I was cleaning the basement today. A for REAL clean. Dumping all the cubbies upside down–sitting there with two garbage bags–trash and give away…and tossing the very few keep things back in each cubby. And smiling here and there knowing that tomorrow it will all be messy again. And then it happened. All over again. […]
The Young Family Farm »
Category Archives: Inspirational There were so many things I took away from the last Created for Care momma’s retreat (a retreat designed for adoption moms–but you do NOT have to be an adoption mom to come!), but one thing that has blessed me most–is learning to live in His gift of coming to Him WITH my children. One […] Andrea, this post was SO good for me! Made me EXCITED to get the kiddos to joint WITH me at the Lords altar. So often I feel like I have to be there first to lead them there, but in reality…they can lead US there so many times! As moms I feel like often we keep looking and looking ahead (even just 20 minutes ahead!) to look for that “alone” time to pour out our heart before the Lord. Then, we are missing the present moments. THANK YOU for this! 🙂 I love this! This post was a wonderful way to start MY day! You should write a book! I’d definitely buy it! 🙂 I just bought a T-shirt! I have felt called to adopt from China for a year & a half now, but hubby not ready so I have focused my energy on families in need & orphans in Africa. Yet the pull to China is stronger than anything I have ever felt & goes HEART deep, that there will be a child there who needs us, waiting. A child who needs surgery…it just tears at my soul. I keep trying to let it go but the reminders are everywhere & pop up in the strangest circumstances. I will be praying day & night for this family…to God be the Glory… LOL – Even Rosie “Got Down…” Your kiddos are adorable with some fine dance moves. A kid-fave song in our household too. yay, I can post on your blog again. Left you a FB comment about what a blessing this blog post was to me this morning. Then I went to buy my shirt and realized this family lives very close to me and the dad was a former youth pastor of mine. What a small world and once again you are a blessing by connecting me to them and their story!!!! How amazing is our God! I ordered my t-shirt yesterday. Love the design. Can’t wait to hear the story. Bought my shirt yesterday. Couldn’t make that purchase fast enough;) !!!!!! I finally got around to ordering this awesome shirt today! Being a “China” momma, I am thrilled to have this shirt to wear! It’s also so fun to be able to help out another family in their adoption journey! I am unwinding today from the AMAZING Hope at Home conference. There were about 70 people at the conference…and I have to tell you–I LOVED this part because it was truly a time of RESTORATION and CONNECTION. Believe it or not–I can be a recluse some times…I think it has something to do with having […] Both of my K kids have just memorized Psalm 23… So all of this is so fresh on my mind! I adore that Psalm so much because each time I hear it I have a visual in my mind! The words are so amazing! Thank you for sharing your heart! This is my FAVORITE song right now. We have this cd and I’ve even got to playing it so much that now my 2 year old says “again!” when it ends on car rides. 😉 Another one by him was “God of Our Yesterdays” that carried us through some very long hard days during a difficult season, and it still brings gratitude to my heart now every time I hear it. Glad you were able to get away for some rest and refreshment this weekend. I was just telling a friend going to C4C how I don’t know how in the world you do so much! 🙂 Never once is a song i heard a few weeks ago and God used it in a mighty way for my heart and healing of grieving annabelle, it has since become my anthem in a way. i love the song. Thanks for being real and for including the “it’s not too late to run” comment. Whereas, you followed it with a ;), I recognize the truth in that statement. We’re in the process of adopting siblings from Ethiopia, and this LONG wait is breeding ground for DOUBT! I’ve found myself stating your comment exactly on occasion. I mean, we already have three kids! I believe Satan is at work in trying to prevent two more orphans from being in God’s family (and ours). I’ve been going back to “You, God, will provide what I need to parent five children.” Just as I needed today, Andrea!! Thanks for the words of encouragement and truth. xo i really needed to hear this today. 3 months into bringing 2 boys home from africa and i am TIRED to the CORE. I needed this today girl. I think this is for me…but I’m gonna blog it…just in case this might be for you too. As of late–I feel as if there have been a lot of voices coming my way. And–being a people pleaser (by the way–you can go HERE to read through the 21 Steps to recovery from your people […] Wow – THANK YOU for this post. It is JUST what my heart needed to hear tonight. I’m feeling so completely overwhelmed with day-to-day life and struggling to do devotions and find time for just me…and then I have people with requests. Requests I want to help with, but I think I need to take care of my family first. And figure out what normal is in all this change. …and…you probably didn’t need all that either =) But it feels good to get out! Blessings to you friend! Good stuff! Thanks for sharing your heart. I have “been there, done that” and it’s totally okay to say “no” and let whoever you have to say it to deal with their feelings about it. It’s their feelings, you are not responsible for them, you are responsible for yourself and your own choices, responses and reactions. Learned that from “Boundaries…” I am also currently re-reading Lysa Terkeurst’s book “Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl” which is awesome and right along the same line with what you wrote here. Oh girl, this hit home with me too. I am also a people pleaser, and just yesterday as God showed me something to give up that was only good for a season and that season is over, I worried about what someone would think about me leaving. Also, I sat here this morning trying to get everything ready for my daughter’s princess party and to do a neat little talk to the little girls with visuals helping them see the ways God shows us that we are His princesses, I was reminded to slow down and digest these verses for myself. What a relational God we serve who hears us and speaks to us when we are willing to listen! Have a great weekend, my friend! Another people pleaser checking in, Andrea! It’s so hard to turn that tendency off, but I believe God is doing that through our adoption. We are taking the “road less traveled” in our circle of influence and so many don’t understand why. When it comes to my kids, their opinions and suggestions are not important, especially the negative ones, LOL! Thanks for the reminder to inject this to other areas of my life as well:) As a new bride my aunt gave me a book by Donna Otto, I read it and thought it was good but it didn’t really apply yet. Fastforward 17 years and the pages are falling out of said book. I too am a people pleaser. My dear friend/mentor calls it “a servants heart” either way I have trouble saying no!! The golden nugget from that book I’ve learned is . . . only I can be my hubby’s wife, only I can be my kiddo’s mom and only I can be my heavenly Father’s daughter. All those other things I’m asked to do, and struggle saying no to, CAN be done by someone else. Thank you for your words! I needed to read them and be reminded. Have a blessed weekend with your family. : ] *ps as I listened to the song my hubby and kiddos one by one wandered in and we were all singing. It’s going to be a great weekend!!! Thanks for this reminder, Andrea! I am always working on seeking God’s voice for the things I should say yes or no to. I have a history of being a “yes” person to everything, and then being way too busy. Thankfully, God is changing me and showing me how to invest my time in the things of Him…the things that truly matter! Yep, I’m one of those “yes” gals too. I have to admit, with having 3 little ones in less than 4 years and then a husband spending 15 months in Afghanistan, I had to learn to say “no”. And worse, I had to actually ASK for HELP from others, gasp! It was hard, but God taught me a valuable lesson through it all. Once I stared “Yes” to the best things and “no” to some good things, I reaped the benefits of it and then it became easier to say “no”. I even watched as someone else was asked to do what I said “no” to, and see how they flourished because it was right for them, and not for me. SO, just take baby steps and listen to Rico Suave and “just say no”! Another especially good post! Thanks for sharing your heart and God’s faithful transforming work within it! Thank you for challenging us to evaluate where our priorities are! I learned long ago to “use the 14th and 15th letters of the alphabet” from our wise pastor! And, I also learned to be “jealous FOR” things at a Beth Moore conference one time! Jealous for my marriage, my family, my ministry! 🙂 It is GOOD for you to do this!!! And, if you need help planning the next C4C…let me know! !)  Things aren’t always what they appear to be. We are in the midst of a series at my church about the HARD sayings of Jesus. One of Jesus’s last miracles during his last week of ministry was when He cursed the fig tree. ALL of Jesus’s other miracles had been LIFE GIVING miracles. This one–He […] Beautiful truth! I am amazed how God keeps leading me down this path. I am laying in bed and asking Him how? and then I pulled your blog up on my phone! I have had so many big neon signs flashing at me the past few days and I am unsure why I continue to question Him. So So true… thanks for the reminder. And wow, amazing how far Isaac has come! What a cutie though from day one! 🙂 |
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Needed to hear this. Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful! May we be satisfied by HIM ALONE!!
beautiful and exactly what I needed to read today! Thank you friend!
Thanks for speaking truth to my heart. I’m always longing for the next things…and so often Jesus isn’t on that list. Praying for a real change of heart.
The last few years of my husband’s life before he got so ill, he would say, “I just know that God has something more for me, but I don’t know what it is.” Little did he know that that “next thing” was heaven.
I needed this Andrea…i’m longing to adopt again but God is working in us to help us become good stewards of our money and pay off our medical debt and loan. we are taking the dave ramsey financial peace course and learning so much. I want to adopt and so does jim so badly, from uganda right now but I realize unless God shows us a different way and gives us the go ahead and peace about doing it right now, I realize He may be wanting us to pay off our debt first which we hope to have done by the end of 2012. Anyways, i dont know the future or when exactly He will have us adopt but my heart is aching so badly for NOW! So thanks for this reminder to just rest in Him and have him guide us and to be filled with Him and His joy right where we are!