CHRISTMAS IN MAY

"If you don't make mistakes, it's because you're not doing anything."
-Todd's Dad

Dearest Sisters,

HAPPY THURSDAY!!!!!

God is for you and yours! Yay! Hooray!

Just as surely as I wish you a HAPPY THURSDAY, I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas! Christmas in May you ask? Yes! I want to remind you that the joy of Christmas should be celebrated year round. Perhaps, some old lady across town still has Christmas lights stringed around her porch and decorations scattered around the yard. It's not particularly classy to keep Christmas decorations displayed year round but the message of Christmas is important every day. Deep down in my heart, I understand the old lady's year round decorations. Smile! We need daily reminders of God's love and presence as we battle through life. So, Merry Christmas! 

We know that God is Emmanuel; we know that He came to live among us and His Holy Spirit is still with us. Yet, sometimes the cares of life make us feel distant from God. Take heart, sister. God is never nearer to you than when your heart is burdened. 

Remember, the Lord is with us always. He will never leave us nor forsake us. God is along for the journey; better yet, He is leading and guiding us. The Lord will NOT bail on us. It's so comforting to know that we will not face any task, obstacle, or challenge without the Lord. 

The Lord has given us the honorable role of mother and parent. He knows that our roles will be full of work that we can not achieve on our own. Truth is the Lord never asked us to parent or mother in our own strength. The Lord God beckons us daily to draw our strength and rest from Him. He pursues us to partner with Him. Parenting is a God thang! Motherhood is a God thang! We need God to make the thang work! Period!

While parenting, we won't be without mistakes and misjudgments. We won't be without fears and doubt. But, let's surrender those things to God. We must charge on in the battles of life as we fight for our children and homes. One famous cowboy once said, "face your fear and saddle up." 

Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Every morning God's mercies are new. God's grace is always sufficient for us. We would be consumed, annihilated, overwhelmed, destroyed, wasted.......if not for God's sustaining love and incredible faithfulness. Every evening we can kneel in prayer and share our shortcomings with the Lord. He will compassionately forgive us, redirect us, comfort us, guide us, inspire us, refocus us, and plant us. God is for us! He is our forever cheerleader! The Lord will not let us fail. And, the Lord will not fail us.

It's so easy to become paralyzed by fear and anxiety. We have so many choices to make for our kiddos. We are constantly bombarded by influences and voices of the world. Life is like a river; it's constantly flowing. We have to live and make parenting decisions daily, even in the midst of personal difficulties. We will make mistakes, even as we make decisions based on the present information that we have at our disposal. But, if and when the Lord convicts us, we need to be quick to respond to God and implement change in our lives and families. We have to be willing to make a quick u-turn if and when God informs us that a decision we made is not best for ourselves or our families. We must be willing and obedient. Our true freedom comes from God's limitations for us.

Charge on!

Fight forward!

Happy Parenting!

Merry Christmas!

Love, blessings, and hugs to all