I think it is essential to know God's will for your life...to know what He has called you to do and how He has called you to live your particular life. Of course, you won't know the whole of it, but you will sense what He is calling you to do right now as an individual and as a family.

Knowing is not enough, however, it is important to stay that path regardless of outside influences that pull you in other directions. The tricky part is that those influences may be from godly sources or have great ideas, but if they are not in-line with what God has called you to do, you won't find peace or blessing, only stress and discord. 

It is a struggle to stay right on the path of life that God has called you to walk. Daily the world, or other Christians, will suggest alternate paths, question your choices with well-meaning intent, or opportunities will present themselves that seem too good to pass up. But it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, all that matters is doing what is right for you and your family according to God's plan.

 It is so easy to get side-tracked, or feel pressured by what others are doing. Even Christians, or those with similar callings, can be detractors. Not on purpose, of course, but they have a different agenda than yours (no ones is exactly the same), so listen to their ideas, then assess if it is inline with how God is calling you to live.

Likewise, don't succomb to Satan's lies that you are not doing enough or are living an off-beat life just to be different. We are called to be different from the world, but more importantly, we are called to live the life God called us to live...whatever that may look like.

It is equally easy to get so caught up in the world's current that we don't take the time to quiet ourselves, seek out God, and find out what His will is for our lives at this time, and then obediently and bravely follow His leading.

So find God's will for you and stay true to living the life He called you to live. Live the life, walk the walk, that God wants for you each day, whether in word and action, attitude or choices. Stay true regardless of pressure and then you will find peace.



It is so important to know God's plan for your life and to know the route he has called you to journey on, even if it is different from everyone else. It takes courage, insight, and conviction to stay the path that wavers from what others are doing.

Following GOD'S Path

I have been reminded lately of the importance of following God's path for my life and no one else's. We know that we are not to follow the stardards of the world and the things the world deems as important in life. As a Christian, our goals are entirely different from society's at large....we are not striving for wealth, or success, or power, or status as our main ambition. We seek to follow the Lord and His calling in our lives.

However, it is so easy to fall prey to following the Christian world's standards. There is tremendous pressure in some churches to get involved, and while getting involved is good to connect with other believers and build relationships and serve the body of Christ, we still must stay true to following God's specific call on our lives.

I am constantly bombarded with "opportunities" to teach kid's classes or VBS and attend a women's conference or dinner, a retreat, or biblestudy, or help with this or that outreach....truly it is a never-ending to do list. It can easily come across as categorizing someone as a lesser Christian, or selfish, if one doesn't do all those things. Yet I'm firmly of the belief that loving God with all of my heart and life is my main focus and that I must remain true to what HE has called me to do in my life. HE will put on my heart what and where and when He wants me to serve. He will open doors to the ministries and activities He wants me to enter into. I believe the pressure is just as great in the Christian world, even greater, for it is done in the name of Christ, to jump on the bandwagon, as it is in the secular world. But through it all I still believe I must remain true to what God is calling me to do and it may look very different from what everyone else is doing.

I don't think Christians should label or judge others by their involvement or service. I think how Christians live their lives is between each person and God. I heard someone recently tell me not to make my family an idol and thereby forgoe serving others. Well, as offended as I was by this allusion to my choices, I know that my family IS my ministry. There are other ways I serve as well, and they may not be widely publicized or well known, and that too is okay.

There is also a great deal of pressure to share Christ with others. I firmly believe in the great commission and know it is our main call as Christians. However, I think that if you love the Lord with all of your heart and life, with everything in you, His love will be evident in your life. You will not be able to NOT share Him with others. Other people that you spend more than a passing moment with should know that you are a Christian, it should be evident what you believe as people spend time with you. 

I know, as sure as I breathe, that God will open of doors of opportunity to share our faith with others and we must be faithful and eager to walk right in. That is exciting because you see God's hand in it...you see God Almighty working!!! and you get to be a part of it.

But to put pressure on people by constantly questioning, how many people have you led to Christ, or how many people have you shared the Gospel with this week? Have you invited your neighbors and co-workers to church? Well, I think it turns it not only into a contest, but it is taking salvation out of God's hands and trying to put it in our own.

If God wants me to share with my neighbor, then He will provide chance opportunities for us to meet and talk. I've seen Him do it!  If God wants Chad to invite a co-worker to church, He will open up a conversation. I've seen Him do it. We may, in fact, plant seeds everyday and yet not be the one to reap the harvest. It is all as God has planned. We are to obediently walk the path that He has given us, and to suggest that since we are not closing the deal we are not walking obediently, to me is heresy.

So....I choose to walk the path God has chosen for me. I choose to follow Christ. Despite pressure from the secular world and the Christian world alike, I will couragously walk in obedience to the life God has called me to. I will not succomb to the pressure to live how others deem worthy. I encourage you to do the same!

Patience...I have so little of it on my own. I am severly lacking in this quality. It's lack thereof defines my days and hinders my testimony. Without it, my temper flairs and regret pours in.

Compassion is also not in full abundance and yet sorely needed. Truly caring for another's suffering and pain, or even the circumstances of someone's life. Or more pointedly, understanding when my kids "mess-up" or make poor choices and remembering that they are only their age and still learning, as we all are.

Mercy and grace, what a gift to posess and distribute freely. Second chances! Not always being called to account for what we have done wrong. Mistakes are made all the time. Mercy gives us another chance that we really don't deserve, patiently guiding us again in the right direction. Grace blesses us beyond what we could ever deserve, delighting our souls in it's gift.

Servitude? Oh to have a servant's heart. To not just ask for help to make my life easier, but to give it freely. To strive to do for others instead of always taking. Not thinking of myself and how tired I am or what I need and want, but what I can do for someone else to make their life better.

I could certainly use the gift of long-suffering. My mentality runs more along the lines of "That is not fair!" and must be made right. I tend to voice those wrong-doings instead of swallowing them down and moving on. I expect my family to get it right the first time, instead of realizing how long-suffering God is on my own behalf, giving me opportunity after opporunity to get it right. Long-suffering listens to someone else's woes and concerns for the 100th time, patiently, because more than likely, they are doing the same for me!

Wisdom...oh grant me this my Lord! How I desperately need it in my day to day life!! In the morning as I start my day, on the fly as I run through it, and at night as I contemplate the deeper concerns. I want to follow your ways and lead my family on the road you have chosen for us, but I need your wisdom, God, every moment.

Love...if the world and my life were ruled by love how differently it would look! Who would need to do "great" things? All things would be great if characterized by love. Love listens without impatience to every word, eye-to-eye, full attention given. Love guides words so that they overflow with compassion and grace instead of cutting, impatient remarks or irritation. Love keeps its mouth shut! Love smiles often and hugs freely. It encourages and doesn't criticize. Love goes out of it's way to help, even when inconvenient.

In other words, I need God to fill me up to overflowing. I need an overabundance of Him in my life so that His fruit characterizes my life! I also need to lighten up and live~stop worrying and start living in Him! Gushing with His mercy, grace, love and delight. Laughing, truly living each moment, not just surviving, and reflecting who He is in the life He has given!!

I tell you, it is so easy to get caught up in every day life that we forget to connect with God. I mean truly connect, more than an occasional passing thought here and there.

We are tired, we are busy, our minds are full of things to do and figure out. It is so easy to let all of that push God right out of our thoughts. I often find myself weary, so worn thin I cannot reach those deeper thoughts. And yet we are called to encounter Him everyday and live for Him in every detail of our lives.

We are called to do all things for Him...the sweeping, the laundry, teaching our kids and running to the grocery store. Our conversations should be for His glory and every circumstance a chance to gain a glimpse of Him and His power, providence or love. 

I need to find a way to quiet myself before Him each morning and just sit with Him. I want to clear my mind of my to-do list and agenda for the day and simply be with Him, the King of Glory, my Savior, my Redeemer, my God. I want to experience Him before I start my day and fill up with worship and praise of who He is...gain perspective of my life before I live it anew. 

I want to step forth in a mindset of seeing Him in the details of my day and allowing Him to guide my every word and action. Lofty goals, indeed, but something worth aiming for, knowing I myself can do nothing, but through Him all things are possible.

Through my foggy brain or high speed thoughts, I want to connect with my God and make Him King. King of my day and King of my life. This is my desire. Help me Lord, in this endeavor!

Trust...a tricky proposition

Trust...easy to say, hard to live by. Something simple to profess, but hard to own. Let me explain. We have decided to home school our kids next year. We have prayed and thought and discussed and researched and after months of stretching our brains and searching our hearts, Chad and I have come to the conclusion that this is right for our family. I feel at peace about it. I rest in the assurance that we are doing the right thing. I am filled with certainty that we are in the center of God's will.


The overwhelming part at this point is in the selection process. I feel this responsibility weighing upon my shoulders to choose wisely the curriculum, the overwhelming surplus of curriculum! I'm not using a set curriculum from a publisher because I want to tailor the learning to each child's specific needs and personalities, and get away from the rigorous structure of our former school. But what if I miss something important? What if I skip some critical part of their education? What if I don't do it well enough to prepare them for what lies ahead?  Their future lies in my hands. It feels like I'm jumping out of an airplane and hoping that I've studied the right manual well-enough to know how to pull the chute!


But as the stress builds in the pit of my stomach, a quiet voice whispers in my ear..."Do you trust me, or not?" I have committed this matter to prayer. I have heard God's answer. Do I think He will abandon me now? Do I not think He will lead and guide me in my daily choices and selections? Do I not think He will pave the way I'm to take? Do I not think He cares about my kids far more than even I do? Many people believe that God is not interested in the details of our lives. The minutia. He sets things in motion and then walks away, leaving us to our own devices. But I know a different God. My God knows my fears and weaknesses, and He also knows my heart's intentions.


Trust. Do I trust God in this thing? This huge, future-changing, life-altering journey for these most precious people in my life? I don't want to fail them. But my God is bigger than my fears, my worries and inadequacies. There is a broader, deeper and more profound question to answer. Do I trust that God will lead me in the decisions and details of my life, even when the way seems unclear? Do I trust He will show the way and not let me down? Do I trust that He will help me discern His perfect will and not be blinded by my own misguided judgments? DO I TRUST GOD?  The way I live out these answers will affect the way I live out my life before God and the legacy I leave behind. These are more than words of faithful profession, I'm talking about action. Living out that trust in day-to-day decisions and the accompanying attitude of peace knowing the Lord is my shepherd and  He leads and guides my steps.


I will not be lambasted and whirled around by the influence and comparisons of what others are doing. I will not let self-doubt reside within me (for long). I will not second guess, or walk in fear, or live with worry. I will fix my gaze upon the Lord, quiet my heart before Him to hear his voice, and follow His leading along the perfect path for my life and that of my family. I choose Trust because my God is the Lord God Almighty, Omnipotent, Omnicient and His love for me knows no bounds!


Trust...a daily decision, a moment by moment action.

All a part of His Plan

God has really been reminding me lately, through circumstances in my life, through a book I'm reading and also my devotional, that He is Lord of every circumstance, every experience, and every detail of my life, however mundane or earthly they may seem. You know those daily life happenings that seem either trivial or utterly worldly and just a byproduct of human beings sinful, selfish nature? I find it is so easy to separate God from day-to-day situations thinking it is simply a result of living in a fallen world and that God has nothing to do with it or perhaps is allowing it, but without a greater meaning. It is so easy to just forget about God's involvement, His presence, when life hurls annoyances and stirs up ugliness. Afterall, that is just the way life is, right?  Truly, it takes a whole other level of faith to believe that God is involved in every detail of even those unpleasant, messy circumstances we so often find ourselves in.

HOWEVER...God has been opening my eyes and seizing me with a strong conviction, that He is Lord of ALL things, every word spoken, and every event that occurs. Does he cause hurtful circumstances? No! Does he prompt unkind words or thoughtless actions? NO! But does that mean He is then not Lord over them? No! We do live in a sinful, fallen world, But God is still in charge and I am made aware that He uses those events for our good, if only we will let Him. He manipulates the worldly, less than holy choices of ourselves and others to teach us what we need to learn, or answers prayers we have offered up, if we are open to hearing.

I know of Christians who subscribe to the philosophy of God being generally involved in our lives, while still claiming that bad things happen in life in which God has no part, just a part of living in a sinful world. In my opinion this is equivalent to denying both God's omnipotence and omnipresence as well as His all-encompassing love for His children. Either you believe that God is Lord (master) of all, or He is not. He is either in charge of every detail of our lives, or He isn't. Just as you cannot pick and choose parts of Scripture to be true, so you cannot claim that God is selectively involved in our lives.

So I'm challenged to look at each occurance in my life and ask, "Lord, where are you in this? What is it you want me to learn? How do you want me to respond? What are you trying to tell me though this?" It may not be evident right away, and we may never in this life understand the full reason behind an event, but I do believe that God will use EVERY circumstance to draw us closer to Him and mold us into a greater likeness of His image. My struggle will be, how will I respond....with aggravation, with self-righteous indignation, insisting on my own way, or with humility asking God to guide my thoughts, words and deeds. A daunting task, but one I feel certain God enables us to handle and will result in a more peace-filled, purposeful life.

Letting Go of Perfection

I'm learning that my life will never be perfect. I, of course, have always known this in my mind, but I don't live that way. I get caught up in all the little imperfections of my day and the ways I've missed the mark. My life becomes an endless to do list of trying to get it right, trying to get it all done so it is neat and tidy. And at night I lament the ways I've messed up or question if I've done enough or gotten it right. I worry myself into paralysis. And why? I will never get it right, not this side of heaven at least.

Slowly but surely, one moment at a time, I'm accepting this and coming to grips with the fact that life is imperfect and messy and I'm okay with that. My body will never be perfect (or my expectation of what it should/could be), our finances will never be perfect (or what my neighbors have and can do), my kids will never be perfect (shockingly, they are human and have idiosynchrasies, quirks and issues of their own, though I don't think they know it yet) and my house will never look or be perfect (why is it that as soon as I pick things up at one end of the house, the other end has grown clutter of it's own?? And why do we dust when it will just show up again the next day?)  I can't change life's abounding imperfections. They are a fact of life, right along with the cliched taxes and dying. 

So...I can either stress about it everyday, all the inconsequential trivia of it, or I can accept it as the way things are and live my life anyway...around it, through it, and despite it. Why let something I cannot change, ruin the one life I have to live? Why let my exaggerated expectations mar the moments of my life?

Am I doing enough in teaching my kids (striving to be the perfect teacher in a perfect learning environment)? Heck, I don't know, but I'm trying! Rather than getting uptight and burdening them with it, why not take a walk on a beautiful day with them? Play a game? Listen to their stories? Laugh with them while we watch a silly show (they are watching my response and they love it when I smile and laugh) or read them a good book? They may not be rocket scientists when they grow up, but they will grow up knowing they are loved and valued. They will grow up knowing they are accepted faults and all...because NO ONE is perfect and we just do the best we can, right?

Instead of trying to be perfect in my eating, reaching the perfect number on the scale (throw it out the window is my advice) why not enjoy that cookie that tastes so good, take a nice, vigorous walk around the block, eat a beautiful red apple, and be exuberant, rejoicing in what my body can do for me & how well it serves me.

Instead of burdening my husband with a long, never-ending list of things to do so "everything gets done", why not hug him, set him free and give him the chance to relax and unwind? He'll be a happier, more whole person if I do, and the dividends will be limitless.

Bemoaning the lack of travel to exotic spots? Creativity opens up many doors to exploration and discovery. What about the good old-fashioned road trip? Family bonding and natural learning at its best! Pack a few books, bring a sketch pad and some jokes and hit the road! We'll remember it always.

 Envying the friend's spotless house, or her housekeeper and gardner and new leather sofa? Well, why not open my eyes and really look around me. Life ain't that bad! A little messy, perhaps, and worn through in  places, but pretty darn good nonetheless. We are truly lacking for nothing.

Finances tight? Budgeting not as successful as I expect it to be? Lay it at His feet and surrender it. Let Him do His work in me.  Besides, God has always provided. Maybe it is an ongoing lesson of trusting and relying upon Him.

Instead of criticizing my kids in my weak attempts to make them what they should be, why not love them. Love conquers all I've read. Speak kindly and compassionately, for I crave God's grace for me, why not extend it to them as well. Struggling with their issues? Pray. Pray for wisdom, patience, mercy.

In the end, relationships are not perfect, but you keep working at them and love through the imperfections. My body is not pefect, but I do my best to take care of it and appreciate it for what it can do. I'm not the perfect mom, but I love my kids more than words can say. My house is not immaculate, but it is cozy and lived in. I make mistakes and stumble along the way, but God uses those road bumps to teach me. Life hurls things my way that constantly throw me for a loop, trip me up and turn my life inside out. I strive to right-side it up again and make it as it should be. Am I always right? Rarely. But I do what I can, the best I can, and God's grace covers the rest.

I'm giving up my endless striving for perfection. I'm shaking it off and leaving it behind.  I'm freeing myself from this self-imposed prison of worry, doubt and self-recrimination and accepting that life is the way is it. I will never be good enough, but Jesus is. He accepts me the way I am. He sees my imperfections and loves me anyway.  I am covered by the blood of the lamb and made spotless in His holiness. That is worth holding onto for dear life. All the rest, I can let go of.