Frustration

How many of us feel like pulling our hair out in the mornings?

 

I have to say that at times I get very frustrated, but not nearly as much as my poor husband.  I have to be at work at 7:00 am, so that leaves Jason with getting the kids ready for school.  A typical day for us is get up at 6:20; I get my computer up and running to start my day at 7 – that generally takes 10 minutes to do.  I then go upstairs and pack lunches and have backpacks and lunch boxes in the truck by 7:40.  Great I have 20 minutes to get the kids up, dressed, fed and almost ready to go.  I go into Aaron’s room and turn on the light and start to sing Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory and then leave and go into Ashleigh’s room and sing it again – they hate this.  They get up and head to the couch, where they try to lay back down and get 5 more minutes, but I am right behind them fussing, you have 15 minutes to get ready and get something to eat before I have to go to work.  Aaron, bless his heart, usually gets right up and gets himself dressed – Ashleigh on the other hand, it’s a fight, I don’t want to wear that I want to wear this and then changes her mind.  It does not good to pick out her clothes the night before, done tried that.  Now the kids are ready, all but putting on shoes, eating breakfast (if they want any), taking medicine, and brushing teeth.  Once the kids are finished Jason sends them downstairs for me to help them put their shoes on and fix Ashleigh’s hair.  When I put it down on paper it doesn’t seem that bad – LOL.  But it’s the feeling you have of being late, of someone not listening to you and having to repeat something over and over again.  It is amazing, most mornings, they get out of the house on time and no one is late, how we do it I have no idea, but it gets done.  Have you ever stopped to think, maybe, this is how God might feel when He is dealing with us?  How many times has God had to tell you to do something?  I know from personal experience sometimes several.  Sometimes we question if we are truly hearing Gods call and sometimes we are running the other way and not wanting to listen.  I know how I feel when my children are not listening to me or they out right defy me – I know the since of exasperation I feel and then it slowly turns into anger.  Do I make God mad, does it start small with a since of frustration and then grow.  I shudder to think that I could displease my Lord – but I do it every day - but we are human and even if we are striving to be more like Christ we always fall short.  God knows we are imperfect and He knows that we will never be perfect.  I am sure He is very displeased or disappointed with me from time to time.  I know I don’t spend as much time reading my bible as I should and I don’t spend nearly enough time on my knees in prayer or in my prayer closet.  Does this displease God, yes it does.  God always wants to hear from us, even if it’s just a simple, Lord it’s me again, having a busy day, but wanted to stop and say Thanks or please help me through this report or call, keep my family safe or how about that special request or person that God has placed on our heart or mind to pray for.  God never said our prayers had to be long and lengthy and full of eloquent words.  When Jesus showed us how to pray in Matthew, this was a short prayer, but it came from the heart and He was sincere with his requests.

 

Matthew 6:9-13

After this manner therefore pray ye:  Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.  Amen.

 

More important, I try to instill in Aaron and Ashleigh the importance of prayer.  Jason and I have to remind them almost every time before they eat, pray!  And before we go to bed every night we pray.  Each one of the kids, along with mom and dad, has our own special request for prayer.  We make it a point to show how important it is to pray for those requests, no matter how insignificant we might think they are (praying for Ella – Nana’s dog) it is still important to them.  I also try to pray in the morning before they go to school, now I will admit it is more often forgotten, but I do try to pray with them.  I will admit I struggle daily, but God never promised an easy road.  I can only strive to be more diligent and pray that it is enough.  As always please keep us in your prayers as we seek to do God’s will, whatever that may be.

Thankful

Thankful ... Where do I begin, I am so thankful for so many things.  I am thankful most of all for a Sovereign God, that He stood in my place, that He bore my sins, that He saved me!  I am thankful for my loving husband and two beautiful children - I love you very much.  I am thankful for my job - even though I hate it at times.  I am thankful for a roof over my head, clothes on my back and food in my belly.  I am thankful for good friends and family - who are there for me in the good and bad times.  I am thankful for the life God has given me to live - I have been given this one life to glorify Him in every way.

I Chronicles 16:8
Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people. 

I am thankful that I can call on His name.  I am thankful that I can go directly to Him with all of my needs and desires.  I am thankful that He is always available to talk to, I don't have to wait until He has time, because He always has time.  I am thankful that He answers prayer - I will always be amazed that God would listen to me and answer my prayers.  I am not always obedient and I am not always so thankful, but thru my short comings God sees me worthy enough to listen.  I was no one until God made me someone and I am thankful that He loves me.

And I want to thank those that come to read my simple thoughts from time to time.  I thank you for allowing me to share with you what is on my heart and mind. 

The Vision

 

We had our 2013-2014 school enrollment meeting last night, and Mr. Jeffreys talked about the vision for our school.  We love FSCS (Fayetteville Street Christian School), we are like one big family.  I am glad that some men had a vision years ago to start a Christian school, I am sure like most it started small, but we have grown and now have over 200 students enrolled and are expecting more for the new school year.  I am thankful to those who answered the Call and started this school as an alternative to public school.  Before Jason and I had the kids, we were asked by a financial adviser what our short term goals were and the first thing we said was to be able to put our children (when ever we had any) in a Christian school, now at that time we didn't know what school or where we just knew that public school was not an option.  A few years ago my best friend, Terri, was looking into putting her son into public school because FSCS didn't have enough students and was looking at shutting its doors - But GOD, and that is all I have to say - But GOD!  God gave them a few rough years, but after that they stared to explode, per Mr. Jeffreys, we have seen a 100% increase in the last 4 1/2 years.  That is amazing and again I will say But GOD - He is so worthy of our praise!  He who is Sovereign and knows at all times what is best for us.  I will never cease to be amazed by my GOD.  Our little school is growing by leaps and bounds and last night we listened as we were told there would be a possibility of new construction - we are busting at the seams and have no place to put these dear little children, I say this is a good problem to have.  We also discussed updates to the facilities and  our last fund raiser, "Pancake Day", where we raised over $13,000, that's $3,000 more than last year.  How is it we can continue on this path with the bad economy and loss of jobs - But GOD!  God has been so good to our little Christian school and because we have dedicated men and woman who share a common vision and goal and who are sensitive to the Holy Spirit, this is how it is all possible.  Please pray for our little school - for the administrative staff, the teachers, the parents and most of all each and every student - they are our future.

This is the day that the Lord hath made!

This is the day that the LORD hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.  - Psalm 118:24

 

Yesterday was Aaron’s 7^th birthday; I can’t believe how big he has gotten.  My little boy is turning into a little man right before my eyes.  I thank God for my children and I love them soooo much!  As I studied yesterday I thought this was a perfect lesson and I thought I will use Aaron’s birthday as a way to illustrate how we shall rejoice in everyday He has given us.    Who would have thought that such a simple verse could be so profound?  I have heard this verse sung in a song and I have even read it hundreds of times, but never stopped to really think about the words and how they affect my everyday life.  Do we really stop and think about who has given us each day?  I don’t think most of us do.  We just get up because the alarm clock has gone off or one of our children is demanding our attention.   We don’t think about what we are doing, it’s the same every day, day in and day out, it is all routine.  We don’t think about what is going to happen or who we will speak with or who we might meet or how our actions may affect someone else.  We don’t even give God the praise, glory or honor He deserves.  God has given us each day.  Each day we are given we start it fresh, it is always different than the day before and we will never repeat it (no Groundhog Days!).  So what should we do with each day God has given us?  We should cherish each and every moment, good or bad.  We should praise God from whom all blessings flow!  We should make sure we are in constant prayer and feeding on the bread of life! We should make sure that everything we are doing, saying, seeing, hearing, etc. is glorifying our Heavenly Father!  No matter if it’s a rainy day, a sunny day a snowy day, a rainbow day, or your birthday we should always remember it is a day that God has given us and we will rejoice and be glad in it.  It is so easy to get caught up in everyday “life”, there is always some form of ball or cheerleading practice, piano or dance, work or school and everything is routine we get complacent and then when something bad happens and God throws in a BAD DAY and we want to ask God why.  Sometimes God gives us those BAD DAYS to remind us that He is Sovereign and that He has a perfect plan for us and that He will get Glory for all, good or bad.  God gives us BAD DAYS to teach and mold us, and we learn to rely on God for everything, we should be thankful for the BAD DAYS as well as the GOOD DAYS.  God wants us to have a thankful heart regardless of the day we have or don’t have and we learn to trust Him completely.  So let us always rejoice and be glad in the days to come, because each day whether it is a birthday, a sick day, a joyous day or even a grievous day, they are all a gift from God!