Daily Bread

The great sin mask.

dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 2 Comments

I recently asked a friend who stopped attending church years ago, why they fell away from it.  In short, their reply was something to the effect that people in the church were hypocrites.  Pretending to be something other than their true selves on Sunday mornings.  I thought about this long and hard and I can’t say that I fully disagree.  I’m not saying Christians as a whole are not good God loving people, I’m just acknowledging that our lives are also filled with sin.  Which while I appreciate the fact that we’re all just human, I think we often mask our sins with religion or faith.  I don’t think we maliciously set out to hide behind our faith, I just think our human nature sometimes takes over and we look for ways to justify it with a churchy response.  Here are just a few examples of what I mean.

Bragging disguised as blessings:

Christians often disguise bragging as a thankful blessings display.  You know what I’m talking about.  It’s natural to be proud of our accomplishments, of our possessions we’ve worked hard for, by our new home, new car, etc.   That’s totally okay, show those things off if you’d like, what peeves me is when someone tells you about their new car or posts about it on social media with a “check out the new car God blessed me with” caption.  Giant mansion #blessed.  {insert eye roll}  Newsflash, wether you drive a used Honda, a brand new Mercedes Benz, or anything in between, you are blessed.  The bottom line is, possessions and successes do not equate blessings and sometimes we forget that.  We are just blessed to be known by name by such an incredibly loving God regardless of if were sitting in a mansion with a pool or a tin shack with a leaky faucet.

 

Glorifying ourselves disguised as glorifying the Lord:

Another form of bragging we as Christians often do is to glorify ourselves and our own good deeds and mask it as glorifying God.  When we first moved here, we attended a church for about a year.  Sunday after Sunday, we listened to the pastor tell all about himself.  All about all the mission work he had done.  Allllllllll of his good deeds.  A feeling of discernment began to stir within me as I realized this man was more interested in glorifying his own works than he was glorifying the Lord.  I also often see friends post on social media about what good deed they did, what random act of kindness they did.  Why do we need to know what YOU did?  The bible is clear in telling us our giving should be done in private.  When you feel the need to yell from the rooftop what great thing you’ve done, you’re making it less about God and more about yourself!  Be less concerned with patting yourself on the back than you are storing your treasures in heaven.

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.  Then your Father who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  Matthew 6:3-4

Gossip disguised as prayer requests:

“Did you hear that Jack and Jill are getting divorced?  I hear he was having an affair with his secretary.  Poor Jill!  She really needs our prayers right now”

“Jill’s son seems to be getting into a lot of trouble lately.  I think he has drug problems.  Let’s be praying for him”

Listen, I’m not saying these things aren’t true.  I’m not saying poor Jill doesn’t genuinely need our prayers.  I’m simply saying that spilling intimate details of Jill’s life to friends and other church members is gossip.  Plain and simple old fashioned hen house gossip.  Am I saying you shouldn’t pray for Jill?  Of course not!  Pray for Jill and her whole family.  But it isn’t your place to go and tell the world why Jill needs your prayers.  If Jill wants Susie Q in your ladies bible study to know her business, she will probably tell Susie Q herself, that’s not your place.  Thank you, drive through.

Excuses disguised as conviction from the Lord:

I once had a guy break up with me and use God as an excuse.  I know what you’re thinking, what fool would possibly not want to be in a relationship with someone as incredibly awesome as myself right?  Hahahah I kid, I kid. He told me he felt God didn’t want him in a relationship at all at that time of his life. He felt that God wanted him to spend some time alone and focusing on rebuilding a relationship with Him, drawing closer to his faith before he could be in a relationship with anyone else.  I mean, seems legit right?  Within 2 weeks, he had a new girlfriend.  Hmmm… wonder if that worked out for them…  I digress. The thing is, honesty would have been much easier to swallow than this excuse that made him sound like he was truly called to obey a vow of solitude.

Okay okay, you want me to be really honest?  I’ve used the ole “I prayed about it and it just doesn’t seem like the right time” excuse before too. It most often had more to do with me digging my heels in and saying “I don’t wanna” rather than the voice of the Holy Spirit telling me it wasn’t the right time to join the praise and worship team, take on another responsibility, volunteer for something, etc.  We’ve got to get better about being honest and saying “I really just don’t want to right now”.

 

What is the point in this post you might be asking?  Well, I wanted to just admit that we Christians aren’t perfect.  We sin too.  We lie sometimes too as you can read about in this past post lies Christians tell if you’re interested in that sort of thing.  Just because we love Jesus, doesn’t mean we know how to be like Jesus.  Should this turn you away from the church though?  NOOOOOOOOOOOO!  In fact, it should make you realize that God loves all his people, he’s forgiving, gracious, and kind and he wants your sinful self in a pew too!  ❤

 

 

 

 

 

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What if I don’t want to be a proverbs 31 wife today?!?!

dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 Leave a comment

Proverbs 31:10-31 (NIV)

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

10 A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Ladies, not a single one of us hoped on board the marriage and mommy train without good intentions.  If we were raised in the church, we probably knew a thing or two about Proverbs 31.  We wanted to be Proverbs 31 wives.  Or I mean, at least I did.  “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her”, I mean, who wouldn’t want that right?  What I didn’t realize was how exhausting achieving Proverbs 31 wife status truly is!  It’s funny, because the chapter is brutally honest about the work it entails but it flows so beautifully that I pretty much only focused on the end part where my kids and my husband were going to think I was the bomb.com and love me and praise me and all that good stuff all the time!

The thing is, 99.99% of the time I’m the first one awake in the morning and the last one in bed at night.  I don’t always make super terrific decisions because I have TOO MANY decisions to make daily!  Where everyone needs to be and when, immunize my kids, don’t immunize my kids, buy organic, dairy is good, no, it’s really not, what should I put in their lunchbox?  I open my arms to the poor, the wealthy, and everyone in between.  So much so that I have nothing left for myself most days.  I’m literally doing something for someone else daily.  I don’t always speak with wisdom.  Sometimes I speak downright foolish things.  Idle time?  What is that?!?!?  My kids, they don’t always “arise and call me blessed”, my husband rarely “praises me”.  Often my job is a thankless one.  I don’t feel like I’m surpassing anyone or that I’m being honored by a single soul.  That’s all okay, I don’t need recognition or a pat on the back very often.  I do these things proudly and joyfully (most of the time). But somedays, SOME DAYS, I don’t want to be a Proverbs 31 wife, I don’t want to wake up before everyone else or stay up once everyone has gone to sleep because there’s still much to be done.  Sometimes, I want some idle time.  I think I deserve some idle time dangit!

The problem is, we’ve put so much pressure on ourselves to be the Proverbs 31 wife by taking care of everyone else that we completely neglect ourselves.  You’re not going to be perfect, ever.  You can’t do it ALL, everyday.  It’s okay to sit down and prop your feet up sometimes.  It’s totally okay for your husband to toss in a load of laundry or cook a meal occasionally.  It’s okay to go through the drive through because you don’t feel like cooking!  It’s okay to sleep in sometimes.  You may not be the perfect wife and mother that you envisioned you would be, but you rock!  You may not get a lot of public recognition for your efforts from your husband or children but, I assure you, they appreciate all you do for them.  Take some time for you today if you just don’t feel like being a P31 wife.  Go get your nails done ladies, take a load off!  ❤

proverbs31

You can print this little design I created for my nightstand here: proverbs 31 printable

Not my problem…

dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 Leave a comment

It’s been entirely too long since I sat down to put my thoughts and ramblings into words for this blog.  Life in the Latch home is extremely hectic with school activities, sports, running my photography business, and my husband’s hotshot company.  Seems like there’s always something to be done and very little time for anything extra.

I wanted to touch bases with you on a subject that’s been weighing on me for quite some time now.  I may even rant a little bit, forgive me.  I want you to for a moment consider the biggest problem in life right now.  Now, I want you to consider the biggest problems of others in the world for a minute.  How do your biggest problems stack up to those of the world?  We spend a lot of time dwelling on issues that don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things and completely neglect some real BIG problems facing those around us.  We forget to be grateful for what we have because what we don’t have clouds our judgement.  We live in a constant state of oblivion to our fellow man. We don’t concern ourselves for others because their issues are NOT OUR PROBLEM!  We’ve become a culture that completely lacks empathy for others.  We sit in our little box casting judgement on everyone, focusing on the mundane day to day of our sheltered lives, and complaining about what is wrong with the world.  News flash!  WE are what’s wrong with the world!  If you’re not a part of the solution, you’re a part of the problem!

Did you know that 1 in 4 children suffers from malnutrition worldwide?  Probably not because it’s not your problem.  Here’s something you may not know, according to dosomething.org, 1 in 6 people in America suffer from hunger.  Let’s think about that for a second.  Envision your 6 closest friends.  Now imagine that 1 of them doesn’t have the food they need to thrive.  Hits a little closer to home doesn’t it?  If you knew your neighbor didn’t have enough resources to properly nourish their children, would you step in to help?  Imagine the desperation those parents must feel.   When was the last time you were really hungry?  We joke and say we’re hangry when we haven’t eaten for a few hours but we don’t stop to consider that there are children across the world, across the nation, and even in our very own backyard who haven’t eaten in days!  It’s not our problem right?  But, what if it were you?  Would you want someone else to make it their problem and step up to help you out.  To help your kids get the nourishment they so desperately need?

There’s the man who got laid off and is searching for a job but can’t seem to find one.  He’s working odd jobs to pay the bills but it’s not enough.  He can’t provide for his family, not for lack of trying, but it’s not your problem.  The kid on the baseball team who has a single mom trying her hardest to get him where he needs to be because even though she’s run completely ragged, she doesn’t want him to miss out on anything.  She can’t drive him to practice sometimes because of work so he walks, sometimes miles to get there but that’s not your problem.  The teenage girl who so desperately seeks the attention of every male she meets because nobody taught her she’s beautiful, loved, and cherished.  She finds herself a mother when she too is just a child and she needs help desperately.  She needs to feel loved and worthy of real love desperately but that’s not your problem!

There’s a lot of controversy surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement.  I think a lot of us who are not black, don’t fully grasp the concept that racism is alive and thriving in our own backyard.  Why?  Because it’s “not our problem“.  It doesn’t directly affect us and our family and thus we turn a blind eye to the fact that it actually IS a problem for someone.  It’s a very real problem for our neighbors, co-workers, friends, and our children’s schoolmates.  Don’t believe me?   I have a very good long time friend who happens to be black.  Yesterday, as her children rode the bus to school, a white kid pulled a knife out on her daughter and threatened to stab her, her brother, and the other black children on the bus.  Yes, but you’re right, racism no longer exists here.  I’m absolutely shaking with anger and frustration for her family even as I type this.  As much as I want to get my belt after the behind of that child on the bus, I want to ring the neck of his parents even more because Racism is a learned behavior.  Do all lives matter?  Absolutely!  Are we saying by supporting Black Lives Matter that we don’t believe that ALL lives matter?  Absolutely not, but let’s get real honest, when was the last time your life was threatened or your intentions questioned for strolling through your neighborhood at night just because of the color of your skin?

My point is, be a part of the solution!  You can’t solve all the world’s problems, but you can certainly help with some.  The bible tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Are you truly loving others as you love yourself?  Because loving others fully sometimes requires taking their problems and making them our own.  Working together to find solutions instead of creating more division.  If you see someone that needs help, roll your sleeves up and get in there to help!  If we aren’t helping those with needs big or small, and we aren’t teaching our children to be a part of the solution, our future is doomed and that IS OUR PROBLEM!

I leave you with a FREE printable to frame for your home and remind you daily to be kind and help others.  It’s formatted to an 8×10 just click the link below the image to download and print.

“Be the change you want to see in the world”-Gandhi

bethechange

bethechange

 

 

Holes in my shoes

dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 Leave a comment

This morning, I woke up ready to take on the day!  Seriously, things were going off without a hitch and we were on time and life was good.  I took the big girls to school and then came home to begin getting A ready.  She looked quite cute in her little ruffled leggings and super sweet twirly dress.  She even picked a cute chunky necklace and a big pink bow to put in her perfectly placed ponytail.  I went to the kitchen to finish making her lunch and told her to put on her shoes and grab her backpack.  She came to me in a bit of a panic because she couldn’t find her folder.  We looked for a bit and then decided maybe one of her sisters had accidentally grabbed it as they all keep their backpacks in the reading nook side by side.  Our folder search ate up any spare time and before I knew it, we were on the verge of running late.   I quickly ushered her into the car and we sped off to school.  Upon arrival, I struggled to help her grab her nap mat, backpack, lunchbox, Ted, and her quest box (why does a 4 year old need this much gear for MDO?!?!?!).  We fought our way up the stairs and into class and her teacher commented on how pretty she looked.  I noticed she had a little breakfast left on her face so ushered her to the sink to wash her face before kissing her to tell her goodbye.  There my perfectly dressed little princess stood before me smiling as I glanced over her to proudly bask in all her head to toe adorableness.  That’s when I noticed it…

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There before me were her big toes gleaming out staring me in the face.  I could immediately feel my smile contort into an open mouthed gaping state of shock.  I froze absolutely horrified and began to panic.  You see these old glittery toms had become her “play shoes”.  She would slip them on and frolic outside to play for hours.  Recently, I had noticed her dragging them along the concrete as she rode her scooter and thus had ripped holes in the toes.  I told her to throw them away and that I would get her a new pair.  I trusted that she had but they’re her favorite shoes all broken in and comfy like that and so I guess she couldn’t bare to see them go.  I began to explain the situation to her teacher and vowed to return shortly with a less beggar looking pair.  I drove home in a hurry eager to grab some decent foot ware and return them to my little darling.

As I left the school for the second time after delivering suitable shoes, something hit me.  I have holes in my shoes too.  Not literally.  Metaphorically speaking.  My life is imperfect.  I often fall short of the mother, the wife, the daughter, sister, friend, and Christaian that I want to be, that I know God wants me to be.  I sin and disobey and cling to things in my life that are broken because they are “comfortable”.  When God tells me, “throw those things out, they are not good for you, I have something better for you”, I ignore him.  I look past those holes because grabbing a hold of something new is scary.  Sometimes new shoes leave blisters until they’re broken in you just have to get through that initial pain before they become your new favorite shoes.  Sometimes it’s easier to put a patch on the holes in those old shoes than it is to risk the blister of the new ones.  But God wants us to have new shoes.  He wants us to be the very best that we can be and he wants us to remember that he’s there with us through that blistery transition period.  I want to encourage you today to look at the holes in your own shoes.  Those broken relationships, that self inflicted criticism, those judgements, those addictions.  Lay that worn down pair of shoes at His feet and exchange them for a shiny new pair.  Exchange them for healing.  Remember, they won’t feel perfect the second you put them on for the first time.  They’ll be stiff and may cause blisters and that’s okay.  It’s just part of the process.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.  psalm 147:3

 

 

Love thy neighbor. Unless he’s gay?

dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 3 Comments

Social media has been blowing up all week over the supreme court ruling allowing same-sex marriage. 90% of the time, I attempt to just keep my head low and my mouth shut when it comes to taboo subjects. Why? Because, SOMEONE will always be offended by what I have to say. It’s no secret that I am a Christian woman, my thoughts are fairly conservative on moral issues. I’m absolutely horrified by what some of my “Christian” friends are posting about the subject. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and beliefs but at what cost to the feelings of fellow human beings? I try not to delete fb friends for their beliefs and/or choice in sin because it’s not my place to judge them. This week however, I had to delete a few folks when I read some seriously horrible things that they wrote about the situation. I don’t know why any human being would feel the need to say such hateful things about another group of human beings. I can only blame complete ignorance. I’ll try to make this short and sweet…

Do you have sin in your life? I can personally say that despite my faith and conviction for Christ, I have still knowingly sinned.

Cheated on your significant other? Even THOUGHT about cheating on your significant other? Looked at pornographic materials or watched a pornographic movie? Have you lusted after someone other than your spouse? Had sex before marriage? These are ALL forms of sexual sin. Our society packages sexual sin with a pretty little bow and makes it all seem alright and as Christians, we buy into the fact that what we are doing is so much different than homosexuality. We’ve made homosexuality the greatest sin. We’ve got Christian women going to see movies like 50 shades of gray and Magic Mike and their husbands being okay with it because it’s “just a movie” but not seeing that those movies are full of sexual sin! I haven’t seen either of them to speak from personal experience but I know what they are about and I gotta tell you, they are oooooooooozing with sin and temptation! Guard your heart ladies and know that Satan uses all sorts of ways to attack you spiritually. Guys, there’s nudity flowing through media today. You’re frequenting restaurants and bars that boast scantily clad women in bikinis, crop tops, and booty shorts bringing you your wings and beer. Hell, you’re even having your hair cut by women wearing shorts the size of panties and shirts so tight and short they leave little to the imagination. In today’s marriage, pornography, and strip clubs, and risqué movies are just okay.

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:28

Remember that ladies and gentlemen!

But I’m not just talking about sexual sins here folks. We sin every.single.day but somehow, we dull down our own sins and say, “well, at least I’m not gay!”. I’m not saying homosexuality isn’t a sin, because the bible clearly tells us it is. The bible tells us not to do a lot of things, but we still do them.

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, Ephesians 5:18

Y’all, you know we’ve ignored this little tidbit of advice a time or two! hahahaha I kid but really. There are different levels of sin of course but sin is sin and each sin causes us to fall short of what God wants for us. Envision if you will that our lives, as Christians, are a target. In the center, at the bullseye, is God, a perfect sinless day. The outer rings are different levels of sin. Each day, we go out with our arrows and we aim for the center but we don’t make it. Our arrows hit different rings each time. We may get close to the center some days and we may barley make the target at all on others but we NEVER actually hit the center. Some people get closer than we do, some not at all but in the end, none of us hits the bullseye. What’s my point here? We are ALL sinners, so unless you’re sinless, shut your mouth and stop being so hateful! Have we as Christians become so offended by the sin of others that we forgotten completely that God commands us to love Him AND love others? He never ever EVER says Love thy neighbor, unless he’s gay. Our job isn’t to judge others, it’s to love them. We will ALL be judged for our sins when our time comes. I want to encourage you today to read Romans 2 and to remember that judging others and condemning them for their sin isn’t your job and may actually be keeping you from the glory of God. You don’t have to believe in gay relationships or support gay marriage but you certainly have to love God’s people. Stop the division and the hate and just love one another. I want to remind you that many of these loving people you are condemning to hell, love the Lord too.

To my friends who are part of the LBGT community, I deeply apologize for the hatred and backlash you have received by the Christian community and I hope it will not leave a bad taste in your mouth for the church as a whole. God loves ALL his children! ❤

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Today’s youth group-tomorrow’s adults!

dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 1 Comment

I sit in the same section every Sunday at church. On the far right 1 row behind the teenagers/youth. Some people are annoyed by them but not me, I’m absolutely fascinated by them. Something about sitting behind them encourages me and gives me hope for the future. Why? Because it’s a place where otherwise macho jock teenage boys will hug each other as brothers in Christ. It’s a place where teens will huddle around a friend laying hands on one another in prayer. It’s a place where the popular trendy looking girls embrace the not so fashionable ones as their sisters. Watching teens with arms extended high to the Lord fills my cup. They aren’t ashamed of their faith, they embrace it. They don’t sink into their seats for fear of looking “uncool”, they jump, they shout, they sing, they dance, they praise! These kids aren’t here because their parents dragged them there, these kids are truly on fire for the Lord and it shines! This is encouraging to me because the world has set them up for spiritual failure. Everything on television, in music, movies, and magazines seems to be advertising sin. Satan entices our children with every temptation that is meant to drag them down to the fiery pits of hell with him. He wraps that sin up in a beautiful red ribbon and it’s hard to resist, especially when you aren’t well equipped. My girls and my nieces aren’t teenagers yet but I know that day is right around the corner for us. I’m so blessed to have many amazing teenage girls that I’ve adopted as my nieces over the years. I’ve loved watching them grow into beautiful, amazing, intelligent, caring, compassionate, God-fearing young women. My heart breaks for them when I see them struggling with some of the “normal” teenage girl dramas and heartaches. I try to reach out and encourage them to the best of my ability because it’s MY responsibility as cooky adoptive aunt to pour into their lives. It’s MY responsibility to show them the love that God has for them. There are a million and one people and influences swirling around them daily pulling them in the wrong direction, giving them destructive “advice”, pressuring them to sin so they need just as many influences lifting them up and encouraging them in the word. We are living in a world where kids who don’t know the Lord are committing unspeakable crimes against other teens and themselves. Our high schools are filled with young pregnant girls, STD’s, drugs, suicide, crime, teenagers with no accountability for their actions whatsoever. I want to encourage each and every one of you whether you have teenagers of your own or not to lift our youth up in prayer daily. Pray a hedge of protection over them and their friends. Pray that they will be so filled with the spirit of the Lord that satan can not sway them. Pour into their lives and be a good listener. Drop unexpected encouraging texts and emails. They need to know that the price of sin is death and that Jesus brings life. Remember that today’s teenagers, are the leaders of tomorrow. If we don’t cover these kids in the blood of the lamb and teach them right from wrong, if we don’t nurture and encourage a Christ centered life, we are not only doing them an injustice but we are sabotaging the future of our nation, of our world. Our teenage girls are especially under attack. Society tells them they aren’t pretty enough, skinny enough, popular enough. Society will teach them that they need the love and attention of a boy to make them feel complete. But, we need to teach them that they are the daughter of a King and their heavenly father thinks they are beautiful and perfect and loves them more completely than any high school boy could even fathom. It’s up to us to raise and encourage God fearing women who will go on to raise and encourage another generation of God fearing women. It’s up to us to pour into those teenage boys and show them how to love and respect a woman just as their heavenly father loves the church, his bride. It’s important that we teach them to love others despite their differences. Schools are filled with so many cliques and so much division, we must teach them to close in those gaps and come together as a family of Christ sharing one simple goal. Love God, love others. Rejoice in the truth and not delight in evil. If we all pour into these tweens/teens and show them to follow Christ, help them fall in love with Him and his word, we can change the world. These kids are our future. Invest in your future! ❤ Be the light! ❤

For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.
Proverbs 11:14

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Psalm 25:5

Motherhood

dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 Leave a comment

I want to start with a bit of an apology or a disclaimer if you will, I normally proof read my blogs briefly before I post because I know I can often become long winded or stray from the subject but I didn’t do that here. I just wanted to express exactly what I was feeling without any regards to run ons or subject changes! You’ve been warned.

When I held P (now 10) in my arms for the very first time, I knew being a mom was my calling. I mean, I had always known it but it really reiterated it. Yep, this was what I was meant to do. I was absolutely made to be a mother. I closed my eyes and envisioned my future as a glowing, nurturing, patient, maternal goddess. My entire future glowed before me. Soccer games, cheerleading, PTA meetings, family pictures. Yes, life was going to be picturesque, I could feel it. Even through the pain of my c-section and the late night feedings and poop explosions I trucked on towards the prize. The mother-of-year-prize; as though it was a tangible engraved trophy. I attended all her preschool parties with handmade treats and personalized party favors in tow. I scrapbooked every glorious little detail of her life in elaborate hand cut spreads with corner rounded photos. When I learned I was pregnant again, I just knew I would be an even better mother this time around. After all, I had some experience under my belt now, I was practically a pro! But when T came along, I learned I wasn’t as super as I thought. She was a difficult baby. She pretty much hated anyone but me and refused to be bottle fed at all. Pumped milk was not her thing, she wanted it fresh from the source! lol So class parties and other social events sort of took a back seat to little sister. I felt spread so thin I was sure both of my girls were suffering. By the time T was around 2 and I finally felt like I had a foothold on motherhood again, Dave and I begin talking about trying for our third and final baby. We thought since we were “trying” this time, it may take a while but in no time at all we were expecting again. This pregnancy was exciting to me because we were better prepared for it. It was expected, we were excited, the girls were excited, and we were in a better place financially to accommodate a new little blessing than previously. I was older, more experienced, and completely ready to take this on. After all, I had mastered being a mother of two, how much more difficult could a third child be? A was a pretty difficult child right out of the gate. She was colicky and was seriously attached to her mama. She did like Daddy much more than T did as a baby so that helped. Dave was much more helpful this time around too. He changed diapers and would offer to keep her so I could go to the store alone occasionally. But 3 kids into my parenting journey, I don’t exactly feel like a pro. I am NOT president of the PTA like I envisioned, I don’t even attend meetings. I have a hard time keeping their school and sporting events straight so I’m always late or confused in someway. We haven’t had family pictures taken in years. I’m not a glowing maternal goddess. I’m out of shape and stressed and overwhelmed most days. I feel like I’m drowning and failing in so many ways. I spend most of my days questioning every parenting decision I make and reflecting on every poor choice I made in the day: I text while I was at dinner with them, I fed them chick-fil-a because I didn’t feel like cooking, I didn’t bathe them last night because I was beyond ready for them to go to bed, they watched tv for more than an hour today, I lost my patience, I yelled, I skipped a bedtime story, we didn’t wake up in time for church, we didn’t pray together before bed. Did I spend enough time with them? Did I spend TOO much time with them? Did I let them be individuals and develop their own opinions or am I forcing mine on them? Have I scared them for life? Am I crushing their little spirits and forever changing who they are? Will they need therapy as adults? You laugh, but you know you’ve all thought the same thing about your parenting skills. Some days I hide in my closet and cry because I’m so disappointed in myself as a mother. Our pediatrician constantly compliments me on how well behaved, polite, intelligent, and wonderful our girls are. She praises Dave and I for our parenting every time we visit. Recently, Dave and I treated the girls to a nice dinner at Saltgrass steakhouse to celebrate P & T both being selected as students of the month at school when an elderly gentleman sitting at the table behind us came over as they were leaving and shook Dave’s hand. He said he just wanted to stop by and congratulate us on being wonderful parents. He said he and his wife had been watching and they were so blown away by how polite the girls were and how they just sat there sweetly the entire dinner. They were never rambunctious, never threw a fit, and were absolutely beautiful as well. Dave beamed with pride and the girls sweetly smiled and said thank you before waiving goodbye. Stuff like this literally happens to us every time we leave the house but still I don’t feel like a good parent. I still am overwhelmed with feelings of inadequacy and failure. This weekend was a great weekend for our family. Thursday I attended a muffins with Mom breakfast at the older girl’s elementary school and then a few hours later attended a muffins with Mom event at A’s mother’s day out program. I loved watching them very proudly present me little handmade cards and gifts as a Mother’s Day present. Friday morning, I attended another early morning breakfast event at the school because P had been chosen for a character award. Each time I attend an event at the girl’s school I am bombarded by reports of praise from their teachers, administrators, peers, and other parents. I cried as a letter from her teacher explaining why she was chosen was read aloud choked full of wonderful words of praise like “P is selfless, generous, and there is not a student in my classroom who thinks anything but the best of her. On my own bad days, I can think of a student like her and realize why I love to do this job.”. She goes on to say “Her kindness and constant enthusiasm will be something I remember for many years to come.”. Wow! Included in her award papers was a wonderful collage of sweet comments that each of her peers had contributed about her. “P is a problem solver and I have never seen her with a frown”, “You are a sweet, nice, cute, and generous girl and will be my best friend forever”, “You are awesome! You are fast, nice, gold hearted, a good friend, and very good at soccer”, “She is one of the coolest and nicest people I have ever met”. Were amongst some of my favorite things her classmates had to share about her. I am so so proud of this amazing little girl but I can’t take the credit for it. Even with all this praise, I can’t take credit. She’s wonderful all on her own and I still felt like a failure when I fed her fast food for dinner that night. The next morning, our whole family attended a city wide “Character March” at one of the local high schools. Star students from each school in the city were brought on stage and recognized for being students of impeccable character. This year there were about 18 students out of the nearly 500 enrolled students at their school selected to be students of the month and of those 18, my 2 children were BOTH selected! They were the only set of siblings recognized that day. T’s teacher said about her: “She always has a kind word for her friends and encourages others. She usually goes the extra mile to help teachers and students alike.” She added, “She is a great example to her peers daily and her genuine and caring heart makes her a friend to all.” We finished off the morning with food and fun at the stadium and then enjoyed an evening of pizza and playing with friends. At the end of the night when I kept my children up waaaaaay past their bedtimes and then became irritated when A was extremely cranky and whiney I felt like a failure again. My point in all of this was not to brag on my children, (okay, maybe a little bit, but they truly deserve some recognition), it was to say that no matter what the parenting circumstances are, no matter how other people view you as a parent, no matter how well behaved and kind hearted your kids may be, you will always be your own worst critic. It’s something I’ve struggled with since I became a mother and something I will probably always struggle with from time to time. This morning when I was surprised with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, jewelry from one of my favorite stores, donuts, and hand drawn Mother’s Day cards before church, I cried. Reading the sweet words on the card my husband had selected for me and the wonderful note he wrote at the bottom made my heart swell because I realized something for the first time in all of my years as a mom. I realized that I am enough. I’m not perfect, I’m often impatient, I become overwhelmed, sometimes my kids eat fast food, but I’m doing my very best and you know what? That’s a pretty good start. God didn’t intend for us to be perfect mothers. He intended us to lean on him with faithful prayer. He intended for us to go to Him for counsel and guidance and to raise our children to love him. Can I tell you something moms? You are enough for those babies. Someday when they’re grown, they won’t remember that time we were too tired for a bedtime story, they will remember the love we had for them, the discipline they received when they were disobedient, the lessons we teach them, and most importantly how we instilled in them a love for the Lord.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

I find so much encouragement in the word knowing that the Father is with me co-parenting and picking up the slack when I can’t go on. I find hope in His promises for me as a mother and although I know I will always fall short in some area as a mother, I know those sweet, beautiful, amazing, precious babies of mine love their imperfect, absent minded, goofy, flawed mommy more than I deserve. They are truly the greatest gift I’ve ever been given. They try my patience and drive my absolutely batty some days but this wonderful amazing motherhood journey has been the greatest ride of my life!

Proverbs 31:28-29 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. Many women do noble things but you surpass them all.

Thank you Lord for loving me so completely despite my many flaws. Thank you for trusting me with these 3 amazing little angels. Thank you for giving me a God fearing mother as an example to myself and my children and for the many amazing mothers in my life. I pray for extra strength for my fellow mommies who are struggling with the same feelings of inadequacy and failure today. Less of us and more of you Lord.

Happy Mother’s Day Mamas! ❤

Marriage in the social media age

dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 3 Comments

I don’t even know where to begin this post but it’s been weighing heavily on my heart for quite some time now.  I want to talk about marriage today.

Marriage has never been easy kids.  Historically, marriage has been hard work.  Adam and Eve even knew it was tough to be married.  Sin has always been a dividing factor in marriages.  The bible tells us stories of deceit, adultery, even murder in marriage so this is obviously not a new trend.  But now, thanks to technology, it seems marriages have a whole new set of hurdles to jump.

I’m going to start by telling you a little bit about myself and my own marriage so that you don’t feel like I’ve got a perfectly easy marriage and have NO idea what I’m talking about in this struggle.  Dave and I got married 6 years ago after a very brief courtship.  We moved rather quickly and both of us just kind of knew we were headed towards marriage from the get go.  I think we only dated a couple of months when he moved in with me and we began discussing marriage.  We toyed with a spring time beach wedding  and I sent off for an information packet from the travel agent about our wedding in St. Lucia.  We hadn’t yet set a date but were thinking sometime in March.  Life had other plans though.  In July (7 months before our planned beach wedding), I learned I was pregnant.  Dave’s reaction to that positive pregnancy test made me want to marry him even more.  Neither of us ever thought “oh no, what the hell have we done”.  Well, I didn’t anyway, and if that’s what he was thinking, he masked it well!  lol  Anyhow, we decided to bump the wedding up to August and kiss our barefoot beach wedding goodbye.  Our wedding was a simple but lovely (if I say so myself) lake front wedding.  Only our family and a small group of best friends were there to witness our vows.  I would like to tell you it’s been all rainbows and butterflies since but I would be lying.  We love each other fiercely so it always works out but we’ve had a lot of odds stacked against us.  In addition to not knowing each other fully well and a sudden unexpected pregnancy, we had a whole handful of differences to sort through.  I was raised in church while Dave was not.  I had been married before and had a small child from that marriage while Dave, an often drunk soldier in the Army, had never so much as had a serious relationship in his life.   Those were just the obvious obstacles.   I suffered from depression and had suitcases of trust issues, insecurities, and fear of being hit due to my first marriage.  Dave had his own baggage of course including some post traumatic stress from his time in war.  Moral of the story is, our marriage is not a walk in the park.  It is hard.  It’s work.  Every.day.of.our.lives! We love hard, we fight hard.  When it comes down to it though, there is no one else on the planet that can make me smile and laugh like this man can.  There is no one else on the planet I would rather fight for and fight with.   Yes, my eyes glazed over for a second and I got butterflies talking about him so I would say that’s a sign he’s a keeper still.

What was the point in me telling you our life story you’re probably wondering?  Well, the point is that people always tell me how happy and in love we look.  And we are 85% of the time.  The other 15% of the time, we often want to strangle each other.  lol  But when we fight, I don’t rush to social media to be my counselor.  I don’t air out our dirty laundry and the sacred details of our marriage and our disagreements to hundreds of mostly strangers.  Marriage is a sacred union and when I divulge the inner workings and problems within our marriage to the world, I give them a piece of my marriage that isn’t theirs to have.  Does this mean when we have a huge blowout and I need some guidance and advice that I don’t tell anyone at all?  Nope, I have a handful of people that I fully trust to be on the side of my marriage to consult with.  I consult God fearing friends who I feel will tell me when I’m being ridiculous and over reacting or pray with me and for us until we get it worked out.  I consult friends who do not pass judgement on either myself or my husband who won’t just take MY side because they’re my friend but will always take the side of my marriage and our children.  Social media sites like twitter, Facebook, and instagram can very easily harm your marriage.

I get so worked up when I log onto Facebook and see things like “I married such a useless A-hole”,  “He thinks he’s gonna cheat on me and get away with it”, “I’m so hurt by what my husband did…”, “My wife is such a B****h”,  “I wish my wife would do this…”, “Too bad my wife doesn’t look like this or dress like this…”.  You get the point, you’ve all seen these types of posts.  The problem with posting things like this about your spouse is that it is a full on public stoning.   You may as well line up all the townspeople with rocks in hand ready to throw them at your spouse.  This is an absolute blatant disregard for the sacred union that marriage is supposed to be.  The covenant of marriage was made between you, your spouse, and God and was NOT made to include 800 of your best Facebook “friends”!  When you trash talk and break your husband/wife down in a public forum, you are telling others that your marriage is not that strong.  That your spouse and your marriage is not that important to you.  You are publicly declaring that Satan is winning in your marriage.  No, no, no people!  Don’t declare that!  When you’re facing problems in your marriage no matter what the magnitude, you run like hell to get some counsel from someone who will be on the side of your marriage and not a bunch of random people to fuel the drama fire.  Go to God with your problems not the internet!

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.  Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. -Colossians 3:18-19

In addition to social media sites giving troubled marriages a forum to bash one another, it also opens the gates of sexual sin.  I repeatedly see married men (and sometimes women) “liking” pages that are one step away from pornographic.  Y’all, please don’t disrespect your wife by liking “big booty hoes” or “dirty housewives” on Facebook.  Wives, please do NOT participate in MCM (man crush monday) if you plan on posting a photo of some shirtless sweaty man that is NOT your husband.  Have some respect for each other for Pete’s sake!  I don’t want to see it in my newsfeed and no matter how “cool” and “secure” your spouse is, they don’t want to see it either!!!!!!!!  The problem is, we live in a society that makes objectifying women and men okay.  We’ve made things like topless bars acceptable.  We patron “sports bars” and “restaurants” that boast scantily clad, bikini top, booty short wearing waitresses and bartenders.  We are buying into sex.  We are buying into adultery.  We’ve got smartphones and portable devices that make viewing XXX videos and photos on demand easier than making a phone call!  Satan is invading our marriages and we just let him kids!  We’ve smeared a very black and white subject into a grey area with technology and these types of establishments but I will tell you God does not see this grey area we’ve created.

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. -Matthew 5:28

The moral of the story kids?  Look to God and not the world to guide you through your marriage.  Social media does not have the answers but HIS word surely does!  Love one another kids.  Forgive one another.  Do NOT publicly humiliate and bash one another.  Use social media to build your spouse up not tear them down!

dance

I’ll leave you with this gushy picture of me dancing with my handsome husband on the dock on our wedding day.  I don’t always like you, but I’ll always love you.  Those dreamy eyes and contagious smile will forever put you at the top of my Man Crush Monday list!!!  ❤

Lies Christians tell themselves (and sometimes others too)

dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 Leave a comment

Those of us who were raised in the church or even found our way there as adults, know that there are certain character traits that Christians are “supposed” to possess.  Good Christians should be honest, fair, kind, and generous right?  So, I’m gonna start by being super honest with myself (and you).  Here goes, ready for it?  I am NOT always honest, fair, kind, and generous!  In fact, I.AM.A.LIAR!  Yikes!  Felt good to get that off my chest!  Yep, you read that correctly, I lie to myself (and sometimes others) pretty often actually.  What on earth do I mean you might be asking?  Let me give you an example as to lies I often tell myself (and others).  Brace yourself, you may just discover that YOU are a liar too!  Yikes!

Lie #1:  “I’ll pray for you.”  Relax.  I’m not saying this is always a lie.  In fact, a good 97% of the times that I say I will pray for you, I REALLY do!  But the bottom line is, I’m forgetful.  Reaaaaaaaalllly forgetful.  There are some days that I get so caught up in my super hectic life that I actually forget that 3% of specific prayer requests if I haven’t written them down or stopped that very second to pray.  Eeeeeesh.  Most of the time, I’ll see a post on Facebook or hear someone talk about the request later and want to slap myself in the face because I know I wasn’t a strong prayer warrior for that particular need. 

My commitment to future honesty: When I hear or read a prayer request I will immediately stop what I am doing and pray for that need if possible.

Lie #2:  “I don’t have any cash to give.”  We’ve all been approached by a homeless man on the streets, a group of children asking for donations for their school or sport, or some other need.  Sometimes I question the sincerity of the need and rather than opening my wallet, I just politely apologize with a generic “I’m sorry, I would, but I don’t have any cash on me”.  This isn’t always a lie.  In fact, I very rarely do carry cash on me but if I’m being super honest, there’s an atm on every corner and most stores have a cash back option when you’re paying with a card.  More than the lack of cash though, I wonder if the person is really in need.  I double even triple guess the need and if I don’t deem the person truly needy I use the no cash cop out.  Last week, the girls and I were grocery shopping and a young mom approached me with her young toddler on her hip.  She told me she was from a nearby town and needed some gas money to get back.  I sweetly smiled and said yep, you guessed it, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have any cash”.  She politely said “that’s okay, thank you anyway” and disappeared down the aisle.  The truth is, I had cash.  I had lots of cash actually.  I had a neat little row of $100 dollar bills I had been meaning to take to the bank to deposit.  If I had a $5, $10, or $20 I would have gladly handed it over but, I didn’t want to give her a whole $100!  I blow $100 on stupid stuff all the time so what was wrong with giving it to someone who could have used it.  But no, I questioned her motives.  I asked myself if her story was true or was she planning to use the money for drugs or alcohol and even, who knows if that was even her baby.   hahaha yes, I gotta laugh at myself on that last one because that’s just how paranoid and critical I have become.

My commitment to future honesty:  I will carry around several $20’s for instances just like this and I will attempt to calm my over analytical thoughts about people’s stories of need.  I will just open my heart and my purse and GIVE and not worry about what happens with that money once it leaves my hands.  

Lie #3:  “When God clearly speaks to me, I will obey.”  Sometimes we pray and pray for God to reveal things to us and we swear up and down that we will do whatever it is he is asking of us without question because really, who questions GOD?  Sometimes I’m guilty of hearing God’s voice loud and clear and ignoring him because I don’t like what he’s got to say.  A few weeks ago, I prayed that God would show me places that he could use me.  Specifically I was praying for a new church home where he might use me with the youth or on a praise team because those are the areas that have my heart to serve.  But I wasn’t just praying for those things, I was praying that he would show me ways that I could better show his love to the needy and broken people I encountered on a daily basis.  So first the stranded young lady at HEB then yesterday he placed another need before me and I just ignored him!  I went to city hall to get a proof of residency form because I didn’t yet have a utility bill with our new address on it and needed one.  As I was walking in, 3 kids in tow, a man and his son (probably about 10) held the door open for the girls and I.  I took note of how polite the little boy was because in this society it’s so rare to find youth who have been taught manners and chivalry.  They let us go ahead of them in line very politely even.  I got the form I needed quickly and then paused to the side to read a text message while Payton tied her shoe and couldn’t help but overhear the conversation between the man and the city employee.  He was asking for an extension on his water bill because it was about to be turned off.  He said his wife had a new baby and he had been laid off work and he didn’t have enough money to pay the bill at this time.  The employee said she could extend it until the following friday but that was the best she could do.  The man looked defeated but took what he could get.  At that very moment, God told me to pay the man’s water bill anonymously.  I looked him over and decided that I didn’t know enough about this tattoo covered man to do such a thing.  The girls and I slipped out to the parking lot and headed to the gym.  Throughout my workout I couldn’t get this family out of my head.  I remembered the feeling of desperation I had when T was born, just weeks old and Dave was laid off when oil crashed in 2009.  I imagined what his wife must feel like.  I pictured her sitting on the sofa, nursing that baby, crying, and wondering how they would provide for their children with her husband out of work.  I tried to push the image out of my mind and move on about my day but it plagued me and quite obviously is still bothering me.  Why didn’t I do what God told me to do?  Well, I don’t have a good answer other than I questioned the circumstances.  I made myself the jury and the judge and decided I needed to know why the man had lost his job, why he hadn’t yet found another, and why he couldn’t afford to pay that water bill.  I wondered if he had failed a drug test and gotten fired or if he was irresponsible and couldn’t show up on time.  When Dave lost his job, they tried everything in their power to keep him on.  He was one of the last people from that department they laid off in fact and his layoff had nothing to do with his very strong work ethic and everything to do with there just not being enough work at the time to justify paying him.  So why should it have mattered to me what this family’s circumstances were.  The bottom line was, they were in need, and I am so incredibly blessed to be in a place financially that I could have helped meet their need but didn’t.

My commitment to future honesty:  I’m a work in progress and it is human nature to be slightly selfish and apprehensive of giving your finances.  After all, you work hard and should get a say in where that money goes right?  But I will try and remember that it is not my money but God’s money and by his grace, we are so very blessed.  I will listen for his voice and even when it puts me out of my comfort zone I will try my hardest to be obedient.  I’m not saying I will never disobey but I’m going to make a conscious effort to practice obedience when he tells me to do something or give to someone.

Lie #4: “I’m not judging her/him/them at all, it’s not my place to judge.” Ha!  Who exactly do I think I’m kidding?   I’m judging ALL day long.  I’m judging those Facebook posts, that language he/she used, that parent with the ill behaved child at the playground, that mom giving her baby dr. pepper,  the elderly woman waiting tables, the mom who lets her little girl wear booty shorts or heels, the list goes on and on but you get the point.  I’m judging all the darn time and all the while telling myself I’m not a judgmental person!  

My commitment to future honesty:  I’m not saying I will never judge again because I think it is in our nature to judge others when their lifestyle and choices are different than ours.  But, I will say that I will stop telling myself that I’m NOT judging.  I will try and recognize when I am being judgmental and remind myself that different strokes are okay for different folks.  God made us all different and that’s okay.  I’ll try to remember that I don’t like the feeling I get when I know someone is judging me and try my hardest not to make other people feel that way.

I lie to myself all the time and sometimes others too but I can’t lie to God.  He sees my heart and he knows my actions.  What lies have you been telling yourself?

The F word

dysfunctionaldomesticdiva2013 Leave a comment

We’ve all heard the expression fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me!  Most of us try and live our life to that standard.  We’ve got this idea that if someone does something to hurt us physically, emotionally, verbally, whatever, we should out of the kindness of our hearts give them the benefit of the doubt and extend some forgiveness but just once.  If the screw up again then too bad for them because we’ve already forgiven them once right?  Hate to burst your bubble kids {and my own} but WRONG!

Let’s get real honest with ourselves for a second.  Have you ever sinned?  Have you ever sinned more than once?  Twice?  More times than you can possibly count?  The answer is YES, YES, YES, and YES!  Often we go with our tails between our legs crying out to the Lord begging for forgiveness but other times, we just take his mercy and forgiveness for granted.  We just expect him to forgive us because we know he does.  We just know he extends grace and mercy repeatedly even when we don’t deserve it.  Why do we know that?  Because the word tells us he does!  But, in classic human nature, we take the word and we twist it to meet our needs.  We pick the parts we find beneficial to us out and use those but sort of paraphrase the rest.  We find the “loopholes” if you will.

Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

I often joke saying I have a “black thumb”.  Seriously, I could kill a cactus and pretty sure I have.  Horticulturist I am not but last year, I thought I would try my hand at an herb garden.  Nothing makes me happier than cooking with fresh herbs and it never fails I’m out of basil or rosemary in the middle of making a fabulous from scratch pasta sauce.  So, I moseyed on down to my friendly local Home Depot and snagged some potted herbs and a large window planter.  I didn’t do much research on the subject because the little biodegradable pots were just to be planted directly into the soil so I figured it was fool proof.  I planted Rosemary, Basil, Cilantro, and Sweet Mint.  I watered and cared for them for several months and they seemed to be thriving.  They made delicious additions to soups, pastas, chicken, and even mojitos!  Nom…nom…nom… mouth watering just thinking of it!  After several months, I noticed the mint seemed to be thriving a little too well if ya know what I mean!   It’s super easy to grow and maintain so it easily takes over some of the weaker herbs.  After several more months,  it was becoming difficult to get to my cilantro.  The leaves of the mint had become intertwined with the leaves of the cilantro and it just became a lot of work to try and keep the leaves apart.  Eventually the cilantro died.  R.I.P Cilantro-you were my favorite herb child.  When I went to remove the cilantro plant, parts of the mint started to come up as well.  The mint roots were so strong that they intertwined with the roots of the cilantro plant and began to take over and defeat them!  What is the moral of this little gardening tale you probably are asking?  You may even be throwing your hands up yelling at your computer screen “get to the point already you dysfunctional domestic diva!!!”  The point my friends is when we don’t extend forgiveness to others, it plants a seed of bitterness that only grows and thrives inside of us.  It takes root and if we let it, this bitterness will thrive and take over our life and it can sometimes defeat the roots of kindness that dwell in the same place.  We need to remember that we are only human and we will ALWAYS fall short of the humans that we SHOULD be.  Some transgressions are easier to forgive than others but that doesn’t mean those transgressions are unforgivable.

All of that being said, there is a fine line between forgiveness and foolishness and I think we often confuse the two.  The act of forgiveness doesn’t mean we have to be foolish and constantly subject ourselves to hurt.  I’m not saying if your husband is repeatedly hitting you or betraying your trust that you should just say “oh no problem honey, I forgive you again” and stick around for more.  Get yourself OUT of that toxic situation but don’t let the hurt become your crutch.  It could be your spouse, a friend, a co-worker, an ex, a sibling or other family member, a stranger on the streets even!  You say “I forgive you” and truly mean it, then move on with your merry little life!  Here’s the kicker.  People don’t always ask for forgiveness.  They may not think they’ve even done anything wrong at all and it isn’t our job to pass judgement on their sins but it IS our job to forgive them.  We must show them the exact kindness, grace, mercy, and forgiveness that our heavenly father repeatedly extends to us.  If we don’t, that original hurt, that original sin committed against us by someone else can quickly morph into our own sin and become bitterness!  Don’t be bitter kids.  Forgive, move on, and please be kind to one another.  Forgive but please don’t be foolish especially when it comes to the safety and security of yourself or your children!  Forgiving someone doesn’t mean you turn a blind eye and allow hurtful behavior repeatedly.  There are consequences for everyone’s actions whether that be on earth or on judgement day.  The good news is, we aren’t responsible for that big ole judgement burden, just the forgiveness part.

xoxo