just keep swimming...

our pastor was speaking this morning on how everyone falls down...the important thing being that we continue to get back up.

he also said that we are tested during the times that we receive praise from men, and also during the times people are throwing rocks at our heads. the Lord revealed to him that if he succumbed to the praises of men on his way up in the world, he would be sucked into criticism from those very same people on his way back down. i'm paraphrasing of course, but the concept is the same. the key is not to be moved by either praise or criticism.

(please let me know if you've figured out how to effectively do this...)

i think we should kick all the pedestals down and realize that we all struggle with the same issues. different flavors maybe, but the same temptations. and we can either let them overcome us, or allow God to turn them into places of elevation into His presence.

we've got to get up and keep going. we were created for greatness...created to bring Him glory.

"just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...what do we do? we swim!" ~ dory, "finding nemo"

falling down

when i came downstairs this morning i noticed that one of the tulips in the vase in the kitchen was completely bent over, it's flower touching the table. the water level had dropped overnight, and this one tulip was completely out of the water so it was droopy. i immediately rushed to the sink to refill the vase and returned the flowers back to the table. i carefully picked the poor flower up and gently tucked it in with all its other companions for support.

that's when it hit me.

there's this scripture in the bible that says, "If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!...Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." ecclesiastes 4:10,12

i realized that this is how the body of Christ should be functioning. when one falls down, we're to pick them back up, make sure they're connected to the "water" of the Word, and embrace them until they're strong enough to stand up again. and that's what my beautiful tulip began to do...

stand tall.

productive

so after taking the kids to co-op classes today i went home, piddled around on the computer for a bit, then set my timer for one hour.

yep, i cleaned the bottom floor of the house. it was a righteous pit if i do say so...

then, i PAINTED! i've been wanting to paint for the past three weeks, but i've allowed other things to interrupt my creative flow. stupid life - always getting in the way.

becca says it looks like an angel. maddie says it looks like a crayfish. it's supposed to be a dove. hahah...truly beauty is in the eye of the beholder. oh well, i enjoyed doing it. not sure if i'm done yet, but just in case i went ahead and signed it.

it took me four tries!

my friend beth said i was channeling my inner-child today when i told her i used my fingers to paint. and yet, i keep buying paintbrushes for some reason. i guess i've always been told to be a "real" artist you need to use a brush.

whatever.

owls and loveys

i'm mentoring a fabulous young woman right now. she's being raised by her dad, and for reasons unknown to me, her mom has decided not to be a regular part of her life. and that makes me so sad, but...

God has chosen me to love her.

so friday we'll be celebrating her birthday. and i've been wracking my brain for a great present for her for a couple of weeks now. she loves owls - yes, OWLS, and so i hopped online to see what kind of owl-ly fabric i could find. i found some at etsy.com that i thought she'd love...paid more than i wanted, but she's worth it. ;) after giving her the choice of pillows or a quilt, she decided she wanted me to make her a quilt. which is a good thing because...

i want her to have a grown-up lovey.

i want her to feel loved when she wraps it around herself when she's cold or lonely or afraid and life doesn't make sense. i want her to remember each time she sees it that God has tucked her into my heart. and as i put it all together the next couple of weeks i'm gonna pray over it too.

we went to the fabric store today to find coordinating fabric. i think she's just as excited about this quilt as i am. she found the most deliciously soft fabric for the backing. it's white...just like the color of her favorite owl.

whispers

i have another website that i keep track of my more "spiritual" ramblings...you can check it out here:

www.whispersinmyear.com

hope it blesses you!

randomness

so, just for the record i hate taking the time to capitalize sentences. completely stops the flow of creativity for me sometimes. besides, this just looks more humble as well...

i'm a child of God (yep - i capitalize for Him and Jesus...oh and the Holy Spirit), a wife of almost 20 years, a mom of three, a carb junkie, a teen lover, a mentor and a friend. i like creative things from writing to painting to singing in my truck. i love the color blue. my eyes are green, even though my parents eyes were blue. i'm an optimist. i love people...

i love God.

i love getting "in the ditch" with people who are struggling...especially this incredibly precious next generation coming up under me. they have so much potential - so much LIFE held within them. i'm trying to teach them to use their powers for good instead of evil. ;) there's enough of that in the world already to just ruin everything.

i love quotes. i love wisdom and understanding and finding treasure in dark places. i love the promises of God. i have anxiety sometimes. i can be too hard on myself and others and...God's not done with me yet.

i dream of having a little house down the road from me with an overgrown yard full of wildflowers, a quaint kitchen and lots of windows to let natural light in. you know, so i can paint. a place where i wouldn't have to put anything away - a place to call my own. i think i'd have bright yellow curtains in the windows...perhaps checked blue ones in the kitchen. there'd be mismatched china in the cupboards i could pull out when friends come over. and we'd have tea and cookies. and i'd show off my latest painting and wonder if they really like it or are being nice.

it doesn't matter really. creating makes me feel close to my Creator.

thanks for stopping by...hope you've had a pleasant visit.