Do You Feel Invisible?

Summer Re-run (originally posted 9/12/07)
It's long...but well-worth the read!!

Someone recently forwarded this to me and it was just too good not to share! May these words inspire us to recognize and accept the awesome responsibility we have as mommies! Celebrate your invisibility! ~Robin
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"It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?"

Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Pick me up right around 5:30, please." I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

*No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
*These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
*They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
*The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it."

And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand- bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women."
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Do you ever feel invisible?

Life is School

(picture taken in our living room)

A Summer Re-Run (orginally published 6/5/07)

Recently I was sharing (whining) to one of my daughters about having to do something I didn’t really want to do. Something that will infringe on what I want to do with my time. Circumstances over which I will have no control.

My daughter, Erin, who is facing a huge change in her life with her husband heading to Iraq for a year reminded me, “Mom, I hear what you say all the time echo in my head many times a day: ‘Your life is not your own, you’ve been bought with a price.’”

Later that same day, I was having a heart-to-heart with another daughter, Anna who has recently moved to her own apartment after starting a new job. She is experiencing many changes and a few struggles in her young life. After sharing some of those struggles with me she said, “But mom, I remember you always saying, ‘Your life is not your own, you’ve been bought with a price.’” She went on, “I’m learning that life is not all about me.”

I thought, “OK, Lord….I hear You.”

Isn’t it funny how our own words, or more accurately, Paul’s words, come back to us?

My own daughters are now teaching me, reminding me that life is a continual learning process.

Some of this I thought I would have down by now, but I know I still have a long way to go. Thankfully, the One who purchased my life is also very patient to remind me that it’s really not all about me.

And that’s a good thing!

You are not your own; you were bought at a price. I Corinthians 6:19-20

Am I Doing Enough? (Part 1)

A Summer Re-run (originally posted 7/22/07)


This question has been resounding in my spirit for a few weeks now. In separate conversations with home educating moms, this question was a heart-cry of three different people.

“Every night when I lay down to sleep, I just worry."
‘Today, have I done everything I could to direct and teach my children?’”
“How do I know I’ve covered everything that needs to be covered?”
“Am I doing enough or requiring too much?”

These are legitimate questions, but also ones that can bind us up in frustration and insecurities that will only pull us and our children down. Most of us are concerned that we’ll forget to teach some subject or an area that will end up being a hindrance to our children’s future. We feel that deep responsibility to make sure we’re “covering it all”.

Guess what? We won’t cover it all. We’ll leave gaps. There will be things we forget, don’t know to teach, or don’t do a very good job teaching. And if we’re fearful and concerned at night or at the end of a school year that we somehow failed, maybe our focus is on the wrong thing.

Is our real goal as home educating moms to raise superior academics; straight A students; cum Laude college grads?

Or has God called us to raise children whose hearts are completely turned toward Him? To guide them into a heritage of love and godliness that will continue long after we’re gone?

At the end of the day, or the end of 12th grade, my goal is to have poured my love into my children’s hearts. To have shown them the importance of choosing for themselves a life dedicated to a relationship with Jesus. To make opportunities for their character to be challenged to become the men and women that God has called them to be.

I’ve seen the fruit of that goal lived out in the lives of my five oldest children. What a blessing!

Did we leave gaps in teaching our children? Of course. Plenty. But God is faithful to teach them everything we didn't or couldn't. After all, He loves them even more than we do!

EVERYTHING that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. 2 Peter 1:3 NLT

But he said to me, "My grace is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak."
2 Cor. 12:9 NIRV

Our 8th Child

A Summer Re-run (originally posted 11/11/07)


We have raised an eighth child. He has lived with us for many years, and is nearly grown now.

He has rarely gotten into trouble, or needed any discipline. He is always on time, right where he is needed, and is very responsible. He never talks back or has a bad attitude. He even gets along with his siblings very well. In fact, sometimes he is their best friend.

My children think he is perfect, but even with all his great attributes Dirk and I are not very fond of him.

His name is “Notme”. He’s quick to show up when certain questions are asked: “Who left their towel on the floor of the bathroom?” or “Who left all these lights on?” (or “Who ate the other half of the peach?”)

Notme is not around as much as he used to be. As my children have grown, so has their sense of personal responsibility.

He still comes around now and then, when he’s needed.

I think I even called for him the other day.

Have you seen him at your house lately?

The -ER Factor

A Summer Re-Run (originally posted 9/27/07)

Consider the “er” factor while your kids are young. Everything will be hard-ER, take long-ER, be messy-ER , loud-ER, rowdy-ER. You may be cranky-ER, and you will definitely be tired-ER at the end of the day.

Last week, while caring for our grandsons, it took all of us to help out to make our days go as smoothly as possible. We all had to work harder than usual. We had to sacrifice some things that we normally did. We had more messes to clean up, more snacks to fix, definitely more diapers to change, and many more interruptions. One night, my husband jumped in and cleaned up the kitchen. One of my boys took initiative to give baths at night.

But, it was a short, temporary situation. And even if it doesn’t seem like it, it is a short, temporary situation for all you moms of young children. Try enjoying, rather than enduring. Embracing, rather escaping. And take all the help you can get---even if you need to recruit it from your own children!

There are some –ER positives when your kids are young. You are young-ER, pretty-ER, and lively-ER. So smile and be happy. It will get easy-ER!

Momnesia

I was walking through the house one day last week and overhead the TV from Dirk’s office saying something about “Momnesia”. It was a morning program and I didn’t stop to listen, but I’ve thought quite a lot about that word since then.

Momnesia.

I guess that would be moms and amnesia mixed together. I really don’t need to define it. You all know what it is, even if you’re not a mom! You’ve either experienced it first-hand, or you’ve been the receiver.

The receiver is the one who endures the pleading and dare-I-say, whinings of such questions as: “Honey, do you have any idea where my check-book is?” (one of my most recent ones…) , “Baby, did you play with mommy’s keys? Because I can’t find them”, “Would you please call my cell phone? I have no idea where it is”.

Or you’ve been the kid that was left at church asleep in a nursery baby bed and your mom didn’t realize it until she was half-way home. (sorry Katie)

Now, if you are the offender (moms), then you’re the one who found your re-warmed morning coffee still in the microwave when you’re fixing dinner that night. Or you’ve found the laundry that never made it to the dryer still in the washer from the day before (we won’t even discuss what it smells like). Or you’re still looking for your checkbook that’s been missing for….oh, a couple of months now!

Now, part of this must be from all the blessings-slash-helpers you have around you at any given moment. Those sweet little hands that love to put your purse-things in her cute little pink purse. Or your son who likes to use your real keys to drive his “real” cars. Or you drive past the turn-off because your son is asking, “Mom, how do Transformers sing, and why don’t we have the movie “David and Goliath II, there’s a McDonalds, and wow! Look at that motorcycle, I need to pee”.

But, I have to tell you….Momnesia is still going on in my home. What’s my excuse going to be when my kids are all gone? Oh dear….guess I’ll always be a mom!

Going to the Mailbox

“I’m going to get the mail”. This was my statement in the afternoon of any given day when we were finished with our studies.

Translated, it meant to my children, “Mom is going to the end of our long driveway to get the mail”.

But, I knew the real meaning of that simple statement. It often meant, “I’m going to the mailbox, but I’m really thinking about walking past it, on down the road, and not coming back!”

Seriously.

Many times it was because I was feeling so overwhelmed, my kids were more than I could (or wanted to) handle, and I wanted to run away. But, other times, it was because I thought my family would be better off without me. Really.

I was so disappointed in my thoughts and attitudes. I just knew I was ruining my kids’ lives. I thought my husband could surely find someone who could love him and my children more than I. Ever thought that?

Somewhere between wallowing in the lies and self-pity and now, I began letting go of those thoughts. Maybe it was because my children were growing and maturing along with me. Or, maybe it was because I began applying God’s grace to me. Whatever the reason, I no longer have those thoughts. I’m glad God gave me what he did---and that he gave me more than I could handle.

And now when I say I’m going to the mailbox, it only means, “I’ll be back with the mail!”

Lessons From My Husband (5 of 5)

Live your life “in the open”

This is something I’ve heard Dirk say very often to our two teen sons. He has encouraged them to be open with their lives, to not hide anything, to live life “in the open”.

Wow! I wished I had learned this much earlier in my life. I don’t know why I thought I had to put up a good front, and make everyone think everything was “just perfect” with me. I didn’t even know how to be real. Now I am learning.

When we are willing to have no secrets and confess our sins to others, it will not only impact our own hearts and lives, it will impact others as well.

I don’t want to hide---I want to live freely!


Here’s a story of redemption that my friend, Cindy Beall is sharing on her blog. I hope it will encourage you to “live your life in the open”.

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Another Lesson From My Husband

"Bring in the Boundaries"

I remember a time, maybe even more than one, when Dirk would come in from a hard day at work and find chaos was reigning and we were ALL sitting in the floor crying---even me! It had been a hard day for mom and I wouldn’t be doing too well emotionally. Identify?

Read the rest here

Lessons From My Husband (4 of 5)

Consider the Source

This is a little bit of a touchy topic, because it does require a measure of judgment. But, it is something that has saved me many times from believing a lie.

Dirk has taught me to “consider the source”.

Have you ever shared your thoughts, ideas, and your heart with a person who just slams you? Maybe it’s a family member who just doesn’t “get” your passion for Christ. Or maybe someone is questioning your decision to home educate your children. It might be your well-intentioned mother-in-law who suggests your child’s cold is because you didn’t have him wear a hat last time it was chilly outside. (That happened to you too?)

The “come-backs” from some of these encounters often left me feeling very devastated, and quite angry.

As I would vent to Dirk, he suggested, “Consider the source”.

I began trying it out. When someone would challenge my thoughts or actions, I began considering their point of view. Were they even Christ followers? If not, they didn’t have the basis of belief that I did. Sometimes, the other person was just a rude, self-centered person. I had to consider the heart and motive of that person’s reply. Then, I would just have to let that person’s words go, not allowing them to take root in my heart. Sometimes, the person had no idea they were hurting me.

Experiences and years have taught me that the real source behind my perception of another person’s response was satan himself. He can even take a perfectly innocent statement and twist it so that we become offended. He is the one wanting me to believe the lies, wanting me to be devastated, wanting me to see myself as a failure.

Today, I can say with confidence, this is not an area I struggle with much. If you struggle in this area, I hope you’ll learn to “consider the source”.

Proverbs 26:2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.

Lessons From My Husband (3 of 5)

We finally have our internet back up and running again. Thanks for your patience!!


Lighten Up

I distinctly remember Dirk talking to me one day (when we were young and had a house full of kiddos) and gently saying, “Robin, you’re about to kill us all here. You’re going to have to lighten up.”

As a Godly, sweet, respectful wife, (yeah, right…) my response was, “What?? What are you talking about? I don’t even know what that means!”

He kindly said, “Well, you need to figure it out”.

Humph! I needed to change?? What about everyone else? If they would just do things my way, everything would go smoothly around here. I’m not the one with the problem!

I wrestled for several months with this issue---lighten up. Just what did that mean?

As I searched for an answer, I began to see that my standards and requirements for “proper” behavior, cleanliness, and attitudes had become “my standards”. They sure weren’t God’s standards.

He has grace. I didn’t. His requirements are tempered with love. My requirements weren’t. My expectations were high and lofty. He meets us where we are.

As I began to offer myself some grace, I also began to give it away to my family. I relaxed. I “lightened up”.

I still have quite a driven and resolute personality, but I know I’ve learned to be more flexible over the years. I still want to get better. I desire God’s grace.

Romans 5:21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lessons From My Husband (2 of 5)

Getting on their level

Your 4 year old is being extra cranky. You’ve had your fill. He challenges your correction one more time, arguing with you and you’re losing your patience. You begin to argue with him, your voice changing to a high-pitched-not-quite-scream.

Guess what? You have sunk to the level of your 4-year-old.

I used to do this quite often, but I’ve gotten better, learning to recognize and rise above the situation.



Now, I only sink to the level of a 13 year old. = )

Here are some things Dirk helped me to remember:

1. I am the mom. My child is a child (even if they are 17)
2. It is my responsibility to train and teach them
3. Learn to quickly recognize the signs of going down this path
4. Respond rather than react—stay calm
5. Try answering, “There will be no more discussion about this”.
6. Be willing to spend the necessary time teaching a correct response to your child
7. Follow-through with consequences

Soon, you should begin to see positive changes in your child----AND in you!

Lessons From My Husband (1 of 5)

I have known Dirk Meadows since I was 15 years old, and have been married to him for 33 years. He is not only the father of our seven children, and Grandpa to our 6 grandchildren, he is my best friend!

He is the greatest husband on earth! I know many of you will disagree with me, but I can say this: He’s the greatest husband for me! He’s not perfect, but he’s perfect for me.

This week I will share with you some of the wisdom this man has passed on to me. As a pro-active father, he has objectively offered insight when I’ve been drowning in a sea of “I don’t know what to do”. Some of these things I’ve learned really well. Some of them, I’m still working on. They are all things that have radically changed my previous way of thinking. I hope you’ll be challenged and changed as well.


*Getting on their level
*Lighten up
*Consider the source
*Tighten the boundaries

Lessons from.....

A Compost Pile

I keep a compost pile. It’s where my fruit and vegetable scraps go, along with grass clippings and many oak leaves. It sits on the north end of our house and heats up to a great soil. And each spring I ask my boys to take several loads of rich, loamy compost to our vegetable garden.

This year, we had a vine begin growing from an almost finished compost heap. It was lush, with dark green leaves. Curious person that I am, I allowed it to grow. And grow. And grow. It took over most of the yard at the end of the house. And it began producing many yellow flowers, which turned into beautiful butternut squash. Thirteen of them!

This was the best growing vegetable we had all year. And I didn’t have to do anything to it but keep it supplied with water. It never had any insect problems; I never had to feed it. It just grew.

Isn’t that how it is with our lives? Out of the garbage, God can make something beautiful. And fruitful. All we need to do is supply the water of the Word, and leave the rest up to him.

I guess we just need to be willing to let go of the garbage.

I'm siding with satan on this one....

I’m a nothing. A big, fat zero. A nobody, zilch, nada, nil. Aren’t those the lies we hear whispered in our ears on a daily basis? Lies satan wants us to live and believe? Lies that will keep us beaten down and discouraged?

Well, guess what? This time I’m siding with satan! Yep, I’ve crossed the line and I’m agreeing with him.

But, I know a truth satan doesn’t get. You see, I've decided it's good to be a zero. A zero, in mathematics, is a placeholder. It has no value. It only represents a place. It is a position holder. Alone, zero actually is nothing. But with even the lowest number, number one, standing in front of it, it suddenly has value!

So, satan, while I’ll agree that I’m nothing, with The One standing before me, and with my willingness to be a placeholder in His Kingdom, well, I’ve got a greater value than you’ll ever know!

Enduring or Embracing?(Part 2)

My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. II Cor. 12:9 –The Message

His grace is enough. Did you guess it? I know it sounds to our well-worn religious ears like an old cliché. But, it is truth and is powerful for us if we’ll accept it. (Paul knew; read his account in the surrounding scriptures). God’s grace is enough for every difficult situation we will ever go through even if it doesn’t seem like it.

You see, we all have a choice. We can buck and fight against our situations, or we can choose to embrace what God has given us. And here’s the key. We don’t receive His grace until we humble ourselves and admit that we can’t do it on our own. ( God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble. James 4:6)

Your “it” may be home educating your children. It may be dealing with a difficult child or even choosing to love your husband when he’s not so loveable. It may be your financial situation, your job, your singleness, or dealing with parents. Whatever “it” is, when we quit seeing our circumstances as obstacles to defeat or overcome, and choose to embrace them, that is when we receive His grace. It means choosing to let go, and letting Him be in control. And that’s sometimes a hard choice to make.

Interestingly, when we only endure our circumstances, they may eventually overtake us, drown us, and defeat us, while embracing can do a mighty work in our hearts.

So, if you find yourself fighting, striving and bucking against the hard things in your life, let go!

Embrace to receive His grace!

II Cor. 9:8
God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you're ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done.

Col 1:10-11
As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.

Enduring or Embracing?

I remember one day when my children were young, Dirk coming home from work, finding us all sitting in the floor crying. Even me! I was done. Done in, over-done, and un-done. I was looking for the place where mothers go to resign. I was looking past the now, and looking forward to the time when my mundane, hard days would be over. I was only enduring, but I wasn’t even doing that very well.

After settling us all down he later talked to me about a concept I’ve since used again and again.

Embracing the situation. He told me, “Robin, it’s not going to get any easier for quite a while. You’re going to have to decide to accept that and do the best you can.” My attitude needed changing.

After much complaining and gnashing of teeth, I started making the choice to accept that my days were going to be boring and uneventful-----unless I made them more fun. I was always going to be stressed and overwhelmed, unless I learned to give up and accept the fact that with all God had given me, He’d also provide a way for me to deal with it in a loving, patient manner.

As I learned to give up and give in, life got easier. Well, maybe it really didn’t, but it seemed like it.

God has given us all something that enables us to embrace every difficult situation we’ll ever encounter. You probably already know, but I’ll tell you about it tomorrow.

Are you enduring or embracing?

Which Are You? Carrots, Eggs, or Coffee?

An anonymous story with a great message.....enjoy!

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A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil.

In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she said, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the Mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich brew.

The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, Mother?" Her Mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Transplant

You’ve blown it. It’s been a horrible day, the kids have been extra-disobedient, everything has gotten on your nerves and you finally lost it. You yelled at them, or your husband, and maybe even said some things you wished you could take back. Maybe, you think, they’d even be better off without you.

Guess what? You’re not a bad person. In fact, you’re quite normal.

But, you might consider a heart transplant.

In heart transplant surgery, when the surgeon removes the old, diseased heart, he replaces it with a newer, but cold and lifeless heart. He begins his work and about 30 minutes later, takes the patient off the pump that has been keeping them alive and tests the series of stitches he has just made. Then, he places the patient back on the pump and continues to stitch the remaining arteries. After about an hour, the surgeon removes the patient from the pump again, removes a final clamp, and watches as blood fills the heart, turning it a bright, vibrant red. Life! Because life is where the blood flows.

A person whose life was fading quickly away now awakens to a new hope. A future.

Not, however, without challenges. The patient will forever be on a strict regimen of a dozen medications a day, designed to force the body to accept the new organ.

And here’s another amazing thing. Heart transplant patients are guaranteed they will never physically feel heart pain again. When a heart is transplanted, all the nerve endings leading to it are severed. It is impossible to reattach those nerve endings. If they have another heart attack, they won’t even feel it.

Now, think about it. We have a Great Physician who is just waiting for our permission to give us a “heart transplant”. In fact, He says we can have a new heart every day! It doesn’t take a few hours to perform the transplant; it happens the moment we make the choice to have that new heart. We trade our worn, lifeless, blackened heart for one that is flowing with the lifeblood of the One who went before us to take every burden we would ever have. And the nerve endings are severed! He took our pain as well.

Today, trade in your tired, hurting heart for a transplant. And keep it healthy and alive with a strict regimen of reading, believing, and walking in His Truth.

Lamentations 3:23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Ezekial 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

Think About It!

Consider the awesome magnitude of this thought. Before time ever began, God chose you for your child and your child for you, complete with his specific birth order, and the specific personality traits geared to train you and him into righteousness! He knew that there would be the greatest opportunity for your child’s heart to be completely turned toward Him by placing him under your care---at just this time in history! Wow! What a concept. It’s monumental. It’s incomprehensible!

Get this into your spirit and the next time life is overwhelming you, or your child is driving you absolutely crazy, consider the ‘bigger’ picture.

Tighten the Boundaries

I remember a time, maybe even more than one, when Dirk would come in from a hard day at work and find chaos was reigning and we were ALL sitting in the floor crying---even me! It had been a hard day for mom and I wouldn’t be doing too well emotionally. Identify?

Dirk would say, “Robin, you need to pull in the boundaries. You’re letting them get away with too much.” And he would be right. I was being lax in my role as a parent because 1) it was too hard and took too much time 2) I got distracted doing any number of necessary “other” things 3) I didn’t know WHAT to do. You get the idea and the list could go on and on.

But, the point is, I was the responsible one, the adult, the mom. The one in charge of setting the atmosphere for our day.

I began to learn that when things would get overwhelming, I needed to assess the situation and see if I could tighten the boundaries a bit. To capture the runaway noise, disobedience and attitudes before they got out of control. At first, it took longer to get everyone back to understanding what was and was not acceptable behavior, but soon, it took only minor adjustments to return us to a tolerable level of stability. And then there were still those days where Dirk would come in from a hard day at work and find chaos was reigning……

Would “tightening the boundaries” help your day?