God never intended for us to go through life miserable... sad.. depressed.. bitter... or angry.

Galatians 5:22-23- "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (KJV)

Galatians 5:22-23- "But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things." (ERV)

Galatians 5:22-23- " But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely." (The Message) 



JOY

A feeling of great happiness.

Delight. Joyfulness. Jubilation. Triumph. Rejoicing. Happiness. Gladness. Glee. Elation. Exuberance. 


When I think about the word JOY, I think about a deep-rooted happiness. One that doesn't waver based on circumstances or situations. Things might not be 'perfect' in our life during this moment, but our happiness comes from the fact that Jesus loves us and is in the middle of our mess. 

Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." God is working everything out in our lives... for our good. How can we not joyful, regardless of what is taking place around us??


I've Lost My Joy

I've been there.

I've lost my joy.

I've lost that happiness that is rooted in Jesus Christ. I've tried to fill it with so many temporary things. And you know what happens? Well, that temporary stuff makes me extremely happy. For a minute, an hour, or an evening. But when I wake up in the morning, I'm back to being that lost, broken, miserable woman that God did NOT call me to be.

Anxiety stripped a good bit of that joy from me as well. But here's what God showed me when I started complaining about that-- "YOU LET IT." Yes, those were the very words I felt come to my mind when I started saying, "I didn't want this. I didn't want to be miserable, but You let anxiety in and here I am."

God didn't allow anxiety to steal and kill my life. He allowed it because I let my mind run away from the blood of Jesus. I stopped bringing every thought under His subjection. I stopped thinking about what is pure, true, virtuous. 

I read a quote once that said, 'Joy is a decision, a really brave one, about how you are going to respond to life.' Joy is a decision. We can let ourselves become miserable, bitter, grumpy people. It's simple to do. It's a decision. Or, we can put on our brave boots, pull our life together, and make a different decision: I'm going to be joyful because God loves me.... because God is working everything out for my good... because God is holding me in His arms... because I'm alive and breathing.

Psalms 51:12 states, "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit."

If you feel like you've lost your joy today, He is just a prayer away. He WANTS to restore that. David was in the same place during Psalms 51. He began this chapter by begging God to have mercy on him. He was begging for repentance. Begging to be washed clean. David was guilty of adultery and murder. He orchestrated a plan of events in order to get another man's wife. Psalms 51 is a psalm of confession. He acknowledged his sins. He sought to be purged from those sins. And He asked God to restore His joy--- 

sin has a way of stealing that from us.

When we let sin creep in, guilt, bitterness, and anger typically follow... and we let it occupy our minds and then..

Guilt overpowers joy.
Bitterness overpowers joy.
Anger overpowers joy.

And soon, we are left with a broken, sad, unhappy person.

God, restore our joy today. Restore that true happiness that is not circumstantial. We ask You to heal our souls- heal our hearts. 

What Will We Choose Today?

Henri J. M. Nouwen said, "At every moment of our life we have an opportunity to CHOOSE joy." What are we going to choose today?

Are we going to choose to be bitter about our situation? Sad? Depressed? Angry? Jealous? Our are we going to be a conscious decision to be joyful, regardless of what the circumstances look like? Joyful because we might not know what tomorrow holds, but we know WHO holds tomorrow?

Nehemiah 8:10 says, "....The joy of the Lord is your strength."

John 16:20 says, "... but your sorrow shall be turned into joy."

Romans 14:17 says, "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."

2 Corinthians 7:14 says, "....I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation." 

1 Peter 1:8 says, ".... ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:"


The Bible is full of verses discussing joy. Men of God going back and forth between serving God... falling in to temptations or facing devastating circumstances where there joy seems depleted... back to serving God and seeking forgiveness... 

They were just like us.

David sinned and felt his joy was gone.
Job lost his family and felt stripped of his true happiness.
Paul was consistently under tribulation and had to remind himself where his joy came from.

The difference is... they realized their situations, they realized they couldn't continue to wallow in their circumstances... and they started the journey back to Jesus Christ-- the fountain of our UNSPEAKABLE joy.

I Choose Joy.

God never intended for us to go through life miserable... sad.. depressed.. lonely... forgotten.. bitter... or angry.

John 10:10 says, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." 

He came for us to have an abundant life overflowing with all of the good stuff-- love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, a humble spirit.

We can't let the thieves of bitterness, jealousy, complaining, anger, sadness, anxiety, fear, depression... steal our joy.

Today, I choose joy.

"Life can be hard, choose joy anyway!"

"I find joy in every day, not because life is always good, but because God [ALWAYS] is." Our situations might not feel good at the time, but He is still good and is still trying to work that mess out for OUR good. 

And one way to help Him work on that mess... is to have joy, regardless.

What decision are we going to make today?

Are we going to pity ourselves?
Are we going to wallow in our situation?
Are we going to choose bitterness?
Are we going to continue to live life miserable?
Are we going to see only the negative part of our life?

Or

Are we going to fall on our knees and pray for God to restore our joy?
Are we going to read the Word of God until joy finds it's way back to our hearts?
Are we going to CHOOSE happiness?
Are we going to trust God?
Are we going to FIND joy in every day?

It is up to us...

not our circumstances.

It is OUR choice.

How do we want to live our lives?


Today, I choose JOY.


"Gratitude, not understanding, is the secret to joy...." [Anne Lamott]

Jesus, today we choose to be thankful for all that You do for us. We might not understand our circumstances right now, but we thank You anyways! Thank You for dying on a cross for us. Thank You for loving us. Thank You for Your forgiveness.. for Your mercy.. for Your grace. Please restore the spirit of JOY in to our lives. We ask You to wash away our sins... all of that gunk that has built up in our hearts. Please Jesus, cleanse us so that we can draw closer to You... and while You are cleansing, we ask that You replace our sadness, our bitterness, our anger with joy, happiness, and gratitude! Help us to focus on Your goodness as opposed to the darkness. Help us to CHOOSE joy today Jesus. Help us to choose an attitude of gratitude. In Your name, Amen.

We LOVE Others Best When we LOVE God Most.

Our journey of studying the Proverbs 31 woman is coming to an end. This has been such a blessing for my soul. God has taught me so much through the past couple of weeks about the kind of woman He has called me to be.

The final verse of Proverbs 31 states, "Give her the reward she deserves. Praise her in public for what she has done." (ERV)

Proverbs 31:31- "Celebrate all she has achieved. Let all her accomplishments publicly praise her." 

While praying about this scripture last night and this morning, I feel like God was pushing my heart to write about uplifting and encouraging other women. This world can be a cold, dark, lonely world some days. There are days where we are torn down all day long. And during those days, I am sure one positive word about your character or appearance would have made you smile.

I read a quote once that stated, "Why do we, as women, bring down other women, knowing how hard life can be for a woman?" And that is the truth. Life is rough at times. As a woman- as a mother, as a wife- I know the pressures of every day. I know the balancing act that many of us face. I know the overwhelming pressure to be a certain way, act in a certain manner. And I also know how much it blesses my soul when someone shares a kind word with me. How it changes my soul and allows me to see my influence.

The command was given to praise the Proverbs 31 woman in public.

And I believe a command was given at this same time to uplift others in public as well.

How many times have we seen a woman at the store that looked beautiful in the outfit she was wearing, but we didn't say anything? How many times have we seen a woman excelling at what she was called to do, but we keep it inside? How many times have we seen loved the confidence or style of another woman, but jealousy forced us to keep it inside? When is the last time we gave a compliment to another woman?

We know how hard life can be, ladies. We know the pain.. we know how it feels to battle with insecurities. 

The woman at the store that looked beautiful in her outfit? She might struggle with body issues.

The woman who is excelling at what she was called to do? She might be on the fence about giving up and sticking with something 'comfortable.'

The woman who displays confidence and style? She may be going through a divorce and is trying to hold it together.

We never know what another woman is going through. But I do know that one compliment- one uplifting word- well, it might not change her circumstances, but it will surely give her a little boost to keep going.

We have to be so careful that we are not using our mouths to tear other women down. How many times through the day do we talk about someone else? How many times through the day do we judge a situation we know absolutely nothing about? 

How many times a day do we speak words of confidence to someone? Words of encouragement? How many times do we step out of our comfort zone to speak life? How many times do we push away the seeds of jealousy and plant seeds of encouragement?

Let us be women that praise other women in public. Let us be uplifting. Encouraging. A blessing to others

Proverbs 31 Woman: Day 31- Is She Battling with Insecurities?

Our journey of studying the Proverbs 31 woman is coming to an end. This has been such a blessing for my soul. God has taught me so much through the past couple of weeks about the kind of woman He has called me to be.

The final verse of Proverbs 31 states, "Give her the reward she deserves. Praise her in public for what she has done." (ERV)

Proverbs 31:31- "Celebrate all she has achieved. Let all her accomplishments publicly praise her." 

While praying about this scripture last night and this morning, I feel like God was pushing my heart to write about uplifting and encouraging other women. This world can be a cold, dark, lonely world some days. There are days where we are torn down all day long. And during those days, I am sure one positive word about your character or appearance would have made you smile.

I read a quote once that stated, "Why do we, as women, bring down other women, knowing how hard life can be for a woman?" And that is the truth. Life is rough at times. As a woman- as a mother, as a wife- I know the pressures of every day. I know the balancing act that many of us face. I know the overwhelming pressure to be a certain way, act in a certain manner. And I also know how much it blesses my soul when someone shares a kind word with me. How it changes my soul and allows me to see my influence.

The command was given to praise the Proverbs 31 woman in public.

And I believe a command was given at this same time to uplift others in public as well.

How many times have we seen a woman at the store that looked beautiful in the outfit she was wearing, but we didn't say anything? How many times have we seen a woman excelling at what she was called to do, but we keep it inside? How many times have we seen loved the confidence or style of another woman, but jealousy forced us to keep it inside? When is the last time we gave a compliment to another woman?

We know how hard life can be, ladies. We know the pain.. we know how it feels to battle with insecurities. 

The woman at the store that looked beautiful in her outfit? She might struggle with body issues.

The woman who is excelling at what she was called to do? She might be on the fence about giving up and sticking with something 'comfortable.'

The woman who displays confidence and style? She may be going through a divorce and is trying to hold it together.

We never know what another woman is going through. But I do know that one compliment- one uplifting word- well, it might not change her circumstances, but it will surely give her a little boost to keep going.

We have to be so careful that we are not using our mouths to tear other women down. How many times through the day do we talk about someone else? How many times through the day do we judge a situation we know absolutely nothing about? 

How many times a day do we speak words of confidence to someone? Words of encouragement? How many times do we step out of our comfort zone to speak life? How many times do we push away the seeds of jealousy and plant seeds of encouragement?

Let us be women that praise other women in public. Let us be uplifting. Encouraging. A blessing to others

Proverbs 31 Woman: Day 30- The Fear of the Lord Tends to Take Away All Other Fears

The ending of Proverbs 31:30 states, "....But a woman who fears the Lord [reverently worshiping, obeying, serving, and trusting Him with awe-filled respect], she shall be praised." (AMP)

Proverbs 31:30- "...but a woman who respects the Lord should be praised." (ERV)

Proverbs 31:30- "...The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God." (Message)



Yesterday we talked about how temporary charm and beauty are.

Most believe that it takes about 3-6 months for someone's true colors to show- beauty and charm can only carry you through those months, after that, it is up to the goodness of our heart. What is hidden within will eventually be revealed. 

We must ensure that the quality of our heart is the most beautiful thing about us.



The Proverbs 31 woman understood that her outward appearance was necessary to care for. She made sure she was dressed nicely, always making her husband proud, BUT she also understood that this should not be our main focus. She knew that what made her a woman that 'should be praised' was fearing the Lord.

When I was growing up, I always got so confused about 'fearing the Lord.' I didn't want to be scared of Him, I wanted to love Him. That's when a man of God explained to me that there are different types of fear mentioned in the Bible.

There is the type of fear where we are terrified of something. For example, I'm scared of going in to stores alone, bees, being trapped. This is the fear that God continually asks us to let go of. 1 John 4:18 states, "Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love takes away fear..." (ERV) This is the fear He wants us to pray over and remove from our lives. It takes away from life. It steals our joy.

Psalms 49:5 states, "Why should I be afraid when trouble comes? There is no need to fear when evil enemies surround me. (ERV) 

And there is also a reverential fear... a reverential awe.

Job 28:28 states, "Then he said to humans, ‘To fear and respect the Lord is wisdom. To turn away from evil is understanding.’” (ERV)

Psalms 33:8-9 states, "Everyone on earth should fear and respect the Lord.
    All the people in the world should fear him,
9 because when he speaks, things happen.
    And if he says, “Stop!”—then it stops" (ERV)

Psalms 64:9 states, "People will see what God has done. They will tell other people about him. Then everyone will learn more about God. They will learn to fear and respect him." (ERV)


Knowing the power of God and believing it is fearing and respecting Him. Understanding His supernatural abilities, believing in His supernatural abilities, trusting in His almighty ways. These are all signs of fearing and respecting Him.



While reading about this verse, I came across a quote that literally gave me goosebumps. You all know my story. I tell it almost every single day, but I want others to know about His goodness, His faithfulness, and His ability to fix us. He changed my soul. I was the girl that struggled with fear my entire life. Even when I attended church in my youth, I still battled with the fears that overtook your life. I had no idea how to get them to stop. Of course, my relationship with God had already began to suffer by this point. And it gradually declined. Anxiety strangled me. The year 2007, I could barely leave my house. In fact, I didn't leave it for almost 3 months. Since, God has been helping me build back what the devil took from me, but it has been a process. 

But this quote. It shook me inside. It made me realize what has been missing all of these years.

"The fear of the Lord tends to take away all other fears." (Sinclair Ferguson)

Well, I'm going to let that sink in for a second, because it had to sink in for me too.



LOVING Him. RESPECTING Him. STANDING IN AWE of Him.... that tends to take away any other fears we have in this life!

If we are so busy focusing on WHO He is. WHAT He can do.... we won't have the time to think about the anxieties and burdens that weigh us down.

I know I am going to think about this the next time fear starts to grip me... because it still tries. I'm not 100% better and I'm finally learning that that's okay. I have a thorn in my flesh.. and I still plan on praising the Creator, even if He never takes it from me 100%. I'm just going to trust Him to get me through the fearful times. The next time I become overwhelmed with anxiety, I'm going to switch my focus to WHO He is. Find verses that praise Him. Whatever it takes to keep my mind on HIM... NOT my circumstance.

Proverbs 15:16 states, "It is better to be poor and respect the Lord than to be rich and have many troubles." 

Respecting and fearing Him should be our main focus in this life. He will supply all other needs. We just have to trust Him to do it.

New Year's Eve Activities

I am so so so excited for tonight! I am totally being THAT Mom... and we have a whole list of things to do tonight with the kids. And since I am beyond ecstatic, I thought I would share our NYE Line Up in case anyone else needed some ideas as well!

6:30PM: Make a New Year's Eve Wishing Tree. (LINK HERE)
*Bible Verse to read: 2 Corinthians 5:17- Therefore if anyone is Christ, the new creation has come! The old has gone, the new is here!

7:30PM: Make 2018 eye glasses out of construction paper. I don't have a link for this-- we are just going to wing it and see how it goes! LOL
*Bible verse to read: Ephesians 4:22-24- You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by deceitful desires. To be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

8:30PM- Make New Years Eve videos of each kid. (LINK HERE)
*Bible verse to read: Jeremiah 29:11- For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future.

9:30PM- Have a New Years Eve Scavenger Hunt of our 2017 memories. I sat down and wrote 20 family memories from 2017 on note cards (going to the zoo, going to the Memorial Day parade, Easter Egg hunt, etc.) and then we are going to hide them around the house and as the kids find them, we will read them aloud and reminisce about our year together.
*Bible verse to read- Ezekiel 11:19- I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them. I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.

10:30PM- Do New Years Eve Mad Libs together. (LINK HERE) This is a printable- and it's free!
*Bible verse to read- Colossians 3:9-10- Do not lie to each other since you have taken off your old self with its practices. And have put on a new self which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

11:30PM- Share what we are looking forward to in 2018- what we want to see happen- what good things we want to come our way!
*Bible verse to read- Revelations 21:5- He who is seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!' Then He said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true!"



We are having some yummy food tonight I thought I would share as well!

VEGGIE PIZZA. (LINK HERE)
STUFFED MINI PEPPERS. (LINK HERE) 
and SHRIMP!

Lots of Games! We have: Candy Land, Clue, Trouble, Go Fish, Crazy 8s, and Shopkin Bingo!

And lots of movies! Richie Rich is first on the line up because the kids have not seen it yet!

Should be a REALLY fun night with LOTS to do!! We hope your family has a safe, happy New Year!!