It's Okay to Be Happy

When someone you know is sad, suffering, or searching and God has gifted you with a season of abundance, it can feel wrong to celebrate it & feel joy. Romans 12:15 tells us to "weep with those who weep," after all.

However, it also says to "rejoice with those who rejoice" - and He wants that to be you! Your grieving friends - if they are of sound mind & heart - do not want you to miss out on enjoying the blessings Daddy designed & delivered to you. They may even need that time of rejoicing with you to encourage their broken spirits! The key is sensitivity: being careful not to flaunt your blessings & season of joy, but rather be grateful & share it in wisdom.

So let's let the Spirit of God lead us to dance & to cry, never depriving ourselves of either critical experience of life & community.

~...God...richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.~
1 Timothy 6:17

We are more than just the givers of life to our children. We form their templates of who women are & how they should act - & demand to be treated. We introduce them to the beginning of their values, worldview, & the authenticity of what we claim to believe.

Be in consistent community - church, Bible study, Christian friendships, etc - that supports what you want to instill. I grew up with fairly healthy messages about Jesus & Christian living in my home, but the summer Bible camps & youth group I attended were more conservative & legalistic & sent a lot of damaging messages I've had to learn to undo by God's grace.

As we work to train up our children in the way they should go, let's pray & strive to make sure the messages they're getting outside the home from fellow Jesus-followers reinforce that training instead of dismantle it.

Temptation Is...

Temptation doesn't just mean lust. For some of us, the temptation is to react in anger, judge others, please others, or overeat; for others, the temptation is to get bogged down by our past or give in to anxiety about our future.

Temptation will affect us all - especially when we're striving to obey our loving Daddy. The temptation is not sin; the response to it can be. The great news is our All-Powerful Defender gives us the power to resist temptation! When we feel the tentacles of temptation, we need to cry out in praise & prayer to Him, and He will provide a way out or through it for us. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

~When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.~
-Charitie L Bancroft

5-Minute Reflection

Take 5 minutes at the end of each day to record the following from that day:
-3 things you're grateful for
-1 thing that touched you
-1 thing that inspired you
-1 thing that challenged you

Sabbath as a Preemptive Strike

I'm just starting to get that God gave us Sabbath rest not as a rule but as a blessing. He knows the frailty & limitations of our human bodies, and He lovingly has given us a proactive guideline to keep us from becoming our own worst enemies! Take that, burn-out!