Listen, Please!

A while back I walked into one of those specialty stores in the mall that is all about skincare.  You know the type with all the various lotions, cremes, moisturizers, bath salts and more in scents that smell like everything from a beautiful garden to a delicious desert.  It was winter time and, per usual for that season, I was looking for something to combat the dry skin that comes with winter, not because I don't own anything, but because I like to add to my collection of delightfully scented moisturizers upon occasion just to indulge my inner princess.  She's in there.  She may be buried under a bad hair day, an overflowing laundry basket, and an overstuffed inbox, but that she's in there and wants to be pampered sometimes.  One thing I also love about these stores is the opportunity to sample various items while being greeted by friendly staff eager to aide in the pampering process.  On this particular occasion, I was immediately greeted by one of those smiling faces.   To keep things interesting and fresh, I'd chosen a store I don't typically shop in, but it's a favorite for my sis, so I thought it was long past time to give them a try. The saleswoman asked me, 

"What can I help you find today?"

Standing in front of the section that held all of their moisturizing cremes and lotions, I asked, "Which of these would say is the absolute best for dry skin?"  A simple question for this type of store, I expected her to point out one or two products and was ready to sample them and choose my favorite scent.  

Her response, "Well, actually, it doesn't matter what moisturizer you use. The key to defeating dry skin is to exfoliate.  Do you exfoliate?"  

A bit thrown by her response, but not unaware of the concept, I said, "Yes I do,  but…"

She interrupted to continue, "People don't give enough credit to exfoliating.  You can lather on tons of lotion, but you won't get soft skin without exfoliating…blah…blah…blah." 

I'm not saying blah, blah to save time.  I really have no idea what came next.  By this point I'd realized she was not going to answer my question, and her voice became an adult on Charlie Brown cartoons.  I'll pause while you make the sound for fun.  Okay, back to the story.  You see, she missed my question.  I didn't ask her the key to defeating dry skin.  I asked her which moisturizer was best.  Had she given me an answer to my initial question, she would likely have kept my attention and made a sale that day.  Instead, she got my drill team smile, and a polite thank you as I exited as soon as she took enough of a breath for me to excuse myself without being rude.  Even when she initially asked her ever important exfoliating question, she could have held onto me, had she just heard me say  "yes,  I do."  Unfortunatley, she steamrolled over that opportunity to get back on track, and lost me completely.  

As I quickly strolled away, vowing in my head never to return unless I want a lecture, I was shaking my head at her failure to listen well.  This week, as God began to put the idea of listening on my heart, this encounter came back to me, and the lesson of conviction slid right home with it.  How many times have I been guilty of the same thing.  Someone asks me a question, a simple question about God, church, the Bible, Jesus, heaven, etc and instead of taking the time to listen, I launch into my practiced lecture on something kind of related, but COMPLETELY MISS THE QUESTION!  How many of those people were hearing the "WAH WAH WAH" of Charlie Brown's mom, and waiting for their first opportunity to escape me for good!  Why do I do this?  Why do we do this? Why do we fail to listen?  

The simple answer is we overcomplicate things. The questions people ask us about God are typically simple.  The answers may feel complex, but the truths about God that matter most, the things that are crucial to someone coming to know the Lord, accepting Jesus Christ,  and changing their eternal destiny are not really hard.  Sure there are some complex concepts out there; there are things left in mystery that we are never going to understand this side of heaven,  but I can confidently say most of the times I've been asked questions by someone really in need, really seeking God, the question being asked and it's accompanying answer were not that complex.  I let my fear of getting the answer right, my pride of wanting to sound knowledgeable, or my ignorance for lack of being prepared overcomplicate a simple situation.  We must be ready at all times with the simple answers to the simple questions about God.  2 Timothy 4:2 says, 

"Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching."  

To be ready at all times means we must be in close contact with God all the time.  We should be praying daily for opportunities to encounter those with questions, praying to be good listeners, and praying for the simple answers to be on the tip of our tongues.  God will answer these prayers, but He tells us clearly that we don't have what we don't ask for.   We can't let fear overtake us, because to do so means we think it all depends on us when we should know it all depends on Him.  We have to stop our pride from running rampant and causing us to grandstand because that actually makes us an obstacle to God's plan rather than a instrument of His plan.  We can't let ignorance be an option at all, so we must read the Bible, pray, and attend church regularly.  God uses all of these things to plant in us what we will need at the opportune time.  

And most importantly, learn to pause. Take a breath, look the person speaking to you dead in the eye, and LISTEN, please, to what the person is saying.  If someone asks you, "Am I going to go to hell because I'm getting a divorce?"  You don't go into a deep lecture on what Jesus said in Matthew about divorce, you listen.  This person is going through a heartbreaking experience and is afraid he now faces eternal damnation.  Your answer is simple, "If you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, that He died for your sins, and that He has defeated death so you can live forever with God in heaven, then absolutely not!"  Then pause, and listen to what they say/ask next.  If a teenager asks you, "Aren't all religions just praying to the same God?" You don't need to go into a history of Abraham, Isaac and Ismael or talk about polytheism vs monotheism (if you don't know those words, it really is okay).  Listen and recognize this is a young person at a crucial time in her life trying to decide what she believes for herself.  She needs clear and simple truth. You simply need to know to say, "No they are not.  There is only one true God."   As believers, our answers don't need to be politically correct, watered down, condescending, or overly didactic.  They need to be loving, honest, clear, and kind.   I don't know what question you may face next, but I do know the worst answer you can give is to not answer simply and clearly.  

The next time you face one of these moments, I hope you'll think of me and my quest for a good moisturizer and remember to listen. 

"Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish."

Proverbs 18:13

Finding the Perfect Mother's Day Gift

Mother's Day is one of those holidays that most people don't know how it came to exist, but go along with it anyway.  From the time we are tiny our dads, grandmas, or older siblings told us on this particular Sunday of the each year, we needed to make something special for Mommy, cook her breakfast in bed, and, most importantly, be especially good.   These instructions have been the motivation behind a plethora of  hand print art pieces, overcooked eggs, and whispered sibling fights.  As we get older, we go through the entire "Things Remembered" collection  knowing that Mom will smile and seem genuinely thrilled with just about anything that has our picture or name on it.  We stand elbow to elbow in the card section at Target picking out the perfect card, or the one card that is left that has a matching envelope and is not in a language we don't speak.  Some years, we go all out and get her something really good like a massage or art made by an actual artist, and Mom's reaction is not just genuine, it's off the charts because she had given up hope of ever getting a gift she really likes.  However, in spite of our stumbling through early morning kitchen destruction, mediocre gifts and buying the same card two years in a row, our moms really are always so thankful on Mother's Day.  They walk around with big smiles and relish well-wishes from family and strangers alike.  For years, it has been a mystery to me why moms are so appreciative when we often don't do such a great job of celebrating them.  

Then, I had a child of my own.  For the past ten months I have been a real life, in the trenches, 24/7 mommy.  Motherhood is a whirlwind!  Some days you feel made for it and some days you think you're completely failing.  Some days you can't remember life before being a mommy and some days you can't remember your name.  It is exhausting and exhilarating.  It is painful and precious.  It is  terrifying and thrilling.  It is jolting and joyful.  It is by far the greatest job I've ever had in my life, even when I'm up at 3am with a teething child who doesn't understand why her mouth hurts.  The gift of a child that you get to love and comfort and shape and teach is tremendous.  The fact that God has trusted you with His precious creation and is letting you represent His love and grace and comfort is humbling and awe-inspiring.  Which is why, I'm looking forward to all of the random, hand crafted,  dollar-store gifts that will come my way in years to come.  The gift of being a mom is truly the apex of gifts.  There is nothing greater that I can be given, and every time I hear "Happy Mother's Day" this year, I'll be thinking about my precious gift and the joy permanently residing in my heart because of her existence.  

Of course, you can still TRY to give a great gift.  Spa days are great, jewelry is always good, and if you have a mom like me, you can't go wrong with a great pair of shoes! Hand print optional.  :)

  

#TBT Share for Grieving, Hopeful Moms & Moms-to-Be

Throwback Thursday seemed like the best day to repost something I shared last year for Mother's Day.  Please share it with any woman in your life that you think it might bring comfort to this week.  Please, continue to pray for all of the women out there hoping to be moms, mourning lost children, and just trying to get through another Mother's Day.  You are always in my prayers. You are always in God's heart.  You are not forgotten! 

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;

your walls are ever before me.   Isaiah 49:16

For the Brokenhearted Mothers & Mothers-to-Be

How to Recover From a Sudden Change in Plans

I had a plan for today.  It was a really good plan. A plan I was excited about.   However, in the last hour, that plan was thrown out the window completely.  I had no say in the changes, they just happened.  Now, I must confess I woke up in one of those funky, can't be explained, everything is going to bug me today kind of moods.  I found myself overly irritated with the screen door on my patio and annoyed by my left big toe (neither of those are worth further explanation), so you can imagine, as my carefully planned out day began to fall apart, I was not in the right state of mind to receive that news.   Fortunately for me, my thoughts are not the only ones dancing around in my head.  No, I'm not hearing voices, I'm hearing The Voice. And no, I don't mean Blake, Adam, Usher, or Xtina.  I'm talking about the Holy Spirit.  He lives in me, speaks to me, comforts me, convicts me, and reminds me who I am.  Thank God for Him, because I was on track for a full on adult fit that was going to include wearing pjs all day and buying large amounts of ice cream.  Instead of that bratty tantrum, the thought that He whispered to me was, "if your plan for the day has suddenly changed, look out for the divine appointment!"

Divine appointments are meetings or encounters with people that God intentionally set up with great purpose.  These are those moments when you happen to be sitting on the plane next to someone who doesn't know Christ but is curious about the book you're reading that happens to be by your pastor. When you're in the gym locker room putting on your t-shirt from last year's student ministry camp and the person getting dressed next to you asks about it and happens to have a teenage son in need of something to do this summer.  It might be as simple as the next client coming into your office is in the midst of a personal crisis, and your kindness will be their first glimpse of God's grace today.  You never know when or with whom your divine appointment  is going to be, but I firmly believe they always pop up on the days when my schedule goes out the window.  My baby falling asleep for her morning nap two hours early and my babysitter canceling this afternoon may seem like inconveniences, but I know that God has someone He wants me to encounter today, so He had to rearrange my day to get me in the right places at the right time.   There was nothing wrong with the places I was going to go today, they just weren't on His divine agenda.  He's not surprised by the changes in my day, He's laying out a new course to get me where He wants me to be, starting with this post.  Now it's up to me. I can sit and pout and miss my chance to be used by Him, or I can keep my eyes open for the divine appointment and have a purpose filled day.  I'm going for purpose!

Has God changed your plans recently?  Did you catch your divine appointment?  Share your experience in the comments below.  It will help encourage us all to be on the look out.

Feeling Fabulous at 40!

I confess, I did not expect this to be the title of my birthday blog post.  My perspective on turning forty was developed in my teenage years when I first saw this moment in "When Harry Met Sally": 

I've quoted that line too many times to count, with the same melodramatic despair  Meg Ryan used when she said, "someday".  Turning forty was synonymous with an ending in my mind.  The end of being young and all that I associate with youth.  The end of fun and frivolity.  The end of spontaneity and adventure.  Just, the end.  My feelings about forty were beginning to show a few months ago as the new year approached when my very practical husband said to me, "The alternative is to be dead, so I want you to turn forty."  Sometimes a simple truth can slap you out of your melodrama. 

Once I turned off the voice of Meg Ryan, I was able to take a good look at my life and what forty was really going to mean.  Here I sit, turning forty, and I'm in the middle of one of the sweetest seasons of my life.  I'm in a marriage that grows stronger every day, because I married a man that loves God first and is committed to having a healthy relationship with me.  I'm enjoying all of the amazing firsts that come with the first year of my sweet daughter's life.  I have incredible family and friends who are there for laughs as well as support and encouragement.  I'm unbelievably blessed to get to use the gifts that God has given me as a speaker and be a part of so many different ministries and churches as I pursue the ministry God has given me.  Even more, I have all these years of life experience, wisdom and faith to fall back on as I face whatever new challenges or trials I may face.  Getting older really is about getting better. 

Oh sure, I don't have the body of a nineteen year old anymore (and boy that was such a great body), but I'm happy to trade it for no longer having the foolishness of a nineteen year old.  I may not have the energy I had when I was twenty-five, but I'm so glad to not have the insecurities I had then. At forty I have so much more security, confidence, faith, and peace than I had in my younger years that I can't help but feel great about where I am and what is to come.  

I share this to encourage you as you age.  We live in a world that puts so much emphasis on looking young and being young that it is easy to think of getting older as a bad thing, when in fact we gain a lot with each year of life we live.  As we continue to persevere through life, we have the opportunity to become better at handling all that life throws at us.  We also have more to share with others and a greater appreciation for all of the blessings that come our way.  As it turns out, I don't feel the least bit old, but I do feel more sure of who I am and what my purpose is on this planet, and that makes turning forty feel fabulous!

In This New Year

I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions.  I used to do it, but I never really gave it much thought.  I knew people would ask me about them so I treated resolutions like a white elephant gift exchange.  I just grabbed onto one, knowing I would never keep it and tucked it away to throw back in the pile next year.  Eventually, I stopped all together because it felt like lying.  Well, it was lying in my case as I had no intention of following through on the resolution.  Despite my disinterest in resolutions, however, yesterday I began to think about how the new year is such a great time for fresh starts.  Something about a blank, fresh calendar acts like a switch in my brain and makes me want to commit to doing something new. 

And there it was.  The word that had been missing from my New Year's vocabulary all along.  Commitment. That is a word I take seriously. I don't throw it around easily, but give any commitment great forethought and treat it as sacred once made.  Resolution is defined as a firm decision to do or not do something.  Commitment is defined as the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, person, activity, etc.  The resolution may be the deciding moment to head in a new direction, but it is the commitment that keeps you there.  Some fifteen years ago I decided to give my life to Christ, but the next step was committing myself to Him daily.  I decided that Maurice was the one for me, but when we got married, I committed the rest of my days to being his wife.  A commitment is solid, unwavering, and bigger than any obstacle that might come against it.  

In this new year, I'm making new commitments.  I'm praying through the things I need to work on to be a better believer, better model of Christ's word, better wife, and better mother.  I'm asking God to show me on which of these things I should focus. With His guidance, I will decide what my next commitment(s) will be and then I will do just that, commit.

What about you?  What are you committing to in this New Year? 

5 Questions You Shouldn't Ask This Holiday...or Ever!

That's right, the holidays are coming.  The grocery store has special displays of canned pumpkin and turkeys.  Cities are hanging giant ornaments over the streets.  I'm trying to decide if I can get away with putting my Christmas decorations up this weekend.  And while there is much to look forward to, I thought I would take a moment to help us all out with some things we should NOT say this holiday season. 

Questions 1: So are you dating anyone? 
Many unattached individuals are dreading their annual trek to the family dinner at Thanksgiving or Christmas because of the number of times they will be hit with this question. I remember a hatred of holiday gatherings building up in my heart as a single thirty-something because of this question.  If someone is dating, and they want you to know about it, they will tell you.  It will be a part of their answer to the first question you asked, "What's new with you?" or they will drop a "we" into a story they are telling.  Until that happens, just assume they have nothing to announce and talk about the cranberry sauce. 

Question 2:  Why aren't you married yet?
This is a question that gets thrown out by someone who has been married so long they've forgotten what it was like to be single. Short of the answer being, "I've chosen to never marry anyone," there is no answer for this question.  If a single person who wants to be married could answer this question, he/she would no longer be single. Maybe you are asking this question because you think the person is awesome and deserves to be married.  That's great, but just say, "you're awesome" and then go home and pray for God to send a spouse.

Question 3: Are you guys serious?/Are you going to put a ring on it?/Do I hear wedding bells?
Or any other not so subtle way of asking a person in a dating relationship if they are going to end up married. If you are not the parent of one of the individuals having a heart to heart, private conversation to check on your adult child or pass on great-grandma's ring, then this question in any form is none of your business.  That's right.  I said it, and I'll say it again before this post is over.  Stop asking things that are not your business.  When you are supposed to know, you'll know.  Goodness knows we have a million ways of announcing such news these days between social media, smart phones, or the girlie squeal across a room after spotting a sparkly diamond on someone's hand.  When a couple is ready to announce their engagement, they will do so.  Until then, the rest of us just have to wait for a save the date!

Question 4: When will we hear the pitter patter of little feet? 
Ahh, yes the dreaded baby questions.  Just when you thought you were safe from awkward questions because you finally got married, you find out there are still ways for you to feel uncomfortable in the kitchen when all you wanted was to get a piece of pie.  Seriously, we should NEVER be asking people about this.  We don't know what is happening in their world.  Maybe they are not ready to have kids yet.  Maybe they want kids, but are having trouble getting pregnant.  Maybe they want kids, but have some issues to work through first.  Maybe, they just don't want to have kids.  Whatever the case may be, it is not appropriate to ask. Ask about the pie instead.

Question 5: Are you guys going to have more kids? 
 I gave birth just a few months ago and almost immediately had people asking me if my husband and I were going to have more kids.  My answer, "We just got this one!"   How many children a couple wants to have or is able to have is extremely personal. See question 4 for some of the reasons why.  In the meantime, try asking questions about the kid(s) that are already here.  Parents have no problem talking about their existing children. 

There are more questions I'd like to help us stop asking, but I'll save them for a future post.   My husband nailed it on the head when he told me once that people ask these kind of questions because they are uncomfortable with silence and think they need to say something, but God reminds us that we don't need to rush to speak. 

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.  James 1:19

So let's embrace some silence.  If we do more listening and are slower to speak, we'll all help someone be a lot less angry this holiday season and throughout the year!


(If you have a question to add to my list post it in the comments below.  As I said, there will be a part two to this post.)

I Gave Birth to an Alien

In the first few days of being a new mom, I was so enraptured with my child that I barely slept wanting to stare at her all the time.  Well, that and the fact that she literally ate every two hours, and I'm her...for the sake of propriety, let's just call me her vending machine.  After several nights in the hospital I had never once slept more than an hour at a time between waking up to feed her and being awakened by the well-intentioned, albeit it slumber-inhibiting medical staff who were doing a great job of making sure both she and I were in good health. Needless to say, on our first night home I was looking forward to some uninterrupted sleep of at least an hour and forty-five minutes or so.  My sweet husband took our newborn just after one of her late night feedings and instructed me to sleep until the next time she needed to eat, and I did. I slept like the dead (people with babies stop saying "sleep like a baby" because we know they don't really sleep).  I slept so hard that when he came to wake me, I had no idea when or where I was.  I didn't remember what had happened or what was supposed to happen.  I was laying in the bed, incredibly groggy, staring at my husband wondering what he was holding in his arms.  Oddly enough, the first thought in my extremely exhausted brain was alien.  You may be asking,  "how funny looking is that kid?"  In fact, she is quite beautiful and has at no point looked like an alien.  I was just that out of it.  However, this week I was reminded that my child is indeed an alien. Not in looks, because seriously she really is a pretty baby, but she is an alien citizen to me and her father.  Well, technically we are alien citizens to her. 

This past Wednesday night at my church we looked at the verse 2 Corinthians 5:20,

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 

As it always happens when I revisit a familiar verse, God used my present day circumstances to uncover another layer hidden in His word.  I have been aware for years that I'm no longer a citizen of this world as Jesus explained it in John 15:19,

If you belonged to the world, it would love you like one of its own. But you do not belong to the world. I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

My new revelation was not my role as ambassador to those in the world who are still lost, lacking the peace and blessing that comes from being in relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  What is new is that I have been stationed in a new post, as ambassador to my daughter.  She is a citizen of this world, subject to sin and not yet in a relationship with God.  Sure, right now, she is a precious little baby and the picture of innocence, but she is also completely self-involved wanting her needs and demands to be met the moment she experiences them.  The cry for food is just a precursor to the selfishness that will manifest in all kinds of ways as she grows.  The toys she won't want to share with anyone, the really bad two-year old lies she'll tell when trying to cover up her disobedience, the tantrum she'll throw when she does not get her way.  Her first language will be the language of a sinner, "mine"-ese.  

I have been given the greatest assignment of my life as an ambassador and that is to represent the kingdom of Heaven to my child.  My husband and I are to be her bridge to Christ, and while we are counting on family, friends, and the church to help us lay out the path, the ultimate responsibility for sharing Christ with her is on us.  As parents, we must embrace our roles as ambassadors to our children. We must be committed 24/7 to living in this foreign world with them, but representing the kingdom we truly belong to in our words and actions.  I have worked with enough teenagers in student ministry to know that kids see very clearly what their parents do, especially that which is in opposition to what they say. All of us parents must be careful that we truly live in a way that reflects Christ each and every day, so our children see that we don't just say we have faith, but we practice our faith in every aspect of our lives.  Those of you who are not yet parents are still ambassadors.  Your post may be your job, your dorm, or your neighborhood, but you still have the vital responsibility of representing Christ to those around you who don't yet know Him in all that you do.  Not only are you a working ambassador right now, but you are also training for tougher assignments in the future.  Be the best alien you can be!  Show grace to those around you; respond differently to tough situations; love others, even those who are harder to love.  As we do these things, those who are alien to us will observe and learn and be drawn to Christ just as we once were.  

Hindsight Leading the Blind

Okay, confession time.  I find hindsight irritating.  It's like an annoying, know-it-all friend that says I told you so after you finally figure out what you should have done.  I mean, really, how much does it help me to see the big picture AFTER I've trudged through mayhem and misery?  What good does it do me to know what it all means AFTER the hectic and hurtful is over?  Hindsight is 20/20 alright, but sometimes it seems to do me about as much good as a hole in the head...or does it? 

When I think about the fact that God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and the source of all wisdom, I realize that He could choose to give me all the benefits of hindsight in the beginning of a trying time.  He could have done that for all of us.   He could have let Joseph see that he would one day be Pharaoh's right-hand man saving a nation, while Joseph was on his way to Egypt as a new slave.  He could have let Moses see he would rescue the Israelites from Egypt on that first night on the run after committing murder.  He could have let Daniel see himself emerge unharmed from the lion's den back when he first was taken into exile.  He could have let Esther see she would save the Jewish people when she first got taken to the palace for the ultimate episode of the Bachelor (yeah, that show is so not new).  He could have let me see myself married to an amazing man of God BEFORE the seven year span of going on NO dates began.  That would definitely have saved me some tears, angry journaling, and pity sessions and it would have saved those biblical figures some times of worry, uncertainty and despair. It would also have robbed us all of some faith.

You see, as much as I'm annoyed by hindsight, I recognize that it is the epilogue of each faith journey in our lives.  It wraps up the experience we've just gone through and acts as a bridge into our next venture that will require even greater faith.  Not being able to see what is coming forces us to rely on God, puts us on our knees in prayer,  and removes any notion that we are winning due to our own power or prowess.  

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.     Hebrews 11:1-3

These verses in Hebrews say it clearly.  When we can't see what we hope for, we have to trust God for it, and we grow more confident in Him. We represent God well to others, and we recognize that all things come from Him and through Him.  Foresight might seem better to us in the here and now, but  going forward in blind faith is better for us in the long run.  I have learned in life that each challenge you get through with God is preparation for a tougher challenge to come.  The more opportunities I have had to follow God blindly in faith, the stronger that faith has grown, and I needed it to be stronger for the next trial.  Hearing that the next trial may be harder can make you fearful of what is coming if you've just been through something really hard, but I would challenge you to flip the script on your perspective and be reassured.  The way I see it, difficult stuff is coming no matter what, so I'm glad to know that God is constantly making me stronger and more ready to face it.  Hindsight is not that know-it-all friend taunting us with a snotty "I told you so."  Hindsight is our loving Father holding us closely and saying, "I told you it would be so."  Knowing this, we can all slip on our darkest shades and step blindly and confidently into the unknown, with our loving God holding our hand! 

 

New Season. Still Me.

So if you read my blog, you know that I'm a new mom.  No, I'm not going to turn this into a mommy blog. There are plenty of those out there, and I'm still in the learn as you go/"choose your own adventure" stage of mommy hood.  However, from time to time the life lessons God is teaching me through being a mom will spill over into my blog,  just as the life lessons He teaches me through marriage, friendship, and work have been and will continue to be shared.  As a new mom, I'm definitely in a new season of life, doing new things, making new mistakes, experiencing new fears, smelling new smells.  My priorities have shifted, my focus has changed, and my daily schedule has been radically altered.  Some of the new things are comical, some sweet, some exhausting, some scary, and some just down right surprising.  Some of the surprises started during pregnancy and caused me to not recognize myself at times. For example,while I was pregnant I didn't like sweets or chocolate very much, but once again I can devour a whole bag of double chocolate Milano cookies in a day (I'm not recommending this, I'm just saying I can).  I've spent my entire life being cold, but during pregnancy I had the A/C cranked to such a low temp, my husband was wearing sweats to bed in June!  It was pretty funny a few weeks ago when I looked at him and said, "Why is it so cold in our bedroom?" Well, it was funny to me.  It  was easy to think that in the midst of this new season of life, I'd become a completely new person especially since so many of my usual likes and habits changed with pregnancy, but as I return to my "normal", the truth is I'm the same me, with a new layer.

The Bible tells us when we accept Christ, we become a new creation.  We are made new by the blood of Christ, washed clean of our sins, viewed as righteous by God.  This invaluable change that comes with salvation is truly a gift.  I was so excited by the idea of being a new creation when I was a new Christian because there was so much of the old me that I didn't want to be.  However, I quickly realized that while it is true that God views me as righteous, I still had the ability to fall back on old habits and old choices.  Paul talks about this in Galatians:

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.  

                                                                                                        Galatians 5:16-17

A personal relationship with Christ gives us the Holy Spirit who empowers us to make good, right choices.  The key word here is choice.  We choose how we live as believers. We choose from moment to moment what to do, how to respond, what to look at, where to go, and who to befriend.  God has given us the ability to do right, but that doesn't mean we can just coast through life and not make any effort.  Don't fool yourself into believing that you don't have to resist your old habits and temptations.  The enemy is going to use those against you first!  However, you have been made new in that you have the ability to resist those temptations through the power of the Holy Spirit, and as a new creation you will develop new skills, new wisdom, and new strength as you walk through life as a Christ-follower.

As we grow in Christ over the years, we will not just develop our new selves, we also enter new seasons from time to time.  Maybe for you that season is moving into adulthood as you leave your parents home and go out on your own to college or the workforce.  Maybe your new season is moving from the single life into marriage.  You may be a new mom, like me, or you may have sent your baby to kindergarten this year. You may be healing from divorce as you start over on your own, or perhaps you're an empty nester for the first time.  Whatever the new season of your life, it is important to remember that you are still the person God has shaped you to be.  All of the strength, wisdom and knowledge of God you acquired before goes with you in the new season.  Yes, you will face some of the old temptations, but you also have the legacy of victories that God has walked you through in your past to strengthen you as you resist. Be careful not to over or under estimate the new season you are entering.  If you are intimidated by your new season, know that God is just as present and capable as He has always been in your life.  If you are excited about your new season, be sure to not let your guard down; put on your armor and be ready for attacks that will come in this new time.   New seasons will bring new challenges, new joys, new obstacles, and new victories. What you bring with you into that new season is what matters.  Pray, spend time with God, read the Bible, and surround yourself with other believers so that you can be ready for the ups and downs of your new season.  A new season is just an opportunity to add to your story and God's glory.