Heavenly Father - the last couple of days have been very rough with the kids. I remember from years back the first few weeks of summer are always kind of tough because the kids are used to doing something 24/7 even if it was school. So just to be at home is no fun, boring, and "you never let us do anything". Well, all that complaining and arguing with me and one another gets very tiring and draining. So now that school is officially out around 8:30am this morning after we pick up report cards, I am already ready to start school again. This can not be!
Lord Jesus - I know part of this is just me. Hormonal time and i am just slap worn out. We have had a very busy weekend and did lots of stuff at the church and all. BTW - the Freedom Rock event at the church was a huge success. It was wonderful and all those involved just blew me away with their generosity and positive attitudes - incredible. Each of the "vendors" or tents or booths whatever you call then - they all paid for their own supplies. Some had hotdogs, hamburgers (one person brought 3000 hamburgers) fresh lemonade that was the bomb, french fries, candied apples, icecream, cokes, fritters, elephant ears, kabobs, tenderloin sandwiches,.................................... I mean awesome!! I was so proud of our church coming together like that and blessing the "city". There were also 2 other churches that joined us. It was another glimpse of the Nehemiah Mission. Oh praise you Lord. Maybe next year more churches will feel an urgency to join in as well.
So anyway back to my spoiled rotten kids. I know that part of it is my attitude and just feeling yucky... I was praying yesterday asking the Lord to give me an idea of something I could for the kids or with the kids this summer that makes it not all about them. I want them to be a blessing - yes oh yes to me, but to others as well. This morning it was the first thing on my mind when i jumped (yeah right) out of bed. Lord Jesus, you led me to Gen. 12:1-3
"1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.
2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
This is a time when God is calling Abram out of a life of mediocrity. He is calling him to live a life different than all those around even those of his own family. He is calling him to not only a different location, but a different way of living. He was taking him on a journey to a place Abram was unsure of. He just knew it was God telling him to go and he was going to obey. The promise that God made over Abram's life is incredible. At this point he had no kids, not even a "love child". The part that I sense the Lord leading me to this morning is "you will be a blessing". I have this idea of having my kids or maybe just one kids a week think of something special to bless another person. Like if we go into the Dollar General and the check out lady is really down and one of the kids senses that - you know they sense are sorry attitudes - then maybe, hopefully, prayerfully without much coaching we can come back and bless that lady, kid, neighbor, bank teller, teenager, - whatever the Lord leads us to that week and whom we pray for under His leading.
I so don't know if this will work and I so don't want it to be something we start and by week 3 it is history. But at the same time I don't want it to be something we just haphazardly throw together either. I think it will be great by allowing us to pray more together, more than just bless the food, or good night Jesus. Oh Lord, will you lead us. Will you show me if this is it - something we can do as a family this summer. I want my kids to be a blessings. I know many things we are to do in private and that will be interesting how to teach that as well. But this is about the kids, not me - Oh Lord, teach us, lead us, mold us!!!
Today we are going in to get report cards and then straight home - I guess we can start out by blessing the teachers with a small "thank you" for a great half year! Then Lord, the rest of the day is up in the air. Guide me, help my attitude, help me to be creative. I love you, Lord.
3 comments:
Oh Girl........I feel you!!! Just as I sat down to read your blog a minute ago, Hope comes walking up to me, What are we going to do now??? This is after I just spent the last hour doing projects with them both!!! Summer time is very challenging especially with three kids all in different stages of life, it's not like I can just pack them up and go to the pool since only one knows how to swim! I'm praying for you and I think your idea sounds great!!
Leigh,
My hubby and I use to be in youth ministry and we would have Random Acts of Kindness Night - once a month - we would pray prior to going out and then we would look for ways for the teens to bless others - we would stop and rake a lawn, take a mower out of the hands of an elderly person and complete the mowing for them, bus a table for the wait staff, pick up debris after a thunderstorm, visit a nursing home to share scripture and praise songs witht he elderly, give a bottle of cold water to someone waiting for a city bus, haul someones trash to the curb, weed someone's garden, etc. It was amazing and the response was phenominal -someone would share God's word with the person we had relieved while others completed the task - maybe you could adapt this in someway for your family - I know it had a HUGE impact on the teens and those who were on the receiving end! Have a great day in Jesus! You and Nikki have inspired me to begin my own blog now - thanks -
Kim
Today we have a friend over--it has taken up some time. We now have a pool and even that could not keep my girls attention yesterday.
I love the idea of getting the kids focused on something or someone else.
We will leave in two weeks for our first conference--until then I may have to pull out some wisdom from my Mom. That wisdom?
When we would start to drive her crazy she would say, If you can not find something to occupy your time--I will.
We knew that was not a good thing.
That meant something was getting ready to get cleaned.
Might have to pull that one out this summer. :)
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