Mom2Mom

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Footprints… Actions, Attitudes and Appearances


What image are leaving behind?

We have all seen signs at nature preserves and parks that read, “take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints”.   Would it not be wonderful if we took that mentality with us everywhere as Christians?  What ‘footprints’ do you leave each day as you hurry here and there, grumble through work or take your kids on their appointed rounds?  Who do people see as you leave?  Is it Christ?

Examples:

1) The mother that allows children to run wild in stores, destroying displays, products and endangering other shoppers by tripping them  –  Do people assume she is a Christian?

2) The road rage of cutting someone off, not allowing them in, blaring the horn or visible mouthing and hand signals – Do you think the ‘fish’ on the back of the car will send the message you are not?

3) The parent yelling, or worse ignoring their child in the store  – Do those around you see “Christ” in you?

4) The neighbor that has total disregard for others property through theirs or their children’s actions – Are your neighbors seeking Christ because of your family’s example?

5) The patron leaves a ‘tract tip’ in place of a monetary tip or along side a minimal tip – Are you portraying Christ as stingy?

6) The way you dress or dress your children for Church – Do people think you are leaving for the beach or the mall?  Are you dressed showing that you ARE blessed or do you spend more time getting ready for work, shopping, ‘dates’ and other events?  Do you present God with your best?  Not your most expensive, but you and your children are the cleanest, neatest and at your best  for church over all other places (and that includes on the inside).

We leave ‘footprints’ everywhere we go.  Sometimes we are the ONLY “Christ” people see.  Our attitudes, actions and appearance, as well as those of our children, are the footprints we leave behind.  What ‘photo image’ are they taking that will forever be emblazoned in their photo album of Christians?   Will people be glad to see you go?  Or wish you had stayed?

Ephesians 5:2

2 And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us,  a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.

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Sorry doesn’t cut it …


Ever said those words? I have heard it in my store, in the grocery store, today at a park … everywhere. Families interacting … the hectic pace of the holidays … the short tempers … selfishness … stubbornness … both in children and adults.  When the offender is called to task for their behavior they utter a meager ‘sorry’.  To which the other responds, “sorry doesn’t cut it”.  How many times do you hear your child say they are sorry and know they do not mean it?  How many times do you utter the word ‘sorry’ because it is expected? Worse, how many times do you tell the Lord sorry for the same repeated offense?

Children are watching.  They see you tell God you are sorry and tell others you are sorry. They watch you tell your spouse you are sorry and hopefully they hear you tell them you are sorry when you should.   How you say you are sorry is more than likely the same way they will grow up telling others they are sorry.

An apology should equal in fervency the intensity of the insult, accusation or ‘crime’.   Did you get that?  Think about what it means.  Sometimes sorry does not cut it … you need to really apologize in equal proportion to how much you hurt them.  NOT how much you think you would have been hurt in their place, but, listening carefully to them express their pain, you respond in kind with your words and actions.

However, that being said, do not hold your breath for someone to apologize.  God has to deal with some people a long time before they learn how to apologize and mean what they say.  You must learn to let go, and teach your children how to ‘let it go’.  The Bible says:

Ephesians 4:26 “don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry…”

We should keep short accounts and not hold grudges.  NEVER go to bed mad.  That was one of my rules when the girls were home.  No tears or pain will be remembered as deeply as the knowledge that you let someone slip away without settling accounts.  I often have said how glad I was that my middle brother and I talked early in the morning and were on good accounts when the plane crash took him away that day.

Start today with telling God how sorry you really are and do not repeat patterned prayers.  Talk to Him.  Let your children hear apologies and make sure you include an apology to them. when needed.   Always make sure you go to whom God places on your conscience through the Holy Spirit and make real apologies that fall in line with the real pain inflicted.  Keep tabs of your accounts and keep them short.


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“A Baby Changes Everything”


A Baby Changes EVERYTHING

Faith Hill sings the song “A Baby Changes Everything*”, the story of Jesus’ who came to Earth and changed the world.   If you have not seen the video or heard the song, click on the title above.

I have just returned from Montana.  God has perfect timing in our lives.  I am in retail and could only get away for a few days.  My youngest daughter was due to give birth Christmas Eve.  However, as I landed on the 10th she was already in the hospital in labor.  I was able to be there for the birth of her first child and our first grandson.  I was able to be there for my oldest at the birth of her oldest daughter, our first grandchild.  God knew my grandmother’s heart and has allowed me to be at the hospital for my daughters.

I often say that God provides minuscule pictures on earth of the ‘big picture’.  Both of my daughters lives have been changed forever by the birth of their children, as mine was with each of their births.  Nothing is the same, everything is different.  Circumstances, challenges, life … day by day a mother handles what is handed her.  What a difference a child makes.

As we come together to celebrate Christmas, let us not forget that a Baby changed everything.  Circumstances, challenges, life … day by day each of us handle what is handed to us … either WITH or withOUT the difference the CHILD of God made when He came to earth as a new-born child, to a mother who had no mother to be there for her.  What a sacrifice He made in leaving Heaven to come to a stable.  What a difference He made.

We often get frazzled by the season’s hustle and bustle, plans, and traveling.  Let us not forget that Jesus is the Reason for the Season and YOU may be the only witness that person sees that “A Baby Changes Everything”.

Will He make a difference in your CHRISTmas celebrations this year?

Have a BLESSED CHRISTMAS! ~ Renee’

*A Baby Changes Everything Warner-tamerlane Publishing Corp

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The TRUTH; the Whole Truth …


… and nothing but

The Whole Truth

the truth, so help you God.  What is a lie?  It is the opposite of the truth.  Webster defines a lie as anything other than the truth.  It is like walking into a dark room and turning on the light.  Light and dark are exact opposites.

Teaching children about telling the truth is easy when you are only using words.  But, we know that kids watch all our actions and learn far more from our actions then our words.  Your children, your family, your friends, are watching you for the truth.  When you do not speak the truth, when you are silent and keep the truth from being known, you are lying.   Silence is not always golden, sometimes it is a lie.  It is withholding the truth.

I have already blogged about keeping Christ in Christmas, but I would like to take the next step and challenge you to not be silent.  Tell the truth.  Speak up and let your children see you taking a stand for the truth.  Exercise your ‘voice’ and make a difference.  Greet people with Merry Christmas.  Be ACTIVE and write companies that are leaving Christmas out of the holidays.  Oreo’s Christmas cookie is now a ‘winter’ cookie.  Starbucks put the Christmas Blend back on the market after complaints.  Have you found any CHRISTMAS paper and bags or is all you see ‘holiday’ wrappings.  No stars, no Bethlehem, wise men, or angels on wrapping this year.  You can find all kinds of cartoon paper though.

Stand up, use your voice.  Teach your children that silence is not always golden.  INaction IS an action!

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Life is a rose garden …


We gather together ...

Thanksgiving – what a wonderful day to take time and reflect on all the Lord has blessed us with in our lives.  Right now with all the hardships in our life it is hard to be thankful for the circumstances we have found ourselves in through no fault of our own.  However, the scriptures tell us to be thankful in all things:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 –  “…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 5:20 “…always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

It is hard to give thanks for the circumstances, that is true, but we can always be thankful to God for what we have and all His blessings. And if we can see beyond our current problems and accept the circumstances as God’s tool for something good in our life, then the blessings are even better. We have all heard, “what doesn’t hurt or kill you will make you stronger.”

T.V. has many shows telling you to come to Christ and your life will be a rose garden.  Everything is all upbeat and happy.  I think it is important that we raise our children with a realistic picture of our life in Christ. The truth is, Life In Christ IS a rose garden!

Life IS A Rose Garden

 

In the 70’s and 80’s I was a member of the Atlanta Rose Society with my father.  We entered rose shows and I even tested for Jackson Perkins Roses.  Rose gardens are HARD to maintain.   There is so much to making the rose the beautiful flower it is when you cut it and put it on your table.

Consider:

black spot – a fungus that causes the leaves to drop and weakens the plant  ~ the black spot in a Christian’s life is sin and causes weakening in our daily walk, crippling us until we are of no use to Him.

Aphids – suck the sap out and inject their saliva which passes disease from one plant to another, weakening the plant and keeping it from proper photosynthesis.  ~ when we allow ‘aphids’ in our life (parasitical non-Christian plans and life styles) to contaminate us with the ways of the world, we cannot grow in Him as He has planned.  This is where we need to learn to be “IN” the world and not “OF” the world.

Root rot – roses do not like their ‘feet wet’.  They need proper drainage so the soil mixture needs to be correct.  The plant depends on its roots and if they are rotten the plant dies.  ~ As Christians we too can get root rot.  The ‘soil’ we are planted in and the ‘soil’ we plant in, must be properly conditioned by the Holy Spirit.  If we are filling our ‘soil’ with more junk and ‘rocks’ then we will get root rot which will cause us to be unfruitful, and we will wither up and die.  What we read, watch, and hear … what we allow our children to read, watch and hear, conditions our ‘soil’.

Pruning – you must cut a rose off the bush correctly if you want it to grow another flower.  If it is cut wrong it will not produce correctly.  ~ we must not shun the ‘pruning’ of the Holy Spirit.  If we allow the Lord to ‘prune’ us correctly, we will produce fruit, many times over.

Thorns – ever notice that when you get a dozen roses from a floral shop that the thorns have been removed?  That is because they do not want you to get stuck or scratched.  They want the rose to be nothing but beauty, no thorns attached.  The florist wants the rose to represent the store as a true beauty. ~ We must remove our ‘thorns’ daily as we walk among our family, friends and the world.  We must be a true beauty, representing our Savior.

God promises us a rose garden.  We will have black spot all around us to ward off.  Aphids will try to devour us and we will constantly have to be on watch to prevent root rot.  There will be pruning and it will hurt, but when we allow the Lord to prune us correctly, we will produce even more beautiful fruit.  And finally, we must walk with Him daily removing all the thorns of our lives that would hurt others and be a true beauty to the world of God’s love for us.

Have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving and be thankful for the real ‘roses’ in your life, not things and possessions.