Get out and Swim

Sometimes he calms the storm, other times He calms the child, and other times He throws the child in and forces them to swim.

That of course is my own take on things not directly from the Lord. Some of you may think it is a little harsh to suggest that Jesus would throw you into the sea and make you swim, but I would ponder... How will you ever learn to handle to storm if you are not confident that you can swim in the roughest of seas. As a mom I think about my kids and how I would never want any harm to come to them, and as a result, at times, I probably protect them from a little more than I should. Not everything in life is going to be pleasant. Not everyone they meet is going to like them, not everything they want is going to be given to them, and not every opportunity is going to be dropped in their lap.

Sometimes they will be forced to deal with people who intimidate them and make them feel less than normal. Sometimes they are going to have to work for things they want. And most all of the time they are going to have to go out and seek opportunity. How they seek the opportunities in life will determine their success. If they seek based solely on their own accord, I do not believe they will be successful. But if they seek first the Father, then follow his path, the opportunities will be clear and attainable.

See that's the awesome part about God. He wants each of us to be successful. He wants us to Dream Big and allow Him to achieve those dreams with us. He also wants the glory. He wants us to share this amazing Father and love with others. He wants us to encourage others to dream with our Father for what he has for their life. Folks I have been in the storms where I just wanted God to save me! To protect me! To fix the problem! But it wasn't until I got out of the boat and started to swim that I believed he was capable and would do what he said.

It is not easy to swim in stormy seas but it is rewarding. It builds a trust and an anchor in our Faith that otherwise we take for granted. So I challenge you to Dream Big and get out of the boat!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.....

The ever changing Role

..."And when I was a child I acted like a child..." Those words have found new meaning to me as I have aged over the past 10 years. To think 10 years ago I was entering my final quarter of college and marriage and babies were no where on my radar. In fact in a lot of ways they were the farthest thing from my mind. Life was an adventure. All new possibilities! Even though I knew one day I wanted to "settle down" have a constant career, husband, and kids, my actions did not reflect that type of lifestyle at the age of 22.

Now here I am 10 years later and when I seek the Lord's will the first thing I consider is Patience. Patience? Really? Here I am married, 2 kids, and a job, and the first thing is always patience. It is still an adventure but a much slower on. I consider the out come of change where my family is concerned, instead of jumping off those high cliffs excited to see where God is taking me. I use to drop everything I was doing and go to where ever He called. Now I find that he calls me to wait.

But I guess that's how it works. In the beginning it is all about learning new things and taking those risks. Then as we get older and other are involved the Lord doesn't so much ask that we immediately jump off the cliff but more that our parachutes are packed and our kids parachutes are packed. That we have plenty of supplies in case the journey is long, and most importantly that we continue with what he has already asked us to do until he closes all the doors and windows except one.

I find comfort in knowing that the Lord is still preparing the path but that we is also making it safe and ready for my family. We want to teach our boys to follow the Lord and for child that has to be an adventure. A new and exciting change for them. Even though it may seem slow to us we must remember the roles have changed. Instead of being the one to experience all the excitement we are now the instructors and we must be prepared for everything. In order for our children to have a Great Adventure we must be obedient. And I have learned a lot of times obedience requires Patience....