Sweat Equity

Sweat Equity

Putting in the necessary effort into your family will be worth every drop of sweat's weight in gold.

I am always encouraged as I start to see progress to keep going, keep moving in the right direction. 

I was not naturally a very good house-keeper. 
It was something I did not prioritize and didn't ever consider how much it caused many problems, and not just the chaos that it created. 

My husband's Love Language is Acts of Service, so this really bothered him and made him feel unloved. He would come home from work to a mess that I had avoided all day by being busy doing other things.

Over the years I have learned that saying no to even good things creates space to lovingly serve my family with home-cooked meals and a home that welcomes them has made so much difference in our lives. 

I now enjoy keeping my home clean and making it a cozy place we love to be. My focus is on the most important relationships and this is my first ministry above all else. 

"And aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands..." 1 Thessalonians 4:11

"However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband." Ephesians 5:33


http://titus2womendevotional.blogspot.com/
women encouraging women

Don't Hover

Don't Hover

We are supposed to protect our children from harm, but not failure.

Yes, it is a parents job to make sure your young child learns not to touch a hot stove or run into the street. As your child grows into adolescence they have to learn to navigate on their own. 

Nothing teaches a great lesson quite like failure.

Do not save them from natural consequences, sometimes there are no better lessons learned.

To fail forward is a good thing! Being there for them as sincere comfort is great and not the one who nags at them about forgetting their homework again. 

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." 
Hebrews 12:11

http://titus2womendevotional.blogspot.com/

women encouraging women

Don't Be Like I was

Don't Be Like I was

Parenting w/o anger or out of control emotions is not only possible, but it's so very important.

I know how difficult it can be to not get increasingly upset when you and your child are at odds. That child may have even started to annoy you and slowly start getting on your bad side. I can spell this out exactly as it will happen because tragically it happened to my darling son and I.

When this spins out of control it is a very slippery slope and can take on a life of it's own. If this destructive pattern is not recognized and then swiftly changed it will become very costly and possibly irreversible.

My oldest child was the light of my life from the day we found out I was pregnant. The first time I laid my eyes on him my first thoughts were: 

 He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

 This is how God loves us. 

I would video him sleeping, just watching him in complete wonder and awe. I nursed him for almost 2 years and we were so bonded I didn't think anything could ever change that.

A completely unprepared new mom and a small strong-willed child were slowly becoming a disaster. I really wish I knew where it started, what exactly happened to us? 

All I know is that he would dig in his heels and not comply with much of anything I asked. If I said stay, he would run. He climbed out of his crib, he wouldn't stay in the grocery cart, he even climbed to the top of the refrigerator to reach the candy bowl that was supposed to be out of his reach. 

Then there's me... 

Remember last weeks Friday Focus where we discussed accumulated wounds in our heart? I had stored up hurts over time and my heart was clouded with heartbreak, disappointment, unmet expectations and so on. 

These things that were in my heart that shouldn't have been affected my relationships, behavior and attitude. 

This stuff we absorb and stuff down spews out of us (or make us clam up) when we face even the slightest problem. I reacted to my son with frustration, volume, and anger. As I would "loose it" I was not training him the way he should go, but teaching him how to be out of control. I was also slowly pushing him away and showing him that I was not safe.

When things went from bad to worse and my marriage was failing I began to surrender my own strong will and self-protectiveness and cry out to the Lord. I asked him to do his work in me, prune me and take anything out of me that did not belong.

This was not a quick fix by far but the Lord rewards those who seek him. My journey definitely had set-backs, but you don't have to be perfect because Jesus was perfect in our place. 

I've learned so much over the years and I now know how to reject the lies of the enemy of my soul, to walk in the Spirit, love unconditionally and live by the fruits of the Spirit. Which has supernaturally drawn my precious grown son and I back together. 

~All the PRAISE hands!!!~

My heart overflows with gratitude because of where we are as a family today.

"But without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him." Hebrews 11:6

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8

"My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9

"But the fruit of the spirit is love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." 

Galatians 5:22

"Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart." Proverbs 3:3

http://titus2womendevotional.blogspot.com/

women encouraging women

Clean Up Regularly

Clean Up Regularly

I'm positive that most of us wouldn't dream of not taking out the trash, washing dishes, and cleaning the counter tops on a routine basis. It's a must to regularly keep up the maintenance at home for a clean and peaceful environment. They may not be enjoyable jobs, but the finished product is wonderful when completed.  

Our inner lives need the same attention. Just as you would clean dirty dishes that gather in the sink we should recognize that wounds also gather and darken your heart like offense, hurt, betrayal, disappointment and discouragement. If not cleaned up with grace, mercy, forgiveness, and maybe even therapy the 

 wounds become seeds planted by the enemy that take root and grow into destructive behavior, thoughts and attitudes. 

We can't risk not cleaning our hearts because it could cause you to react in the anger that builds up and soon you're just an angry, closed off, or bitter person. 

That damage leaves an open door for the enemy to torment you and use you like a puppet in his hands. He may even convince you that it's not you, but it's them that has the problem.

 This damage is also very bad on your relationship with God because you are holding a record of wrongs, which is unforgiveness.

Protective walls only isolate us and prevent us from the intimacy that we were created for in relationships. 

Tear down the walls you've built up for protection before they separate you from everyone you love.

Open, clean, and clear your heart for the best relational success. 

Allow God to be your defender and you can be a tender and loving Woman of God.


"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment....Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."
1 Peter 3:4

"The Lord is your mighty defender, perfect and just in all his ways; Your God is faithful and true; he does what is right and fair." Deuteronomy 32:4

"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead." Philippians 3:13

http://titus2womendevotional.blogspot.com
women encouraging women

Lent EASTER! Thankful for JESUS

Lent  EASTER!  Thankful for JESUS

Sunday Praise   "Jesus Messiah"

"Why do you seek the living among the dead?

He is not here. HE HAS RISEN!" Luke 24:5-6

Be Blessed!  Listen Here