Secrets

I have recently found some answers to the questions I've been asking for the past several months. My questions about God, about staying home with my kids, about contentedness... The wrestling has paid off. I don't want to sound trite, so I've been hesitant to write about these things. Also the thought that I could share my heart and you, my reader, might find it boring, makes me keep some things to myself. Thus, the title of this entry. However, I love to pass on things I have learned, in the hope it might help somebody else. If I get to the root of the matter, that's probably what motivates this blog the most. So, here are some thoughts.

-I am getting up early to read my Bible and talk with God.If you know me at all, you know this getting up early is completely new for me. And yet it has changed my entire attitude during the day. If you don't already do this, please try it. I have found nothing else that changes the direction of our days and the tone in our home like this. There is no schedule, no organization, no book to read that can substitute for a living relationship with God. The difference between stumbling to the girls' room half asleep when they wake up, and meeting them fully awake, fresh from the Word is like night and day.

-If you find what makes your kids tick and work with it, it changes everything. For example, Hannah, as I've mentioned before, is an organizer. It is imperative to keep her living areas organized. My house is far from spotless, but her room and toy closet are organized, and that is the first thing I pick up when I straighten up. Before, she would get overwhelmed at anything. When her environment is not stressful to her, her whole temperament is different. Funny, I'm a whole lot like that. :)

-I got the book, "The Power of a Praying Parent" at the library. I will be adding that one to my bookshelves permanently. Prayer is the only thing I have found that silences my fears, helps me to stop carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, and helps me to process life. And it's not just me rambling to God, it's asking questions and waiting for a response. When it becomes a habit to listen for God's voice, it gets easier and easier to hear.I knew this at one point in my life, but this stage in life requires a whole new level!

-As soon as I think I've arrived, I get a firm reminder that it's about relying on God. Its not about the strength I can muster, it's about how much I can surrender and allow God to be my strength. Someone I know likes to tell me, "You can do it, you're strong." As much as I love that person, they have it all wrong. I'm only strong in my weakness, because that's when God takes over and makes everything turn out right. I can just see Him, watching me strive and strain, going, "Are you done yet? Can I do it now?"Far better that I start out letting Him do it than wear myself out first!

I will stop there, mostly due to the thunderstorm that keeps getting closer!