventually quit my other jobs and now work at home as a mom and a Life Coach.)  Each day after lunch is our designated quiet time.  If the kids are home, they do it too!  This is a time where we can read, rest or do a quiet activity.  I usually take this time to do my devotions, pray, journal, and rest.  And yes, I do fall asleep most days.  Now before you think I'm crazy to waste time like that (or maybe you're secretly wishing you could take a nap) let me tell you that this is what allows me to make it through the rest of the day.  I'm able to get MORE done (did you see that- MORE?) when I rest than when I don't.  Now I realize that not everybody's schedule would allow a rest time in the middle of the day but I would encourage you to pray that the Lord will help you be creative as to when you can have your rest time.

What are the benefits from resting?

Fast Food Family

Sometimes the hardest thing I do all day is get out of bed.  The alarm clock goes off or I wake to the rumblings of my two little ones and the first thoughts in my head are those of panic: "I have so much to get done today!  How will I ever get it done?  Did I remember to...  What about the bills?  How are we ever going to pay them?  I can't forget to..." I'm already stressed out and I haven't even gotten out of bed! We live in a fast food world.  Our minds have been conditioned to order, pay and receive our food in 5 minutes flat.  If it takes longer (or there's a long wait) we get stressed out.  We only allowed 5 minutes to grab dinner and now we are off schedule!  It's going to mess everything up! 

We then translate this fast food mentality to other aspects of our lives:  we get an email and have to respond, we get a phone call or message and feel like we need to immediately call back, the garage is a mess so we need to clean it NOW!  We have this sense of urgency in our lives and if we don't react quickly, we feel guilty that it's not done yet.  Then we get overwhelmed because we have so much on our plates.  We wonder if we'll ever get caught up.  When we feel like we get ahead a little bit, something else comes up and the vicious cycle continues!  

Here are some tips to combat our fast food mentality:

• Start with the essentials:  As you're laying in bed trying to sort out your day,  remind yourself to breathe. It may sound like a no-brainer but we often need this essential reminder!

• Pray for guidance:  Too much to do?  Don't know where to begin?  Are you discouraged before your day has even started?  Pray that the Lord will be with you in every aspect of your day.  Pray for wisdom as you pick and chose the important things that need to be done THAT day.  Don't worry about what needs to be done tomorrow or next week but what needs to be done today- it will help you not get so overwhelmed.

• Plan accordingly:  After you've prayed, pick the 2 or 3 things that are the most important to get done that day amongst the rest of your schedule (i.e. return a phone call, do laundry, or run an errand).  If you don't accomplish them that day, don't stress out! (sometimes our expectations are unrealistic... sure I can run to the grocery store, pick up the kids from the school, fix a fabulous meal, clean the whole house and finish the science experiment all in one afternoon...)   In fact, it's important to realize that you will NEVER get caught up.   At first that might seem really depressing but once you accept this fact, it’s actually quite freeing.

To Be Or Not To Be...Perfect

In this day and age when all things must appear "perfect," it can be rough being a woman, especially a mom.  Not only do we have to be perfect but our kids have to be perfect!  That's a lot of pressure!  Too much pressure!  Unrealistic pressure!

I'm here to tell you - it's OK to NOT be perfect!  In fact, it's impossible to be perfect so take a load off and realize this true fact - we are not perfect (you might want to say it out loud for effect!)  Now some of you might be mildly freaking out at this point!  That is ok.  Acceptance is the first step!  So you can take a big sigh of relief when...

• your child acts out in public
• you and your child are wearing more of your food than you actually ate
• your child got a "B" (or lower) or a "S" instead of a "S+"
• your child is not the star athlete or dance star but maybe the star in the "drama" department
• sometimes you're not all that thrilled with your chosen profession (i.e. mommyhood)
• you take a nap! (gasp- more on this to come)

Now that you are thoroughly depressed - what is the good news?  The good news is that even though we're not perfect, God is. If we love and put our trust in Him, we have access to a perfect God and all of His resources.  It says in Psalm 37;23-24, "If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand."  God never promises that we won't mess up, BUT He does promise that if we stumble, we won't fall!  I picture God holding our hand as we journey through this life and like a little child, when we stumble, He has our hand and prevents us from falling.  Now that is some good news.

Intro: Mom2Mom

One of the most important roles in life is the role of a mother.  As a result, we need to encourage each other along the way!  Join us as we discuss such topics as tips for parenting, organization, being a Godly example and finding your God-given purpose as a mom. 

By, Trina Loucks
Column Posted Second & Fourth Friday every Month / Also a Group in CWTR, here.