“Relationship is the art of sacrifice that makes the days a
masterpiece.” ~Ann Voskamp
You know that saying, “Sticks and stones can break my bones
but words will never hurt me?” Well,
this saying is so not true because words hurt.
Words that hurt can stick with you like glue for a long time. You can believe these hurtful words…focus on
these hurtful words until they become you.
And you know what? They aren’t
you! They are just hurtful stupid words
that you have believed. We are defined
by God and God alone! God says, “Through
patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.” God also says that in Christ, I am (and you
are):
God’s Masterpiece (Eph. 2:10)
Forgiven (Eph 1:7)
A New Creature (2 Cor 5:17)
Strong in the Lord (Eph 6:10)
Accepted in Christ (Eph 1:6)
Chosen (Mt 22:14)
Called (1Thess 5:24)
Perfected Forever (Heb 10:14)
Sealed with the Spirit (2 Cor 1:22)
Complete in Christ (Cos 2:10)
In Lysa Terkeurst’s Book, Am I Messing up My Kids, she says,
“You are exactly the mom God knew your children needed.” Ahh…I loved this quote from the first time I
read it. I remember reading it right
after I yelled at the kids and sent them to their rooms for fighting with each
other about EVERYTHING! I may have
slammed a few doors in the process to try and get my point across that I was
mad and they needed to stop. Mommy guilt
started to boil up in me and I opened Lysa’s book because she is real, honest
and not afraid to share her mistakes to the world! I love her because when I read her books—I
can relate to her--- I think she is in my house sometimes.
I mess up! I am not
the perfect mom or wife or person….but you know what? God loves me and knows my heart. God knows that I need Him every step of the
way and I know that I need Him! Say
you’re sorry…ask for forgiveness. It can
be hard to do and hard to admit when you are wrong. But, by doing so- I am teaching my children
that Jesus is in my life. Lysa TerKeurst
says, “I live my faith out loud and up front so they (her kids) cannot miss that
Christ is the center of our home.” She
also says, “But even when I fail with my attitude, I can see it as a chance to
exemplify the reality of Jesus in how I handle my failure. If I am quick to humble myself, ask for
forgiveness, and model redemption, that speaks volumes to my kids as well about
how real Jesus is in my life.”
We have to choose our words carefully---especially when it
comes to our children. They learn so
much from us and will repeat what they see.
Toby Mac’s song –Speak Life---he says “Mountains crumble
with every syllable…Hope can live or die---So Speak Life” I love this song. Speak Hope…Speak Love….Speak Life! We can choose to use our words to inspire and
love our children or we can use our tongue to break bones.
Mountains can crumble. Words can bring hope. Speak life and love and hope.
Being a stay at home mom is a huge blessing for me…something
I never want to take for granted. It can be one of the hardest jobs but it can also be the most rewarding. I started this blog off with Ann Voskamp’s
quote: “Relationship is the art of sacrifice that makes the days a
masterpiece.” And when I read this I
thought about what I sacrifice for my kids.
Then I thought about Jesus’ sacrifice. Matthew 16: 24-26 says, “Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?”
Then I thought about Jesus’ sacrifice. Matthew 16: 24-26 says, “Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?”
Sacrifice!
“Anything worth having has a price tag.
If you didn’t sacrifice for it, someone else did.” Rick Warren.
I want to teach my children to run hard
after God while they are young. So, that
means that they need to see Jesus in me….in my actions…in my words…in my parenting. We have moments with our children…building
relationships with them and teaching them to build a relationship with God is
important to me and I intend to take Jesus’ hand and follow his lead.
“I’m
holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the cross, since I know who I am. Good works won’t get us through the
gate.” ~ Bono
1 Thessalonians 1: “We remember before our God and Father your work produced by FAITH, your labor prompted by LOVE, and your endurance inspired by HOPE in our Lord Jesus Christ.” This = motherhood to me!
Sticks and Stones? Speak love.
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