Every Heartbeat

The last few weeks have held a lot of emotional elements. There have been some really great things, such as my mom officially deciding to make the move near us (we're currently 500 miles apart), new babies, and personal achievements. Likewise, there have been many heartbreaking things to make my prayer list.

Most recently, I've become aware of the loss of two young children, ages 10 and 4. While I don't know these two families personally, I am close to those who do...and as a fellow mother, my heart cannot help but grieve. I have been overwhelmed with helplessness as I pray for these families and those who have been touched by these little lives.

As I've prayed for their healing and peace, God has used this time to remind me of just how short and precious our time is with our little ones. Whether they go home sooner than we think is fair or they leave our homes to start their new, adult lives, our time is so fleeting. My heart aches at the thought.

He has reminded me that I am to savor every moment and take advantage of every opportunity to show my children the love of Christ. My number one objective aside from meeting their physical needs, is to love them with a fierceness that points them to God. It is my job to love them like Jesus.

As much as I long to hold them close to me and sprinkle them with a little "never grow up" pixie dust, I know that is not my role. God has called me to love and raise my children for as long as He sees fit to keep them with me. This is hard to stomach, but God has gently reminded me that my children are not "mine". He has granted me the humbling honor of being their mother, but my children are His. They are His gift to me. They are His gift to world in the sense that they have a Kingdom oriented purpose to fulfill.

I remember the dark days of our infertility and wondered if God would ever grant the desire of my heart. I simply wanted to become a mother. I did not realize what that would truly entail. In the days before their arrival I would anxiously await the next appointment that would afford me the opportunity to hear their precious heartbeats. I always felt better after hearing the fast paced gallop of their beating hearts. It held me over from one appointment to the next.

 Now, my heart goes walking before me and beside me daily as I see my toddler explore the world around her. My heart sings as it beats the breathes of my son's sweet slumber. I am grateful in a way that I could never comprehend until them.

God is good.

While I do not always understand the reason behind things happening I do believe that He good.  I've seen so many lives come to know Christ as their Savior through such tragic losses. Some how, out of the ashes comes beauty.

These times remind me to hug my babes a little tighter, love them that much more fiercely, pray for them continually, and cherish every heartbeat.

"As a mother, my job is to take care of the possible and trust God with the impossible."

~Ruth Bell Graham~

When God Calls Our Children...

Since the birth of our daughter, I have had this deep rooted belief that God will call her to go far away from us to do His work. I could be completely wrong when the time comes but this feeling of expectancy has yet to leave me. This belief challenges me raise her in a way that will promote independence from us and dependence on Him. I struggle with the fact that one day my child could cross oceans for the sake of God's calling on her life but I am also excited by the possibility. 

This all probably sounds crazy considering she's only about to turn 3. 

At any rate, no matter where her journey takes her, I am going to have to be okay with letting her go. I struggle with that even now. She is almost 3 and I have no idea where the time has gone! It seems like yesterday I was crying out to the Lord in the midst of our infertility struggle for a child and now here we are. She is beautiful, animated, dramatic, loving, kind, defender of her little brother, all things princess, play in the dirt, and above all, independent.

I look at my mini carbon copy and smile. Her personality mimics mine in so many ways. Just as she has a fiery spirit and independent streak, so do I. We both like control, which has made it hard for me to let her do some things without my assistance. I remember the first time she told me she did not want to hold my hand to walk down the stairs. She told me she could do it by herself. ::tears:: No one wants to see their child hurt or fail, but ultimately that's how they learn. Our job is to guide them according to the Word of God. We are to raise them to seek Him in their choices. We are to pour prayer over every aspect of their lives.

I was reminded of this upon reading about King David and Solomon. King David was experienced, prepared and had access to all the resources and provisions necessary to build the temple that God had laid before him. Anyone would agree that it made complete sense for a man such as him to build something so important.

David was ready.

However, God had other plans. He instructed King David to pass the task to his son Solomon.

He said to me: 'Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.
1 Chronicles 28:6

Odd, considering Solomon had neither the experience or preparation for such a potentially daunting assignment. Now, I don't know what David initially thought upon hearing this but there is no record of him questioning God's decision.

I think how easily David could have allowed his son to take only part of the job or how he could have done everything for him, but he didn't. From a human stand point, the risk of failure and embarrassment would be huge in this situation. However, he followed God's command and allowed his son make the decisions and follow the plans as he saw fit according to the layout God had provided. Once he passed the torch, we can see him do a couple things that we as parents can do today to help our children without micromanaging so that they to can have the opportunities to grow and learn.

Guidance and Encouragement 
King David provided sound instruction and encouragement for his son. He knew Solomon would need to remain firm in his faith to accomplish the task laid before him.

“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for theLord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”
1 Chronicles 28:9-10

David also said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished.
1 Chronicles 28:20

Prayer
King David communicated regularly with God. It goes without saying that he would indeed take his son and the work that he would be doing and bring it before the Lord. Likewise, we need to place the lives of our children in God's hands and pray for them daily as God works in their lives.

I know for me, this story has served as a personal reminder that as the years go by, it will not be my place to question God's call on the lives of my children, but instead, guide them and pray for their sound judgment and discernment. Letting go will never be easy but it is necessary and can be handled gracefully with the Lord at our sides.

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He does all things well...even when we don't

Being a mother has a lot of different job descriptions. Not only am I the caretaker for my children but I am also a wife, a housekeeper, referee, launderer, dishwasher, decorator, teacher, mess cleaner, cook, organizer, and comforter to my family.

Lately I have really been trying to stay on top of everything and do my job well. I want my husband, my children and God to be pleased with me. I really want to be faithful with all God has given me and if I am brutally honest part of me wants my husband, my children and the world to see that I can do all these things... and do them well.

I get so deflated when I try so hard to do everything and please everyone, and I still fall so short and fail miserably some days. One day I can feel like I am on top of the world as I homeschool my children, meal plan, cook,  keep the house somewhat clean and the laundry under control all with a great attitude. The next day the laundry is overflowing, I have lost my temper with my pupils, and the house looks like it has been through a tornado. I feel like I am in good company and know that you probably go through these roller coaster days also.

On the days when things aren't going as I planned, and not only are my children having attitude problems but I am the biggest baby of them all; I have been asking God to help me to turn my attitude around and not let the rest of the day go in the wrong direction.

Even if I am super organized, have all my meals planned and cooked, keep the house clean, stay on top of lesson planning and homeschooling, pursue my passions and outlets; there are still going to be days when I am just not going to be able to do it all. There are going to be days when my children's and I's sin natures are throwing a protest making it hard to find joy and peace. These are the days when I have to surrender and admit that I am not in control, I am not perfect, I am weak...and He is strong.

When we admit our weakness and our need for Jesus' grace and strength every moment of the day; we will find it, and all the pressures we put on ourselves to perform will be released.

Mama, if you are like me and no matter how hard you try some days, still find yourself messing up; know that it's okay. We are not made to be robots. We are imperfect beings with a perfect Savior. Even if we don't realize our shortcomings and failings, Jesus sees into our hearts and our motives. He is able redeem us and make us more like him every day.

When you have lost your temper, have cleaned up one too many cheerios, have felt the excruciating pain of stepping on a mine field of legos and have been worn out arguing with your strong willed child; call out to the one who made you in his image and is able to use your weakness' for his glory.

When you are scratching your head wondering how your day has turned upside down when you have tried so hard to do everything right; remember that there is grace for you. God wants us to give us and our families our best, but that doesn't mean that everything will always go perfectly. God is not looking down on us only seeing our shortcomings, he sees that we are trying our best and knows that we truly can do nothing without him.

I have been really trying to point out my children's strong points instead of their failings lately. I know that as our Father, God is not focusing on everything we do wrong but wants to encourage us in what we are doing right.

As we go about our day with all our many tasks and plans, I pray that we will allow God to work in us and through us despite our weakness' and help us to see that every failure is an opportunity to cry out to God and admit our great need for him... because he is the only one who does all things well.


                                          "He does all things well." Mark 7:37

The 5 Year Plan That Wasn't

I don't know if it was because I was so Type A or a dreamer, maybe a mixture of both, but when I turned 20 I set a 5 year plan. It looked something like this:

By age 21- Graduate college with my BSW

By age 22- Be well into my new career

By age 23- Marry the love of my life

By age 24- Have a house and be settled

By age 25- Have baby #1

That's the gist of it. Things started out pretty well. I graduated and was on cloud 9. My boyfriend had proposed that Spring and we were preparing for a wedding the following March.

The day following graduation, he called to say that we needed to call off the wedding. There were a lot of peronal battles he was fighting and he just didn't know if things were going to work. Of course, I refused to call it off, but I agreed to postpone. He was the love of my life. I KNEW God had chosen him for me despite his circumstances. 

We worked everything out after I made an immediate move from Georgia to Virginia. A couple weeks after moving I began working as a Child Protective Services Worker. New career, check. We were married in October 2008. I was married at 23. Check.

We bought a house the same fall that we married. Check. My 5 year plan was going swimmingly...until I turned 25. According to my plan, it was time for a baby, but honestly,  neither one of us felt ready. A year later it was go time. Ironically,  we faced infertility issues and our baby plans took MUCH longer than expected. Our infertility journey tested us emotionally, physically and mentally. 

No one had prepared us for that. We saved ourselves for marriage, we were stable, we had good jobs, a house and the desire to become parents...and we couldn't. 

I was mad. I was hurt. I was tired. God had allowed everything else to fall into place. Why not this?

Jesus replied, "You don't understand now what I am doing, but someday you will."
John 13:7

God used that time to draw us closer to Him and eventually we were blessed with a beautiful little girl. They say hindsight is 20/20 and I get it. After G was born I was in a much better place to sift through all that we had been through. It was during that time that God opened my eyes to something that I had neglected to remember: His ways are not my ways and His ways are perfect. His timing is perfect. Everything that He allows in my life is to serve a greater purpose and that His blessings will always be better than I could imagine.

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine."
Is. 55:8

Have you lost sight of this too? Have you been so busy planning out your life and the lives of your children that you too have neglected to focus on what His plan for your life might be?

Take some time to reflect on where you are, how you got there, and where you hope to go. Did you include God in your plans? Try this: seek God in all things. Invite Him into the big and small decisions that you have to make. He will direct you. He has a plan for your life and He wants to offer you the best.

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Conveniently Commited?

"As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." 2 Kings 2:2b

Think about what drives you. As a mother, I imagine, if you're like me, you are driven by a fierce love for your children. Your blood, sweat, and tears go into the protecting, educating, growing, and loving of your tiny humans. You pray over their physical bodies, their earthly relationships, their salvation and life choices their after. You dream big dreams for them and you would do anything to help ensure that not only they are happy, but that their lives are continually full of good things.

Initially upon reading 2 Kings 2: 1-18, I connected to Elisha ' s dedication and persistence from a maternal perspective. Several times in the past, our little lady has experienced night terrors and during those challenging moments I just hold her close to me, waiting for the moments to pass and her sweet sleep to return. Countless times I can remember saying, "I'm here. I will never leave you." I've said this for every little heartbreak, frightening moment and cuddle. I am committed to my children, no matter what.

As I dove deeper into the scripture, I realized that my perspective was slightly skewed and my view shifted from maternal to spiritual. Elisha was so persistent in following Elijah because of his commitment to God. He wanted to absorb all that he could from the saintly profit while he was still in his presence. Elisha knew his time with Elijah was drawing to a close and he felt the urgency. 

Elisha knew God had work waiting for him and he was committed to following it through. He was passionate about learning what God had for His people. Despite being told he could stay, he followed anyway.

We need to pursue God with the same commitment and passion. When the world tells us we can become lax, we need to remain steadfast. We cannot be committed to God's purpose when it's convenient. Think of it like this. You start your laundry. You are motivated. All of the clothes are sorted and ready to be washed. You see the first load through, start to finish. You put in the next load and after washing, they are tossed in the dryer. You start another load and you move onto making dinner. After dinner you throw the dried clothes in a basket to fold later. One thing after another begins to occupy your time. You keep throwing in loads to the wash and dryer but the clothes only make their way into the basket or onto the couch. Before you know it, you have mounds of wrinkled good intentions. 

If you had stayed focused and committed to your task, everything would be in order. Our commitment to God is similar. We cannot do His work when it's convenient. We can't say we'll get back to it later. Our missed blessings just pile up and His work that was meant for us doesn't get accomplished. 

I want my children to see me pursuing God wholeheartedly, despite what the world may deem inconvenient. I do not want them to ever think that halfway serving God is okay. I want them to see that my love for Him is a vibrant, driving force and that my commitment to Him is one that I will see through to the end.

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Why Try?

I am sure you've had that moment...the "why do I even try?" moment. The house is a mess no matter how many times you pick things up, you are overstressed, underpaid, under appreciated and you can never seem to get it all together...not even for a second. It gets hard to catch your breath. Your feelings get hurt and you wonder why you even put forth the effort if it doesn't seem to make a difference. All you want is a break! Ha! Then you remember that you are a mom, a wife, a full-time employee and a homemaker.

It is so easy to get caught up in the muck and mire. You just want to take a moment for a little pity party. God knows and He doesn't want us to stay floundering in all the mess. He eagerly awaits to give you steady footing.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

Ps. 40:20

God's grace meets us in these places and He welcomes our weary hearts (and wounded egos).

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Matt. 11:28

There are days that our burdens feel so heavy  and we long to know why we should keep on trying. Why should I maintain a tidy home? Why should I keep investing in people when I am treated so poorly by them? The questions could go on and on!

In God's infinite wisdom and through His perfect Word, I've come to be reminded that it's not about the "why" but about the attitude in which it is done. We do what we do because God called us to. We maintain our home and relationships because they are His gifts to us. We should do all that we do because of His great love for us and our love for Him. So see? It's not about the why. We do it because we're called and we want to honor Him.

It then becomes about the "how" we do things.

For example:

Do life in love.

...and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years 

Deut. 30:20a

Do life with a cheerful heart.

All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.
Prov. 15:15

Do ALL  things for the glory of God.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters

Col. 3:23

When we acknowledge the why and embrace it, it becomes a little easier to work on how we carry out the difficult things we need to do.

So...the next time that you are up against the "why try?" attitude,  adjust your thinking and let it become "I'll try..." attitude.

Where are You Christmas?

I'm ashamed to say that I've had a hard time getting into the spirit of things this year. Normally my house is decorated with all that we love to have out this time of year. Every room typically has something that says it's Christmas. This year I managed to get up the tree and our stockings. My heart has been a little saddened by this. Afterall, it's my son's first Christmas and my toddler loves to look at all of the festive décor. #momfail

I've been reflecting a lot on this as of late.

I've been running around like crazy, frustrated with work and peronal matters, and I've lost sight of the very thing I want my children to know and believe in their hearts. I want them to know the love and sacrifice of Jesus. I've lost sight of so much and I have not appreciated His love for me.

The Lord has placed a lot of things on my heart and has helped me to refocus. He has reminded me just how blessed I am. My children are healthy, my home is warm, and God is still good. My joy has been rekindled and my desire to reconnect with the Lord has been refueled.

He even reminded me of just how real He is by a beautiful gift my friend sent. She recently went on a trip to the Holy Land and brought back several items that I'll treasure always. My favorite however is that of three small stones. These stones were brought back from the places that were once traveled by my Savior, Jesus. He did live on this earth. He did minister to the hearts of others and He did give His life to spare mine. These 3 small stones came from the very places His feet walked upon. These were the places He lived and ministered. My Savior was real. He is real.

And...He loves me.

So, as Christmas Day came to a close I realized that it's not a matter of having the "Christmas spirit". The truth is that the Spirit of Christ lives in me and that basically makes Christmas an all day every day thing. It's a way of living, not a season. So, even after my minimal decorations have been taken down and the New Year commences, I will still have the joy that only God can give and that joy is something that can be felt and lived no matter the season.

More Than Just a Tree

 We have a modest little tree standing quietly in the corner of our living room. It isn't much to look at, but it is part of one of my most favorite traditions of the Christmas season. My heart warms with each ornament that is hung on its weary branches.

Each ornament has a special sentiment  attached to it. Some are from family vacations, while others represent our childhood and the childhoods of our children. Some of the ornaments represent beginnings and others, endings.

Some ornaments bring forth bittersweet memories, while others bring bright smiles to our faces.

I adore watching G as she hangs our memories with her tiny little hands. I look forward to passing down some of these treasures to her in the years to come...and yet I have no desire to rush that time. With each passing year, the memories grow sweeter, the traditions more meaningful, and the blessings richer.

Our eclectic little tree represents our family in a way that is only shown this time of year. I am grateful for the memories our tree represents. However, above all, we treasure the gift of not only these moments that the Lord has blessed us with, but the ultimate gift of our salvation, through Christ's sacrifice. His story will forever be told in our home and held in our hearts.

 

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Let's stop looking at each other and look to Jesus

Our world is changing... drastically changing. It was only a year ago that I got a smartphone and 2 years ago that I got a computer.( I know I am behind the times) With the rise of social media and the platform of blogging, we can see into each other's lives like never before. The problem is we are not always seeing the whole picture and tend to make quick judgements and assumptions. We need a new lens of discernment as we peruse facebook and instagram and blogs; knowing that behind every perfect looking picture of mamas, homes, children and marriages there is imperfect mamas with imperfect homes, imperfect children and imperfect marriages. One picture can not possibly tell the whole story, nor should it. These pictures are only glimpses into part of the story. No matter how much it might look like they have everything together, the truth is no one does. They just might do life differently than us.

Hiding behind a phone or a computer screen can bring out the worst in us or the best. We tend to say things we would not normally say to someone's face. We need to search our hearts more than ever before we post that picture or jump in on the conversation and make sure that our motives are right.

I have found myself judging others more quickly without even really knowing someone, when they post something that might be better left unshared. Thoughts, beliefs, convictions; we all have them and I know I am guilty of spewing my personal thoughts out there into the interwebs without thinking sometimes. It's good to be bold for the right reasons but I want to make sure that I am not causing anyone to stumble and that I would be willing to share my convictions with someone face to face, instead of cowardly aiming a post at a certain person in mind.

I honestly LOVE instagram! I could do without facebook but give me all the instagram pics! I love looking at beautiful pictures. I am just a visual person. I like pretty things. I am probably on there way more than I should be, but I get so inspired looking at all the pretty mamas with their pretty homes and their pretty babes. I try to follow those who are spiritually edifying and inspiring and share the truth behind their photos. Do I ever get jealous or envious? Yes! Mostly of others homes and travels but I also get really inspired. Some of these cool insta mamas and my real life cool friend mamas make me often think, " How do they do it all?!" But they also have inspired me to do things that I never thought I could do and given me great ideas for my home, homeschool and family. Do I try to do everything they do? No! But I am learning to glean what I admire about them while still knowing what I am called to do.

We need to know our calling. To know that just because someone else seems to be doing everything under the sun doesn't mean we have to, or are less than if we don't. We need to focus on our priorities for our families. What is important to us?  How do we want to make the best use of our time?--->We need to look to Jesus... We need to stand firm in who he has called US to be as mothers, homemakers, wives, daughters, sisters and friends. Let's imitate others as they imitate Christ. Let's get inspired from each other, learn from each other, but ultimately look to Jesus as the example for our lives.

It's so easy to look at other's lives and think it's unfair that they have the perfect body, the perfect marriage, the perfect children or the perfect home.

We don't understand when others remain healthy while we or our loved ones get sick and even die.

We question why the guilty seem to never get justice while the innocent are hurt and murdered.

We argue with God about the hard path he has called us to while others seem to get the easy path.

We wonder why others seem to be able to do it all with a smile and skip in their step while we are barely able to get out of bed and put one foot in front of the other.

We need to stop comparing our lives and start living our lives for Jesus! We need to be confident in what he has called us to do with the lives he has given us.

If God has called you you to send your children to public school, don't feel bad because your friends homeschool. If you homeschool don't feel like you have to keep up with the public school. If you don't decorate your house to the umpteenth degree for Christmas don't feel inferior when you visit your friend's house whose is. If you have 1 or 2 children don't feel like you are less than mom. If you have 4 or more children don't be embarrassed to say yes, when people ask you if you want to have more! etc..etc...

"Lord what about this man?" Jesus said to him, " If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!" John 21:21

As Peter asked Jesus this pointed question, Jesus pretty much said to him, "Don't worry about him, don't look at his life, what does it matter to you? My will for his life is not my will for your life. You---you follow me!"

So it is the same for us. God's will for someone else's life is not the same for ours. We need to stop looking at the other person and look to Jesus... and follow him!

This topic has been on my heart for some time and is the theme of my blog faithful with the little. --- Being faithful with what God has given us to do no matter how big or small; choosing to fix our eyes on Jesus, off of ourselves and off of the world and those around us and hone in on what he wants us to do. We don't need to compare; we need to encourage, uplift and humble ourselves to see that God has not called us all to do the same thing, especially when it comes to things that do not determine our salvation, but to fix our eyes on him..not them and run the race he has called us to.

"Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith..." Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)

Are you so occupied looking at someone else's life that you are not looking at Jesus? Are you asking Jesus, "What about them"? When you should be asking him, "What about me? What do you want me to do?"  

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Thankful for Dirty Dishes

I truly believe Thanksgiving should be a way of life. Anyone of us could look around at any moment and find someone with less or facing even more difficult situations than ourselves. Some of those same people could really teach us how to live with a grateful heart, for each day they are thankful and rejoicing despite their circumstances.

I want to live like that.

I'm learning to be thankful for dirty dishes. They mean my family has not gone hungry. I'm thankful for the mounds of laundry because my family has been clothed. I'm thankful for the scattered toys, dirty faces and tiny fingerprints on everything because they prove my children are making memories. I'm thankful for the bills I pay because they provide my family with light and heat.

When you stop focusing on the mundane of these things it's much easier to be thankful. I want others, including my children, to notice a grateful heart when they hear my words and see my actions. Afterall,  wouldn't life be that much better if we did some "thanks-living"?

Fightin' (with) Words

I'm a fighter. I don't mean scrapping in the back alley kind of fighter, but a heart led, for the greater good kind of fighter. This is particularly true in my relationships. I don't let go easily, loyalty and honesty are core values and I will always want the best for those I love.

It's this love that keeps me honest. I would rather risk someone being upset with me than to go against what I feel the Lord has laid on my heart. It goes without saying that this can be very difficult. I think of the reasons why it's worth it and sometimes the only  (but ultimate) reason I maintain this openness is because, in the end, I answer to no one but my God. I also don't want my children to see me compromise. I want them to know that the Christian journey is filled with difficulties but that God is with us through each one.

Recently I had to have one of these very difficult conversations with someone that I love dearly. She is someone I have always been extremely close with and I felt led to have a conversation with her that I knew would be risking our relationship. I had prayed for wisdom prior to seeing her but that didn't make things any easier. The decisions she has been making are far from what the Lord expects from us. She is a person who has a huge place in my heart and my life. It's not about who doesn't want who to be happy. Happiness is fleeting but the joy of the Lord is forever. We miss out on this joy and so many blessings when we live outside of God's statutes.

In the end it was not a very productive conversation because she has clearly made up her mind and has settled on accepting lies instead of dealing with the hard truth. When it was all said and done, I knew our relationship would continue to be one of distance and silence. It has been so painful to go from talking with her daily to once every few weeks...and the conversations are very superficial. Nothing is like it was.

Still, I feel this desperate need to fight for her, to fight for her heart. I believe she knows the Lord but that she has been blinded by other things. She used to have such a servant's heart and a gentle and fun loving spirit about her. That is gone.

It's evident she does not want to face the truth. I'm struggling to deal with this. My heart aches. How do I fight for someone who doesn't want to be fought for? Do I just hand her over to darkness and hope for the best? Some people would say yes to avoid further conflict but the pain and problems remain.

I was searching the other day for answers to these questions. It was that evening when a couple of people sent me text messages actually inquiring about the status of the situation. They had been and would continue praying. My heart overflowed knowing that others were continuing with me in this fight. Then, I read this verse...

The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still. Exodus 14:14

The face to face confrontations are over, but fighting this battle with my words is not. That verse has reminded me that in this situation,  and so many others, we have the power of fightin' words. Our prayers are powerful weapons when directed to the Almighty. He moves and intercedes in ways that we cannot even begin to imagine. We need only to get out of the way and be still.

What a blessed thought to know that no matter what, He is fighting for me, for those I care about and for the situations that are beyond my control. I need only to pray and be still.

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