Pass It On!

So my baby girl just turned four! And I am ready to put the breaks on her!!! She is at this wonderful, magical age where she can grasp so much, and yet life still holds so much wonder. One minute she is quoting scripture and praying incredible heart felt prayers and the next she is in a tutu and a tiara imagining her wedding and doing twirls with her eyes closed. :) Of course, not every moment is so precious. She has plenty of days where she is too smart for her own good, insists on challenging my every order and whines so much I find myself on the verge of a mommy breakdown! :) But more times than not she is my little buddy. It has been this way since she was born. The two of us going everywhere together. I am still overwhelmed by the vastness of this deep, controlling, all-consuming force called “mommy love.”

When we first found out Mikaela was a girl, I cried. Not because I did not want a girl, but because I knew first-hand how hard being a girl (especially during those trying middle school years) could be. I cried for what she might face, and because I did not feel healed enough myself to help her with the challenges ahead. In a way, it was just what I needed to get serious about working through my own past hurts with the Lord. I felt compelled to start writing down things I wanted to be sure I told her before she needed it.  Things I had learned during major soul-searching cry sessions on my knees before the Father trying to work through the trials I was dealing with. So much I learned in college that I wish I had known 10 years earlier.

I made a list before she was born called “Things I Want My Daughter to Know.” I plan to pass these pearls on to her at an early age in the hopes of sparing her some of life’s pain and preparing her to be, not only firmly rooted in God’s love for her, but also to equip and encourage her to show that love to everyone He puts in her path.

If you have not done this, I challenge you to take some time over the next week to sit alone with the Lord and pray about lessons you have learned that you wish you had known sooner than you did. Write out the scripture, the advice, the guidance that made a difference to you and determine to do all you can to equip your children for living a fruitful life in Him. No, we cannot spare our kids every hurt. And there is a lot to be said for learning lessons on your knees one on one with your Creator. But never underestimate the power of your guidance in your little one's life. Who knows, maybe God gave you some of your greatest revelations more for their benefit than for your own! As you prepare them for a new school year, take time to equip them with more than new clothes and the proper notebook. Take time to make sure you are giving them the things only you can give, the wisdom and insights that money cannot buy.   

Yes You Can!

OK, so we have explored 7 Positive Mental Strategies. Now before you jump on the excuse train and start telling me all the reasons you can’t do these things…

Yes, you can! – God will never ask you to do anything you cannot do, with His help. Whatever He asks you to do, He gives you the strength and ability to do and do well and with a positive attitude.  Philippians 4:13 “I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].” (Amplified Bible) I have heard speaker/teacher, Joyce Meyer put it this way, "I can do everything I need to do in Christ. Not whatever I want to do, but whatever He calls me to do."

You’ve got what it takes! If you have accepted Christ the scripture tells us many times that the Holy Spirit Himself lives on the inside of you.  Thus the fruit of the Spirit is in each and every believer…but you must develop and practice it.  You have the fruit of the Spirit – use it! Fruit = product of…If you have a tomato plant you get tomatoes, if a banana tree, bananas…if the Holy Spirit, you have… love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23). Get alone several times a day and list the products of the fruit of the Spirit starting with the words, “Through the power of the Holy Spirit Who lives in me I have…”
 

Here’s the key…don’t wait until you need it to try to get it! You wouldn’t run a marathon without training. So don’t expect to fight life’s battles without preparing before hand.

Take Him at His word…it will be there. John14:27 tells us that Christ gave His peace…peace that works when times are bad, when trials come and we see no way out. The world’s peace only works when things are good. Christ gives peace not from the storm, but in the midst of it!

P.M.S. #6 & #7

So this one is short and sweet, but these scriptures really need very little explanation. I hope you'll read this post slowly a few times and attempt to commit these verses to memory.
 
Positive Mental Strategy #6: No complaining!
 
Philippians 2:14-15 tells us, “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,”
 
I once read a commentary on this verse that jumped off the page at me. It said, “Grumbling is an outward expression of an inward problem.” OUCH!
 
Positive Mental Strategy #7: Focus !
 
To have peace in the storm, keep your eyes on Him. Think about it. Peter could walk on water until he took his eyes off of Jesus. (Matthew 14)

 

This wraps up our 7 Positive Mental Strategies. In the next post we’ll recap and look at why we should never say we just can’t do it!