Endless : 1,000 Gifts

Photo by elenaerda

294. The hope of healing.

295. Dancing with Christian to Brooke Fraser: “You’re sweet, sweeter than honey tea / You’re precious and worth more than gold to me”

296. A.J.’s patient and comforting words to me during my health struggles over the past week.

297. Renewing my devotional times.

298. Cool weather.

299. A successful and delicious recipe: pork roast and mashed red potatoes.

300. Our women’s meeting last Wednesday.

301. A.J. and Christian eating supper together last night.

302. Not being in the midst of homeschooling right now.

303. “All things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”

304. Lunch with a friend from church and her children.

305. Having endless gratitude points to choose from, no matter what.

306. Being reminded that my life is not my own.

Weekend Links, Vol. 4

Photo by a tai

• 10-10-10 :: Nicole Baart
• the arms that can reach :: chatting at the sky
• How to Make Your Home Sing! :: Women Living Well
• I Don’t Want to Be an Angry Mom :: Ordinary Inspirations
• Track Your Time to See What You REALLY Do All Day :: Productivity Your Way

This is my fourth Weekend Links post, and I’m liking the opportunity to share blog posts I enjoy during the week. Do you find them helpful and interesting? Is there a certain type of link you want to see more or less of?

Thanks for reading, and I hope you’re having a great weekend!

How-to’s are {kind of} not my style

Ambitions sometimes swirl around in my head when it comes to blogging.

I blog because I love it. I love to write, and this provides the perfect platform for me in this season of life. I’m not the most eloquent or talented writer, but I can’t stop and I probably never will.

I am so grateful for those of you who read Hope Road. Having such a kind and responsive readership encourages me to no end. Seeing those subscriber numbers go up isn’t about popularity or pride… at least it shouldn’t be… instead, it’s an added incentive to keep writing.

Right now I want to be honest. As I said, I become ambitious. I dream of earning money to help my family with what I write… of my writing being a small part-time job… what a blessing that would be. Many others do it. You can start with one sponsor. That’s my dream. But it’s not my goal. If it happens someday, wonderful. If not, I’ll keep right on blogging as the Lord leads.

I’ve considered starting a niche blog, a practical and focused place to write “how-to’s” and helpful articles, with the specific goal of gaining sponsorship and earning a small income. Maybe I will at some point.

My fear is losing my passion. That is more important to me than making money. I write because I want to. I choose topics because they’re important to me. And I love that freedom and don’t feel prepared to give it up.

Photo by Claudio.Ar

How to Be a Biblical Wife

Photo by Amy V. Miller

My title is a little ironic, since there is no 12-step program to become a biblical anything. It’s a work of grace in the heart through faith. But that grace drives us toward obedience and learning what the will of the Lord is.

Here are “Five Biblical Principles Concerning the Wife’s Submission,” paraphrased from The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace. Conviction, conviction, conviction! Are you ready?

1. Submit to your husband in all things unless he asks you to sin.

“The husband is the head of the home, and the wife is to submit to even very small and seemingly unimportant requests or directives from him because they are important to him.” (p. 143)

2. Do not be afraid to do the right thing.

“A submissive wife is not afraid of doing the ‘right thing.’ She entrusts herself to God, knowing that in difficulty, God will give her the grace she needs to get through it at the very time she needs it.” (p. 146)

3. Be submissive even if your husband is not a Christian.

“When a Christian woman is married to an unbeliever, her responsiblity is to live a godly life and respond to her husband with respect. Her attitude should be one of being for him and not against him.” (p. 146)

4. Do not dishonor the Word of God.

“When a wife is not submissive to her husband, she brings shame to God’s Word because she is not living up to the standard God has clearly laid out for the godly wife.” (p. 148)

5. Seek training and counsel on submission from a godly older woman.

“Part of this instruction involved the older woman instructing the younger woman in what she is doing wrong biblically. If the younger woman is wise, she will listen to the ‘life-giving reproof’ and eventually ‘acquire wisdom’ (Prov. 15:32, 33).” (p. 150)

You might have a tough time agreeing with these ideas. Or you might be like me and think they are great in theory… but much more difficult to put into practice!

A.J. mentioned to me something our pastor said recently to the men: focus on your responsibility to love your wife, not your wife’s responsibility to submit to you. And I think in the same way I should focus on my responsibility to submit, not his responsibility to love me.

Before I got married, I thought this would be easier than it is. I didn’t picture myself arguing, being sarcastic, questioning, manipulating, etc. I thought I was better than that. Was I ever wrong. By God’s grace I seek to submit, and it is a long journey toward obedience.

Surviving As Mama When You’re Sick

Photo by clevercupcakes

Being a mother is an all-encompassing delight. It is also physically, emotionally, and spiritually demanding on the best of days. Extended sickness or exhaustion brings a whole new dynamic.

Over the past several months I’ve been dealing with symptoms of a concussion, exacerbated by repeated impacts, fatigue, and exercise. Also fresh in my memory are the days of pregnancy, when nausea took the wind out of my sails and left me struggling to complete the most basic tasks.

Now I only have an 8-month-old son, so I am inexperienced in the challenges of managing multiple little ones while not feeling well. I also have not experienced long-term serious illness like many mothers do. I can only imagine the challenges incurred when facing cancer, death in the family, or a chronic debilitating disease.

Still, I thought I would share a few tips on surviving an extended period of illness or exhaustion. Anyone can make it through a sick day here or there. You can let things slide and catch up in a day or two. But when you’re physically unwell for weeks or months, it’s much more challenging to figure out how to keep your head above water. Here are a few strategies that have helped me:

1. Rest while you engage your littles. This will look different depending on what season of motherhood you are in, but for me it means lying on the floor while Christian is playing. I save energy while I talk to him, build block towers, etc. Crystal from Money Saving Mom has mentioned that during her third pregnancy nausea, she spent a lot of time in bed reading to her daughters.

2. Figure out your survival routine. I have my regular routine, but I’ve also created a survival routine, inspired by a post at Life as Mom about preparing for the first trimester (not because I’m pregnant. I just think it’s a good idea). Mine is a pared-down version of my regular routine: one load of laundry, one household chore, and one item from my to-do list.

3. Get as much done as possible early in the day. In the morning, I feel like sleeping in and relaxing. But I’m not as physically drained as I will be later in the day, so I’ve learned it’s best to be as productive as possible early on so I can slow down as my energy fades.

4. Take full advantage of naptime. It can be tempting to wait till naptime to get things done, but instead, use naptime as a chance to rest and refuel when you’re not feeling well. If you’re a napper, nap! If you’re not (like me), at least try to have some downtime. Hopefully you’ll have more energy to invest in your little ones when they wake up.

5. Make supper right after breakfast. Okay, maybe not right after breakfast, but prepare dinner as early in the day as possible. It eliminates so much stress in the late afternoon and ensures that you won’t be calling your husband to pick up fast food on the way home because you ran out of time and energy.

6. Take shortcuts. The crock pot can be your new best friend. So can meals that are easy to prepare, like spaghetti or beans and rice. Don’t feel bad that you’re not making gourmet meals or line-drying all your clothes for awhile.

7. Exercise if you possibly can. A daily 30-minute walk can make all the difference in the world. Keep it a top priority no matter what. It will help you feel better and get better sleep at night. Even when I feel too exhausted to exercise, it ends up making me more energized.

How do you survive long periods of fatigue or illness?

Jesus I Come : 1,000 Gifts

Photo by UGArdener

278. Being convicted of sin.

279. Having family over to visit.

280. Having friends over to visit.

281. An 8.5-hour night’s sleep.

282. My mom reading Christian a story over Skype.

283. Pumpkin pie.

284. Conflict resolution.

285. Keeping the house consistently picked up.

286. New toys for Christian from his Grams.

287. “I’ll be praying for you.”

288. Texts from my sister.

289. My pillow.

290. A “new” Bible – one I used a few years ago and never underlined.

291. The Excellent Wife.

292. The park.

293. “Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the joy and light of Thy home,
Jesus, I come to Thee;
Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee.”

Weekend Links, Vol. 3

Photo by addicted Eyes

• Must Listen Message for Mammas! :: Grace Full Mom
• Daily Schedule for Homeschooling :: The Stay-at-Home Missionary
• Our little birds’ nest :: Finding My Feet
• 31 Days to a Less Messy Nest Day 7: Laundry :: Nesting Place
• Truth & Lies About Exercise: This Post May Save Your Life :: The Resurgence

A lovely October weekend is upon us! We are going to enjoy our own little family and some time with extended family, and maybe visit a pumpkin patch. Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you back here for Multitude Monday!

Vlog: Celebrating Autumn

Conquering stage fright one vlog at a time…

I wanted to post another video, but couldn’t think of anything to say (always a bad way to start, huh?). So I thought I would talk about Life’s Fallback Topic: the weather. Autumn is beautiful!

This is rather humbling for me to put up because I sound like such a dork! Like, over-enthusiastic, especially with the facial expressions. If my husband sees this he is so going to make fun of me. But hey, humility’s good for a person, right?

Sorry about the low sound… I was trying to be quiet for my sleeping baby.

Snapshots from My Weekend

I haven’t posted pictures for awhile. I love sharing everyday details sometimes. So here’s a little glimpse into my mom and sister’s visit this past weekend.

Christian acting like a big boy at a resturant. He sat in about 9 different places in 1 hour. We were all trying to simultaneously keep him happy and enjoy our meal.

Me and my baby!

My sister, me, Christian, and my mamma.

My little family!

Christian’s first encounter with the ocean.

The Gospel-Driven Homemaker

 
Photo by linda yvonne

I’ve been reading Kaylene’s blog for a long time. She is now teaching English in Hungary. A little segment from her latest post encouraged and convicted me:

“Feeling burdened to not lose focus for why I’m here. Planning English lessons isn’t what it’s all about. Finding a way I can share Jesus to them in a personal way, is what it’s all about…”

It doesn’t matter that I’m not overseas. My focus should be the same.

Loving, fearing, serving, delighting in the Lord…

Loving and serving others in my sphere of influence…

Making the good news of God and His saving grace known…

That’s what it’s all about.

Dishes? Laundry? Diapers? Walmart trips? Ways to serve. And love. And be the hands and feet of Jesus.

People who get in my way? Cut me off on the road? Annoy me? Don’t take naps when they’re supposed to? (Hehe…) All people who will live for eternity… people who need the gospel as much as I do… people who God deliberately placed in my path.

I can’t do it! If you know me, you know my sins… even my character flaws, my annoying idiosyncracies…

But this verse gives me hope: “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)