Tami's comments (thank you Tami:) on the last post reminded me that I wanted to post this. I know you read this Tami so I have to tell you that you were an instrument of encouragment to many ladies in my bible study when I took your little note to me and read it out loud in praise for God loving me enough to send such simple encouragement through you.
(For those of you who don't know, Tami Rutledge is a wonderful servant of Jesus Christ who shared her heart with we women of Cornerstone Community Church at our last ladies retreat. She is gracious enough to read my blog from time to time and give me "treats" from God through her. It truly blesses me.)
Tami wrote me this after my post on PMS:
(Tami I know you thought I'd post this as comment, I hope you don't mind me putting it in the spotlight instead.)
About your pms post I was going to post a comment but I thought I would just send it to you!
......
Well, let me tell you. I found my own special trick for those horrible days. Much to my children's delight.
When I recognized that I was having one of those days, you know the days when my children hope that they will still be alive tomorrow..., well when I realized what was happening (or they pointed it out) I found that the best place for me to be was anywhere ALONE. And my girls were allowed to have free run of the kitchen and all the videos they wanted to watch. This meant, they weren't going to be bothering me about what they could do next, they weren't going to complain about the food and I had peace and quiet. The outcome was that they lived and I was not being a bad example. I wasn't angry at them for breathing and by the next day came we were ready to resume life.
YOu might think that cookies, cereal, chips, and peanut butter combined with 6 straight hours of videos would be a horrible thing. But honestly, the worst thing would be them seeing me be a wicked sinner, out of control. I was able to reflect the fruit of the spirit this way instead of the fruit of the flesh!
A dreaded day became a vacation day.
You see, I am 50, I was home schooled and I lived through some very frightening days, I would have given anything if my mom had recognized her limits and had gone to her room to read a good book and have a day off. I didn't want my girls to go through what I went through.
But this is one of the areas where God leads each of our families differently!
Rejoice!
Tami
......
Well, let me tell you. I found my own special trick for those horrible days. Much to my children's delight.
When I recognized that I was having one of those days, you know the days when my children hope that they will still be alive tomorrow..., well when I realized what was happening (or they pointed it out) I found that the best place for me to be was anywhere ALONE. And my girls were allowed to have free run of the kitchen and all the videos they wanted to watch. This meant, they weren't going to be bothering me about what they could do next, they weren't going to complain about the food and I had peace and quiet. The outcome was that they lived and I was not being a bad example. I wasn't angry at them for breathing and by the next day came we were ready to resume life.
YOu might think that cookies, cereal, chips, and peanut butter combined with 6 straight hours of videos would be a horrible thing. But honestly, the worst thing would be them seeing me be a wicked sinner, out of control. I was able to reflect the fruit of the spirit this way instead of the fruit of the flesh!
A dreaded day became a vacation day.
You see, I am 50, I was home schooled and I lived through some very frightening days, I would have given anything if my mom had recognized her limits and had gone to her room to read a good book and have a day off. I didn't want my girls to go through what I went through.
But this is one of the areas where God leads each of our families differently!
Rejoice!
Tami
My heart and soul took such a deep sigh after this letter. I think we as mom's are sometimes too hard on ourselves. Or we try to push our agenda when the Lord want's us to take a back seat and let him do something different. The line that hit me the most was "I would have given anything if my mom had recognized her limits." Could it be that I am being proud when I try to push right through these PMS days? This was so good for me, and for the women in my study group who I did not expect to be so encouraged too, but they were.
Tami, I would just like to thank you again for living out a Titus 2 woman by encouraging me to love my children. To remind me that loving my children may mean recognizing my limits. I am sighing still let me tell you!
Ladies, be encouraged, God is aware of your body, heart and soul. He is watching and longing to have you bare HIS yoke. What was that about "easy...and...light", Lord?
Lord, lead me beside still waters....even if I fight to tread otherwise like some raving idiot. In still waters, you are reflected.
1 comment:
I am happy for you to post anything that will help young moms in the thick of their busy life to be a success at what is really important.
While we like to feel successful by checking things off our list of things to do each day the one thing that is of utmost importance is always pleasing God. That is where true success lies.
Can't tell you how many times we called school off because the weather was bad. Not the weather outside but the weather inside.
You know - high pressure, low pressure, cold fronts meeting up with warm fronts... best to focus on what is most important and school and other such things rank way behind being a good example to my children.
When the end of the school year came round it wasn't so much what I had taught my children academically that mattered, it was what had I taught them to imitate.
Philippians 4:Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Stand firm in the faith
Tami R.
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