Remain

Good day to you, mommies! Lately, a word has kept popping up in all sorts of places. Remain. I have been led to multiple scriptures containing this word, my current reading choice by Lysa TerKeurst has used this word often in her teachings, and I feel compelled to write about it today as I work through my own thoughts. Hopefully, it will be a blessing to you as mothers.

The definition of REMAIN, according to dictionary.com is:

• to continue in the same state; continue to be as specified
• to stay behind or in the same place
• to be left after the removal, loss, destruction, etc.

God speaks to all of His daughters and sons in many different ways. He speaks to me in a variety of ways as well, but I know that when one word seemingly won't leave my mind, it's usually from Him, and it needs my attention. Truthfully, I'm a busy girl. What's next? What can I focus on now? What is there to look forward to? How can I change things up and add some new excitement to our lives? Usually, this is fine. It allows me to get a lot done, venture into new opportunities, and make sure that our lives don't become stagnant and ineffective for His kingdom. While visiting the parents last week, I mentioned to my sweet father-in-law that one year, I wish that I had absolutely nothing to write about in our annual Christmas letter. I can sit back and imagine saying something like, "Well, there isn't a lot to report this year. Things are great. We love being a family. We pray all is well with you and yours." In the four years of writing letters, I have had to work tirelessly to omit event after event to even make a concise one-page family description letter. It use to be the joke that we were always on the go, and we often times had odd, and on the flip side, amazing experiences to report each year. While I was saying this to him, and he agreed that a year like that wouldn't be so bad for us, it made me consider that perhaps God was gently prodding me to slow down. Maybe my desire for a calm year wasn't just a flippant comment in the wake of our impromptu vacation. Maybe it was because God is working on a change in my heart, again :-)

As I said earlier, I think it is a good thing to work towards goals, have fun things to look forward to, and always be open to where God may lead us in our lives. But sometimes, always looking towards the future can lead to an ungratefulness for the present. Not an intentional unhappiness for the current situation, but simply a "missing-of-the-moment" attitude that will inevitably lead to regret.

As I approach our son's first birthday, I have marveled at his growth and change, but also yearned for his sweet babyness (yes, that is a made up word!) to remain. Impossible. So, the lesson? Enjoy every moment, cliche as it sounds. We are currently contemplating another baby, downsizing to a smaller house in order to save more money, changing my husband's job so that he can be home more, possibly even moving back to the area where we grew up so that our children can be around their grandparents. That is a lot to be thinking about at once. However, I'm getting clarity slowly but surely. Remain. I feel like the Lord is telling my husband and I:

• to continue in the same state; continue to be as specified
• to stay behind or in the same place

As wives and mothers, we can do our best to provide for our families each day, but it is ultimately God who decides what will and will not occur, and where He needs us to be the most effective for Him. I feel that some may read this post today and feel that this does not apply to them at all. That's ok! I also feel that some  of you may read this, and feel a stirring in your hearts to pray about where the Father needs you to remain.

The last definition of REMAIN is so spiritually powerful to me this morning, that I have to share.

• To be left after the removal, loss, destruction, etc.

As God slowly sanctifies us to become more and more like Christ, and I love how he so poignantly does this through marriage and motherhood, He says that behaviors and character traits that are either not pleasing to Him, or not beneficial for His kingdom will be removed and discarded. Think back to the parable of Christ pruning the vineyards so that only the best part of the plant remains for the next fruit-bearing season. Over the past year, the Lord has worked in overdrive with me in the area of pruning. Quite painful at times, but I am learning to appreciate it all the more. With the constant reminder of the word remain, I feel like He wants me, and all of His daughters, to focus on developing the godly characteristics that exist when the other fleshly junk is stripped away. He created us to be beautiful women of God. We are each individual and unique, and He chose us specifically to be wives to our perfectly picked husbands (notice, I didn't say they are perfect...just perfectly picked for us!) and mothers to our miracle children. I challenge each of us to not only allow the pruning to continuously happen, but to then prayerfully focus on what God has unveiled in each of us during His work. Always remain in Him, and ask Him where you and your family need to physically remain as well. He is always faithful to answer. Be blessed, mommies!

MMSM #31

Women's conferences are a wonderful way to be spiritually encouraged, get some time away from everyday life, and reconnect with the important women in your life while making new friends. Many churches will host conferences, or if you have a favorite women's author or speaker, visit her website to see if she will be speaking somewhere near you in the future. Unfortunately, they can be rather expensive. While the long-term benefit will almost always outweigh the up-front cost, we have to be realistic with our budgets. To bring down costs, why not see if you can volunteer? Do a little digging to find the coordinator in charge and simply explain your tight financial position. Ask if service is needed with cleaning, ticket sales, food preparation, etc. The worse she can say is "no." I know several friends that have done this. They received the benefits of an amazing conference, for free, and they had the opportunity to serve other women. Not a bad deal!


Tip #19


It's no secret that I have a flourishing stock-pile of awesome coupon deals. I use to store my extra products underneath sinks, in cabinets, etc. Eventually, I became overwhelmed with five partially used bottles of Pledge. I now keep only one of each item in the appropriate area of storage. All extra products are kept on a shelf area in our garage. I look at it as my own personal store. When we run out of glass cleaner, I simply visit my store instead of rummaging through the under-the-sink cabinet hoping to find a bottle that will do the trick for the latest mess. Try this at your house! The cabinet areas are clean and organized, and I always know where to go (or where to send my husband) for a re-fill.