Another Milestone...

Today started as any other normal Wednesday. The girls both got up and got themselves off to school, Doug got off to work and I began to make my check-list for the day since I had the day off from BB&T. It was a rainy fall day in October and everyone was going about their business like normal. The afternoon however was another milestone for me as a mother. You see, this afternoon Hope and I had her hair done and then met her photographer at the Penn House for her bridal portraits. I watched in awe as she slipped that long, lean, slender body with skin like porcelain into that beautiful wedding gown. I hooked and zipped it, fluffed the crinoline, and slipped the shoes on and buckled them for her. With hair pins of pearls and rhinestones in place, and long elegant earrings hanging from her lobes we began the photo shoot. As I stood back and took it all in I couldn't help but shake my head in astonishment that this was real. My Hope, my little girl who had freckles on her face, who loved for me to read to her and lay with her until she fell alseep, the little girl who has always spoke not much above a whisper, the little girl who has always soaked up everything taught to her like a sponge, that little girl isn't a little girl any longer. No the young woman who stood in front of me today was confident, kind, genuine, and had a glow about her. The Hope that stood in front of me today has committed her life to serving Christ. She trusted that same Christ to send her the one he had created for her and she is 100% sure that someone is Ben Minter. She is filled with joy and expectation at what their life serving Christ together will hold. She is truly an amazing young woman and I am honored to call her my daughter. The tears were hard to hold back but I did my best, and in the days ahead it most surely will be harder. The tears aren't because I disapprove or because I am sad, oh no, they are because I know when I look at her that I have been truly blessed that God entrusted this special young woman to Doug and I to raise and because of the sheer joy she has brought us. Hope, we love you sweetie....more than you will ever know.

God knows...

Proverbs 10:1 "A wise child brings joy to a father, a foolish child brings grief to a mother."

As I read and mediatated on this verse the Holy Spirit showed me something I had not seen before. When children are good...the father has joy, but when they are foolish, the mother is the one with grief. Now that isn't to say that a mother isn't joyful when they are good or that a father doesn't hurt when they are bad...BUT...God knows a momma's heart. He knows that a mother worries and hurts deeper than a dad. A mother's love is just different. She is the one who sacrifices, stays up during the night, nurses the boo boos, prays over the friends they choose and the decisions they make. She is the PTO president, the homeroom mom, the one who makes treats for the whole team, the one who washes uniforms the night before the games, makes sure everyone has a lunch, etc., etc., etc.!! Mom's are in the thick of things all the time. And when a mom sees a child turning from the Lord, making a poor decision. It rips her heart out. Here's the part that really blessed my heart. As God inspired men to pen down his words over 2000 years ago, he made sure to have them pen these words "a foolish child brings grief to a mother." I don't think he did it to make sure that us moms know we should hurt, or it is our job to have heavy hearts; no, he did it to let us know he knows how we feel. The God of the universe, the creator, the one who gave you that special blessing called "a child"...he knows how you are hurting and he cares.WOW!! Thank you Lord that when we face the storms of life you know how we feel. There is one thing for a friend to sympathize with you, but it quite another when a friend empathizes with you. Jesus empathizes with you and I dear sister. And not only does he know how we feel, he has the power to change the situation. As we cry out to him to intervene, we can say with confidence, "Lord you KNOW how we feel". Praise be to a Savior who cares about every part of our life and our emotions!!

Good Stuff!!!

Our oldest daughter Hope is blogging again and has written some really great stuff relating to the truths she learned at our women's conference. You should check it out!

www.hopefromtheinsideout.blogspot.com

Thinking out loud....

I am 41 years old and with each day that passes I realize that life in this world will always be a roller coaster, but living a life for Christ makes the ride fun! He is the safe zone for every believer. When life takes a huge dip...He is there. When friends disappoint you...He is there. When jobs end and money is gone....He is there. When loved ones are taken away and you feel you just cannot take another step....He is there. When stress is overwhelming and demands seem impossible...He is there. God is a constant in your life and so is the working of the Holy Spirit to make you more like Jesus. The roller coaster of life I cannot change...but I am tired of being on the spiritual rollar coaster of complacency! I don't want to waste another day. I don't want to say "tomorrow" I'm going to get serious about serving Christ. I want to make each day count. If I can help someone today...I want to do it today. If I can witness today.....I want to do just that! Each day is a gift...I want to rip the paper off and be thankful for it and enjoy it!!! I can't help but think of the kings of Israel in the Old Testament that served God so well and did such amazing things and yet turned away from Him at the end of their life. Please God, help me finish well. I want to leave a legacy to my girls and to Ben that I not only loved God in my life...but that I loved and served him ALL of my life. Lord..help me turn loose of the flesh and it's yearning to please people and just focus on pleasing you. You Jehovah are the final authority and let my heart be pleasing to you! I want to have a heart of gratitude and a life empty of complaint. You've been far to good to me to complain. I am so grateful you know my name. With that in mind I'll end this "thinking out loud" with a few lyrics....

I have a maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in His hands

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call