Understanding our Heavenly Father

~How great is the love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called sons and daughters of God!~

Being a parent opens up a whole new view of our relationship with God.

• There have been countless moments when I watch Jonelle sleep, just reviewing the features of her face over and over. God does that too. He made us and loves to look at us. We are His handiwork, the apple of His eye. The beauty of His creation.
  
• Doing everything possible to get her attention and catch a smile. Although God does not need our relationship to sustain His love for us or to sustain Himself, he knows that we need Him. We bring God pleasure by existing. I am sure that our thoughts and love toward Him bring Him great pleasure. We display the glory of God.
  
• Hearing her small cry or voice in the back of my mind when I am away from her. God never dismisses us from His thoughts. He can have the entire world and every single person in His understanding at one time.
  
• Knowing that I know what she needs and what is best for her more than she knows for herself. How many times have I told God that I wanted or needed something and He just looked at me and replied, "No, you don't. You need something else that I already have picked for you." How amazing! God knows what we need before we ask. Yet, how precious it must be when we do ask. Just like how we long for our children to ask us for things when they need them.
  

Let God be your perfect Father today and everyday. By accepting His love for us, we can be better parents.

God's Chosen: Colossians 3:12-13

Colossians 3:12-13 Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

This is one of my favorite passages of scripture. I love verse 12 when we are told as Christians what our lives are supposed to portray not because of the fact that we have chosen God, but because HE has CHOSEN us. We are God's chosen people! That is why He gives us the ability to be holy, filled with compassion, humility, gentleness, and patience. That is why we are able to forgive. Because He first forgave us.

I pray this verse for Jonelle all the time. That she would understand that she has been chosen by her Heavenly Father, loved by Him, and forgiven by Him so that she can show others compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. What a beautiful picture of His grace in our lives!
Praying that you will understand your "choseness" today and everyday. It turns the tables on "I chose Christ" and therefore "I" am a Christian and "I" do good things. It really comes down to God choosing us, giving us the ability to be more like Him.

Sing Over Me

My husband gave me a beautiful CD for Christmas. I love listening to the lyrics to the song, "Hold on to Jesus" by Erin O'Donnell with Janna Long. Here are the lyrics. You can listen to it online as well. Just go to Sing Over Me.

You're a little piece of heaven / You're a golden ray of light / And I wish I could protect you / From the worries of this life / But if there's one thing I could tell you / It's no matter what you do / Hold to Jesus / He's holding on to you // The world will try to tell you / That might is more than right / That beauty's on the outside / And being good's a losing fight / But remember what I've told you / Because the world will make you choose / Hold to Jesus / He's holding on to you // Hold to Jesus / Cling to His love / Rest deep in His mercy / Whenever things get rough / Don't lose sight of His goodness / And don't ever doubt this truth / That when you hold on to Jesus / He's holding on to you // Hear me dear Jesus / Rock this little one to sleep / Keep her close when she's scared / And give her grace when she is weak / I know she'll stumble / But I know she'll make it through / If You hold to her just like / You said You'd do / Hold her, Jesus / So she'll hold on tight to You

The Christmas Baby

Christmas takes on a whole new meaning for me this year as I hold my baby in my arms. I can't help but think of Mary with her new baby. Jesus, God, as a baby! I can imagine Mary looking into the face of her baby boy. Wondering how in the world she was to raise a Savior. As mothers we often doubt whether we can really have what it is going to take. Mary surely thought the same. What if God had told her everything that her little boy would do? How would she feel? She knew that Jesus would be Savior, but there was so much more to understand than that. Sometimes I wish that I could know what is to come in the future, but then, I realize that it is God's mercy to us that we only live one day at a time.

Enjoy your beautiful babies in this wonderful season. And enjoy life one day at a time.

Isn't it overwhelming sometimes to see the pure innocence in the face of your baby and then to think about the world with all its ugliness and sin? You don't want them to understand sin or catch a glimpse of how devastating it can be. It is so prevalent and deep into every corner of the earth. How can they escape it?
God tells us rather to live by the fruit of the Spirit and experience love, joy, peace...abounding.

I am currently studying what the Bible says about peace. I am learning that peace is so much than a feeling that comes over you when everything is ok. Peace is a living Prince! God names His Son as the "Prince of Peace". Colossians 1:19-20 states that two things pleased God: having the fullness of himself in Jesus and having Jesus make peace between God and man. Peace is a sacrifice! Jesus is our peace with God. He came to Earth to die on the cross so that we could have peace with God. How exciting that in this world of sin we can raise our sons and daughters to experience the living peace of God. What a new hope that gives!

Perfect Peace

Psalm 139:13-16
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

A couple of weeks ago I was in the living room with my husband discussing vaccines. I was in tears. Not knowing what to do, not wanting to let her go, not wanting the moment to come. Then God whispered to me, "This will be one of many moments, Nellie, moments of trust. I love her more than you do, remember? I saw her and knew her for nine months when you did not."
Then it hit me. God SAW her and KNEW her for nine months when I didn't. For the first time the verse came to life for me. I really understood what it meant when it says that God saw my unformed body and knew me in my mother's womb. How foolish of me to think that I had any control over her life. I prayed back, "Lord, you always had control, but I give you my pride in thinking that I had control. I give you my anxieties and fears, and I ask for your peace." And His perfect peace fell over me.
May the peace of God ease your worries and calm your fears.

Welcome!

I am excited about launching this blog. I really hope it will be a place where you can come and read some great encouragement. Mothering has its moments (of needed patience) and moments of great joy!. Let's blog about both! May you be refreshed and lifted after visiting this blog.
~Nellie