"The tongue has the power of life and death..." Proverbs 18:21
Last night was rough. We stayed up later than usual, and the baby didn't sleep great because... well because thats just par for the course these days. I decided to run errands to keep myself moving lest I fall into the blank stare exhausted momma I have been known to become at times.
So away we went to the beloved Walmart. To be honest I wasn't paying much attention to anything but my list and my children. I was pushing the baby in the stroller with one hand while pulling the cart with the other. Big sister helped me grab the items (and some extra!) on my list and away we went through the store.
I started to get stressed because baby was getting hungry and sister was becoming more exuberant in her quest to be heard and seen by everyone. She seriously could have a one-man show and be extremely successful later on in life, I am certain of it.
After going through all the aisles and back again for forgotten items we headed to the front to get checked out. I was doing my best to juggle paying the cashier, keeping baby happy, sister close and playing Tetris getting all items back in the cart to head back to the car... Who am I kidding, I was probably the one-man show! HA
Anyway I loaded the bags in the car, put the cart away, collapsed the stroller and put it in the car all while telling big sister several times to get in her seat so we could go because she kept insisting she had to do "one more thing".... there is always just one more thing it seems.
I eventually got her buckled, along with her increasingly frustrated brother and I finally got in the car ready to go after what felt like an eternity... and that is when it happened.
A lady I have never seen before smiled through my windshield and signaled for me to roll my window down, to be honest I thought she was going to ask me to jump her car since I was parked so close to her...internally grumbling I rolled the window down with a smile and expectant look and was smacked with a sentence so powerful my soul was in desperate need to hear.
"I just wanted to tell you that you are doing a wonderful job with your children."
BAM. It was like a crashing wave of reassurance. When I genuinely smiled and said you have no idea how much I needed to hear that, she went on to say she saw me throughout the store and she witnessed several forms of love, discipline, and patience. PATIENCE. Me?
I told her I honestly felt like I was struggling through the store and thanked her immensely for giving me the reassurance to keep doing what I am doing.
When I drove home I realized how powerful words can be. You know the saying "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me" what a foolish foolish statement... we all know how damaging words can be. I could probably write an entire book on the negative effect the things we say to others can have. But what I realized this morning is the equally powerful effect words can have for the GOOD of others.
She did not have to stop me. I would have been none the wiser. She didn't need to take the time to bless me with the affirmation of my actions... but she did, and that one sentence flipped my bleary day upside down. We sang and laughed on the way home and I felt light and lifted.
I know I want to be more intentional at speaking words of affirmation to others, whether it looks like they need it or not... you never know whose soul is weary and burdened.
I hope you will too. And in case you need it... you are beautiful and loved today!
Friday, March 18, 2016
Monday, January 25, 2016
Are you drowning?
We recently had our fourth child... and all of a sudden I feel like I am drowning... all over again.
You see, I am drowning all the time! I was drowning when my parents divorced, and I was drowning in my last year of high school. I was drowning throughout my entire college career and I was drowning when we planned our destination wedding. I was drowning after our first child was born, a thousand miles away from our families, and I had no idea what I was doing as a new mom.
I was drowning when my husband deployed for the first time, and I was drowning when we found out on R and R (still 3 months away form him being home) that I was pregnant with number two. And when said number two showed up, mere weeks before I finished my thesis on my masters, I was so so close to going under for good.
I almost drowned when I found out I was pregnant with my third and my husband was leaving us for a year again... I have no idea how I survived a 4 year old, 2 year old, and a 6 week old for an entire year... I was drowning and waves crashed over and over again, where at times all I could do was hold on tight and try to survive the pounding.
Now I sit here, barely getting the older two off to school on time, trying to help my two year old with goldfish while nursing my newborn, and I stare at my disaster of a house, the piles and piles of laundry, the unwashed dishes and hair and I feel like I am drowning all over again.
I don't tell you this for sympathy, because certainly some of your "drowning" stories are far more severe than mine, but I tell you this to show that you can and will survive. By the sheer grace of God, He pulls us through our hardest, most difficult times... and He shows us a beautiful result of our tirelessly treading water, trying desperately not to go under. He shows us what faith and trust in Him will bring.
There are some who will read this and say, I don't feel like I am drowning at all! I hope that is you, I truly do. Those times where I feel like I am swimming laps instead of desperately treading are times worth remembering... and the knowledge I will be there again one day is a wonderful promise I am happy to hold.
But there are some of you that may understand what I am saying... and although I do not know what has you "drowning" today, it may be moving to a new place, or trying to survive a big change. Others may be enduring grief, while some may be fighting off an emotional illness no one knows about... It could be financial or emotional or physical drowning- heck it could be all three!
What is making you feel overwhelmed, insecure, or barely surviving isn't the important piece of the puzzle... What is truly important is the trust and faith in the One that will always see you through to safety, the One who will one day have you swimming laps happily.
If you are drowning, I urge you to take a deep breath, pray to the God who knows your darkest struggles, and hold on to the promise that although the waves may be strong, your anchor is much much stronger.
“We who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:18b, 19a)
You see, I am drowning all the time! I was drowning when my parents divorced, and I was drowning in my last year of high school. I was drowning throughout my entire college career and I was drowning when we planned our destination wedding. I was drowning after our first child was born, a thousand miles away from our families, and I had no idea what I was doing as a new mom.
I was drowning when my husband deployed for the first time, and I was drowning when we found out on R and R (still 3 months away form him being home) that I was pregnant with number two. And when said number two showed up, mere weeks before I finished my thesis on my masters, I was so so close to going under for good.
I almost drowned when I found out I was pregnant with my third and my husband was leaving us for a year again... I have no idea how I survived a 4 year old, 2 year old, and a 6 week old for an entire year... I was drowning and waves crashed over and over again, where at times all I could do was hold on tight and try to survive the pounding.
Now I sit here, barely getting the older two off to school on time, trying to help my two year old with goldfish while nursing my newborn, and I stare at my disaster of a house, the piles and piles of laundry, the unwashed dishes and hair and I feel like I am drowning all over again.
I don't tell you this for sympathy, because certainly some of your "drowning" stories are far more severe than mine, but I tell you this to show that you can and will survive. By the sheer grace of God, He pulls us through our hardest, most difficult times... and He shows us a beautiful result of our tirelessly treading water, trying desperately not to go under. He shows us what faith and trust in Him will bring.
There are some who will read this and say, I don't feel like I am drowning at all! I hope that is you, I truly do. Those times where I feel like I am swimming laps instead of desperately treading are times worth remembering... and the knowledge I will be there again one day is a wonderful promise I am happy to hold.
But there are some of you that may understand what I am saying... and although I do not know what has you "drowning" today, it may be moving to a new place, or trying to survive a big change. Others may be enduring grief, while some may be fighting off an emotional illness no one knows about... It could be financial or emotional or physical drowning- heck it could be all three!
What is making you feel overwhelmed, insecure, or barely surviving isn't the important piece of the puzzle... What is truly important is the trust and faith in the One that will always see you through to safety, the One who will one day have you swimming laps happily.
If you are drowning, I urge you to take a deep breath, pray to the God who knows your darkest struggles, and hold on to the promise that although the waves may be strong, your anchor is much much stronger.
“We who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:18b, 19a)
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