476 Texts

This week our family celebrated my daughter's 13th birthday. Yes....we officially now have not one, but TWO teenagers in our house. Life couldn't be more interesting!!!!

The standing rule in our house has been no cell phone until you are a teenager. My son didn't get his until age 14, so my daughter was convinced she also would have to wait another year. This thought completely consumed her entire being as she could not imagine living another whole year without a cell phone. I mean really, just how in the world could we expect her to get through the day without a cell phone????

What she didn't realize was that we were indeed surprising her with a cell phone for her birthday. Yes...you will all be pleased to know that she now can go on living. She has joined the masses of teenagers addicted to their bright shiny screen that enables them to converse both day and night with silly messages that barely say anything besides LOL or IDK.

Within two hours, my daughter managed to send 90 text messages to her friends, making it hard to pry the phone from her hands and send her to bed. Her eyes glowed as she thanked us over and over again. I was so glad to see her so happy....but then again...do I like this change in her? Do I like to see her so addicted to something so fast?

That was Tuesday. Today is Thursday and her text count is up to 476 messages. (And think about this...she can only use the phone during a limited timeframe....!!!) I am so thankful for unlimited text messages. Can you imagine what that cell bill would've been otherwise??? That girl cannot even keep up with the amount of texts coming in...she cannot even respond quick enough!!!

Seeing her passion for her phone makes me think of our relationship with God. Are we that passionate about Him? Are we overcome with excitement to open our Bibles...just as we are to turn on our cell phone? Do we talk to Him as much...or more...than our friends?

I know I struggle with this. Life just gets so busy. Things get pushed back if I don't have time. Time with God should be our number one priority....
Is it?

Blessed to Be a Mom

When I was a child, I always thought that as soon as I got married, I would have a baby. It seemed normal. It seemed like it would happen without a problem. I dreamed of having lots of kids and couldn't wait for the day I became a mother.

But who knew that years would pass without a pregnancy? My husband and I yearned to be parents. We kept thinking it would happen soon...but it never did. I had a hard time seeing people who got pregnant so easily. Why God? Why not me?

In the back of my mind, I knew God had something special planned for us...but I started to doubt Him. Why would He make us wait so long? He knew how much I yearned for motherhood!

So today is Mother's Day...and it is our 12 year anniversary. Twelve years of marriage...and no pregancy. Am I disappointed? Quite honestly...I use to be. But not anymore....because God is faithful! I never imagined the beautiful plan He had laid out for us!

Long before I even met my husband, God had our lives planned out. He had our children picked out for us. We are now the proud parents of three beautiful children. When I thought the answer was pregnancy, God's answer was adoption. It amazes me that my kids were living in a home with an atheist just four years ago....now they are pastor's kids and are involved in our church in many ways.

Looking back now it makes perfect sense. If I had been pregnant, we never would have adopted these children. We wouldn't have even considered it.

Even if your life doesn't make sense, God DOES have a plan for you...and His plan is perfect. His plan always works out.

And for all you mothers out there....don't take motherhood for granted. There's many women out there who would give anything to be a mother. Take it from me...I know. Appreciate those wonderful children God has given to you!

Do You Smell Good?

Have you ever been in a place where something or someone smelled completely awful? You find yourself gagging, trying to discretely plug your nose and find the nearest exit. I know I have experienced that...be it an awful smell in the garbage or entering the bathroom after one of my kids spent a half hour in there.

Smells seem to control your thoughts and moods, don't they? Bad smells put us in a bad mood...they distract us...they make us want to leave. Whereas good smells draw us in, make us feel comfortable and even remind us of memories we have. Everyone loves to enter a house in which a delicious loaf of bread or a sweet cake just came out of the oven! Everyone loves the smell of Christmas...delicious baked goods, cinammon, gingerbread and pine.

So what kind of smells do you carry with you? Now, I'm not talking about physical smells...although you may want to ensure that you don't have a body odor issue! :) That's always an important item to remember!

Instead I'm talking about you as a Christian. How do you smell to the world around you? What type of aroma do you emit to those around you? Are others repelled by the aroma you carry? Or are others drawn in by the aroma of Christ that you carry with you?

As Christians, we are to be a light to the world around us. We should be a pleasing aroma to others. The aroma we carry should invite people in...it should draw people to God.

So take a whiff of yourself. What do you smell?