My kids (A2 & C 5) and my nephew (P 4) were in the back seat of my dad’s SUV. We were leaving the beach one windy spring day, and we were talking about Jesus walking on water.

P – “The beach was fun, Auntie. I wanted to go in the water.”

Me – “It was too cold to go into the water today. We’ll go in the summer.”

C – “Jesus walked on water.”

P – “How did Jesus walk on water?”

C – “He just did.”

Me – “It was a miracle.”

P -”But how, Auntie?”

Me – “Jesus can do anything.”

P – “Jesus is alive. Can I see Him?”

C – “He used to be on earth, but now He’s alive in heaven.”

P – “Why is He in heaven?”

C – “He lives with God there. You can see Him when you go to heaven.”

A – “He’s in your heart, too.”

P – “Jesus is pretty cool!”

C – “Yes, He is! I love Jesus”

Photo courtesy of brett.wagner

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Faith is amazing and a mystery to me. I have many questions and doubts, but I believe in God and I love Him. My faith is strong and it is growing every day, but there is a lot for me to learn about faith.

Children’s faith is even more awesome to me. They know so little, yet their faith can be so much stronger than any adult’s. In Nepal I saw children who had nothing but their faith, and they were truly joyful. They sang praise songs. They prayed fervently. They knew Bible verses. They invited me into to their lives, sharing what they had – faith. I was filled with awe. There is a lot I can learn about faith from the children I met in Nepal.

Watching my own children’s faith grow has been truly a blessing to me. They love God and Jesus. They pray and remind me to pray. They beg for me to read Bible stories to them and sing praise songs. They ask big theological questions all day, and I don’t most of the answers to their questions. They also make profound statements about God, Jesus, faith, and the Bible. It is a mystery to me that they are so little, yet they have such BIG faith. Their eyes are open to things that I could never see on my own. It touches my heart. There is a lot I am learning about faith from my children.

I was overjoyed and honored when my four year old daughter prayed with me and asked Jesus to be her best friend forever.

Last night my two year old daughter asked me to read the story of Jesus dying on the cross. We have read this story a few times, especially recently during Holy Week and Easter. At the end of the story, the book leads a child toward accepting Christ. I asked A2 if she wanted Jesus to be her best friend forever. She nodded, and C4 told her that she had to pray. A2 bowed her head and prayed an unintelligible prayer. I think she asked Jesus to be her best friend! Tonight she asked me to read the same story and prayed quietly again. I’m not sure if this means that A2 is saved, but I do know that the Bible tells us that we are to have faith like little children do.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14

There is a lot I am learning about faith from my children.

Photo courtesy of H_Elise

Tonight our small group studied 1 Corinthians chapter 1. It was a great study! I found myself challenged and convicted.

While reading 1 Corinthians 1:10-16, I was reminded of an article in Newsweek that I recently read. Apparently, some Christians on Facebook are using the term Follower of Christ rather than calling themselves Christian in order to avoid the stigma that comes with that name. The divisions in the church that Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians are still present in the church today. (The Bible is still relevant, isnt it?) Paul tells us that these divisions are not what Christianity is all about. In the end, our focus needs to be on the work that Christ did on the cross. What does that mean?

I immediately thought about brokenness. We are all sinners. We can never be perfect. God purposely has chosen those that the world perceives as inadequate, small, and lesser to do big things (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). We see this time and again in the Bible. Moses murdered someone. David committed adultery and had someone murdered. Jesus was born to a young, poor woman. If we weren’t broken, we wouldn’t need Jesus. God wants the glory for those amazing feats (1 Corinthians 1:30).

At my ladies’ Bible study we are learning about fruit of the spirit, and today we talked about patience. One of the points was that we have to be patient with our circumstances and do things God’s way. The example was the temptation of Jesus. The devil tempted Jesus with getting all His inheritance that God promised by simply taking it. Jesus resisted that temptation because we have to remember that Gods work must be accomplished God’s way.

God is whispering to me about letting Him take control of my life. I need to be patient and let things happen His way in His time. I am broken, and I need Jesus. If I wait, God will get the glory for the work that He does through me.

I can’t wait to see what He will do!

A dear friend of mine brought her three children over for a play date today – 5 years, 2 1/2 years, & 11 weeks old. We live pretty far from each other now and rarely see each other. Preschool cuts into the time we would usually have together. I am so glad that they came to visit us! Our kids have known each other since birth, and it has been a pleasure to watch their friendships grow.

Photo by Breibeest

One of the best parts of today was holding that dear baby. She is a sweet little girl, and my kids fell in love with her right away. Boy did that stir the desire in me to have another baby! I know that we are not quite ready to bring home a new little one, but I am sure that I want to have one sooner than later. Now I just have to pray and wait for the time to be right. (Oh and I plan on getting myself fit in the meantime!)

Waiting is often hard for me as it is for many people. But for me it means that my plans often get derailed. You see, I LOVE to plan. I love thinking of the possibilities. I am a big picture kind of girl, you know. Trusting God and waiting for His plans to unfold means that I lose control and my plans are not carried through. It isn’t that God disappoints me because His plans are always better than mine. It’s just that I like to know what to expect. I like having control. I LOVE predictability.

Do you think that there is a lesson in this for me?

Photo by LifeHouseDesign

I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Psalm 92:1

‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ Jeremiah 29:!1

He answered:  ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Luke 10:27

• Trust the LORD, my God.
• Love the LORD, my God.
• Take refuge in the LORD, my God.
• Wait on the LORD, my God.

The time will come for my family to grow, for me to have another baby.

Photo by ninjapoodles

One of the hardest things about being a mom is being the bad guy. I love my kids so much, and I want to give them their hearts’ desires. And I know I have to be “the enforcer” because I love them. I just don’t like it. It is especially difficult to be an enforcer since C4 is a strong-willed child.

Photo by brokinhrt2

Today being “the enforcer” meant that I had to listen to a tantrum for 45 minutes. I had to remain calm (which is so hard to do when you’ve been listening to a 4 year old scream and accuse you of being a horrible human being), and I had to restate the rule over and over. In the end it paid off, though. Eventually she gave up the tantrum and obeyed me. However, there were natural consequences. Because C4 had the tantrum that lasted for so long, she missed out on eating dinner with me and A2, so she had to eat and take her bath alone. She was sad about that, and I was sad for her.

Tonight I was successful in teaching the lesson that Mommy is in charge and you are expected to obey. It is such a hard lesson to learn.

What did I learn? I was successful for a few reasons.

• I did not make the moment about me, but about C4’s choices and behavior.
• I kept my emotions out of it because often times she plays off of my emotional response.
• I also followed through with the expectation instead of negotiating.

It is a hard lesson for me to learn as well. C4 will test the boundries. She will experience consequences for her choices, and sometimes I have to be the one to enforce those consequences. I am The Enforcer, and I have my work cut out for me. I am up to the challenge thanks to the small victories my God gives me!

What do you do when you don’t know what to do?

We had one of those gut wrenching bedtimes tonight. C4 is suddenly terrified to sleep alone and wants the door open or someone to snuggle with. A2 gets out of bed to test the limits and won’t sleep if the door is open. They share a room. When one misbehaves, the other feeds off of the behavior. Disciplining one causes the other to fall apart. What is a mom to do?

On one hand my heart aches for my precious child. On the other hand I know that kids need to listen to their parents. When I am faced with this kind of situation, I cannot think clearly. Of course, my education and experience tell me one thing while my maternal instincts say yet another.

Education: “Give clear expectations. Explain the consequences clearly. Don’t back down!”

Instincts: “Snuggle and hug that child. Be encouraging and reassuring.”

Education: “Sleep will solve the problem.”

Instincts: “Sometimes you have to break the rules because your baby needs Mommy.”

Thankfully God steps in and helps us out. He leads the way if we let Him. We decided to pray. A2 started praying an incoherent prayer. (Thankfully God understands!) Then I got C4 started with asking God for help. “God, I feel sad and scared tonight. I keep having bad thoughts. I want to sleep because I am so tired, but I can’t fall asleep. Please help me to concentrate on good things. Amen.” What a beautiful prayer!

I must say that I wanted the answer to come sooner than it did. I was not able to keep it together and got angry. However, God helped us out. I had tried to settle everyone down on my own for about an hour and couldn’t do it anymore. My hubby had to take over. I have no idea what happened in that bedroom, but everyone went to sleep after Daddy left. Peace.

My lesson today is that I cannot parent my children alone. Daddy is my partner, and God is the boss! You win again, Lord! When will I learn this lesson?

Today was a better day for me and my family. We actually spent the day together. We went apple picking, a New England tradition that my family loves! It was so much fun to watch the kids with their daddy. The children were really excited about going to the orchard. We were outside enjoying the beautiful day and the foliage all while making memories as a family. It was such a great day!

I learned a couple of lessons as a wife and mother today. I need to be thankful for my blessings. I have two amazing children and a husband who loves me more than I can ever imagine. We have been blessed with the means to do fun things as a family such as go apple picking. I also learned that I need to take a step back and watch my husband in action with our children. He is a fantastic father, and he has great instincts. I would never know that if I didn’t watch him with the children. Today I was able to reflect on these lessons as I enjoyed being with my family.

Thank you, Lord, for such a wonderful day with my family! Help me to see the blessings in the everyday things. I want to be thankful for Your provision and Your love.