Be blessed

Going to try to post this from my phone so bear with me. Life has been crazy interesting lately and full of many twists and turns. I know God is still in control but some days just seem overwhelming. We are adjusting to a new normal at our house. I'm having plenty of opportunities to trust God with my life and with the lives of my boys. It's amazing how strong Jesus is in us when we don't feel like we can be strong anymore. I love the growth. I love being stretched:-) As long as God never leaves me to do it on my own:) So know you are not alone in your journey. You're not the only one being stretched and GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE AND STILL IN CONTROL. Be blessed friends:)

New season...

I have been off-line for awhile, so that is the reason for my lack of posting. God has been so good to me lately. I am being pruned and old habits are being broken. It has been painful, but it feels so good to get free of the things that have held me back for so long!

I have started a new chapter of my life, and boy oh BOY! What a journey it has been!!! I did not know I still had some of the mindsets of the past. There is some ugly thoughts and attitudes that I have been praying for God to burn out of me.

I have been praying a very scary prayer,
only because I know God will answer! :)

"Stick me in the furnace Lord! I just want to be more like YOU!!!"

He is doing just that! And PRAISE GOD! As long as He does not let go of me, I can go through anything! As God reveals a wrong thought pattern within me, I bring it to the throne, and pray He will burn it out of me, and then show me the TRUTH...HIS truth!

I never want to be unteachable! I never want to sacrifice His will to get my way! I just want to continue in His grip and in His loving arms! He is so amazing and I am so glad I can finally quit going around the mountain!!! It's about time to walk a new path:)

I have heard this a hundred times, but it finally makes sense to me this time...

"As long as you do what you have always done, you will always get what you've always gotten."

I'm ready for the NEW that God has offered me. That requires me to do things differently, not just in actions, but in my thoughts, and in the words of my heart. Be blessed! Not sure when I will get around to visit your blogs.

Take the higher road!!! It always leads us closer to Jesus!

Are you being birthed???

Are you being birthed???



Lately, I have been pondering this picture.

How long does it take

for a caterpillar to turn into a butterfly?

Where does the most transformation happen?

As a caterpillar?

Once a butterfly?

Or in the cocoon???

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If you feel like you are all alone in the cocoon
consider it a VERY good place to be!!!

You're not alone though...

God is covering you in the shadow of His wings,
so that you can begin to birth YOUR wings!!!

"Mom!" "What?"

"Mom."

"What?"

"Mom!!!"

"What Dylan?"

"Hey, can you hear me?"

-----------------------------------------

I turned to greet my lovely 10-year old, as I began to grow very frustrated with him. He was either playing games with me, or he really did not hear me respond to him. My heart sunk as I realized he was not talking to me...

With his ear pressed to the receiver, he was shouting, in a funny way, that only he can, to the person on the other side of the conversation.

I stood there silently as I listened to him joke around with his step-mom.
I wanted to cry. I wanted to hide. I wanted to tell him to get off the phone. I wanted to scream and shout that I was his mommy...

But I didn't.
I couldn't.
I didn't dare.

Two months ago, our family grew.
Well, not mine, but theirs.
Daddy got remarried.
And with that blessing,
came a new mommy,
4 new brothers,
and a couple of cats!

Both boys spent a week at dad's house
where they got to meet their new family.
I spent a week crying and healing...

My oldest son came home after a week,
my youngest stayed two more weeks.
This was a huge deal for everyone involved.
My kids hadn't seen their dad in months,
and now everyone was able to finally meet.

God reassured me over and over
that they would be o-kay...
That their dad would take good care of them,
and that their new step-mom would too.

And, of course, they did:)

From the moment, I dropped the boys off,
I began praying.....

I prayed that God would restore the bond
that they all once shared.

I prayed that He would create a new bond
between everyone as they got to know each other.

I prayed Dyl would not miss me too much.
(he was stuck to me at the hip!)

I prayed for their new marriage,
I prayed for her kids.
I prayed and prayed and prayed...
and cried and cried and cried...
For two hours....
alone in the car....

I wrote about it HERE

I had peace...

I had surrendered once again
to my Daddy's will for my life.

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"But, mom!" he laughed again.

I smiled.
I wiped away my one tear.
I thanked God
for the bond HE created!!!
I smiled again...

I listened and chuckled quietly from the other room
as I heard him request to talk to each one of the kids.
He talked everyone's ear off...
I'm pretty sure he even talked to the cat!
He made sure she put him on speaker phone
so that his voice could ring throughout the whole house.

"Hey guys, I'm on the phone!!!!!!!
Mom, tell someone to talk to me"

"O-kay Dylan," She laughed
as he continued to talk her ear off.

God reminded me that I prayed for this...
and because He reminded me,
I could wipe my tears away...
and rejoice...
because God IS faithful...
& God answers prayers!!!

God gave Dyl...
more people to love him!!!
a daddy...
2 mommies...
5 brothers...
& two cats!

It's time....

It's time to break through!!!!

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Not that I have already obtained all this,
or have already been made perfect, but
I press on to take hold of that for which
Jesus Christ took hold of me. Brothers,
I do not consider myself yet to have taken
hold of it. But one thing I do. Forgetting
what is behind and straining toward what
is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win
the prize for which God has called me
heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 3:12-14

I pray...

I pray you will find peace

for your weary and broken heart...

I pray you will receive the love

others have tried to give you...

I pray you will not feel so alone

in a world where everyone has seemed to betray you...

I pray you will find forgiveness

for the woundedness you feel...

I pray you would learn to forgive

because it is destroying you inside...

I pray that you would see

I am for you...not against you...

I pray that you would feel

my embrace around you...

If God...then why?

If
God
can
forgive
you
of
your
past...

then why can't you forgive yourself?
----------------------------------------
If
God
can
see
you
as
beautiful...

then why can't you?
------------------------
If
God
can
love
you
just
as
you
are...

then why can't you?
--------------------------
If
God
doesn't
define
your
future
based
on
what
you've
done
in
the
past...

then why should you?
-----------------------------