Busy at home

 

Haven’t really posted much lately.  I have been busy in our home, just trying to put the family first instead of putting the computer first! 

Maddie has been having a great time making new things and just having fun playing and coloring… with momma!

Here’s a few pictures of what we have been doing lately.

Making some crust for some yummy Peanut Butter pie. This time with Graham crackers for the crust, she had a blast bashing them!  (cell pics.. not the best)

Making butter…  she had a blast shaking it…

and screaming as she was shaking it..

and we went to the Wildlife Expo they had several weeks ago.. she had a blast!

 

and something I want to print up and have for us to do together!  ABC Printable Scripture Cards

  We have been having a blast, and I am actually enjoying not being on the computer as much!  The guilt of not responding to everything on FB, posting everyday, reading blogs everyday is slowly going away as well.  Those that have families understand.. there are seasons for everything and right now my season is just relaxing.. not worrying so much about stuff and being a slave to my computer and blogs! 

Hope you have all been doing well!!

You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
(Deuteronomy 11:19 ESV)

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How to Enjoy Your Family part 2

 

May 11, 2011

How to Enjoy Your Family

Part 2

Mary Southerland

Today’s Truth
She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy (Proverbs 31:13-15, 20, NIV).

Friend to Friend
Family is important to God. He created it before He created the church and, as with each of His creations, He made a plan for it to succeed. At the heart of that plan is love. To be part of a family is to be loved. Yesterday, we saw that the first step to loving our family is to build trust. The second step is to serve our family with joy.  We are told by many to serve ourselves - not others. The Proverbs 31 woman had every opportunity to live a life of leisure.

• She had a prominent husband.
• She had a lot of influence.
• She was visible and active in the community.
• She was in charge of charity events.

But she got up while it was still dark to make breakfast for her family and for those who served her. Proverbs 31:13 tells us she worked with “eager” hands. The literal meaning of “eager” is “in delight or in chosen joy.” In other words, she chose to serve with joy, which means we can choose to serve our family with joy as well.  Jesus teaches the truth that service is a natural result of love.

Galatians 5:13 “For, dear brothers, you have been given freedom: not freedom to do wrong, but freedom to love and serve each other.”

Yet, many of us find it easier to serve everyone in love except our family. When my husband, Dan, was a youth pastor, we saw a variety of family dynamics. At one church, a young man came to us in tears. I will never forget his words, “My parents are getting a divorce because mom has time for everyone in the world except my dad and me!” Service to those we love and call family should not be a burden. In fact, an attitude of service is contagious. The best way to teach your family to serve is to serve them.

From childhood, making the bed was one of my kids’ daily chores. I told them that one day a week, I would make their bed for them. It could be a day when they were running late for school, when they were too tired or didn’t feel well. Whatever the reason, I would serve them by making their bed one day a week. One morning, I was running behind and in a hurry to visit my husband who was recovering from an emergency appendectomy. I had been at the hospital day and night for a week and was exhausted. I got up very early, took one look at my bed and decided I just didn’t want to make it. I went to take a shower, hoping it would wake me up. When I came out, Danna, our eleven-year-old daughter had made my bed. To love our family, we must serve with joy.

Plan well.
Proverbs 31:15b, 21, 27 (LB) “She plans the day's work. She has no fear of winter for her household, for she has made warm clothes for all of them. She watches carefully all that goes on throughout her household.”

Planning prevents chaos. The Proverbs 31 woman was in control of her home and her life. The control came from good planning. She mastered the skill of homemaking before she ever set foot in the workplace. She set her priorities; then arranged her life around them. She didn’t allow others to set priorities for her and she did what was important, not just urgent. Have you noticed that the urgent things in life barge in demanding attention while the important things wait to be chosen? We can spend a lifetime on the urgent and miss the most important things God has for us. We must set family priorities because if we don’t, the world will.

The Proverbs 31 woman knew what needed to be done and made sure that it was done first and in the right way. She didn’t fear winter or the hard times because she was prepared. Family should provide the most satisfying earthly relationships. If it doesn’t, the problem may be with our planning. Here are some practical tips for planning:

• Budget your time. 
• Choose one day a week to plan.
• Eliminate. Have an “elimination” meeting once a month with your family. Eliminate the things that hurt your family.
• Learn to leave the “lesser” things undone.
• Delegate. Include everyone in the family in the work as well as the playing.
• Simplify. Give up on perfection. It’s for heaven - not earth.
• Plan well. It demonstrates your love for your family.

Work hard.
Proverbs 31:16-18 (LB) “She goes out to inspect a field and buys it; with her own hands she plants a vineyard. She is a hard worker. She works far into the night.”

There is nothing lazy about this woman. Laziness should not be part of our character as women of God. The Proverbs 31 woman was busy, but not too busy …and she was not busy doing the wrong things. Busyness does not always equal productivity. I believe a woman can have it all - a career, a family. I’m just not sure she can have it all at the same time. This woman has a strong sense of who she is and what God created her to be.  She has a clear plan for life. And notice she doesn’t do all of the work herself. (By the way, this is your Scriptural justification for a maid or as I tell my children,”Why do you think God made kids?”) Working together builds a sense of family. In a nationwide survey, thousands of school children were asked, “What makes a happy family?” The most-mentioned key to happiness was “doing things together.” Plan family projects and family work days. At the end of the day, order a pizza and rent a movie as a reward. You can build some of your greatest family traditions and memories around work. When our kids were younger, we bought our Christmas tree and put up our Christmas lights every Thanksgiving weekend.  While it is a lot of work, it is also a family tradition.                

A woman who loves her family is willing to work hard for them and with them, planning well and building trust.

Let’s Pray
Father, family is so important to You and I want it to be that important to me as well. Thank You for the family You have given me. I love each one of them and want them to be sure of my love. Please help me love them in ways they can understand. I pray that our family will be filled with trust and become a haven for each family member. Be glorified in our home and in our family. 

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Now it’s your turn

• Identify areas of your family life that need to be more structured.
• Establish a weekly family meeting to plan and connect as a family. 
• Use the principles in step three to become a better planner.
• Establish a new family tradition that invites every family member to participate.

More from the Girlfriends
I once heard someone say, “Home is the place you go where they have to take you in.” I love that statement. And it really is true. Tomorrow, we conclude this study on how to enjoy your family. I pray that it is making a difference in your life and in your family. Remember, your home and family is the best place for God to show up and demonstrate Who He really is. Need help? Check out Mary’s resources on marriage, parenting anddifficult relationships. If you need help dealing with the pain in your life, enroll in Mary’s weekly online Bible Study,How to Handle Hurtand learn how to face and deal with the pain in your life. Need a friend? Connect with Mary on Facebook or through email.

Seeking God?
Click here to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 725
Matthews, NC 28106
info@girlfriendsingod.com
www.girlfriendsingod.com Pin It

How to Enjoy Your Family

I am on vacation this week so I thought I would post some wonderful emails that I have gotten.  Hope you enjoy!!

May 12, 2011
How to Enjoy Your Family
Part 3

Mary Southerland

Today’s Truth
When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule for everything she says (Proverbs 31:26, TLB).

Friend to Friend
Family is important to God. He created it before He created the church and, as with each of His creations, He made a plan for it to succeed. At the heart of that plan is love. To be part of a family is to be loved. Over the last two days, we have examined the first steps to loving your family; to build trust, to serve them with joy, to plan well and to work hard.  We can also love and enjoy our family by guarding our tongue.

Control your tongue.
The power of the spoken word is great. Words are like seeds. What we plant will grow.  If we plant negative, critical words, we will reap a family that is negative and critical.  Look for the good in your family then speak it. Be a cheerleader for your family because everyone needs a cheerleader.

A little girl was eating breakfast with her Daddy. They were on a “date,” spending special time together. He was telling her how wonderful she was and how proud he was to have her as a daughter. When he had done what he thought was a sufficient job, he picked up his fork and began to eat. His daughter put her hand on his arm and stopped him with these words, “Longer, Daddy, longer.” He didn’t eat much food that day but a little girl’s hungry heart was fed. Do have any hearts like that in your family?

CBS released a movie about Karen Carpenter, the great singer who rose to stardom singing with her brother, Richard. At the age of 32, she died unexpectedly of heart failure due to many years of abuse caused by Anorexia. What brought on Karen's fatal obsession with weight control? It seems that a reporter once called her "Richard's chubby sister."

Psalm 141:3 “Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD: keep watch over the door of my lips.”

Before speaking, ask yourself the following questions.

   T       is it true
   H      Is it helpful
    I       is it inspiring
   N      is it necessary
   K       is it kind

Think before you speak. Use the five to one ratio when correcting - five positive remarks to one negative comment. The harder the truth, the more love we should use in saying it. It is our responsibility to use our words to train and instruct our family about the daily things in life, but more importantly, to instruct them about the eternal things. We are very concerned about providing for our children when we need to be more concerned about caring for our children. The greatest care we can give is to disciple them by speaking words of truth. Guard your tongue.

Take care of yourself.
The Proverbs 31 woman certainly did. “She is energetic. Her own clothing is beautifully made--a purple gown of pure linen. She is a woman of strength and dignity and has no fear of old age” (Proverbs 31:17; 22; 25).

Families are hard work. In order to make our family relationships replenishing, we must be replenished. Psalm 46:10 instructs us to “Be still, and know that I am God.”  Let’sapply this verse specifically.

Be still, MY MUSCLES, and know God’s RELAXATION. 

Be still, MY NERVES, and know God’s REST.

Be still, MY HEART, and know God’s QUIETNESS.

Be still, MY BODY, and know God’s RENEWAL.

Be still, MY MIND, and know God’s PEACE.

In order to be all that we can be to our families, we must be all that we can be mentally,             physically, spiritually and emotionally. We must be balanced. The Proverbs 31 woman was energetic and hard working for the tasks she was gifted and called to do. Proverbs 31:25 tells us this woman could laugh “at the days to come.” The picture here is of a woman who enjoyed her life. She worked hard, but she knew how to stop and plant a vineyard. She liked to shop and watched for bargains. She liked to look beautiful, dressing in purple fine linen. 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.”

We cannot give our heart to God and keep our body for ourselves. When you take care of yourself, you are honoring God and loving your family.

Remember your audience.
The final way to enjoy and love your family is to remember who your audience should be.

Proverbs 31:28-31 “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”

It is easy to run the race of life for the wrong audience. Our audience should be God, our mate, our children and then others. One day we will stand before God as keeper of the family He has loaned to us for a short time. Will He be pleased? Will He say “Well done?” Will our family stand and bless us? Will others say this woman loved and enjoyed her family?

Let’s Pray
"Lord, you know my inadequacies. You know my weaknesses, not only in parenting, but in every area of my life. As you broke the fishes and the loaves to feed the five thousand, now take my meager effort and use it to bless my family.

Please make up for the things I did wrong. Satisfy the needs that I have not satisfied.  Wrap your great arms around my family and draw them close to you.

And be there when they stand at the great crossroads between right and wrong. All I can give is my best, and I, today, choose to do that. Therefore, I submit to you my family and myself and the job I have done and will do as a wife and mother. The outcome belongs to you." (Author unknown)

Now it’s your turn
How would you define “family” in your life?

Which one of the steps covered in this series of devotionals do you need to take in order to have the family God wants you to have?

Set aside time to pray for each family member.

More from the Girlfriends
I truly believe our greatest opportunity to impact the world is the way we love and enjoy family. I pray that you have been blessed by this study. I encourage you to examine your family in light of these principles. Identify one that needs some work and get started. It is never too late to start and it is always too early to give up, girlfriend. And know that Gwen, Sharon and I are right there with you on this journey.

Be sure to check out Mary’s resources onmarriage, parenting and difficult relationships. If you need help dealing with the pain in your life, enroll in Mary’s weekly online Bible Study,How to Handle Hurtand learn how to face and deal with the pain in your life. Need a friend? Connect with Mary on Facebook or through email.

Seeking God?
Click here to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 725
Matthews, NC 28106
info@girlfriendsingod.com
www.girlfriendsingod.com Pin It