A few words from my kiddos

Good Morning beautiful sisters!!! I hope that we are meeting up after a restful night’s sleep and you are being filled with the Power of the Lord to do and be who He has called you to be today! I actually asked my kids what I should share with you this morning. As they looked back at me with surprised eyes they tilted their precious little heads as if their sweet little spirits were in deep deliberation. I could almost see the miniature wheels in their brains pick up speed. With pure hearts this is what they came up with…


1. Tell them to “pway” – in my dear Ainsley’s pigeon English

2. Read in your Bible and in your books

3. Wash your hands every day

4. We need to eat and stay healthy

5. Take pictures - because according to my Cade man that’s what mommies do to remember good things….yes, I had a few tears on that one :)

6. They need to play

7. “Gi-Gi” loves us. (Ainsley cannot say Jesus just yet so she calls Him Ge-Ge…it’s really pretty stinkin’ precious)

And then just like that they were off! My little people thought of 7 practical ways to encourage us today and didn’t think too hard as they rolled off the quick meditations on their hearts. Shared their wisdom and in a blink they were back to their little people farm to give the animals hay rides. Childlike faith is awesome. If you settle on any one of those statements for any length of time they are actually pretty profound.

1. Pray – Simply put praying is when we can position ourselves in an attitude that is considering and then responding to God’s thoughts on our circumstances. Regardless of what is going on around you if you can quiet your heart and pray something will click. It has for me, especially on those brutally noisy days when you can’t catch a quiet moment. If I can just quiet my heart and utter a cry within my own frame peace, clarity and understanding starts a rollin’. When I forget to put myself in that intentional position my defeating thoughts are on auto pilot and all I can see and hear are the loud problems in front of me. Praying helps eliminate anxious thoughts.

“I love the Lord, because he listens to my prayers for help. He paid attention to me, so I will call to him for help as long as I live.” Psalm 116:1-2

“When a believing person prays, great things happen.” James 5:16

2. Read God’s Word –

“God’s word is alive and working and is sharper than a double-edged sword. It cuts all the way into us, where the soul and the spirit are joined, to the center of our joints and bones. And it judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts.” Hebrews 4:12

I could not agree more with what the kids said…to read your Bible and your books. The Bible is the ONLY source of true healing and wholeness; however the Lord has inspired many authors to encourage our growth and development as daughters of God. For me those authors risking relative comfort and life exposure and how the Lord has ministered to them have motivated my own personal study of the Bible.

“For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth.” 1 Thessalonians 1:8

3. Wash your hands ( and your hearts :)) everyday –

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

“Then I confessed my sins to you and didn’t hide my guilt. I said, “I will confess my sins to the Lord,” and you forgave my guilt.” Psalm 32:5

4. We need to eat and stay healthy….I think we could all agree that we need to literally eat and take care of our physical bodies every day. As women we usually put ourselves at the bottom of the list as far as serving our basic needs. Take rest for instance. I am coming off a couple of weeks were I can honestly say I was not so great at this bullet point. And boy did it hit me in the mouth. We have to get rest, nourishment and replenish what we give out every day! We have to ladies!! I also want to drive it home that you cannot miss a day of nourishing your soul. It isn’t out of legalism that I am saying this…it is out of experience. If you want to thrive you have to go to the Lord to be nourished with deep and long lasting soul food EVERY DAY. Your tank goes on E a lot faster than you let on. It’s just like if you are thirsty you’re probably already dehydrated. Don’t let your soul dehydrate.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

5. Look back/take spirit pictures to remember the King’s goodness – This point is so near and dear to my heart. First that my son would identify that “mommies take pictures to remember good things” says that I take pictures in his heart of good times, which would be a lot. Capturing special moments that remind you how far you’ve come, or grown, or changed is a good thing. Just the other night Toby and I made a pot of coffee and flipped through all the photo books we’ve made since dating and almost 8 years of marriage. We laughed, we cried, we remembered and we enjoyed ALL that God had done. I highly recommend doing that no matter what life spot you are in. I also recommend reading through journal entries that record the times just as specifically.

“Every good action and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars, who does not change like their shifting shadows.” James 1:17

6. We need to play – I LOVE this one! We do need to play girls. And by that I mean we need to live with way more exuberant JOY!!! Not relatively happy, but deep, abiding, unshakable JOY-FULL livin’. You know the kind of people I’m talking about. Those that just live with peace and simplicity, but have this kind of joy that is unexplainable. Happy fades with the next dirty diaper or overslept alarm. Joy overcomes those obstacles and keeps right on going. I LOVE being around JOY-FULL people. If you look at any 5 people in a day, especially when you are stuck in traffic you’ll see just how many people are missing joy.

“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your JOY may be made FULL!” John 15:11

7. “Ge-Ge loves us.” – He loves us so much sisters. I mean like for real ladies. He loves us. He loves you. I feel so very burdened about this point and I am found in this moment with little expression to the point. So I’ll just lean on the simplicity in which my daughter shared it. With all her heart and cute tiny hands resting on her cheeks as she rested her elbows on the couch looked me directly in the eyes and with every confidence of a grown woman said….”Ge – Ge loves me.” I want to live that way.

“We know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love. God is love. Those who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” 1 John 4:16

Praying for you today and loving you so very much!!! Make it a great day and live beautifully brave the Lord is with you pretty lady!!!

xoxo