Ideas for blog posts flood my mind on a regular basis. I have so many thoughts that I would love to put down on paper. But, amidst the flood of ideas, I am forced to ask myself the question, "Is it relevant?" When that question comes up you have to have a goal in mind to answer it correctly. If you don't have a goal, or a standard, the relevancy of a certain topic becomes mute. So, in this moment of reflection, I realized that my goals for this blog, my theme if you will, has not been clearly articulated, nor have my posts created any sort of hint of unity. And so, here I am to clarify what this blog is all about.
The title I have chosen for this blog is Helper by Design. It's inspired by a book written by Elyse Fitzpatrick with the same title. The book is about how to be a godly wife to your husband. To be honest, I've not completed the book, but what I have read is AMAZING, much like all of her other books. Although that is what inspired the title of this blog, I would like a much broader theme than just to write posts about helping my husband. As I have learned more and more about the role that God has designed for women, it has become clear to me that we are created to be helpers, not only to our husbands, but to everyone God places in our lives. We have been designed to nurture, foster ideas, come up with creative solutions to problems, sympathize with others distress, celebrate with other's successes, and help each other as we journey through this life.
With that in mind, I will write posts that are designed to help. Some may be stories about my children (to help lift the grandparent's spirits). Some may be sharing truth that I have learned while spending time with God. Some may be extremely practical (i.e. learning to cook once a month, getting a good deal at Target, etc). But all will be written with a heart that desires to fulfill the purpose that God has given me: to help.
Through this I pray that God would be glorified and many would be edified!
"Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!" Psalm 115:1
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Peace
"Peace, You give me peace when the storms come and I'm afraid. Peace, You give me peace when I trust in the words You say. You give me peace."
These words are the lyrics of a children's song by Sovereign Grace Music on the album shown below.
This album is one of my favorites of "Mackenna's music." But, I must confess, this morning I wanted to listen to it while I was getting ready, despite the fact that Mackenna was napping and the melodies and lyrics would not be reaching her ears. As I was getting ready, the above quoted lyrics hit my heart...hard. These lyrics prompted me to do a quick Biblical word study on "peace." Here are a few of the verses that stood out to my heart.
"But he was wounded for our transgressions;he was crushed for our iniquities;upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5
"For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed,but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,"says the LORD, who has compassion on you." Isaiah 54:10
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." John 14:27
"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1
"For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." Romans 8:6
Peace.
We all want it. We all search for it. We all strive for it.
But how often do we actually experience it?
Far too often we look for peace in the wrong places. {Disclaimer- I am guilty of this just as much as anyone else} When I am having a stressful day, where do I go for peace? Starbucks, maybe? The television, the mall, the refrigerator (or freezer)? I think our downfall comes from our lack of understanding of what peace truly is and where we can go to get it. One verse that really stood out among the others for me was John 14:27.
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."
God gives peace. The peace that the world offers is dramatically different than the peace that God gives. This verse clearly distinguishes that God's peace is given to us not as the world's peace is given to us. Peace we achieve from worldly pleasures is fleeting and more often than not results in guilt and further unrest. So, where do we get the peace that God offers?
The Bible. His Word. Christ.
"But he was wounded for our transgressions;he was crushed for our iniquities;upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5
The peace that our soul aches for is a peace that comes only by accepting Christ as our Savior. It comes from admitting that our hearts are wicked, desperately dark and sinful, and accepting the fact that we are helpless to change that in our own strength. In this dark place is where humility is fostered and Christ's light can shine and lead us to a place of repentance and trust in Him. And there, in that moment, He gives us peace. The peace that our soul aches for comes only through peace with our Creator, against whom we have rebelled and by whom we deserve to be punished. We all know this deep down in our hearts. We know we are created beings and we know we will be held accountable for our transgressions. The Bible tell us that.
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened." Romans 1:18-21
But God does not leave us there. He draws us to himself and rather than pouring His wrath upon us, he offers us peace through faith in Him.
"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5:1
Peace will never be found in an Iced Carmel Machiato (one of my favorites). It will never be found in a clean house, a perfectly planned schedule, or a well-behaved child. True peace will only and always be found in Christ. In trusting Him for salvation and then trusting His word in every life circumstance. Is your 16 month old whining, fussing, and refusing to nap? You can have peace knowing that you are at peace with God and this circumstance will give you the opportunity to become more like Christ by showing patience, gently teaching, and loving unconditionally.
My prayer is this: For those of you reading this who have a relationship with Jesus, I pray that you would experience His peace every day by spending time with Him in His Word and prayer. For those of you who may be reading this who don't know if you have ever trusted Christ as your Savior, whose souls are noisy or fearful, I pray that you would not go another day without God's peace. It is available to all who will believe, through Christ alone.
" 'Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.' Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' " John 14: 1, 6
For further reading: Two Ways to Live
Questions? Send me an email, I'd love to talk to you more about God's peace.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Creating Order in the Chaos
I don't know about you, but I am a very organized, schedule oriented, planning type of person. Before having a child the life I led was quite simple to organize, schedule, and plan. Enter Mackenna Grace Folden. My precious daughter is a lot like me in many ways. She is stubborn, knows how to charm her daddy, smiles at all the right times, likes to make people laugh... but organized, scheduled, or planned - she is not.
For the first four months of her life I skated by with the "new mommy adrenaline" and an excitement to finally be a stay-at-home working mom. :-) Then the chaos began to get to me. At first I noticed a slight anxiety creeping up inside me. Anxiety quickly turned into anger and annoyance, which are neither very attractive character traits. Then came the realization that my life would never be the same and God wanted it that way. The balance between trusting God and making choices to "create" order in my life was a tough concept for me to grasp. While it's true that God is a God of order, He has allowed this amazing little life to create some chaos in my life. What was He teaching me?
Through much thought, I believe that God is teaching me that I am NEVER in control of my life, no matter how orderly, neat, and scheduled it may look like from the outside. He is also teaching me how to become more like Him in spite of chaos. What choices can I make to "create" order out of chaos, while still behaving Christ-like when life happens and my plans are blown out of the water. How am I doing with this, you might ask? Well, not so great on most days, but I am ever-so-slowly learning. I can have a schedule but I must always remember that people are infinitely more important than following a schedule. I can discipline according to God's word, knowing that, like me, Mackenna is a slow learner and I need to be patient, not frustrated if it's taking her a while to learn a concept. I can be consistent, by God's grace alone, to provide a stable, secure, and loving household for my children and husband. I can spend time in God's Word and in prayer, gleaning wisdom and counsel from the perfect example of a parent who creates order out of His children's chaos. And for this, I am so thankful and humbled. Praise God!
For the first four months of her life I skated by with the "new mommy adrenaline" and an excitement to finally be a stay-at-home working mom. :-) Then the chaos began to get to me. At first I noticed a slight anxiety creeping up inside me. Anxiety quickly turned into anger and annoyance, which are neither very attractive character traits. Then came the realization that my life would never be the same and God wanted it that way. The balance between trusting God and making choices to "create" order in my life was a tough concept for me to grasp. While it's true that God is a God of order, He has allowed this amazing little life to create some chaos in my life. What was He teaching me?
Through much thought, I believe that God is teaching me that I am NEVER in control of my life, no matter how orderly, neat, and scheduled it may look like from the outside. He is also teaching me how to become more like Him in spite of chaos. What choices can I make to "create" order out of chaos, while still behaving Christ-like when life happens and my plans are blown out of the water. How am I doing with this, you might ask? Well, not so great on most days, but I am ever-so-slowly learning. I can have a schedule but I must always remember that people are infinitely more important than following a schedule. I can discipline according to God's word, knowing that, like me, Mackenna is a slow learner and I need to be patient, not frustrated if it's taking her a while to learn a concept. I can be consistent, by God's grace alone, to provide a stable, secure, and loving household for my children and husband. I can spend time in God's Word and in prayer, gleaning wisdom and counsel from the perfect example of a parent who creates order out of His children's chaos. And for this, I am so thankful and humbled. Praise God!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
More of This... Less of That
From time to time I like to reflect on whether or not my life is a picture of God's redemptive power. Often times I find that I fall ashamedly short. God has been using that time of reflection to help motivate me to make changes to better glorify Him. And so, I've compiled a list of small changes that I would like to make in my life. I think these changes will please God and help me find my joy in Him and my salvation rather than the things of this earth. Some of these will be easier than others. All of them will require me to depend on God's grace and strength to help me change my natural way of thinking and doing. I am SO thankful that I can know, without a doubt, that God stands ready to help me become more holy. What an amazingly patient, loving, and wise Father!
More time in God's Word and in communication with Him... Less time doing whatever I feel like doing.
More exercise & activity... Less laziness.
More respect & love towards my husband... Less of a critical attitude.
More time reading to and playing with Mackenna... Less "me" time.
More thoughts focused on Christ & others... Less concern for myself.
More thankfulness... Less complaining.
More cooking healthy meals at home... Less eating out.
More giving and saving... Less spending.
More reading... Less T.V.
More early bedtimes & early wake-ups... Less late nights and snooze button mornings.
More of God... Less of me.
More time in God's Word and in communication with Him... Less time doing whatever I feel like doing.
More exercise & activity... Less laziness.
More respect & love towards my husband... Less of a critical attitude.
More time reading to and playing with Mackenna... Less "me" time.
More thoughts focused on Christ & others... Less concern for myself.
More thankfulness... Less complaining.
More cooking healthy meals at home... Less eating out.
More giving and saving... Less spending.
More reading... Less T.V.
More early bedtimes & early wake-ups... Less late nights and snooze button mornings.
More of God... Less of me.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Frogs and Snails, and Puppy Dogs' Tails...
That's what little boys are made of!
It's a BOY!
Precious Profile Picture of Sawyer Matthias Folden!
On July 15th I had my 20 week ultrasound and we found out that we'll be welcoming a little boy into the Folden Family! While we would have been ecstatic for either gender (honestly, though I was really "feeling" a boy vibe early on), it really is exciting knowing that our son is on his way. We are praying that God will continue to bless this pregnancy and provide health and safety to myself and to baby Sawyer. This week I will have another prenatal appointment where I will have to get an early screening for Gestational Diabetes (which I had with Mackenna). If I have it again, it means a strict diet with barely any carbs or sugar! I am not too concerned about the screening because I don't mind giving up my carbs and sugar to ensure the health of my son. But, what I'm not looking forward to is the needle prick that tests my blood sugar! I remember with Mackenna, my fingers were so sore for the first few weeks!
Anyway, I am having a blast trying to design Mackenna and Sawyer's room. They'll be sharing a room at least for a year, but probably longer than that. So we are going with the colors: Green, Brown, and Pink. Colors they can grow with. Mackenna's side will be all girl and Sawyer's side will be all boy! Dustin is so excited to see it, which makes me excited to start on some of my projects.
Anywho, that's a quick update on pregnancy #2! Until next time!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Sleep, Anyone?
There has been little sleep going on this week in the Folden household. Wednesday evening, Dustin and I painted our kitchen and two walls in our living room. What I foolishly thought would take two hours ended up taking close to five! When we finished painting at midnight we were starving and had to have a snack and unwind. So we got to bed close to 1:00 AM but I slept like a rock!
Thursday night, one molar and one incisor tooth are to blame for a second sleepless night. I fell to sleep around 9:30 (on the couch while watching a movie with Dustin). After being woken up and settling back to sleep in bed, Mackenna awoke at 12:30 AM with what I can only guess was tooth pain. Her gums have been really swollen this week and I can almost feel the teeth... come on, already! From 12:30 AM to 2:30 AM there were a few thirty minute increments of sleep, but nothing truly restfull. Combine that with a mind full of thoughts and I am awake. I am exhausted, my eyelids are heavy, but I am awake. And I am planning to stay awake instead of tossing and turning in bed wondering why I can't fall to sleep. It's Friday. Maybe I can talk Dustin into letting me sleep in a bit tomorrow. ;-)
Thursday night, one molar and one incisor tooth are to blame for a second sleepless night. I fell to sleep around 9:30 (on the couch while watching a movie with Dustin). After being woken up and settling back to sleep in bed, Mackenna awoke at 12:30 AM with what I can only guess was tooth pain. Her gums have been really swollen this week and I can almost feel the teeth... come on, already! From 12:30 AM to 2:30 AM there were a few thirty minute increments of sleep, but nothing truly restfull. Combine that with a mind full of thoughts and I am awake. I am exhausted, my eyelids are heavy, but I am awake. And I am planning to stay awake instead of tossing and turning in bed wondering why I can't fall to sleep. It's Friday. Maybe I can talk Dustin into letting me sleep in a bit tomorrow. ;-)
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)