Early Mornings and Coffee with Christ

Being a mother of four little ones, time to myself comes in small moments throughout the day, unless I wake up before the sound of pitter patter, more like thump thump.  Children usually wake up with full energy and so their morning greetings can be a bit too much for either parent who hasn't had their morning cup of coffee and ample time to wake up the brain. Wisdom has taught me that getting up a half hour before them allows me not only time to wake up, but more importantly, uninterrupted time with the Lord. 
Time in the Word each morning is time with Him.  (1 John 1)  Pursuing Christ first thing before the house wakes up, allows my heart to find peace and security before the unexpected things of the day try to steer my emotions.  All other pursuits cannot give me the stability that Christ does.  When I run to anything else to bring what only God can bring, I have made an idol.  Reading the book of Jeremiah speaks of idol worship and how God's people left Him for idolatry.  It has reminded me to ask God to search my heart and show me if I have begun to create idols in my own heart.  In the Old Testament, idols were usually carved images made out of wood or stone.  During the time it took one to carve the image, the heart was beginning to look for another way of satisfaction.  The worship came after the image was carved.  God is faithful to show me that the idol I am molding in my hand needs to be thrown down and not to be worshipped, always reminding me that the idol will never fully satisfy.  Though we may not carve stone images as they did in the past, the heart behind it still needs to be examined. 
In today's American culture, we have taken God's blessings and tried to remove Him as provider, leaving us as provider and leaving us exhausted and empty.  I see so much of God's warning in 1 John 2:15-16.  We have come to love the world, it's lust, and it's pride.  It is masked as success.  Yet God hates and opposes this way of living.  It is opposite of Heaven.  How can one tell if this way of thinking has crept in one's heart?  I think of the verse, "Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also."  What is your heart pursuing above all else?  What sacrifices are you making for this treasure?  How are you treating others that get in the way of this treasure hunt?  Are you neglecting your time with God and His people?  Are you fulfilling the Great Commission? Are you sitting on the sidelines spiritually and not producing spiritual fruit?  For me impatience and unkindness are my first marks of a wandering heart.  They are the first evidences that I am not filled with His Spirit. 

There is nothing like the sweet love of a baby.  How can our nation be so blind to these precious gifts from our Heavenly Father?  I know it is not always easy to raise a child.  For some, they are doing it alone. Having four children under the age of eight can be trying,  but my love for them grows deeper and deeper each day. I am blessed to hear them rise up in the morning.  I find myself throughout the day, standing in awe of God's love for me just by looking at their sweet faces.  It happens when I watch them reading quietly on the couch or being silly in the yard.  The joy they get over the smallest surprises and the random, "You're the best mommy!" are gifts that can not be bought.  They are God's gifts of grace to us.  My prayer for our country is for revival in the heart and in the home.   "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people." ~Proverbs 14:34

My Grandmothers

Both of my grandmothers were classy women.  They both were wonderful mothers, loving wives, and true homemakers.  They both had the talent to knit or crochet.  They both gardened.  They loved opening up their homes for their loved ones and strangers alike.  Much stands out in my mind about them, but because I have been meditating lately on modesty, especially as I am growing older,  I am noticing that both of my grandmothers liked to look nice and ladylike, but sexy was never their goal.  I never even heard them say the word "sexy."  They were admired for being attractive women, but not because they were sexy.  They were admired for their modesty.  Modesty in behavior.  Modesty is words.  Modesty in choices.  They did not seek attention, but enjoyed living for others, nurturing others, giving themselves to others.  When our hearts are focused on others and not ourselves, modesty naturally happens.
Immodesty has become a serious problem in our American culture, because women have given up their honored place in the home, because they want attention.  Attention to be the prettiest, the richest, the highest on the corporate ladder.  Even in homemaking, if it is not done for the glory of God and to bless others, we can even use our honored places and create a "kingdom" to serve our selfish needs.  Expensive furnishings, designer baby clothes, creating a magazine-looking mother with a perfect home and perfect highlights are idols I see young families bowing down to.  Not only do I see it, I wrestle with it. 
The Holy Spirit has been dealing with me lately about the idol of exercising.  Trying to get that 20s body back is the familiar idol I see with moms.  I can always tell an idol because I feel less when I don't have it.  The Bible says I have all things in Christ.  If there is an area God wants me to pursue, it is to bring forth fruit.  Not so with idols.  They create slavery.
Idols appear when we compare.  If you find yourself wishing you had "her" house and "her" body, then you can bet it is an idol.  I never heard either of my grandmothers wishing for another woman's life.  They loved their life.  They didn't have to say it...I simple saw it.  They found joy in loving others.  I felt it.  Others felt it.  And this became their beauty for all to see.  No one felt less around them, but quite the opposite.  They entered into the same joy when they entered their homes.  I am thankful I have such wonderful examples.  I just hope I can be the same.

What Inspires You?

What is your source of inspiration?  What inspires you to move towards your goals?  Even though I have not personally blogged in a long while, I am constantly reading other women's blogs because for one reason or another, they inspire me.  I love looking up the meaning of words, so I looked up the word "inspire."  Here is the definition: "to stimulate energies, ideals, or reverence." 
Reading a blog on personal health and fitness stimulates my energies to exercise and eat cleaner.  My favorite blogspots are from everyday homemakers.  Their christian ideals stimulate my energies to want to live for my King, serve my family, friends, and community, and live simply.  Those who inspire me are also those I want to be like, so I naturally reverence them in my heart and attitude.  I appreciate their gifts and study them, so that I may glean from them.  Here are some that I have visited recently:

http://peak313.com/
http://www.etsy.com/
http://www.oneplace.com/
http://frugallysustainable.com/
http://thenourishinghome.com/

Post your favorite blog.  I'd love to see what inspires you.

As some of you already know, I am drawn to life long ago, but not very long ago.
One of my favorite and probably only show I watch at night with my cup of tea is Road to Avonlea. There was much to be done in those days, so daughters stayed near their mothers and learned the values of taking care of the home, taking care of those they loved and found joy is serving others. Life was centered around the home and the needs of the community. They found pleasures in the everyday like caring for animals, the walk to school that echoed the morning songs of nature, making food from scratch, and sipping tea and reading by the fireplace. We have lost much of these daily gifts, because of convience. Convience is a gift, too, when we need advanced medical care or just relieving some everyday chores. But...have we "convienced" ourselves right out of real pleasures. I find so much pleasure in making a meal from scratch, baking my own goodies, taking care of my own home, having time to actually visit with a friend over coffee than going off to work and sipping coffee at my computer while paying someone else to do these everyday chores.
When I make my bed in the morning and I look out the window, I see a forest that is crowded in by homes, streets, and a railroad. My soul longs to take a stroll in those woods, but "convience" has disturbed the morning songs. I crack the window and listen to the sounds of nature from my warm home instead. Hopefully, one day, a farmhouse with a few acres will allow me these simple pleasures. For now, I am thankful to be a homemaker enjoying what the Lord has given me today.

20 Things Rainy Days...

are good for:

1. lingering

2. day dreaming

3. sipping hot coffee

4. listening to your children play

5. being still before God

6. enjoying the warmth of home

7. staying in your jammies

8. sewing

9. baking

10. browsing through the lastest edition of MaryJanes's magazine

11. facebooking

12. blogging

13. menu planning

14. watching a jane austen classic

15. painting

16. playdoh-ing

17. scheduling

18. organizing

19. laundering

20. listening to nature, while staying dry on the front porch

Add to the list, if you wish.

When I Slow Down...I Will...

bake from scratch more, because I find the greatest fulfillment from food when I take the time to prepare it myself in the quietness of my kitchen listening to the bubbling noises from the stove and smelling the aromas from my oven.

rock on my antique granny rocker a little longer reading or resting under the afternoon sunrays coming through the window as the sun sets while allowing His peace to fill me.

talk a little more with my beloved husband about our relationship, our past, our present, and what we desire for the future in all things pertaining to life, family, and our Saviour's will for our lives.

plan a little less and allow the day to unfold.