Blessed

Psalm 97:9-12 For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. 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. Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you who a righteous, and praise his holy name. 

The beginning of these verses reminds me of the worship song, I Exalt Thee. The definition of exalt is :1.

hold (someone or something) in very high regard; think or speak very highly of.

synonyms:

extol, praise, acclaim, esteem What am I doing to exalt Christ today Do the things I say and do communicate that I love Christ or do I just blend in with the rest of the world? These verses say we should love The Lord & hate evil. Evil has infiltrated our culture these days.. how am I different? What example am I leaving for my son? I can't simply tell him to love God it's my job as his momma to SHOW him how. Knowing that the reward for loving Christ is great. Verses 10&11 tell us the rewards for exalting Christ ( for making him more important than all other things).  He guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.  I am so thankful for this! Truth #3: I choose to be a momma that exalts Christ and hates evil. Even if that means not always fitting in. I am not less, I am blessed!!

What really matters

In my reading today I got stuck here on this verse. 

Proverbs 31:11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. 

It's that last word...Value. One of my jobs as a mom & wife is to make sure my family has what they need. However, I often get hung up on the details & focus on things that have no real VALUE. I want things just so & when they aren't I very easily fall prey to the compare game. I wish I could make dinner from scratch for my family like so & so. Or why can't I seem to get my house to look nice & put together like theirs. These things are great & I'm still making strides at them, but I have to ask myself, is that what proverbs means when it says....he (my husband) lacks nothing of value? 

The answer is no. The things that really matter are often unseen. The attitude  with which I make dinner, how often I invite Christ to make our house His home, how I use our resources to bless others, the love we share as we live life together, choosing joy even during the mundane tasks (changing diapers & wiping faces & noses isn't always fun), supporting and respecting my husband as he leads our family. This is just a small list but I know that these things definitely have more eternal value than a home cooked meal and a spotless house. 

I need to remember this next time I am tempted to compare myself in areas that really hold little eternal value. 

It's not that God doesn't want me to clean the house, or cook etc. but I shouldn't get so caught up in those things that I loose  sight of what He really values :)

So truth #1: choosing to focus on what has more eternal value does not make me less.

Before the sun sets again

So, I've decide to start blogging a little. If you know me, this is a little odd b/c technology and me aren't exactly besties! :) but here I am. I intend to simply share my heart and the lessons my Heavenly Father is teaching me. 

So today I find myself in a place I have found myself waaayyy too many times before. I'm stuck in the dangerous web of comparing. You know the drill. If I were only as ______ as _______. However, sense becoming a mommy (my son is now 1) the enemy has waged an all together new attack with this comparing game. Countless times I feel his spotlight shinning on me pointing out all the areas where I'm not quite measuring up as a mom. And to be honest I have sat Idly by and let him do it.  So much so that I really don't need his help anymore. I do it myself. And it has become a slippery slope. I have traded a huge portion of my identity in Christ in for the lie that I am for 50,000 different reasons not good enough. Today is no different except that I have decided I am done playing his game. I have been idle too long. God has been stirring this in me for awhile and it's time to put my faith in action. To stand up before the sun sets again and say ENOUGH!  I will not accept the lie that I am not good enough any longer. Why? B/c God says so. He made me, and He says I'm wonderful. 

Psalm 139:13-18 For you created my inmost being;you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;your works are wonderful,I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place,when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body;all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you. 

This passage of scripture is very familiar to me. But I have not let the full weight of it permeate my heart. I have lost sight of it and the devil ran with that! 

In the days ahead I'm going to be focusing in on one part of these verses : How precious to me are YOUR thoughts,    God! How vast is the sum of them! If I were to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand --

It's time to let what God says about me be more important to me than what the enemy has gotten me to buy into. I want Gods thought to again be precious to me! So I'm committing to intentionally seek Gods word for the next 30 days to find out what God thinks of me specifically as a Mommy :) and share it here. 

Wherever you find yourself, I invite you to journey with me; Because none of us can be reminded if truth enough! I pray He transforms me in the next 30 days and uses my transparency for His glory.