What I've Been Reading

Not My Words - A few quotes from what I've been reading lately. 

All I want is for my boys to obey me. And to be quiet. And to stop wrestling all the time. And to put their toys away. And to stop goofing off  at the table. And to stop spilling their drinks. And to stop wrinkling their noses at the dinners I work hard to fix for them.  And to focus on their school work. And to stop fighting with each other. And to be quiet (did I already say that?). Do you find yourself nodding your head? Sighing deeply because you kinda know what I mean? We don’t just have messes, we are messes.

Yep, motherhood brings out the very worst in me. But after seven years of battling, I’ve finally come to this:

I’m glad. I’m glad my kids bring out all my ugly. I’m glad they make me disorganized. I’m glad they keep me on my knees in prayer, asking, begging God to make me more like him so I can be the kind of mom they really need.

Thank you, God, for your faithful promises that bring us hope in the weariness of motherhood. Encourage our hearts on the hard days, fill us with your peace in the chaos, and help us to see the beauty in the mess.

Before we choose to follow God’s will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God’s gentler nudges. He brings us to the place where He asks us to be our utmost for Him and we begin to debate. He then providentially produces a crisis where we have to decide—for or against. That moment becomes a great crossroads in our lives. If a crisis has come to you on any front, surrender your will to Jesus absolutely and irrevocably.

Hosea knew going into his marriage that God was asking something ridiculously special of him, something humanly impossible. God had chosen Hosea’s life as a canvas to display the splendor of the gospel. We can look at his life and SEE the gospel in action. Can others see it in yours?