A Reminder to Take "Little Bites"

"I squeeze my creative endeavors into my life in little bites. Once or twice a year I might have an uninterrupted half-day to myself, but generally all my sewing, writing, painting, and decorating get squeezed in among the daily things of caring for a family and home.

And here's how..."

An excellent reminder to all of us moms, or women in general for that matter, on how taking what time we have instead of complaining about not having more time to do the things we need or want to do. Click here to read the rest of the post from Pleasantview Schoolhouse. Anna always has beautiful photography and projects as well as encouraging words. Be sure to drop by and read about her amazing sewing skills and check out her etsy shop while you're there. 

Is Blogging Like Reality TV?

So not real picture of me. Blessed to have taken my shower
last night and to have dry hair. Coffee cup strategically
placed over blemishes, and empty of coffee. Camera angled
so that you can't see all the clutter in the kitchen and shot
so you can't see my insecurities ;)

Perhaps the title is a bit misleading, but what I mean is do we read blogs for the same reason we watch reality tv? Do they both affect us the same way, for better or worse? Warning: this could easily morph into multiple posts on the topic.

I realize that everyone could give many different reasons as to why they are into reading blogs or watching reality tv, but I think there are some similarities, good and bad.

First, there's the question of is this really reality? I think very few people are convinced anymore that so-called "reality" tv is actually real. At its worst it's likely to be very scripted and one can't trust that any of it is void of scripted antics merely for the sake of sensationalism. And yet at it's best, it can't truly be real either. After all, if there were tv cameras at your house would everything go as normal? Would you still be in your pajamas while you drink your morning coffee? Would your tone change as you correct your children?

The Duggars, although slightly controversial, I think most would agree represent such a positive view in "reality" tv, and yet I am certain there are things not realistic in their portrayal. For example, you never see the older girls just after they wake up before their hair is perfect or their makeup is on. And even the older boys, father, and mother are rarely seen without looking put together. I am not saying this is bad or criticizing them for it, because honestly, I think I would strive to do the same in their situation, merely to point out that even when the intentions are to be completely forthright and honest in reflecting the reality of this family, it's still not truly an accurate portrayal of day to day life, and I wouldn't expect it to be so.

I think the same can be said of blogging. I don't think most people who are writing a blog are actively seeking to be misleading or dishonest, but like reality tv, we either think no one wants to see the ugly side of life (which honestly, we don't for the most part), or we only blog when we think we have something of some relevance to say.

There's a danger I think in both when it comes to the reality of both. The truth is we don't really know people on reality shows, but we don't usually really know the people who write the blogs we follow either. And yet, it's so weird how we feel as though we do. Because both venues seemingly open the lives and homes of total strangers to us as if we were close family or friends, we feel a relationship with them when none exists. Even when I look to blogs as entertaining or for useful information or as a tool for learning more, I can't help but feel a relationship with the person writing it, though they be a total stranger. And worse still, there is not a relationship with anything other than my computer/iphone! And the relationships, or potential relationships, with the real people that I see daily all around me can somehow take a backseat in priority to reading the latest about my beloved blog friends.

I'm not suggesting that watching reality tv or reading blogs are in and of themselves a sin or wrong, merely that I think they have the potential to keep us from our reality. They can keep us from having meaningful relationships with our families and neighbors, and worse as a Christian from witnessing to those around us. I realize that anything can become an idol, and don't even get me started on social networking (fb, I'm talking to you!) and how it's pulled me from those I love, but the potential through our computers and phones to make it so much easier to get lost in a virtual world of unreality no matter how many real people are behind it, is frankly scary.

"All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not."-1 Corinthians 10:23

This isn't a new year's resolution, but I am going to try, by God's grace to get out of this web pulling me  away from those around me. My phone is just going to have to be a phone again, and though I do still plan on blogging, I don't plan on reading blogs as much. I want to see and talk to my kids and my husband and my neighbors, no offense, but God has put me directly into their lives for a reason, and I feel as though I have often neglected them.
This is totally my sin, not to start a ban on blogging/internet ;)
The internet and blogging and fb have all been wonderful tools for me, and I will continue to use them as such, but I don't want to do it, or anything else for that matter, to the neglect of my home or others. I hope my kids see me accessing a tool, but not seeking it over them.

"Rejoice in the Lord alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord [is] at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."-Philippians 4:4-13

So, how do you keep your use of technology and social media in check? How do you involve your family in them? Is there anything you would change about your use of them?

"But godliness with contentment is great gain."-1 Timothy 6:6

God make me content to be with those You have given me influence over, and keep me from idolatry of any kind. I pray that you would make me value You above all else, and that I would seek to serve others rather than my selfish desires for a life outside of Your will. I pray that it would be You and not me to influence, and that no matter what You would be most glorified in my life. 

Hello, again...

Just popping in ;)

Hey y'all!

I know, I haven't written anything here in well over a year, and I bet no one was ever expecting me to again. And yet here I am, writing once again. So much has happened in the space between that I almost don't know where to start, but I said almost, so here goes.
First, I think you should know why I started a hiatus to begin with. My husband and I were in agreement that I needed to stop blogging for a while. Partly because it was very time-consuming and I had little spare time, and because we both felt a conviction that it was increasingly hard to not be two-dimensional here. I mean that it is easy for others to read a blog post and think they know you, and think you have all the answers, or that your life is picture perfect all the time. The truth is that most people who will ever read this will never actually know me apart from the words written here. That may sound cold and indifferent, but it's true. I know that I have to remind myself when reading a favorite blog that I don't actually know this person. (How odd a time we live in when anyone and everyone can write to the world who they want be, whether it be true or not!) And even though my intention was never to mislead anyone, we felt that I needed some time away from writing here to sort it all out. I wasn't sure that I wasn't in sin somehow in blogging here, and no matter how ridiculous that may seem to you, it's the truth and my conscience would not allow me to have peace until I could come back fresh and without a burden or a fear of my being sinful in it.
Then, when my husband and I agreed that I should write again, my laptop's charger cable quit working.  What can I say, I have a macbook and a replacement wasn't a big priority (when you read what we've been up to in the last year and a half, I think you'll understand why).
So, many months later, here I am again. I suppose I could've tried to type one on my phone, but who knows what the infamous iphone spell check would've replaced what I was typing. It might have been much more interesting to read and definitely more entertaining.
Well, there you have it. That's why I've not been blogging lately, and now to tell you what's in store. I hope to post in the next few days about some of the miraculous things God has been doing here. I will warn you that I can't promise that I'll be very regular at posting, as again, it's not a very high priority, and I hope you'll understand that. I also hope to post more about sewing, just because I want to, and I love sewing or creating anything for that matter. I realize that one of the tips for a good blog is to know your audience and limit your blog to specific subject(s). I just can't do that, I'm far too indecisive, and like everyone else my interests and tastes vary greatly.
So, that's it, why did you think I stopped writing? ;)

For A Season

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:"-Ecclesiastes 3:1

I am in a particular season for my life, so are you. My season happens to be being a wife and a mom to a 3 yr. old and an almost 3 month old.
Just four years ago my life was completely different. I was in a totally different mindset and season. I could spend most of my day the way I wanted to. I could keep my home perfectly spotless. I could go to the bathroom without an audience. I could read/type a sentence without being interrupted by dressing paper dolls or changing a diaper. I could start projects and finish them in a timely manner. My body was my own, and entirely for my husband with no nursing babies laying claim to it. I could work out whenever I chose. I could eat what I liked (right now I'm nursing a baby with colic and acid reflux and have had to take dairy, all dairy, out of my diet). 
This post could easily turn into a rant. I could easily complain about how different my life is and the fact that I can't do whatever I like whenever I like. I could lament the changes my body has had to go through in order to give birth to and nurse two children. I could cry tears of self-pity over the never-ending mess my home seems to be in, and the fact that I can constantly clean it without any noticeable change. 
But I know this is only a season. I will not be the mother of young children forever. They are already growing up before my eyes and changing in ways that amaze me daily. They won't always coo and smile those toothless grins, or hug me at night and say, "Mommy, I want to stay with you forever!". I am forever grateful to God for my children.
This is only for a season. And yet there are things that will never be the same, even when this season has passed. Let's be honest, I will never look the same as I did on my wedding day, even if I could still wear my wedding dress. I will always feel the affects of having been pregnant four times (we have two babies in heaven), my body will never be as it was prior to having children. Being a stay-at-home mother who's trying to homeschool means I will not be working full-time outside the home as I used to, and money will always probably be tight.
And yet none of those things are really bothering me. Lately there's only been one overwhelming thing that is making me feel, well, a little depressed to be honest. Guilt. I feel guilt over not being the mother I want to be. I feel guilty not being able to keep my home the way I want to keep it. I feel guilty not being able to fit in many of my clothes and still be modest (nursing moms, you know what I mean!). I feel guilty not having the time or energy to be there for my husband as I would like to be. I feel guilty for not spending time being hospitable. 
But most of all, I feel guilty because I don't have the time or energy or frankly the motivation to pray and read and study God's Word as I would like and know I need. I get so caught up trying to catch up or just feeling exhausted, that I feel like I'm wasting the time I've been given. 

‎"It is an unpleasant mistake to think all the time as lost which is not spent in reading, or hearing sermons, or prayer. These are properly called means of grace; they should be attended to in their proper season; but the fruits of grace are to appear in our common daily course of conduct." - John Newton

I had been taking out my frustration from this guilt on anyone and everything. Now granted, I wasn't abusing my kids or my husband, and  I wasn't neglecting needs, but I was doing things with a bitter heart. And no matter how much I tried to be cheerful, my heart was full of frustration and anger, and it was affecting those around me. 

There's a lot of guilt that comes with motherhood, and it's fueled by worry and genuine love for my family. I love my kids and my husband more than I've ever loved anything or anyone ever. I want most of all for them to see Jesus in my love for them lived out in all that I do or say, for them to see the gospel in every word and deed. But my heart's wickedness can nullify that. My attitude can negate the words I say or the things I do, because they aren't done with the right affections. God has to come before my husband, my children, my home, and me. 

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me."-Exodus 20:3

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment."-Matthew 22:37-38

God has to have the first place in my life, but that's in the light of the gospel. What I mean is, God doesn't change the state of my salvation or my standing in Christ before Him, simply because I sin or because I'm going through a season where I can't read, study, or pray as I want to. 

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."-Ephesians 2:4-9

Putting God first doesn't mean I am living a monastic life or that I am sitting in a quiet room for hours praying and studying. It means that I acknowledge Him in all that I do. It means that I submit to His will, knowing that He created this season for me, and that my joyful embracing of it will glorify Him and be for my good. It means that my heart will rejoice in Him when I feel so depressed. It means that I will take refuge in His peace when I am surrounded by chaos. And I will serve those around me with a joyful heart, knowing that in doing so I will glorify my God and show Jesus to my family and those around me. 

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, [is] therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness [come] by the law, then Christ is dead in vain."-Galatians 2:16-21

There is no better way to be like our Lord than to be glad to take the lowliest position, in meekness to embrace the draining of ourselves to serve others, to rejoice in being made low that He can be made higher, and to be a stranger in this world by showing them our steadfast devotion to our God, Jesus the suffering servant, as we are blessed to be given the opportunity to emulate and follow Him in giving our all to our family. 

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."-Philippians 2:5-8

I watched my mother for years pour out herself for her family and others. She did it without complaining, but with a quiet and a meek spirit. She showed me Christ and the gospel by giving us grace and mercy and love, while she received nothing in return. So, I am going to ask God to forgive me for where I have wasted the time He has given, for the attitude of my heart, for not coming to Him sooner with my sins, and for not trusting Him fully in this season. And I pray He grant me repentance in these areas, and I am going to put my hand to the plow and not look back.

"And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."-Luke 9:62

So, who's with me?