Positive Perspective

1 Thessalonians 4:9 "...you yourselves are taught by God to love one another." 

1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build up one another."  

1 Thessalonians 5:12-21 "...Live in peace with one another. We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit... examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good."  

Philippians 4:4-9 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." 


Today I'm sharing scripture, some of my own thoughts, reflections from others, and some resources I've found helpful in prioritizing, parenting, and just keeping the right perspective.  (Note: If you click on any of the blue text below, you can see the entire article.) 

I've been focusing more on how to pray without ceasing.  It seems to me that a strong mother would try to take time to put things in perspective and to pray before speaking and acting... but I'm a work in progress.  I'm more aware now though of how I need prayer and of what can quench the Spirit. 

Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. ... Yes, I often pray for God's Spirit to work in my life.  I know I need to focus not just on my children's behavior but also their heart and on my own heart. 

Today I read a perfectly timed article: Why You Should Smile Right Now 
"Do I really smother my own joy because I believe that anger achieves more than love?" Ann Voskamp asks in this reflection.  Anger is a choice. Choosing joy in the midst of frustration and disappointment is hard. Insert picture of me scraping frost from the windshield, youngest screaming in the cold wet grass that he refuses to wear the coat beside him, oldest waiting inside the car knowing he now will be late for school. Yes I really needed to read this article this morning after another temper tantrum seemingly throwing our whole morning off track.  Ann Voskamp also notes that "Cynicism isn’t strength and ranting doesn’t rejuvenate and frustration can never accomplish what Faith can."  Amen!  Am I walking my faith?  

She poses the question, "Does my life testify to my belief in the power of complaint — or the power of Christ?" The church message two days ago had a powerful line in it: Every complaint is a confession.  

Donovan Santamaria has such a passionate message and a deep look into scripture and prayer.  Here you can click on the recent sermon about Prayer Life - Ephesians 3:14-21.  His commentary on how we need God to give us strength to comprehend is beyond what I can summarize here.  Donovan explores the depths of how "He (God) is able to do far more abundantly more than we can ask."  When emotions run high and I know I can't do what I need to all by myself, I remember that Donovan emphasized, "But there is a Father who cares.  And He has strength, He has power, He has abundance. He wants to move toward you in mercy and draw you near to Him... You don't have strength in your inner being? He does!"  Today I prayed Ephesians 3:14-21. 

Another gem from Ann's entry today stated "If neither height nor depth nor death nor anything in heaven or earth can separate me from the love of God — surely neither can messy bedrooms or dirty sinks or loud kids or ugly days separate me from the joy of the Lord. Really — if nothing can separate me from the Love of the Lord — can anything separate me from the Joy of the Lord? Breathe."  Also, I liked that she ended with the statement "Smile. Let something steal your joy — and you let something steal your strength." and the questions "What’s stealing your joy right now? Distractions? Fear? Busyness? Stress? Worry? Anger? Is it worth it?"

Another perfectly timed BLOG post is one that I read when the boys were going back to school: A Different Kind of School Year.  Lysa TerKeurst opens by saying, "As we get back into the routine of a new school year, I’m making a commitment: no more unglued mama mornings. I want our mornings to go better this year with less frustration, yelling, and chaos."  I love her plan: 1) Tell the world to wait. 2) Remember that I'm managing blessings. 3) Let my kids own their irresponsibilities.  This article has many important ideas that I need to keep coming back to throughout the year.  As she blatantly states, "All of this is going to take some intentionality, and I doubt I’ll do it perfectly. But I’m excited about trying. I’m excited to 'put on my new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.'"

I often enjoy reading the reflections on A Holy Experience.  This one really had a lasting impact though: The 1 Mantra That Everybody, Every Family & Every Kid Needs.  Ann has a great message about teaching kids that life isn't all about rules and that what's important is relationships.  I love her focus on faith in God's love and the reality that we all make mistakes but Jesus is bigger! In her story Ann Voskamp recounts, "The tone of voice, the tension in my hands as I grabbed the steering wheel, the tight forehead. I was 180 degrees from the mom I want to be."  Yes, I've been there.  However, she continues, "If I were flawless, I would need no Savior.  If my kids were perfect, there would be no Easter.  Instead, we need to be reminded of six words that have become a mantra in our family: Jesus is bigger than any mistake."

In Judgement Carrie asks "How many times a day as mothers do we judge ourselves?  Fill in the blank: 'I am not (patient enough, strong enough, capable enough, smart enough, kind enough, etc)'
How many times a day do we fill in a blank for other mothers and other families? ... How often do we find grace not only for others, but for ourselves?"

It never ceases to amaze me how God can work whenever and wherever I am!  I'll close with another on-point post I saw on Facebook this morning:
Let's allow the balm of grace to be the soothing oil on our frayed nerves today.
Ask the Lord for a gracious abundance of it ... He'll deliver as we respond with open hearts.

{thanks Grace Interiors & Design Co. for this photo!}