Girls to Grow

What Hannah Teaches Me About Prayer

2017-02-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

God grants some of us an easy road to parenthood. You decide it's time to start a family, everything goes along as expected, and babies are born right on schedule.

It wasn't that way for us. After two years of trying to have a child, I finally got pregnant, only to have our first daughter journey straight back to heaven on the same day she was born. It was another two years before God blessed us with our now 16-year-old daughter.

So when I read the story of Hannah in I Samuel, I feel like I understand a little bit of Hannah's heart. Admittedly, I had no Peninah to antagonize me, and the cultural pressure to have a son to carry on the family heritage wasn't there. But when I read of Hannah in the temple, crying out her soul's deep longing to have a child, I think I know at least to some degree how she felt.

But as we look at Hannah's plea, the lessons we learn from her about prayer can apply to any hardship, anxiety, sorrow, or disappointment that has your heart heavy today. Hannah was a woman who had a heartfelt need, took it to God, and saw Him answer her request.

1. Every heartache and raw emotion can be brought to God. There is no trial too difficult, no pain too sharp, no burden too heavy that He can't help you bear it. I Samuel 1:10 says that Hannah was in bitterness of soul and wept with anguish. In verse 15, we're told that she poured out her soul before the Lord. Tell Him every hurt you feel, empty your soul at His feet. He is able to empathize with every feeling we're having.

2. God is the only one who can solve my problem. I Samuel 1:5 reveals that the Lord had shut up Hannah's womb. There was no special technique, no medicine, no person that could resolve this issue outside of prayer. How often I want to look all around for solutions to my problem or relief from my trial instead of realizing that going to God in prayer should be my first resort.

3. When I've left my cares with God, I can move on with my life. When Hannah leaves the temple after praying, I Samuel 1:18 says, "So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad." Once I've unburdened my soul to the only one who can solve my problem, I need to leave it with Him. Hannah didn't continue to mope around; she was trusting God to answer her prayer in His way and in His time.

4. Take time to recognize answered prayer. Twice Hannah acknowledges that God directly answered prayer. It's recorded in I Samuel 1:20 and in 1:27, where she says, "For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him." Give God the glory He is due. Celebrate answers to prayer by offering thanks to God and by sharing stories of answered prayer with others. I know my own faith is always encouraged when I hear how God has worked in direct response to prayer in others' lives.

5. Know that our good God so often gives us even more than we ask for. Here's what we read in I Samuel 2:21. "And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters." What did she ask for in chapter 1? A son. Yet God gave her so much more.

Let's praise God for the privilege we have to bring all our concerns, our worries, and our troubles to Him! He loves us and knows the desires of our heart, and has the power to bring to pass what is best for us.

Related posts:
What Mary Teaches Me About Worship
What Ruth Teaches Me About Trusting God
7 Things a Wise Woman Can Pray For

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Saturday Salutes

2017-02-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

Sarah Ann writes A Prayer for Martyr Mom Attitude.

Ashley shares How to Pray for Your Husband.

Kira asks Are You Using Your Talents Well?

Kari says Want to Like Other Parents? Assume Positive Intent.

Want to celebrate Presidents' Day with your kids? Sarah has 16 Frugal Presidents' Day Crafts, Facts, and Recipes.

Podcast to share: The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey, Episode 125: Renee Swope. About halfway through this interview, Renee begins talking about a struggle she and her husband went through with their teenage son. I thought she shared some really helpful insights for parents of teens.

We got away to Myrtle Beach last weekend for some good family time!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

How to Pray for My Strong-Willed Child (and Her Mother)

2017-02-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

Sitting around the supper table recently, my family was discussing some memorable "misbehavior moments" from when our girls were younger. It took me back to those early days of training and correction, when it sometimes felt like nothing was working! (Not that we still don't have those days now, but that's a post for another day ;)

We often hear the term "strong-willed child." I would certainly say we have one that fits into that category! I like this definition from Aha! Parenting.com.

"What exactly is a strong-willed child? Some parents call them "difficult" or “stubborn,” but we could also see strong-willed kids as people of integrity who aren’t easily swayed from their own viewpoints. Strong-willed kids are spirited and courageous. They want to learn things for themselves rather than accepting what others say, so they test the limits over and over. They want desperately to be "in charge" of themselves, and will sometimes put their desire to "be right" above everything else. When their heart is set on something, their brains seem to have a hard time switching gears. Strong-willed kids have big, passionate feelings and live at full throttle."

While we need to consistently pray for all of our children, sometimes those we would classify as strong-willed drive us to our knees more often than the others. Below, I've listed eight ways we can pray for those children in particular, as well as ways we can pray for ourselves as we guide them. (I'm using the female tense here since I have daughters, but feel free to substitute "he/him" if your strong-willed child happens to be a boy!)

Give me wisdom to parent this child. James 1:5 promises that God will answer this prayer! I certainly need wisdom to know how to handle the daily struggles that come when she continually wants her own way, right then, no matter what.

Draw her to Yourself in salvation early in life. Our ultimate desire in training our children is to have them be willing to submit their will to God's. Teaching them to obey authority they can see and hear will hopefully lead to their obeying God and His Word.

Help me to be firm in setting boundaries. We get tired, and it's so easy to cave in and just let her do what she wants. If you're like me, you just want peace in your family! Every issue doesn't need to turn into a power struggle (which is why I need wisdom), but when I take a stand, I need to see it through.

Channel her strong will into courage to stand up for what's right. Help me see the positive potential in her nature. Use her to be a voice for those who are weaker, and to do great things for the cause of Christ.

On those days when I'm exhausted from the constant power struggles, remind me to find my strength in You. Psalm 22:19 says, "But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me." God can give us the help and strength we need for each day.

Grow her desire to obey. So often that's what it's all about - obedience. Recognize and praise those times when she actually does do what she's asked without a fight!

As I parent her, show me how often I put my wishes and desires above Yours, so that I may repent. I've learned more about myself through parenting my children than I ever dreamed I would!! I'm not nearly as patient and easy going as I might have thought I was before. Often, God uses situations with my children to show me my own lack of self-control and sinfulness.

Even when it's hard and I'm frustrated beyond belief, let me demonstrate Your love toward her. Romans 5:8 tells me that even when I was steeped in my sin, Christ loved me enough to die for me. No matter how unlovely she is in her moments of rebellion, I can allow the fruit of the Spirit to show love through me to her.

God has placed into our homes exactly the children He wants us to parent. May we seek His help through prayer every day to train those children in a way that brings Him glory.

Related posts:
A Prayer for Wisdom in Parenting My Children
7 Bible Verses to Remember When You Feel Discouraged as a Parent
4 Things to Do When You've Blown It with Your Kids

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Lost Your Hope? Find It Here

2017-01-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Here we are at the end of January, several weeks into the new year. Maybe you're planning for this to be the year that you lose that weight, religiously follow an exercise routine, or actually read all the books on that list you created.

I dare say that hope inspired those goals - hope that you would actually do those things that will move you forward in a certain area of your life.

There's something about hope that keeps us going on, even when we feel like the odds are against us. Often in life, we're even willing to go through some pain or hard times, if we think things will be better on the other side.

Dictionary.com defines hope as "the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best." Speaking from a human standpoint, some days it's easier to feel hopeful than it is on other days. When circumstances seem overwhelming and discouragement creeps in, or fear or worry about the future rears its ugly head, we can lose our hope.

Yet when we find, as David did, our hope in God, we realize that hope is not just a feeling. It's a confidence in our God that He is trustworthy, His Word is sure, and what He has promised will come to pass.

And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope [is] in thee. ~ Psalm 39:7

What more can I ask for than to have my hope in God? If my trust is in Him, I know I won't be disappointed. While a situation may look bleak today, He is in control. The One in whom I place my hope is God. Hope is more than an expectation; it's believing that God has planned what is best for me.

And what more encouraging passage than this one when we need hope!

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
~Lamentation 3:21-26

Verse 26 teaches me that hoping and waiting go hand in hand.

Think about the first time we meet hope, which is in the Garden of Eden. God, in His mercy and in spite of their disobedience, offered Adam and Eve hope when He said that He would send a Savior who would take the full penalty for their sin. (Genesis 3:14, 15)

Yet that hope wasn't realized in the immediate moment. In fact, Adam and Eve didn't see it fully fulfilled in their lifetime, yet they had faith that God would keep His Word. So when we base our hope on what God has said, we can completely rest in the knowledge that He will bring it to pass in His time.

Just as hope began with the promise of a Savior, so my hope for eternity, for a home in heaven, must be based in my accepting that Savior as my redeemer, my way to heaven. That is my greatest hope, and one that we can all share!

So if today finds you a bit discouraged, and you feel like hope is lost, look for it in God. Search His Word for promises you can claim. Meditate on the above passage from Lamentations. And, as Christians, let's thank God for our greatest hope - eternity with Him.

Related posts:
Who's the Boss - Feelings or Truth?
7 Promises of God to Carry Me Through the Week
He Is Enough

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Saturday Salutes

2017-01-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

I can always identify with Elizabeth's posts, especially when she writes Two of the Most Encouraging Words Another Mom Ever Said To Me.

Gary Thomas writes about One of Your Best Friends in Marriage.

Krystal shares 3 Verses to Fix Your Child's Behavior Issues.

These Ritz Peanut Butter S'mores look like a fun, delicious treat the girls and I could make together.

Podcast I enjoyed this week: Cherish Your Spouse, Change Your Marriage.

I'm highlighting another Benjamin Everson song! Love the encouragement offered in I'll Pray Again.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

10 Ways to Build Strong Family Ties

2017-01-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Do you have any goals for your family?

I'm not talking about a written-down list of what you want to accomplish together, though I think that's a great idea! The only list of that type we have at the moment is a general list in our heads of trips we'd like to take, places we'd like to visit as a family.

Let's go deeper than that. How do you want your family members to feel when you're all together? I know that I want each person to feel safe, loved, and accepted exactly as they are. Whether it's a wacky sense of humor or a deep-seated fear of spiders, we all should feel comfortable being ourselves when we're together.

I want us to enjoy spending time with each other, to create family memories, to have moments that we can all look back on with shared fondness. I love hearing our daughters talk about memories from their younger years, though that often turns into retelling stories about when they got in trouble for something!

I think we all want to build this sense of love and security into our families. I need to actively look for ways to cultivate that spirit, so I wrote out a list of ten ways that we can build strong family ties.

1. Pray together. Here's a great foundation for the rest of the list! Our hearts are united as we pray for needs to be met, then rejoice together when prayer is answered. We all know when someone in the family is going through a difficult time, and it's a comfort to know that the whole family is praying for you.

2. Share family meals. Do this as much as you can when your children are small, even though it will be hard at times and all kinds of messy. :) Speaking from experience, it gets much harder when your kids are teenagers and have practices, games, and other activities in the evening. These days I really treasure the nights we're all around the table at the same time! It's fun to hear about the girls' school day, and to just slow down and reconnect after a busy day.

3. Support each other's interests. As much as possible, we all go to the girls' piano recitals, basketball games, and school concerts. It's fun to rehash the highlights together afterwards! It also helps us be able to encourage each other in our interests. My parents were wonderful examples of this when I was growing up.

4. Volunteer as a family. Whether at church or in the community, take advantage of every opportunity to serve others as a group. I like to have the girls help me when I work in children's church, vacation Bible school, or the church nursery.

5. Read an exciting book aloud. It's fun to experience the story together and discuss what might happen next. We might also listen to radio series like Adventures in Odyssey in the car when we're on long trips.

6. Set family goals and work toward them together. You could choose long-term or short-term goals to strive for. Even manual labor can be fun, if you're working together towards a goal, like cleaning out the garage so you can have a yard sale to make money for a family trip. You could also choose a fun project, like putting together a large puzzle. (Okay, so that's fun for some people ;)

7. Have friendly competitions and include a prize for the winner. Each March, we all fill out NCAA basketball tournament brackets; the person who gets the most points chooses a restaurant for our next night out. Even though the girls and I aren't that knowledgeable about which teams are the best, we still have fun competing.

8. Explore new places. While an actual vacation is nice, this could also just be a visit to the local zoo or a bike ride at a park you've never checked out. Once they're old enough, involve your children in the planning of trips and activities when possible.

9. Respect each other by listening - and not interrupting - when someone else is talking. This is a valuable skill both inside and outside of our families! We need to listen to each other and really hear what the other person is saying instead of just forming our answer and sharing our opinion.

10. Institute family traditions. If you've read here long, you know this is one of my favorite ideas! Our next tradition on the calendar is in February. Each of our girls always get heart-shaped boxes of candy from their dad on Valentine's Day. I've tried to create a certain tradition around every holiday.

As Gretchen Rubin says, "The days are long, but the years are short." Let's gather our families around us and build strong ties that will give us great companions as we walk through life, those who will celebrate our victories and walk with us through our struggles.

(And if you're having a particularly hard day today, go read The Best Response to 'The Days Are Long, But the Years Are Short.' Because I do remember those days, and they can be really, really long.)

What are other ways we can strengthen ties within our families?

Related Posts:
What Are You Passing On to Your Children?
A Legacy of Prayer for Our Children
3 Tips for Embracing Your Current Season of Life

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What Mary Teaches Me About Worship

2017-01-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

Have you ever identified yourself as a Mary or a Martha?

Yes, I'm talking about the story in Luke 10:38-42, where Jesus visits Martha's house.

In case you need a refresher, here it is.

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Frankly, I've always identified with Martha. My to-do list just doesn't leave enough time to sit still for very long, certainly not if there's obvious work to be done. I wonder, could it be that I feel worthless, not enough, if I'm not accomplishing, doing, making progress somehow?

Yet Jesus clearly applauded Mary's choice to sit at His feet.

Jesus called Martha "careful and troubled about many things." Not only was her body in constant motion, but her soul was disturbed. Can you identify? Yes, Martha, I'm right there with you.

Do you ever crave a bit of soul rest, stillness before God? I think that can be answered by setting aside our service for a bit, and worshiping at Jesus' feet.

Since Mary understood this, let's see what we can learn from her in this area. Maybe I can cultivate some Mary in my own heart.

1. Mary made a conscious choice to worship. In verse 42, Jesus said, "...Mary hath chosen that good part..." I don't know if people have always been as busy as we are - or at least as busy as we make ourselves - but we certainly have to make the choice to worship if we are going to do it. It's rare that we sit down and think, "Oh, I have twenty minutes free, let me worship." If we're going to worship God on a regular basis, we need to schedule it. There may be times it just happens - I've been riding in my car and gotten caught up in a song I'm listening to, and it leads me straight to worship - but that's certainly not often enough. I must choose to include time for worship in my day.

2. Mary was willing to set aside service to worship. I think we'd all agree that there is a time for service. Certainly Martha was doing her best to serve the guests in her home. And I am certain that on most occasions, Mary was right there working alongside Martha. But Jesus said that in that moment, spending time with Him was the needful part. It's easy to get wrapped up in service, what I with my own two hands and my hard work can do. If we're worshiping, it's all about being still - at least in our soul - which means being quiet and focusing on God. I need the times of worship, so that I can have strength for the times of service.

3. Mary's worship was about Jesus, not about her. Verse 39 says that Mary was sitting at Jesus feet. She wasn't in a place of prominence or seeking attention from the others that were present. If we're not careful, we can use service to seek our own glory. We want others to recognize all that we're doing, to applaud us for our sacrifice in serving. And while God knows our intentions - and our service certainly can be all about Him - true worship from a sincere heart, is only about God. It's about praising Him for who He is and what He's done.

I tried to think of a few practical ways we can worship God.

Pray a Psalm back to God. Here's one of my favorites to use for that purpose.
Read/sing/listen to a favorite hymn that focuses on praise to God.
Take a set amount of time and meditate on one verse that describes God's character.

I didn't intend to write a series on lessons I'm learning from women in the Bible, but that's what it's turned into! I have a few other posts along these lines in the works, but here are the first three in case you missed them.

What Ruth Teaches Me About Trusting God
What Mary Teaches Me About Praising God
What Eve Teaches Me About Doubting God

I'd love to know what other ideas you have for ways we can worship God!

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Saturday Salutes

2017-01-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth gives us 10 True Things About Being a Mom Your Nice Friends Won't Tell You.

Michelle has a round-up of Valentine's Day Heart-Shaped Animal Crafts for Kids. Some of these are so cute! Rodney shares 5 Valentine's Day Games for Kids.

Love Maria's 1st DIY project of 2017.

Here are two podcasts I've especially enjoyed lately:

Surviving Sarah, Episode 57: Wynter Pitts (especially for moms of tween girls)

Family First, Episode 57: 5 Ways Parents Frustrate Their Teens (This is an older episode, but has lots of good info for parents of teenagers.)

Finally, I have to share this Candy Cane Crescent Roll recipe. It was definitely a winner, and one that I'll make again soon! Now, I did modify it; I halved the recipe ~ so just one can of crescent rolls, 4 oz cream cheese, 3 tablespoons sugar, etc. I didn't use the egg at all. Instead of a candy cane, I just formed the crescent rolls into a ring, like you would for a Taco Ring. Quick, easy, and very tasty!!

Source

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

8 Verses from Proverbs to Teach Your Children

2017-01-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

Have you ever experienced information overload?

I'm a planner by nature. If my family is taking a trip to a location we haven't visited before, I want to check out everything the area has to offer - all the hotels, restaurants, and the sights we might want to see. But it doesn't take long until I just feel overwhelmed with ALL the information.

There are so many websites to check out - I could get lost in the internet for days. How do I know which reviews are reliable? Is that tourist attraction really worth our time? Is that the best hotel rate I'm going to find?

Here's my point. Sometimes we're so overwhelmed with information that we don't know where to start.

I believe that as Christian moms, we want to raise wise children. This doesn't necessarily involve book smarts; rather, we want them to make good decisions and insightful choices. I'm glad to know that we don't have to search all around to find the best ways to teach our children about wisdom.

The book of Proverbs gives us advice for every area of life, from relationships to money to how to conduct business to generosity and self-control.

Below I listed eight verses from Proverbs, each containing a basic principle you can teach to your children. They're all fairly short, short enough that you could even memorize them together as a family after you discuss them. (I've included a free printable of these verses at the bottom of this post.)

1. He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. ~Proverbs 13:20 This boils down to choose your friends wisely. This is important when our children are young, but even more so as they hit the middle school and high school years. We become like those we spend our time with.

2. Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight. ~Proverbs 12:22 Tell the truth always, even when it's hard - and it will be sometimes, even as adults.

3. He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. ~Proverbs 16:32 Learning to control your temper takes hard work - and the help of the Holy Spirit. The second part of this proverb deals with any area of self control. Handling your emotions wisely is more valuable than being physically strong.

4. The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. ~Proverbs 13:4 In other words, the lazy man wants lots of things, but has nothing, while the diligent person will be made rich. Work hard, be thorough, and you will be rewarded. Gaining wealth isn't in and of itself a worthy life goal, but it's typically a byproduct of hard work and perseverance.

5. He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor. ~Proverbs 22:9 Bountiful here means "generous." When you work hard - as we talked about above - you will be able to be generous, which brings further blessings on your life.

6. A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold. ~Proverbs 22:1 Your reputation is important. As Benjamin Franklin said, "It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it."

7. Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end. ~Proverbs 19:20 Listen to those who are older and wiser than you, and you will learn much.

8. Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles. ~Proverbs 21:23 How much trouble we would all avoid if we could control what we say! While it will take more than a lifetime to work on this, it's good to help our kids begin to understand the importance of the words they use. Those words can wound or heal, hurt or help.

When our kids were younger, I loved having stories that illustrated the principles in Proverbs. I haven't mentioned them in a while, but Wisdom and the Millers and Those Kids in Proverbsville were books of short stories that we enjoyed reading together.

I created a free printable of these eight Proverbs if you'd like to have an easy way to reference it.

Click here to access the printable.

Is there another verse from Proverbs that you would add to this list?

Related Posts:
10 Bible Verses for Little Ones
10 Bible Verses for Teens to Memorize
10 Ways to Help Your Child Memorize Scripture

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[This post contains affiliate links. If you click a product link and make a purchase, I receive a small percentage from any sales. This does not affect your price in any way.]

What Does It Mean to Serve My Husband?

2017-01-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

My husband and I have been married for 25 years. That sounds like a really long time!

Over these years, I've developed so much love and respect for him. He's a man of character, a wonderful provider for our family, and a wise, loving father to our girls.

You would think that knowing the great man that he is would have me scrambling to serve him at every turn. But in spite of all that I admire about him, it's often not enough to motivate me to want to wash his clothes, iron his shirt, pack his lunch, or cook his meals.

You know who my heart naturally wants to serve? Myself.

While sometimes my love for my husband is enough to propel me to do all those things that will benefit him, too often I'd rather neglect them, or push them aside, so that I can do what I want to do.

Why am I even concerned about serving my husband? Jesus said in Matthew 23:11, "But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant." I know from Jesus' own example in His earthly life that if I want to be like Him, then I will serve others. What better place to start than with my closest earthly relationship?

I also like this reminder in I Peter 4:10. "As every man hath received the gift, [even so] minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." As I minister to and serve my husband, I am stewarding or managing the amazing grace that God has shown to me. I'm demonstrating God's grace to someone else, in this case, the one I've vowed to be with for the rest of my life.

So what exactly does it mean to serve? One dictionary definitions says "to perform duties or services for another person." I can handle that one. But another one I saw said "to be a servant." Talk about humility! Signing up to be a servant to anyone is not something I instinctively jump to do. Yet that's exactly what Jesus did when he washed the disciples' feet in John 13:3-5.

I like the way this particular definition is framed - "to render assistance; be of use; help." I think that one best describes what I want to be for my husband. In fact, it relates to my calling as a wife, as God created Eve to be a "help meet" for Adam.

I certainly need the Holy Spirit's help in this area. If my goal is to make my husband's life easier, I think I need to start with these three basic principles.

1. It's an attitude. I think a right attitude comes first. I can perform the actions without this, but I think my husband would sense that it's not genuine. If I want to check myself, I can ask, "Is my attitude about doing this for my husband the same as if I were doing it for Christ?" Would I complain about serving Him? Sometimes it means we overlook a habit that annoys us, or demonstrate patience when we feel like we've served enough.

2. It's actions. I think serving my husband starts with the right attitude, but if that attitude doesn't display itself in actions, I'm not really serving! I think this looks different for every couple. What does YOUR husband like? Mine likes a hot breakfast most mornings. Your husband may not care about that one bit. What specific actions show him that you are wanting to help him?

3. It's prayer. I know I've recommended it before, but Stormie O'Martian's book The Power of a Praying Wife does a good job detailing areas of your husband's life to cover in prayer. Kat Lee from Inspired to Action typically tweets out a daily post of something to pray for your husband, like "God, fill him with your joy. Refresh him with your spirit." Our husbands need to know that they have a wife who is praying for them. (I've gotten back into doing my monthly family prayer list in January. Having that list of five requests for the month helps me make sure I pray specific prayers for him daily.)

Do we only serve our husband when he's in a good mood and treating us well? No. I think that's where the love of God can really shine through us. We can be lovely even when he's not. It is, however, an act of the Spirit through us, since it's not our natural reaction to serve a person who's not loving us in the way we want to be loved.

Easy words to write here, hard to live! Already knowing I'll be tested in this area very soon! :)

Related posts:
3 Ways We Can Invest in Our Marriage
A Christlike Love for My Spouse
7 Ways to Let Your Husband Know You Love Him

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Saturday Salutes

2017-01-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Gina gives 10 Ways to Declutter Your Day.

Hayley writes about Building a Home Your Kids Want to Come Home To.

Kristen lists 17 Things I Want My Kids to Know and Do Before They Leave the Nest.

Alicia tells us The Number 1 Problem Good Parents Face When Raising Teens.

Carrington advises us on How to Diffuse Your Child's Anger.

Joy shares 7 Habits of Highly Effective Homemakers.

Source

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

A Letter to My Teenage Daughter: God Made You Special

2017-01-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Daughter,

To quote a famous novel, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." (You know I'm a Dickens fan, though I've never made it all the way through A Tale of Two Cities. ;)

I think that captures what it's like to be a teenage girl sometimes.

On a good day, life is, like, ultimately good, like, happiness unbounded, like, dancing around the house and hugging your sister. Yes, that marks the best of times indeed.

Then there are the worst of times. The tears for no reason...though those are better than the tears flowing because of a friend's betrayal, or a classroom humiliation, or rejection from some group to which you so desperately wanted to belong. The worst of times brings self doubt, and a critical eye turned inward, and sometimes, a broken spirit.

On those days in particular, I want you to remember that God made you special.

I know you think I'm just saying that because I'm your mom...and I am. But I'm also saying it because it's true.

In these teen years, while you're growing and changing and learning who you really are, it's easy to want to be someone else. You see what makes a certain girl popular, why that girl has so many friends, how she seems to know just what to say or do to attract boys. Perhaps it's that other girl's confidence when she gets up in speech class or another friend's ability to excel in every sport that you want for yourself. And maybe you feel less than, inadequate, because you don't have those same skills.

It's so easy to say "be comfortable in your own skin." Yet sometimes you can feel like your skin doesn't fit, that it doesn't look right to other people, that it's not who you want to be.

But who you are is special. God created you. He tells us in Psalm 139 that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Yes, you know that phrase, "fearfully and wonderfully made." But that's certainly not always the first thought you have about yourself. Let's dig into it for a minute and see what it means.

In the original Hebrew text of the Bible, the word fearfully means with great reverence, heart-felt interest, and with respect. The word wonderfully means unique, set apart, marvelous [Darling Magazine, May 2012]

You were created with great reverence and heart-felt interest, The very God of the universe is interested in you and in how your life plays out every day. You are unique and marvelous, a one-of-a-kind creation. Every personality trait, every quirk, the activities you enjoy, the pursuits you're really good at ~ they're all gifts from a Creator who makes no mistakes.

Introverted or extroverted, musical or artistic, a watcher or a doer, detail-oriented or a free spirit, you are the way you are for a reason. God has a plan for your life, a purpose for you to fulfill, a life to live that no one else can live in the same way. You're not exactly like anyone else, and that's just how it should be.

Remember these three important things.

You are made in the image of God. Cultivate that part of you that longs for a relationship with Him. Let His love, peace, and grace seep into your soul.

Be authentic. Like what you like, be who you are, don't conform to fit someone else's standard for you. Be gracious, kind, and thoughtful, but be you.

Give grace to all those girls around you. In spite of what it may look like from your vantage point, they have doubts and insecurities just like you do. You might never know how an encouraging word helps them through their own difficult day.

So, on those worst of days, my dearest daughter, take heart. God has a plan for you, a plan to bring you a future full of hope and promise. (Jeremiah 29:11) He will never leave you or fail you. (Deuteronomy 31:8)

And your dad and I? We're your biggest fans, your loudest cheerleaders, your prayer warriors.

We love you, just the way you are.

Love,

Mom

Related posts:
A Letter to My Teenage Daughter: Hold Onto Your Heart
7 Ways to Show Love to Your Teenage Daughter
10 Bible Verses for Teens to Memorize

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What Ruth Teaches Me About Trusting God

2017-01-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

Like many young girls, Ruth and Esther were two of my favorite Bible characters when I was growing up. Both were brave and courageous, and both had to make hard choices when it came to following their faith.

I've studied the book of Ruth on my own several times, and my husband recently taught a series on her in our Sunday School class. I've learned a lot from Ruth, but the overarching lesson that speaks to me is her trust in God.

I first see it in chapter one, when she tells Naomi, "your God will be my God." We know that Ruth lives out that faith once she's settled in Bethlehem, because in Ruth 2:12, Boaz says to Ruth, "...and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust."

I'm amazed at Ruth's ability to leave her future in God's hands. She willingly followed Naomi to an unknown country and faced an uncertain future. I would love to interview Ruth and find out what inspired her faith, and how she came to know the God she so fully trusted. Was it her husband's testimony? Was it her mother-in-law's example? Did she compare Jehovah to the false gods of her homeland?

In my 40-plus years, I've come to realize that learning to trust God is going to be a lifelong process. If I want to be a woman who trusts God like Ruth did, here are a few lessons I can learn from her story.

1. There are no coincidences with God. Ruth 2:3 says, "And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz..." Ruth headed out to work, and "happened" to end up in the field of a kinsman redeemer, one of the few people who could provide a better life for Ruth and Naomi. God knew exactly which field He wanted Ruth to be in, and He guided her there. His plan for taking care of her was already at work, even when she had no clue about what was happening.

Just so in our lives, every step is planned, every circumstance is orchestrated. Even when we can't see or understand the direction our life is taking, He is working behind the scenes to direct us in the way He wants us to go. Philip Yancey said, "I have learned that faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse."

2. There is confidence in obeying what you know to do. In Ruth 3:5 we're told, "And she [Ruth] said unto her [Naomi], All that thou sayest unto me I will do." Ruth did as her mother-in-law instructed her, and followed the plan for approaching the kinsman redeemer, Boaz. Even though she may not have understood the customs, she obeyed what she knew she was supposed to do.

When I'm doing what I know God commands me to do in His Word, I can be confident in leaving the outcome to Him. On the other hand, if I'm going my own way and doing my own thing, how can I trust that God is going to bless me?

3. There's value in sitting still and waiting. I've long loved this passage in Ruth 3:18. "Then said she [Naomi], Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall..." I can just imagine Ruth pacing around the house, stopping to look out the window to see if anyone was coming who might could tell her how things had gone between Boaz and the nearer kinsman.

I think we'd all agree that seasons of waiting on God to work can be agonizing. We often want to take matters into our own hands, to see if we can move things along in the direction we want them to go. Yet how many references are there in the Bible to waiting on God! One of my favorites is Psalm 27:14. "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." Truly, it takes courage to wait, yet this verse tells me that He'll provide the strength I need while I wait. Just as with Ruth, good things - yes, the best things - can come to us as we're willing to wait on God.

As we enter this second week of the new year, let's all seek to follow Ruth's example of trusting God, with our present as well as with our future!

Related posts:
7 Steps to Becoming a Wise Woman: Trust God
What Mary Teaches Me About Praising God
What Eve Teaches Me About Doubting God

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Saturday Salutes

2017-01-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Cassandra lists 5 Things All Kids Need to Hear from Their Parents.

Sophie's school is doing an Unplugged Challenge for the month of January. I love this devotional that she wrote and shared with the students.

Kristen has 5 Family Goals for the New Year.

I've been struggling with breakfast ideas for my girls lately, so I think I'll try a batch of these Healthy Breakfast Cookies. Neither one of them like eggs much, which is too bad, since I took this Sausage Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole to church last Sunday and it was delicious!

Our daughters, ages 16 and 14, on Christmas Eve.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

3 Things To Pray for in the New Year

2017-01-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

If there's anything that causes us to evaluate our lives and think about ways we can improve ourselves, I suppose it's the start of a new year. It's a fresh slate, a time of beginning new habits, a chance to plan ahead.

While I know I learned some lessons in 2016, I didn't see, in hindsight, as much spiritual growth as I would have liked. As we've looked ahead to 2017, I discussed with my daughters ways we can grow in our spiritual life, hoping that we could all set goals for the coming year. We thought of seven areas we can concentrate on when we want to grow spiritually (in no particular order).

Prayer
Bible reading
Memorizing Bible verses
Meditating on Scripture
Witnessing
Giving
Ministry (church, serving others, etc)

I chose two areas that I want to focus on this year - prayer and meditation. (I'm sure this means you'll be getting posts about these topics off and on throughout the year. ;)

With those ideas in mind, I thought about the next 365 days, and what I want to see happen in my life and in the lives of my family. I think the following three requests can be made by all of us, no matter how we hope to grow in the coming months.

1. Pray for God to order your steps.

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way." ~Psalm 37:23

I actually have Sues to thank for this one! In a comment on a previous post, she said that this is a prayer she prays each day. I love this idea, as a daily prayer and as an overarching request concerning the way God will guide us in the year ahead. We know that God is in control of every aspect of our lives, that each circumstance that comes up is no accident, but a moving of His hand. He wants to grow and change us into His image, and to teach us to rely on Him as we recognize how much we need His help and power.

I want to have a heart that is ready and willing to follow His plan without question, to submit to His will without complaining. It has to do with accepting daily "interruptions" as from Him, and allowing His schedule to supersede mine. I am definitely still a work in progress here!

2. Pray that you and your family will grow spiritually.

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." ~2 Peter 3:18

I want to look back at the end of 2017 and be able to see concrete growth in my spiritual life. That may involve trials that I've come through with a greater understanding of God's peace and grace. It may be a temptation I've overcome by God's grace. It may simply be a habit I've mastered that's allowed me to learn more about Him through studying my Bible.

I think the best way to ensure that this will happen is to develop a plan. For example, since I've chosen prayer as a focus for the year, I'm getting back to writing out my monthly prayer list for my family (something I've not been doing for the last couple of months). I'm also following this Scripture writing program for January. Each day I write out a verse about prayer in my journal, and then meditate on that verse for the next 24 hours.

Not only is it good to make a plan for ourselves, but we can also do it for our families. Maybe there's a particular Bible study you want to do as a family - or you could choose a Bible character or a book of the Bible to dive into. Maybe it's just reading a verse from Proverbs together each night and talking about what it means. Having a plan to grow spiritually doesn't guarantee it will happen, but it does give us a better chance at success!

3. Pray that God will be glorified in all you do in 2017.

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." ~I Corinthians 10:31

We were created to bring God glory (Isaiah 43:7). How often I'm tempted to do things for my own glory, so that I will be recognized by others. This can affect my marriage and certainly my parenting. Maybe I want my kids to obey so that others will think I'm a good mom. I need to realize that God gave me these relationships to steward for Him, to raise my kids so that they will ultimately bring Him glory.

If I'm seeking to bring God glory, then I'm living in humility. As I look at my goals for the year, am I using them to bring glory to Him? Will my body be a better temple if I eat healthier foods and exercise? Will I be a better wife if I set a goal to do something special for my husband every month? Will I know His word better and learn what actually glorifies Him if I get into my Bible every day? If our ultimate goal is to glorify God, we can apply that principle in every area of our lives.

I pray that each of us will grow in our walk with God in 2017, that we might look back at the end of our year and see how He has guided us, and be able to give Him praise and glory for what is accomplished!

What else are you praying for in 2017? Do you have a particular area of your spiritual life that you want to focus on this year?

Related posts:
Praying God's Blessings on My Family
Top 10 Most Influential Books
10 Traits of a Wise Woman

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Saturday Salutes

2016-12-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

Rachel reminds us what it means to be A Mom Who Shows Up.

Cassandra shares 4 Signs You Have a Good Marriage.

While Christmas is over, I've pinned these 10 Easy Ways Your Family Can Share the Gospel During the Holidays for next year.

I'm going to be making this Creamed Corn Casserole soon!!

Source

Looking forward to starting 2017 tomorrow! Praying that God will grow each of us into the wives, moms, and women He would have us to be in the coming 12 months.

Happy New Year!!

Saturday Salutes

2016-12-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Christmas Eve!!

Jaime tells us How to Be Content with What He's Provided This Christmas.

Mary shares what to do When Your "Best Of" List Comes Up Empty.

Desiree writes about 10 Things Children Will Always Remember.

Jimmie lists 30 Non-Boring Ways to Practice Spelling Words.

If you're already peeking ahead into what you want your new year to look like, here are 3 Awesome Ways to Create a Weekly Cleaning Routine.

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas!

Christmas Video 2016 ~ Christmas Eve Traditions

2016-12-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

My girls had their last day of school yesterday, so we are in full-on Christmas mode now!! Planning to bake cookies today (we always make a batch of these Chocolate Holiday Bears), and maybe watch a Christmas movie together.

Yesterday I recorded a video and shared my favorite Christmas Eve traditions. (If you can't view the video in your e-mail or feed reader, click here to watch it on the blog.)

As I mention in the video, I'll be taking a brief break from blogging to spend time with my family, but I'll be here next Thursday with a look back at the ten most popular posts from Girls to Grow in 2016. I'm looking forward to 2017 and all that the Lord has in store!

In the meantime, have a very Merry Christmas!!

" And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." ~Luke 2:10-11

Recipe mentioned in the video: Potatoes Au Gratin

Related Posts:
Are You Getting What You Want for Christmas?
So This Is Christmas
Do We See Jesus?

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7 Steps to Becoming a Wise Woman: Build Your House

2016-12-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

While the three homes my family has lived in have all been new construction, only with our first home were we actually involved from the beginning of the building process. We got to watch it from the ground up, choose the finishes and colors, and see each phase as it was finished. It was an exciting day when we actually closed on the house and were able to move in!

While that's not exactly the work that's being referred to in Proverbs 14:1, many of the same principles apply.

"Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands."

I thought it would be appropriate to finish our series on becoming a wise woman with a verse that tells us exactly what a wise woman does!

As women, God has given us an amazing amount of influence in our homes. We often set the mood - for better or worse. It's a lot of responsibility that can only be properly undertaken as we seek God's help.

When we look at what it means to build our homes, I liked what Ellicott's commentary on this verse says. "Each person and each good work throughout the household grows, as it were, under her fostering hand." I think the perfect commentary on this verse, however, is in Proverbs 31:10-31. Every detail that's shared about the virtuous woman fits the description of one who is building her house.

For today's post though, I wanted to think of specific ways we can build our house that are also related to the actual task of building a physical house. Let's look at what it takes to build a house, and, in contrast, how we might be tearing it down.

Here are a few items we'd need to build a house, in the physical and the spiritual sense.

A plan to follow. I don't believe anyone would build a house without first thinking through its overall design. A blueprint makes sure that the dishwasher actually ends up in the kitchen! The best place for us to find a plan for building our homes is in God's Word. It tells us how to do marriage, parenting, and life in general in a way that will bring glory to Him and fulfill us in each of our roles. In a practical sense, having a plan for your day (a schedule, even if it's loosely followed!), your money (a budget), and even goals for teaching and training your children often helps things run more smoothly.

Management skills. There's a lot of moving parts to be coordinated when a house is being built! Things have to be put into the house in a certain order. And while the husband is the head of the home, the wife is typically the one who actually manages the home. Here's where the Proverbs 31 woman certainly excelled! To list just a few of her responsibilities - she fed and clothed her family, she bought and sold goods, she oversaw and provided for those who served her family, she reached out to those in need. In our day, this can be as practical as crafting a meal plan, replacing the kids' outgrown shoes, and making sure your husband has clean clothes to wear.

Hard work. It would be nice if we could just sit by and let the house build itself :) It won't happen that way. Building your house is going to take hard work. It's going to look like disciplining when you just want to ignore that misbehavior. It's taking time for your husband instead of finishing that novel you wanted to read. It may mean staying up late and/or getting up early in different seasons. It's being creative in order to save money, and making sure that everyone gets where they need to be at the right time.

Patience. I know that it often takes much longer to build a house than is originally planned. In the same way, we aren't going to build our homes in a week, a month, or even a year. It's a process that takes years to develop - and some of those periods (here's looking at you toddler and early teen years!) may seem even longer than the actual time that goes by. Yet good will come to our families as we are faithful to God and His Word.

Since we want to be wise and not foolish, let's look at how we might be tearing down our homes.

Neglect. This may be the hardest one to recognize. It's not that you purposely don't build up your family, you just fail to pay attention to them. You get busy with other things. Before you know it, that particular season has passed, and you haven't done what you could have to love, encourage and care for those in your house.

Idleness. Rather than just neglecting your house because you're busy with other things, this is just like plain laziness. This happens when we put our wants ahead of our families' needs. Perhaps we waste time doing things that aren't significant or find ways to avoid doing any work at all. Laziness often comes when we're not focused on our purpose and the ways God has called us to help those around us.

Poor management of resources. This could be in a financial sense, when we waste money and/or live beyond our means. It also involves wasting time, especially since we are told in the Bible to redeem our time [Ephesians 5:16]. God has also given each of us talents and abilities that can be used specifically to strengthen our families, if we apply them properly.

Complacency. Sometimes we may reach a point where we're just willing to let things drift along the way they are, even though they we know we could do better. Whether it's in our marriage or in training our children or even in our personal growth, we don't want to stop learning and improving.

We've reached the end of our series of seven steps to becoming a wise woman. There are obviously other steps you can take along this path. If I'd based the series on eight steps, I would have included the principle that a wise woman learns from other wise people. This could be in real life - perhaps from your mom or a mentor or a Godly woman in your church. It can also take place through books and podcasts and other media resources.

Thanks so much for joining me in this study! Can you think of an additional step that would lead us to becoming wise women?

You can find previous posts in this series here.

Related posts:
10 Traits of a Wise Woman
Lessons for Mom from a Corn Maze
Lessons from a Cooking Class...That Have Nothing to Do with Food

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Saturday Salutes

2016-12-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

Sarah Ann lists 20 Ways to Have Fun at Home on New Year's Eve.

I made this oven BBQ Chicken for supper Thursday night and it was delicious (as is to be expected from The Pioneer Woman :)

I started thinking ahead to a summer reading list for my girls when I saw 8 of the Best Books for Kid and Teen Entrepreneurs.

And speaking of reading, Lisa shares A List of the Best Christmas Story Collections to Read.

Podcast I learned from this week: Parenting Today's Teens, December 4th episode - 4 Questions Every Parent Must Ask About Teen Discipline

We attended church with this talented family for years; love Nikki's video of December Song! (If you can't see the video in e-mail or feed reader, click here to see it on the blog.)

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

10 Gifts from Jesus to Unwrap This Christmas: An Object Lesson for Our Children

2016-12-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Let's face it - gifts are usually the reason our children get so excited about Christmas. How much fun is it to unwrap a package or pull the tissue paper out of a gift bag? There's anticipation, suspense, and excitement, especially if the present is something they've been waiting to receive!

Today I'm sharing a fun way to channel some of that gift-opening enthusiasm into illustrating the true meaning of Christmas. It originated with my aunt; she discussed it with my mom, who shared the thought with me. I did a brief post on this a few years ago, but wanted to flesh out the concept a little more. It's a perfect teaching opportunity for your own family during this season, or it could even be used as a Sunday School or children's church lesson.

Most of our kids are familiar with John 3:16. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." God sending Jesus, His Son, at Christmas time, was the greatest gift that's ever been given. It was the earthly beginning to the fulfillment of God's plan for our salvation.

That Bible verse is a great starting point for this lesson. A simple explanation of the plan of salvation can be followed by a discussion of the blessings we receive when we accept Jesus as our Savior.

To bring this thought to life, take a box and fill it with some of the items listed below - physical things that represent those blessings. Then wrap the box and put it under the Christmas tree. Or, you could wrap each item individually, and have different children open each one. You can use all ten, or just pick and choose the ones you want, based on the ages of the children.

If you're doing this at home, set aside a time on Christmas Eve or Christmas day to open these presents with your family. Discuss how each item depicts a gift we receive at salvation.

1. Eraser (our sins taken away).  "I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." ~Isaiah 43:25 All of our sins are forgiven when we ask Jesus to be our Savior.

2. Picture of a Mansion (a home in heaven).  "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." ~John 14:2 Jesus is preparing a place for us to live with Him in heaven! You could also read Revelation 21:10-27, which describes the new Jerusalem and all the beautiful things that will be there.

3. Life Insurance Papers (eternal life). "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life..." ~I John 5:13 We will get to live with God forever!

4. Pen and Notebook (our name written in the book of life). "...rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." ~Luke 10:20 "And there shall in no wise enter into it [the new Jerusalem] any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination...but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." ~Revelation 21:27 When we know Christ as Savior, our names are in the book of life.

5. Adoption Certificate (adopted into God's family).  "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world...Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will." ~Ephesians 1:4-5 What a gift to be adopted into the family of God, joint heirs with Christ!

6. Receipt, stamped or written on "Paid in Full" (our sin debt paid). "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." ~Romans 6:23 Because of our sin, we deserved death, to be separated from God forever. But Jesus paid that debt when He died on the cross. He took all of our sins on Himself so that we wouldn't have to suffer the punishment we earned.

7. White Paper Heart (a new heart for God). "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." ~Psalm 51:10 We have a clean heart because our sins are forgiven. God also makes us new creatures at salvation, with a heart that desires a relationship with Him.

8. Picture of a family (brothers and sisters in Christ). "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." ~Ephesians 2:19 It truly is a blessing to have a church family and other fellow believers to encourage us in our walk with Christ.

9. White piece of cloth (a robe of righteousness). "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." ~Revelation 19:8 We will one day stand before Christ "clean and white," not because of our good works, but because Jesus shed His blood to cover our sins.

10. A Monogrammed Item (sealed by the Holy Spirit). "...in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory." ~Ephesians 1:13-14 Once we are saved, we are sealed, or marked, as Christ's forever. You could go another direction with this verse by using a box of money or a check and explaining that the Holy Spirit is a down payment or deposit ("earnest") towards our inheritance in Christ, which we will receive in full when we get to Heaven.

I hope that this demonstration will remind all of us of the amazing gift we've been given in the person of Jesus, who came to earth to die for us, to rise from the grave, and to bring us into fellowship with God when we accept Him as our Savior.

Can you think of any other gifts we could add to the list?

Related posts:
5 Christmas Bible Verses to Teach Your Kids
Do We See Jesus?
3 Gifts I Want My Children to Receive This Christmas

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7 Steps to Becoming a Wise Woman: Pray Always

2016-12-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

I'm a great one for recognizing how I should have handled a situation once it's over.

For example, yesterday my daughter was questioning me about a decision I'd made, and I was struggling to come up with an answer that I thought would explain it. I didn't do a very good job. A couple of minutes later, after we'd gone our separate ways to get dressed for church, it came to me what I should have done. I should have said a quick prayer for wisdom in that moment.

Parenting teens - make that parenting in general - can certainly make you realize your need to be in a constant state of prayer! If I want to be a better wife, a good mom, a wise woman, I will seek to live in an attitude of prayer.

Why do I think that praying always is an important enough characteristic to be one of the steps toward becoming a wise woman? Let's look at these three verses.

"Pray without ceasing." ~I Thessalonians 5:17
"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit..." ~Ephesians 6:18
"Continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving." ~Colossians 4:2

It's been talked about before, but I want prayer to be my first response, the initial reaction to a trial, a temptation, some uncertainty - which would have served me well yesterday!

Yet living in a prayerful way also includes thanksgiving. Actually taking the time to stop and offer a prayer of thanks when you get that phone call or text or letter in the mail with good news is an important aspect of our prayer life.

Have you found that you tend to pray more when you're going through a trial than when life seems to be going along smoothly? When I'm struggling, I see more clearly my need for God, and my own lack of power or control. I've seen God use those times to bring me into sweeter fellowship with Him through increased prayer.

So what would a wise woman pray for? Here are seven ideas I've found that are based on Scripture.

1. God's will to be done. The first four on this list come from the "Lord's Prayer" in Matthew 6. Verse 10 says, "...Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." We certainly want God's will to be accomplished in our lives and in the lives of our family. We also can pray that His purposes would be fulfilled in our world at large, and that the message of the gospel would spread to those who have never heard.

2. My daily needs to be met. Verse 11 says, "Give us this day our daily bread." We're not told to ask for what we need in the future, but that we will have what we need for this day. I pray this prayer, then trust that God will provide what He wants me to have today.

3. Forgiveness. Moving on to verse 12, we read, "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." I need God's forgiveness on a daily basis - and I need to be just as quick to offer forgiveness to others as I am to go to God and ask for it for myself.

4. Deliverance from evil. Finally, verse 13 teaches us to ask the following: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil..." I can pray that God will help me recognize temptation and then give me the strength to turn away from it. And isn't it neat to look forward to heaven, realizing that the ultimate answer to this prayer will be answered there when evil will no longer be present!

5. Wisdom. Here's the verse that I thought of a bit late yesterday! "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." ~James 1:5 What a gift - to be able to ask God for wisdom with the promise that He will give it generously! It's my own fault if I don't take advantage of this as I should. It reminds me that He wants me to walk in victory and gives me the tools to do so.

6. The healing of others. "...and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." ~James 5:16 We know many that need physical, spiritual, and emotional healing. Our prayers can make a difference! This is one benefit of having a written prayer list. It reminds us to pray for those with needs, while reminding us to give thanks to God when those whom we've prayed for are healed.

7. Those in authority. "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." ~I Timothy 2:1-2 Whether or not we like or agree with those who are in places of authority in various areas of our lives, we are instructed to pray for them. I'm convicted about not doing this as often as I should. I don't currently have this as a regular part of my prayer time, so I need to change that!

I'm reminded to pray by putting "prayer triggers" in my life - basically habits that remind me to pray. That may look like devotions or quiet time first thing in the morning, praying before meals, praying with my kids when they go to bed, etc. As I've mentioned before, I like to pray a blessing over my family every day at lunch time. It helps me think about what they may be doing at that point in the day, and ask the Lord to protect them and grant them His grace and peace.

Next Monday we'll look at a final step we can take as we seek to become wise women!

Catch up on previous posts in this series here.

Related posts:
Five Blessings of Answered Prayer
Does My Prayer Request Pass These Tests?
Praying and Praising with Scripture

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Saturday Salutes

2016-12-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

Tricia tells us How to Find More Joy This Christmas.

Jennifer has Six Steps to a Guilt-Free Christmas.

Kristyn shows us 20+ Christmas Crafts for Kids.

I like these 15 Reasons to Read the Bible Daily.

If you have sons, you may enjoy this list of Character-Building Books for Boys.

Corina shares How to Plan for a Better Mom Wardrobe This New Year.

Source

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Put This Under My Tree, Please

2016-12-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

I want a lot for Christmas this year.

My list is kind of long, but every item is exactly what I would choose if I could have just what I wanted.

Give me a box of hugs from my daughters, the surprise kind where they slip up beside me and share a quick squeeze. Stick in my stocking the quick "I love you's" I send behind them as they head out the door to school each morning.

You can package together the driving lessons, the pile of basketball uniforms to be washed, and the stack of books to return to the library.

Just a small box will do for the conversations we share about boys - the nice guys, the thoughtful kind. No need to give that topic too much importance just yet. ;)

All the sounds will need at least three packages. The large one should be the sound of music coming from the piano as my girls practice their Christmas songs. The sound of my husband coming in the door each evening should be the special box with lots of hearts on it. It's one of those I look forward to every day. Those after-school talks on my drives home with my girls will probably need to be squeezed into a pretty big container.

Why the big box of money? That's to dole out for lunch money and school fundraisers and youth group activities and Starbucks drinks on a regular day, just because.

The next one I open will have all the smells...bacon 'cause it makes all the breakfasts better, a mixed scent of Bath and Body Works body sprays coming from both girls' bedrooms, my husband's new cologne.

There's an almost empty box since there haven't been any new hand-crafted ornaments made from hand prints or chip can tops or craft sticks put on my tree in quite awhile. We're lacking in the glitter-encrusted, white-glue dripping kind. Perhaps that season of life has passed us by....

Yes, a second empty box reminds me to check my closet for what might be missing since the last time a daughter borrowed it - the pair of shoes, the sweater, the necklace.

No need to wrap up those lunchboxes...they greet me early every morning as it is.

Bundle up the sound of the four of us talking around the supper table, riding in the car together, singing Christmas carols side by side in church, our relief at another annual family photo session completed. Tuck in all four of our stockings, currently hung in the living room, anticipating their filling on Christmas Eve.

It's getting crowded under the tree, but I think there's room for a few more presents.

Gather the two leftover birthday cakes waiting on the counter, courtesy of two girls born two years and two days apart, early in December. Those contact cases, bobby pins, and flatirons by the bathroom sink get a box all their own.

Give me that contented feeling of falling into bed beside my husband after another late night of ball games or recitals or concerts. Let me watch another cheer routine, sit through another piano recital, watch another JV Girls basketball game, enjoy another band number,

Let me drive a daughter to one more party, buy her one more white elephant gift to exchange, pray another prayer perched on the side of her bed before she drifts off to sleep.

Make that final gift a box of tissues, 'cause at this point I'll be needing them.

The neat thing about this list is that it's what I already have. Won't cost anyone a cent, but will be more treasured than anything that's frequently deposited on my front porch in a cardboard Amazon box. :)

Because these won't be the gifts of next Christmas. Those will be different, because it will be 2017, and some things, even slightly, will have changed. That's as it should be, and will bring its own joys, as God wills. But these gifts are the gifts of the present, those to be held close to my heart.

These are the memories my family is making this Christmas season. Yours are just as precious, because they're yours, and they may never be the same again. What's a memory you want placed under your tree?

Related posts:
Are You Getting What You Want for Christmas?
3 Gifts I Want My Children to Receive This Christmas
To Simplify This Season...Or Not?

Click here to receive new posts from Girls to Grow by e-mail.

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