Beauty for Ashes

Life is full of hard decisions, especially if you're a parent. Young minds don't always understand the choices we have to make for them. No matter how big or small the decision is, always include God in the decision making process. Especially the hard ones. The big decisions can be extremely scary to make and our ability to make the right call can be cloudy due to our heart and the way we feel. I'm assured when I read Psalm 56:3... "When I am afraid, I will trust in you." So let God help guide you with every big and small decision even if it's going against everything you feel.

{Finding Beauty} in my everyday.  Today, it's the beauty in the midst of a storm.  Much like the storms of life, the wind may blow hard against you trying to knock you down and the rain may try to drown you.  The storms can be relentless and dark.  But, the sun will eventually peek through, His light will surround you in peace.  And at the end of it all, something new and beautiful is born. 

Our lives are made up of so many defining moments.  Defining moments in life give us hope.  They give us peace.  They give us closer.  They give us dreams.  I can remember one very special defining moment from back in January of 2013.  That moment lives and breathes inside my heart still today.  You see, after I divorced, I had no desire to marry again let alone have any more children.  I felt complete and whole with the two boys God blessed me with already.  I was content with it being just the three of us forever as far as I was concerned.    But God had other plans for me.  God planted a seed inside of my heart and all of a sudden, I longed for more children.  I longed to be someone's wife.  All of a sudden, I felt this empty space in my heart.  I felt incomplete in a way I couldn't describe or even understand.  My heart literally changed in an instant.  Without a thought or something specific happ...

I feel like I have so many titles.  I'm a woman.  I'm a child of the Most High.  I'm a wife.  I'm a mother.  I'm a homemaker.  But, it's the less obvious title that I've felt I needed to express.  One that is always in the background.  One that is always in the dark.  It's not always easy to admit, but, I am also broken.  I suppose we all are in some way-some more than others.  No matter what has broken you though, the road to mend every single crack and reinforce every broken bone, at least for me, has been a long, painful journey.  I know that slowly and surely though, I am making progress; and that, I am thankful for.   I sat down with the intention of writing about being broken.  I wanted to write about how I feel on the inside.  How I know that many of you with the same titles as me must feel too.  As moms, especially, we put an immense amount of expectation on ourselves.  We tend to compare ours...

God, I know you are busy,  But I thought I would see, If you would please do this one tiny favor for me? Today I am feeling so much love, For that little bundle of joy of mine up above. I was hoping I could ask you for something simple and sweet. I was hoping you would give my baby a hug for me.  Not just any old hug will do. It'll be an extra special one from me through you. I can't think of anyone better for this job. Than her Heavenly Father who has held her all along. Will you please wrap your arms around her, And squeeze her oh so tight? And tell her that her mama loves her with all her might. Will you please hold her close for a moment or two? Just like her mother would love to do? Will you please give her a kiss on her rosy red cheek? And tell her that it's full of love from her daddy and me? I have this feeling embedded in my soul. One only a mother who lost her child is sure to know. It's a feeling that stands the test of time. So, if...

Do you ever feel like you have messed up so much that there is no way God would welcome you into His Kingdom?  That there is no way He could ever love someone like you?  That He would never look past your mistakes, your failures, your sin?  That He would never want to bless your life? One of the lies the enemy wants us to believe is that there is no way we could ever turn our lives around after we have failed.  The enemy wants us to live feeling defeated and worthless.  The enemy wants us to live feeling guilty and condemned. The enemy wants us to believe that God would never love a sinner like us; not after what we have done in our past.  The enemy knows our weaknesses and wants us to believe that because of our past, our mistakes and failures, that we could never be loved by God.  Because of our sins, God would never love us enough to want to free us let alone call us His son or daughter. Our Heavenly Father loves us regardless of our past. ...

The Holiday season sure is busy.  From decorating your house and tree to baking cookies and planning the big family Christmas meal.  The excitement of being able to give and spending time with family.  And just like that, it's all over.  It is over before you know it and then the fun part begins; taking down and putting everything away until next year.  I know that in all the busyness and chaos, I was able to make many wonderful new memories.  Ones that I will never forget.  But today, I welcome the silence.  I welcome the routine.  I welcome this alone time I have.  Today my thoughts are loud.  There isn't any noise or distractions to drown them out.  My thoughts are of what I want myself to remember going into this year.  My thoughts are for my future self. Today, my thoughts are of what this year may bring for me-the good and the bad.  And what I need to remember during those moments.  My thoughts are al...