Wednesday, April 2, 2008

I could not ask for more...

Last Friday I spent the evening scrapbooking with my friend Christina. Now that we are both full time stay at home moms we have discovered the importance of time away from our children! Our babies are our worlds but we are realizing that we can be much better moms when we have an hour or so a week to miss them! As you can imagine we had a wonderful time with way too much laughing and fun. We got to talking about how we are feeling about the arrivals of our second children and we both became a little overwhelmed thinking about how blessed we are!
I did not come to know the Lord until I was in my third year of college so you can imagine that I made a few poor decisions before coming to know Christ. Not to mention the fact that to this day I am so far from perfect it isn't even funny and I fall so short of God's glory. And yet, He has blessed me with a life of abundance. Sometimes I feel like I have the "perfect life" and I have done nothing to deserve it. Actually, I have done things that should have made me not have the life I do. Yet, God is merciful and like a loving father He chooses to dote on his daughter!
I have a husband who loves me so much! We are truly best friends and spend every day enjoying life together. He works hard to provide for our family and he wants me to stay home and take care of our family because he knows that is what is best for all of us! I have an amazing son who is truly the coolest kid I have ever met. He brings Nick and I such joy! We are learning so much as we train him up in the ways he should go. And then, we are being blessed to have a little girl in August! A little boy and a little girl... the "perfect" family! We have wonderful friends and family, a beautiful home, two cars that work, and I could go on!
I just could not ask for more!! And yet, selfishly, sometimes I do! Our lives are not without some struggles or things God has chosen not to bless us with at this time and despite my abundance of blessings I sometimes feel discouraged or down.
I guess the "moral" of all of this is that I need to change my mindset and focus on who God is and the blessings He does choose to give us. I am for the most part a "positive" person, but I do have my moments of negativity and I want to work on that. I like the way The Message phrases Phillipians 10-14,
"I'm glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess—happy that you're again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don't mean that your help didn't mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles."
I want to live this way! Lord, please help me to be content in all circumstances! Help me to take all of my thoughts captive so that I can live as You would have me live. Lord, I am so weak. But, You have the power to change me! Through You, anything is possible! Thank you for loving me enough to not settle. Thank you for insisting that I always learn more, work harder, and grow closer to you! Amen.

3 comments:

Christina said...

I am SO prooud of you for the wife, mommy, sister in Christ and friend that you are!! You are amazing and continue to become more amazing as you seek out God's true calling purpose for your life!! I love you and I cherish our time together!!

Christina said...

P.S. I LOVE the Message's version of that scripture!! THANKS for sharing!!

Barr Family said...

What a great post! Thanks for sharing. Thanks for the encouragement about the job opportunity too! See you Sunday!
Amanda