On Colossians 1

"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you my have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father..." (vv. 10 - 12).

God has outlined everything we need to do in order to live a life that is pleasing to Him. We need to do good works that bear fruit, grow in our knowledge of God (through His Word), develop endurance and patience and be thankful to God. The good news is that we don't have to do these things in our own strength (indeed, we can't do them in our own strength). Verse 9 says "(We) ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding... in order that you may..." All we need to do is spend time with God in prayer and ask Him for wisdom and understanding so we know the good works we need to do, so that He can develop endurance and patience in us through His power, so that we can be strengthened. He will bear the fruit of our works, He will give us power to do what He asks us to do. It sounds easy, but it is difficult to have the discipline to spend the time in prayer diligently seeking God (believe me, I know!). But that is what He asks of us.

God's Love

Yesterday morning I was praying, and the most amazing thing happened. I was just overwhelmed by the presence of God. I was sick yesterday, and I started off praying for strength to get through the day - you can't be sick when you're a stay-at-home mom! Suddenly, I just stopped praying, and I was washed in love. It is so hard to describe, but it was just as if God was showing me how much He loved me and that He would take care of everything. I didn't need to finish praying. I just sat there and basked in the love. I have never felt anything like that before. I am so thankful that God gave me that glimpse of Himself. I felt calm and peaceful through the whole day. My kids actually behaved themselves all day, and I was able to rest and sleep a lot. They napped well so I could sleep that afternoon. God is so good. I just want to remember that feeling of love because I know I will face hard times sooner or later, and I need to remember that God loves me and is taking care of me even when it may not feel like He's there. Thank You, Lord.

Noah's First Words

Okay, so technically, Noah started saying his first words about a month ago. We're going with "Mommy" being his first word and "Daddy" being his second. But now all he says is "Adam, Adam, Adam!" He just loves his big brother. Whenever he sees him, it's, "Adam, Adam, Adam!" He even calls me and Ian that! I wanted to record this here because I know in a few years, he'll be questioning why he even has a brother! For now, he adores him and is so excited to see him and play with him. Adam is quite proud that his brother likes him so much. I just pray that they will grow up being good friends and taking care of each other. I'm not very close with my sister, and we never were that close when we were growing up, so I hope that my boys will be friends and get along. I believe that having a common faith will contribute to a close relationship. I pray that they will both know the Lord and follow Him. Anyway, that's a lot to get from a first word! It's just so thrilling to watch them learn and grow. Soon I'll be wishing that Noah would just be quiet!

On Being a Mom

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. I have two boys - Adam is three and Noah just turned one. I love them more than life. I never thought that it would be possible to find joy in wiping snotty noses or having my shirt soaked with tears or, even worse, vomit! Having a tiny head curl into my shoulder with two tiny arms wrapped around my neck - what amazing bliss! I know they have no idea that tomorrow is Mother's Day, but I do. I know the strength of a mother's love. I know the pain when a big boy doesn't want a hug from Mommy. I know that the power of a kiss can heal a hurt. I know the special smile a baby has for his mommy when she walks into the room. I know that when they are older, they will understand how much I love them, but for now, all they know is that Mommy is always here and she takes care of them. And that's all they need to know.