Becoming an old woman

When I look in the mirror I see every flaw on my face: the long wrinkle running vertical beside my mouth, my sagging brow over my right eye, the gray hairs appearing around my temples, and much more. Even though I don’t enjoy looking in the mirror as I once did, I still find myself thinking about the old woman I hope to become some day. I wonder what I will look like and what can I do now to be the woman I want to see in 30 years.

When I think about becoming an old woman, I’m not talking about how I want to look but instead what kind of person I will mature and grow into in my spirit. How I truly am in my spirit will determine the expression or demeanor I will have on my face.

So over the next few meetings, I’m going to discuss briefly what kind of old woman should we want to become. This might seem like a morbid thought but it’s really a celebration of life because we should desire and long to live so long as to become old women.

The Bible says in Proverbs 31:30 “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

Think about how you want to look, what kind of expression do you want to carry on your face, and how do you want to make other’s feel in your life if your blessed to grow old.

Thank you,
Lisa
Opening for today's topic meeting 1/10/2012

Happy New Year!

Prayer for the New Year 2012

Dear Heavenly Father,

I thank you for your covenant promise of protection. Right now, I call upon the covenant I have with you and plead the blood of Jesus over my husband, my children, and myself. Angels, I charge you to watch over my family to protect us, for we are walking in the footsteps of Jesus. Go before us, behind us, beside us, and all the way around us. Keep us from calamity, evil, and misfortune. (Name all your family members to the Lord.)

No evil will befall my family in the name of Jesus! No weapon formed against them will prosper, and every lying tongue that rises up against them I do condemn, for this is my heritage as a servant of the Lord.

I thank you, Father, that great is the peace of my children. Their righteousness is of you. They do not walk in their own righteousness, but in your righteousness by the blood of Jesus. I thank you for that, Lord. They will not get off track in life, none of their steps shall slide for you Holy Spirit will guide them every step of the way. Father, your Word says that we, Your sheep, know your voice. It ways you will show us things to come. It says the voice of the spirit will come to us and say, "This is the way, walk in it". I stand on these promises, Lord, and ask that you teach us to hear Your voice. Help us to recognize when you are speaking to us, and we will obey.

Now I stand in Your holy of holies and open my spirit to receive the wisdom you have afforded me. I put myself in a position to hear and receive instruction from You. I enter the secret place of the Most High by the blood of the Lamb, and I purpose to live my life in your presence.

I thank you that you are faithful to Your word. Father, I thank you that what you say is certain and sure. When you say You will deliver us, we can rely on that promise. So right now I receive your supernatural protection and deliverance for my family and me in Jesus' Name.

Amen.

Be a "Susie" in someone's life

Come with me to a third grade classroom

There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk

and all of sudden, there is a puddle between his feet

and the front of his pants are wet.

He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot

possibly imagine how this has happened.

It's never happened before,

and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it.

When the girls find out,

they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

The boy believes his heart is going to stop;

he puts his head down and prays this prayer,

'Dear God, this is an emergency!

I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.'

He looks up from his prayer and here comes

the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.

As the teacher is walking toward him,

a class mate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water.

Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.

The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself,

'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!'

Now all of a sudden,

instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy.

The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out.

All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk.

The sympathy is wonderful.

But as life would have it,

the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else -

Susie.

She tries to help, but they tell her to get out.

You've done enough, you klutz!'

Finally, at the end of the day,

as they are waiting for the bus,

the boy walks over to Susie and whispers,

'You did that on purpose, didn't you?' Susie whispers back,

'I wet my pants once too.'

May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good.

"There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace."

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Right now is a season of your life. If your baby is waking you up in the middle of the night, your body is not your own because of breastfeeding, or you have no privacy due to a clingy two year old, take heart- it will not last forever. It's your season of life.

Being in Mom's Connection is a season and God has brought you here. Maybe you will meet a life long friend, grow in the knowledge of God, or discover for the first time a relationship with the One who made you and loves you.

For whatever the reason, embrace it.

Opener for topic meeting on 10/25/2011
Lisa Fraley

Teach our daughters and our sons...

How are you doing this with your sons and daughters? Click on comment and let us know!

The Cracked Pot

A water bearer in India served his master by toting water from the stream to his master's home. He carried the water in two pots that hung on either end of a pole balanced across his shoulders.

One of the pots had a crack in it; the other pot was perfect. The perfect pot always delivered a full portion of water from the stream, while the cracked pot always arrived at the master's house only half full.

For a full two years this went on, every day the water bearer delivering one full and one half-full measures of water to the master's home. Naturally the full pot was proud of its service, perfect to the end for which it had been made. But the cracked pot was unhappy; ashamed of its imperfection, miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After an eternity of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, the cracked pot spoke to the water bearer one day. "I'm so ashamed of myself," it said. "I want to apologize to you."

"But why?" asked the water bearer.

"For the past two years," spoke the pot, "this crack in my side has let water leak out all the way to the master's house, and I have been unable to deliver but half my load. You do the work carrying me from the stream to our master's house each day, but because of my defect, you don't get full value from your effort," sighed the anguished pot.

Kindly, the water bearer told the distressed pot, "As we return to the master's house today, please notice the lovely flowers along the way."

As the trio returned up the hill, the old cracked pot noticed the winsome wild flowers--the sun glistening off their bright faces, the breeze bending their heads. But still, at the end of the trail, the faulty pot felt bad because it had again leaked out half its load, and again it apologized to the bearer for it's failure.

But the bearer said to the pot, "Did you not notice that the flowers were only on your side of the path? Because I have always known about your 'flaw' I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we wind our way walk back from the stream, you have watered them. And every day I am able to pick these beautiful flowers to adorn our master's table. Were you not just the way you are, the master would not have had this beauty to grace his house."

"The Cracked Pot" by Willy McNamara from "Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul: 101 Inspirational Stories of Overcoming Life's Challenges" by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Heather McNamara copyright 1999 Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen

I saw the preceding story and it made me think of all of the "imperfections" we see in ourselves. We might see another woman and think ,"Man, she's really got it together...look how she serves God...I am too flawed to be able to serve in that way..."

None of us is perfect, but we are perfectly suited to serve in the way God intends for us to serve.

What beauty do you have to grace the Master's house?

Christina Burton

He loves me!

Introducing for this year of Mom’s Connection, our book of choice , is “He Loves Me” by Wayne Jacobsen. This book is about learning to live in God’s love for you.

Read this excerpt:
"The little girl stands in the backyard chanting as she plucks petals one by one from the daisy and drops them to the ground. At game's end, the last petal tells all: whether or not the person desired returns the affection."

"Of course no one takes it seriously, and if children don't get the answer they desire, they take another daisy and start again. It doesn't take long even for children to realize that flowers weren't designed to tell romantic fortunes. Why should they link their hearts' desires to the fickleness of chance?"

"Why indeed! But it is a lesson far easier learned in romance than in more spiritual pursuits. For long after we've put away our daisies, many of us continue to play the game with God. This time we don't pluck flower petals but probe through our circumstances trying to figure out exactly how God feels about us."

"I got a raise. He loves me!
I didn't get the promotion I wanted. He loves me not!
Something in the Bible inspired me today. He loves me!
My child is seriously ill. He loves me not!
I gave money to someone in need. He loves me!
I stretched the truth to get myself out of a tight spot. He loves me not!"

I grew up believing God loved me and for the most part I believed it to be true. It’s easy to believe it in good times. But like the author, I had some hard times that made me question God’s love for me.

What about you?

My prayer for you this year is that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the other mom’s here, to grasp how wide and long, and high and deep is the love of God, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19

Blessings,
Lisa

Growing Roots

When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Dr. Gibbs. He didn't look like any doctor I'd ever known. Every time I saw him, he wore denim overalls and a straw hat, the front brim of which was green sun glass plastic. He smiled a lot, a smile that matched his hat--old and crinkly and well worn. He never yelled at us for playing in his yard. I remember him as someone who was a lot nicer than circumstances warranted.

When Dr. Gibbs wasn't saving lives, he was planting trees. His house sat on ten acres, and his life's goal was to make it a forest.

The good doctor had some interesting theories concerning plant husbandry. He came from the "no pain, no gain" school of horticulture. He never watered his new trees, which flew in the face of conventional wisdom. Once I asked why. He said that watering plants spoiled them, and that if you water them, each successive tree generation will grow weaker and weaker. So you have to make things rough for them and weed out the weenie trees early on.

He talked about how watering trees made for shallow roots, and how trees that weren't watered had to grow deep roots in search of moisture. I took him to mean that deep roots were something to be treasured.

So he never watered his trees. He'd plant an oak and instead of watering it every morning, he'd beat it with a rolled-up newspaper. Smack! Slap! Pow! I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree's attention.

Dr. Gibbs went to glory a couple of years after I left home. Every now and again, I walk by his house and look at the trees that I'd watched him plant some twenty-five years ago. They're granite strong now. Big and robust. Those trees wake up in the morning and beat their chests and drink their coffee black.

I planted a couple of trees a few years back. Carried water to them for a solid summer. Sprayed them. Prayed over them. The whole nine yards. Two years of coddling has resulted in trees that expect to be waited on hand and foot. Whenever a cold wind blows in, they tremble and chatter their branches. Sissy trees.

Funny thing about those trees of Dr. Gibbs'. Adversity and deprivation seemed to benefit them in ways comfort and ease never could.

Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I stand over them and watch their little bodies, the rising and falling of life within. I often pray for them. Mostly I pray that their lives will be easy. "Lord, spare them from hardship." But lately I've been thinking that it's time to change my prayer.

This change has to do with the inevitability of cold winds that hit us at the core. I know my children are going to encounter hardship, and my praying they won't is naive. There's always a cold wind blowing somewhere.

So I'm changing my eventide prayer. Because life is tough, whether we want it to be or not. Instead, I'm going to pray that my sons' roots grow deep, so they can draw strength from the hidden sources of the eternal God.

Too many times we pray for ease, but that's a prayer seldom met. What we need to do is pray for roots that reach deep into the Eternal, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, we won't be swept asunder.

from "Front Porch Tales" by Philip Gulley copyright 1997

Just Playing

When I'm building in the block room,
Please don't say I'm "just playing."
For, you see, I'm learning as I play.
About balance and shapes.

When I'm getting all dressed up,
Setting the table, caring for the babies.
Don't get the idea I'm "just playing."
For, you see, I'm learning as I play.
I may be a mother or a father someday.

When you see me up to my elbows in paint,
Or standing at an easel, or molding and shaping clay,
Please don't let me hear you say, "he's just playing."
For you see, I'm learning as I play.
I'm expressing myself and being creative.
I may be an artist or an inventor someday.

When you see me sitting in a chair
"Reading" to an imaginary audience,
Please don't laugh and think I'm "just playing."
For, you see, I'm learning as I play.
I may be a teacher someday.

When you see me combing the bushes for bugs,
Or packing my pockets with choice things I find,
Don't pass it off as "just playing."
For, you see, I'm learning as I play.
I may be a scientist someday.

When you see me engrossed in a puzzle,
Or some "plaything" at my school,
Please don't feel the time is wasted in "play"
For, you see, I'm learning as I play.
I'm learning to solve problems and concentrate.
I may be in business someday.

When you see me cooking or tasting foods,
Please don't think that because I enjoy it, it is just "play."
I'm learning to follow directions and see differences.
I may be a chef someday.

When you see me learning to skip, hop, run, and move my body,
Please don't say I'm "just playing."
For, you see, I'm learning as I play.
I'm learning how my body works.
I may be a doctor, nurse, or athlete someday.

When you ask me what I've done at school today,
And I say, "I've played."
Please don't misunderstand me.
For, you see, I'm learning as I play.
I'm learning to enjoy and be successful in work.
I'm preparing for tomorrow.
Today, I'm a child and my work is play.

Anita Wadley

Copyright 1999 Anita Wadley. Taken from "Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul; 101 Inspirational Stories of Overcoming Life's Challenges" by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Heather McNamara copyright 1999 by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen

Releasing our children to God...

Repost from August 2010
Just spending a week covering our children in prayer is not enough. There are so many areas of their lives that need the touch of God. However when we do all we can to love, care, and pray over our children, in the end we must release them to God. Stormie Omartian says it best, "We can't be everywhere. But God can. We can't see everything. But God can. We can't know everything. But God can. No matter what age our children are, releasing them into God's hands is a sign of our faith and trust in Him and is the first step toward making a difference in their lives." Let's pray...


Lord,

I come to You in Jesus' name and give (name of child) to You. I'm convinced that You alone know what is best for him (her). You alone know what he (she) needs. I release him (her) to You to care for and protect, and I commit myself to pray for everything concerning him (her) that I can think of or that You put upon my heart. Teach me how to pray and guide me in what to pray about. Help me not to impose my own will when I'm praying for him (her), but rather enable me to pray that Your will be done in his (her) life.

Thank You that I can partner with You in raising him (her) and that I don't have to do it alone. I'm grateful that I don't have to rely on the world's unreliable and ever-changing methods for child rearing, but that I can have clear directions from Your Word and wisdom as I pray to You for answers.


Thank You, Lord, for the precious gift of this child. Because Your Word says that every good gift comes from You, I know that You have given him (her) to me to care for and raise. Help me to do that. Show me places where I continue to hang on to him (her) and enable me to release him (her) to Your protection, guidance, and counsel. Help me not to live in fear of possible dangers, but in the joy and peace of knowing that You are in control. I rely on You for everything, and this day I trust my child to You and release him (her) into Your hands.
Amen.


A prayer from The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian, Releasing My Child into God's Hands


Blessings,
Lisa

Let's pray over our child's room...

A repost from August 2010
We have lifted up our child(ren) this week while they have been at school. Now let's pray over our child's room so when they come home their room will be spiritually clean. Just think about all they come in contact with during the day especially in public school. We don't want them to bring anything home that shouldn't be. Let's pray...

Lord,
I invite Your Holy Spirit to dwell in this room, which belongs to (name of child). You are Lord over heaven and earth, and I proclaim that You are Lord over this room as well. Flood it with Your light and life. Crowd our any darkness which seeks to impose itself here, and let no spirits of fear, depression, anger, doubt, anxiety, rebelliousness, or hatred (name anything you've seen manifested in your child's behavior) find any place here. I pray that nothing will come into this room that is not brought by You, Lord. If there is anything here that shouldn't be, show me so it can be taken out.Put Your complete protection over this room so that evil cannot enter here by any means. Fill this room with Your love, peace, and joy. I pray that my child will say, as David did, "I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set nothing wicked before my eyes" (Psalm 101:2-3). I pray that You, Lord, will make this room a holy place, sanctified for Your glory.
Amen

A prayer from the The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian, Praying through a child's room

Blessings,
Lisa

Praying for our children this first week of school...

A repost from August 2010
We know as adults, especially now, how important friends can be in our lives. The people we choose to surround ourselves with can either build us up or tear us down. The Bible says, "The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray" (Proverbs 12:26). This is why we take the time to pray that our children will make the right friends this school year and be drawn to the right role models. Join me...

Lord,
I lift up (name of child) to You and ask that You would bring godly friends and role models into his (her) life. Give him (her) the wisdom he (she) needs to choose friends who are godly and help him (her) to never compromise his (her) walk with You in order to gain acceptance. Give me Holy Spirit-inspired discernment in how I guide or influence him (her) in the selection of friends.

I pray that You would take anyone who is not a godly influence out of his (her) life or else transform that person into Your likeness.Your Word says, "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed" (Proverbs 13:20). Don't let my child be a companion of fools. Enable him (her) to walk with wise friends and not have to experience the destruction that can happen by walking with foolish people.

Deliver him (her) from anyone with an ungodly character so he (she) will not learn that person's ways and set a snare for his (her) own soul.Whenever there is grief over a lost friendship, comfort him (her) and send new friends with whom he (she) can connect, share, and be the person You created him (her) to be. Take away any loneliness or low self-esteem that would cause him (her) to seek out less than God-glorifying relationships.

In Jesus' name I pray that You would teach him (her) the meaning of true friendship. Teach him (her) how to be a good friend and make strong, close, lasting relationships. May each of his (her) friendships always glorify You.
Amen.

A prayer from The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian, Attracting Godly Friends and Role Models

Blessings,
Lisa

The first week of school, let's pray...

Repost from August 2010
Yesterday I felt it imperative to pray first over our children's safety. I think it's our first concern. I know it's mine. For today, let's pray for our children's school, teachers, classes, and their mind.

Lord,
I pray that (name of child) will have a deep reverence for You and Your ways. May he (she) hide Your word in his (her) heart like a treasure, and seek after understanding like silver or gold. Give him (her) a good mind, a teachable spirit, and an ability to learn. Instill in him (her) a desire to attain knowledge and skill, and may he (she) have joy in the process. Above all, I pray that he (she) will be taught by You, for Your Word says that when our children are taught by You they are guaranteed peace. You have also said, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7). May he (she) never be a fool and turn away from learning, but rather may he (she) turn to You for the knowledge he (she) needs.

I pray he (she) will respect the wisdom of his (her) parents and be willing to be taught by them. May he (she) also have the desire to be taught by the teachers You bring into his (her) life. Handpick each one, Lord, and my they be godly people from whom he (she) can easily learn. Take out of his (her) life any teacher who would be an ungodly influence or create a bad learning experience. Let him (her) find favor with his (her) teachers and have good communication with them. Help him (her) to excel in school and do well in any classes he (she) may take. Make the pathways of learning smooth and not something with which he (she) must strain and struggle. Connect everything in his (her) brain the way it is supposed to be so that he (she) has clarity of thought, organization, good memory, and strong learning ability.

I say to him (her) according to Your Word, "Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge" (Proverbs 23:12). "May the Lord give you understanding in all things" (2 Timothy 2:7). Lord, enable him (her) to experience the joy of learning more about You and Your world.
In Jesus' Name

Prayer from The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian, Instilling the Desire to Learn

Blessings,
Lisa

The First Day of School!!!

A Repost from August 2010:
When my children were five years old, this was a day I dreaded-the first day of school. Now after a few years under their belts, I'm not upset anymore. There are moments I breath a sigh of relief. However, I still am concerned over them. Who will they sit with on the bus? Will their teacher like them? What does this school year hold? With that in mind, I bring all my burdens for them to God in prayer.

So this week I would like to focus on praying for our children. Whether you're teaching them at home, sending them off to Pre-K, Elementary, or "Ahhh" Middle School, lets agree together that God will look after our children's mind, body, and soul.

Lord,
I lift (name of child) up to You and ask that You would put a hedge of protection around her (him). Protect her (his) spirit, body, mind, and emotions from any kind of evil or harm. I pray specifically for protection from accidents, disease, injury, or any other physical, mental, or emotional abuse. I pray that she (he) will make her (his) refuge "in the shadow of Your wings" until " these calamities have passed by" (Psalm 57:1). Hide her (him) from any kind of evil influences that would come against her (him). Keep her (him) safe from any hidden dangers and let no weapon formed against her (him) be able to prosper.
Thank You, Lord, for Your many promises of protection. Help her (him) to walk in Your ways and in obedience to Your will so that she (he) never comes out from under the umbrella of that protection. Keep her (him) safe in all she (he) does and wherever she (he) goes.
In Jesus name, I pray.

Prayer from The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian, Securing Protection from Harm

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.'" Psalm 91:1

Blessings,
Lisa

Martina McBride - Anyway

For those who need to hear it...

'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus

You wake and the sun is shining. You rise from your bed with a healthy, strong body. You have gas in your car, money in your pocket, and a kiss on your cheek from those you love, and a song in your heart from God. You are at peace with all those around you. You blissfully soar through the day accomplishing everything you set to do. When your day looks like this, it’s easy to trust God.

If your anything like me, life doesn’t go that smoothly. It’s one of the reasons I asked God to give me more faith and trust in Him. It’s easy to trust Him when life is great but much harder when life is completely opposite from what you would like. I want to be at peace in my spirit no matter what is going on around me. I want to be confident that I rest in the arms of the Almighty (Matthew 11:28-30) that my help comes from the maker of heaven and earth (Ps. 146:6), and I am the apple of His eye (Ps. 17:8). I go back and remind myself all that God has brought me through in the past so I won’t fret about the future.

In my prayer journal entry on December 30, 2010, I wrote "Every concern I had- relationships, finances, my husband's job, Mom's Connection- God saw me through and had everything in His hands! God is faithful! God is my provider! God is trustworthy!" It is my hope and prayer that you will trust God with whatever you are going through today!

Blessings,
Lisa

Coming this fall...

"The friendship Jesus shared with His disciples was the model for the relationship He extends to you. He wants to be the voice that steers you through every situation, the peace that sets your troubled heart at rest, and the power that holds you up in the storm. He wants to be closer than your dearest friend and more faithful than anyone you've ever known."
He Loves Me! By Wayne Jacobsen.

If this statement intrigues you, join us in the fall as we study this wonderful book together and learn about the Fathers love for us and His desire that we walk close beside Him in an intimate relationship, feeling secure in His great affection for us.

Kim Ratcliffe

The Gardner

On the path I take every evening when I’m walking my dog, I go past an abandoned house. A few weeks back, I noticed a beautiful rose bush with six roses in full bloom. Because of my love of roses, I stopped to admire them. For each rose to be so full, I knew there were years of pruning and care given to this bush. And now it stands alone.

What if the once gardener of this rose bush had become frustrated with the growing process and hacked it away or trimmed too much? What if when it was attacked with disease, the gardener yanked it out of the ground? I’m sure there were times when there was doubt in the gardener’s eyes that this rose bush would ever become the vision of beauty it is today.

We, as mothers, are like the gardner in our child’s life. We have to carefully look after, love, and prune each child given to us by God. There is much time and consideration put into this process. We must take care of their physical needs as well as emotional and spiritual. We can become frustrated and wonder if our efforts will ever produce the beautiful masterpiece we hope to see one day.

While our children are in our care, we can’t give up. The gardner clearly knows what is seeks to achieve~ the bounty of harvest or the rose in full bloom. We need to keep before us the outcome we are striving for in our children.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galations 6:9

Blessings,
Lisa

Trusting God

Throughout Scripture, God continually encourages us to rely on him like a child relies on a parent. Some of us may have lost the ability to trust because our parents never provided adequately for our needs, while others of us may have lost our ability to trust through circumstances- a failed job, death of a loved one, a lost desire. But God has revealed time and again that he can help us relearn that childlike faith if we let him. It's a matter of cultivating a relationship with him and letting him show himself faithful as he works good out of our circumstances. Close your eyes and picture yourself resting your head on Jesus' chest. Can you hear his heart beating with love for you?

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust God because...
God blesses those who trust him. Psalm 143:8
God cares for those who trust in him. Nahum 1:7
Trusting God brings joy, peace, and hope. Romans 15:13

Devotional from The Busy Mom's Bible

He loves me!

The little girl stands in the backyard chanting as she plucks petals one by one from the daisy and drops them to the ground. He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me. At game's end, the last petal tells all: whether or not the person desired returns the affection.

Of course no one takes it seriously, and if children don't get the answer they desire, they take another daisy and start again. It doesn't take long even for children to realize that flowers weren't designed to tell romantic fortunes. Why should they link their hearts' desires to the fickleness of chance?

Why indeed! But it is a lesson far easier learned in romance than in more spiritual pursuits. For long after we've put away our daisies, many of us continue to play the game with God. This time we don't pluck flower petals but probe through our circumstances trying to figure out exactly how God feels about us.

I got a raise, He loves me.

I didn't get the promotion I wanted; I lost my job. He loves me not!

Something in the Bible inspired me today. He loves me!

My child is seriously ill. He loves me not!

Something I prayed for actually happened. He loves me!

I stretched the truth to get myself out of a tight spot. He loves me not!

On and on the game goes until we lose sight of how the Lord feels about us altogether and we either walk away deciding there is nothing we could ever do to please Him or we work ourselves to death trying to earn His affection.

What about you? Have you ever felt tossed back and forth by circumstances, occasionally certain but mostly uncertain about how the Creator of the Universe feels about you? Or perhaps you've never even known how much God loves you.

Well, I want to assure you today that He really does love you with an everlasting love. During all of your difficult circumstances His presence is there to strengthen you and carry you through if only you will choose to call on His name:

I lost my job, but several friends from church prayed for me and even brought my family groceries. He loves me!

My child is seriously ill, but our pastor and congregation have set up a round the clock prayer vigil for us and have sent cards and letters of encouragement. He loves me!

I stretched the truth to get myself out of a tight spot, but I prayed and repented and the Lord forgave me and gave me another chance. He loves me!

You see it is always He loves me! He loves me! He loves me!

In fact God's Word tells us over and over again about His steadfast love for us. My prayer for each of you today is the same prayer Paul prayed for the Ephesians:

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom His whole family in Heaven and on earth derives its names. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:14-19

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

Kim Ratcliffe
Referencing the book He Loves Me! Learning to Live in the Father's Affection by Wayne Jacobsen