God Doesn't Need Me

"If you sin how 

does that affect Him?

If your sins are many,

what does that do to Him?

If you are righteous

what do you give Him, or

what does He receive from your hand?

Your wickedness

affects only a man like yourself,

and your righteousness

only the sons of men."

~Job 35:6-8

We were created by Yahweh, God. Our spirit needs Him like our flesh needs food, water and shelter. But, while we so desperately need Him, He does not need us.

He does not need us to obey Him to still be God.

He does not need us to disobey Him to still be God.

We can not increase His value by becoming saved.

We can not decrease His power by cursing His name.

HE IS GOD. All by Himself. That's just what He is. We affect Him not...

YET...He thinks about us.

"What is mankind that You are mindful of them;human beings that You care for them?" ~Ps. 8:4

Who are we, in our sin, in our corruptness, that the God who doesn't need us, WANTS  to know us? The God who doesn't need our words, WANTS to hear from us? The God who can't be improved upon still desires a relationship with us?

Why? Why does He care to know us? Much more the question, why did He create us in the first place?

"Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they were created." ~Rev. 4:11 KJV

...For His pleasure... He found joy in creating humankind. It was in His best interest to create each one of us.

Today He stands back, looks at you and me, these beings created in His image, which He made all for Himself, and the sight pleases Him. Our picture brings Him joy.

It delights my heart to know the God of all gods wants to spend time with me!

He wants to talk with each one of us. He wants to hear of our joys and our sorrows. He wants to love us when we are unlovable. He accepts us when no one else can.

He doesn't need to....HE WANTS TO.

Today accept it! Let Him lavish His great love on you. Not because you deserve it, but because He gives it.

Let Him perfect His great love in you. It pleases Him to do so.

Let Him heal what is wounded...

mend what is torn...

soothe the sorrow...

nurture what is weak...

fill what is empty...

lift what is heavy...

carry the burden...

LOVE YOU.

He is willing. He is able. It's what you need. Let Him do it.

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Celebrating Motherhood Monday: 10 Commandments of Motherhood

1. You shall spend time with the Lord everyday before your children wake up. Spend time with your Creator, seek His will and His ways, and He will grant you strength and wisdom for the days challenges.

2. You shall not esteem or accommodate your children over your husband. God. Husband. Children. In that order.

3. You shall not misuse your position as mother by making ridiculous demands of your children. Rules and  guidelines bring structure to every home. Your children may not like the rules. They will challenge your authority. Stick to your guns. You are not to appease their every whim, but neither are you to exasperate them by endless angry commands. Encourage them. Praise them for a job well done or an attitude improved. As much as possible keep a loving joyful atmosphere in your home, finding a balance between work and play.

4. Observe a time once a week for the whole family to engage in an activity. Let children take turns choosing and planning a weather appropriate engagement. This will help each child feel valuable to the family unit.

5. Honor your father, mother, and in-law's presences in rearing your children. Grandparents add a special family tie to your child's life. Grandparents are also willing to share advice on parenting do's and don'ts from their own parenting successes or regrets. Honor their advice. You didn't turn out so bad, did you? :) Thoughtfully and respectfully consider their advice, ultimately choosing what is best for your situation.

6. You shall not kill/crush your child's spirit by degrading them privately or publicly. Speak kind words. Sometimes its OK to let them wear a mismatched outfit or have that hairstyle. Does their choice really matter or is it more about you not wanting to be embarrassed? Is it really necessary to speak of your child's behavior or are you trying to shame them into obedience?

7. You shall not secretly or verbally wish your child was like so-and-so's child. Again, speak kind words. Never make them feel as though they don't measure up. They have enough of that from their own peers. Don't devastate them by stripping them of the security found in your unconditional love.

8. You shall steal a few moments for yourself. Reread that! :) Whether its sipping a quiet cup of coffee, indulging in a salon appointment, or hitting the gym, take some time to love yourself. You'll feel better equipped to tackle the next demands of your day.

9. You shall not speak a lie to your child nor live a lie in front of your child. Speak truthfully. Walk with integrity. Mess up? Admit it. Vow to do better. "What we are at home, that we are indeed." ~ Charles Spurgeon

10. You shall not love one child more than another child. Playing favorites causes lifetime pain for your child and generations of separation in the family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Shared at....Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, My Joy Filled Life,Golden Reflections Blog

Celebrating Motherhood Monday: Boots On The Table

"What are you doing?!! You know not to use half a bottle of bubble bath!"

"Why is it necessary to use half a roll of toilet paper on your itty-bitty rear?!"

"RRR! Get those muddy boots OFF MY FLOOR!"

....on and on it goes...escalating as time wears on...the dreaded mommy rant...

So, where else would I have her put the boots? The table?

That's exactly where she put them.

And that's the moment I realized I was ridiculously roaring around the house like a grizzly bear.

I didn't know if I wanted to laugh at the boots or curl into a ball and cry at my bear-like character.

Something had to change. Something other than the boots on my table needed to be booted.

I took a deep breath, asked my daughters to come sit on my lap and we had a heart to heart.

I acknowledged my burly, bad-mannered behavior. They agreed.

I asked how it made them feel. They said,"Sad, mom. Very sad."

I asked for their forgiveness. They obliged.

They hugged me and said, "You're the best mom ever. We love you."

In a fun-loving manner I chased them, giggling, out of the house.

Then I went to work, cleaning more than just the mud on my table. There was some dirtiness in my soul that had to get gone.

Why is it the ones we love the most are the ones we hurt the most?

In the daily exchange of doing family life, the waters get muddied and inevitably that mud gets flung around.

Why?

Maybe its because we lose sight of the priceless gift family really is and start taking them for granted.

Or, maybe its because family has the same bloodlines and familiar tendencies we are comfortable with. And when we are comfortable, we act like ourselves.

Who are we kidding? Every person, every family member, struggles with it: that dreaded "me, myself and I" attitude.

When we allow our emotions to rule our actions we allow Satan to mess with God's design for family.

Can we change overnight? Nope.

But we can celebrate daily victory, sometimes moment by moment victory, when we consistently strive for improvement, choosing to operate with an attitude of love and acceptance, forgiving and accommodating those we rub shoulders with.

"as much as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Romans 12:18

"Be completely humble and gentle;be patient bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Eph. 4:2-3

It's time to do some booting and rebooting, don't you think?

Boot the attitude. Its really not all about me.
Reboot: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant... He humbled himself..." Phil.2:5-8

Boot the huffing. A huff, a forceful sigh, shows annoyance, contempt and sulking anger.
Reboot: "Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult." Pr. 12:16

Boot the words. Would you want to be spoken to as you are speaking to another?
Reboot: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." Ps.19:14

Boot the body language. Muscles are used to control your body. Do so by choosing not to slam, stomp or fling your body parts around...seriously, we're adults here, right?
Reboot: "A man without self-control is like a city broken into and let without walls." Pr.25:28

Boot the facial expressions. Tightened lips, clenched jaws, eye rolling and eyebrow knitting speak of fierce displeasure.
Reboot: "Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city." Pr.16:32 ESV

Boot my self. Again, it really isn't all about me and what I want.
Reboot: "The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded." 1Peter4:7



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Shared at...
The Road to 31.

Hopkins Homeschool 'Hearts for the Home' blog hop

Graced Simplicity

A Mamas Story

CONGRATULATIONS! Your Body is Ruined!

"What a beautiful baby! Too bad your body is ruined and you'll never be as beautiful as you were before."

My jaw dropped in disbelief. I couldn't believe what I just heard.

Fierce anger welled up. I felt hot all over as my blood began to boil.

Before words could form I quickly walked away, cradling my beautiful 2 month old as she peacefully slept in my arms.

I couldn't grasp how someone could say the perfection I was holding was my ruin.

As I gazed at her precious face, caressing her velvety skin, burying my cheek in her soft silky hair, I felt nothing but joy. I was in complete wonderment at this little person; a miniature me.

I was in awe that my body had done exactly what it had been created to do...to give life.

Later, as I looked at my body in the mirror, running my fingers over the scars, I didn't see a woman ruined.

Sure, my hips weren't as slender as they once were. But now they were the perfect padded perch for my little one to hitch a ride.

My once taut tummy was now scarred by the emergency c-section. The stretched skin and seperated muscles forever softening my mid-section, making a soft warm place for her to rest against.

The stretch marks proof that she grew to a healthy full term baby.

My once perky boobs would never hold the same form after breastfeeding.

But I didn't find my now softer, curvier body a disappointment.

Rather, I saw a beautiful reminder that it had given life to another.

What I saw was a woman completed.

A woman stronger.

A woman empowered.

A woman kinder...

Gentler...

Sweeter...

More loving...

A woman in her zenith.

I was no longer beautiful as I once was....I had become more beautiful.

Since then, my body has given life to two more. With each one I became more.

More scarred...more soft...more jiggly.

Less ruined...less shallow...less weak.

More beautiful...more beautiful...more beautiful.

And tonight, as my three and I tumbled and played, they noticed my tummy shakes when I laugh.

They touched it. They tickled it. They patted it. They poked it.

They squished it. They pinched it. They laid on it. They laughed at it.

They loved it.

So do I.

 "Her children arise and call her blessed" Proverbs 31:2

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