Knock me over the head please!!

 Have you ever heard something that hit you so hard you felt like someone knocked you over the head with a bag of bricks! Well it happens to me quite often. I am about to share one with you so please prepare yourself incase it hits you like it hit me!


A few weeks ago one of our Pastors said, "Why are we surprised when life happens?" 


As a woman and a mom, I have for years strived to have the perfect day!! A day when all the kids wake up, get dressed go to school on time, and NOT ONE of them forgets to pick up their PJs and toys from the night before so their room is not a disaster.  A day when you clean, do laundry and your finished early so you cook a fantastic gourmet meal.. that I don't have to google. Where the kids get home and do all their homework in perfect penmanship. A day when your husband gets home and you all enjoy a fantastic dinner together, we laugh, and play, until bed time comes and you have some alone time with the hubby.... *sigh 


Instead my days end up more like this...

The kids wake up on time but move on the slower side.. my daughter decides wearing bright pink leggings, and a neon green sweater with black winter boots in the FL 93 degree weather is a great idea. My oldest son remembers he forgot to make a cardboard car for school.. while I discover my youngest is still sleeping after he snuck into my bed to snuggle!! So the kids end up being 3 minutes late to school! I get home and I start on the laundry only to discover that I am out of detergent, I google the perfect recipe for dinner only to discover I don't have the main ingredient, I accidentally call my mom while calling my husband to ask him to stop on his way home to get the missing ingredient, to then have my mom talk for what seems like forever and the next thing I know my husband walks in and dinner ends up being sloppy joes.. again... and just when I want to just crash and cry I remember I have to run to the store for detergent or my youngest won't have a clean school uniform for the next day! Ahhhhh!! 


Ok so maybe they are not that bad.. at least it hasn't all happened on the same day! BUT I think you get my point!  


What do you think of when you see the words tribulation, anxious, trouble & worry?
Their definitions are 
Tribulation- A cause of distress, a state of suffering or distress
Anxious- Full or mental distress or uneasiness because of fear, danger, or misfortune
Trouble- To disturb the mental calm and contentment of: worry: distress: agitate, annoy
Worry- To torment with cares, anxieties.


Lets see what God has to say about all these...

Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.

 Psalm 50:15

 I have said these things to you, thatin me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

John 16:33

 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

                                                              1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 

1 Peter 5:7

Our God clearly states that we will have troubles and tribulations.. however, we often think of the big things only.. 
Loss of a loved one
Financial difficulties
our families dealing with sin


we often forget that the little things can affect us too..
I can tell you from personal experience that a mountain of laundry, or a flat tire, or an illness has brought me distress a time or two. 


So I now ask you the same question... Why are you surprised when life happens??? 


Life is not life with out the daily mishaps and happenings. We may come close to a few of those really great days.. but how would they be great days if we had them everyday? The highs and the lows are all part life, but it is how we react that separates us from the world. 


So lets embrace these moments.. when one of your children falls and scrapes their knee.. take the moment to love on them.. hug and kiss them to comfort them. How many more of those moments will we be blessed with. 
When our husbands get sick, take the time to care for them and be compassionate and thank them for everything they do.. 
and in those hard times of loss and distress its a wonderful opportunity to  worship God! Because He is in control!!  We need to rely on him 100% of of the time. Let me wrap it up with this..
Lets make an effort to wake up each morning and spend time with our Father, to ask Him for help in those moments when we feel rocked by life.. so that we may rely on Him for support and not miss the opportunities to worship Him. 


Stella


Can you remember a time when things didn't go your way.. and did you learn anything? Share it with us! 

For You...

I have a very odd way of remembering things that truly impact me. It could be 10 years later and if I remember something in great detail it is because it was either a turning point in my life, something that held great meaning to me at the time, or just something that sticks with me and no matter what I can't shake it or forget it. Tonight one of these memories is has come flooding back and I feel led to share it with you because I believe one of you needs to hear this right now. 

When I was about 19 years old I was reading the newspaper.. (Don't ask me why because that has never been a habit of mine!) I think I was reading the "Dear Abby" colum... At least that's what I think it was, please correct me if I am wrong.. It was either dear Abby or Dear Nancy? But I am leaning towards Dear Abby! Either way, I remember it was a reprint of this poem, apparently she had printed this poem many years earlier and someone was requesting she print it again, and so she did. I read this poem that day and it has always stuck with me, so I decided to Google it tonight and there it was on more than a dozen sites.. So I thought I would share it with you.

 Welcome to Holland 

By Emily Perl Kingsley 

 I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this...... 

 When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

 After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

 "Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy." 

 But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay. 

 The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

 So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

 It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

 But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned." 

 And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

 But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland. 

 I know that Emily wrote this poem to describe what it was like to raise a child with a disablity but I believe it applies to so much more. I pray that tonight we reflect on all of our plans.. Weather they be for children or for spouses, for ministries, to where you are living. And think of all the times you heard "Welcome to Holland". How many times have we felt our lives turned upside down to sit back and remember its not about us and our plans but the plans that our God has in store for us. His plans are always the best even of we don't understand them. I know personally I have landed in "Holland" a few times, but looking back I see God purpose for the trip. So my question to you now is, have you ever been to Holland, or are you in Holland now?

He says, "Be still and know that I am God;  I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth.” 

Psalm 46:10

Stella    

A Living God

"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has Risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, "He is going ahead of you into Galilee. there you will see him, Just as he told you."

Mark 16:6 & 7  

What a glorious Easter Sunday my family had. Praise God He is Risen.. He is alive and living in us.
I just want to take a quick moment and share a little something that happened on good Friday. We attended a wonderful service and as it came to a close our children rejoined us from their activities. There was a presentation a group of young adults did that was spectacular,  but during the presentation they played clips of the film Passion of the Christ. I was watching the young adults and looked down at my daughter who was sitting beside me, and she had tears streaming down her face. I quickly looked up and followed her eyes and realized that while I watched the presentation, she was watching the gruesome images on the screen. (It is a wonderful film and I recommend it.. just not for little eyes)  I quickly hugged her, and she just sat there with tears still coming down her little 8 year old face, I asked her if she was ok and she simply said "I don't like what they did to my Jesus".  I took that opportunity to remind her that He went through all that for her because he loves her that much. she sat there for a moment took a deep breath, wiped her tears away and said.. "praise God He rose on Sunday!"

How right my little girl is! He rose.. there for He is no longer a dead God but a living God! Through Him we all have a savior, we have the choice to seek Him, be forgiving, be made white as snow and be a new creature. A new person! What I mean by that is to take all the pain, sadness, and hurt that we have experience or caused and to be forgiven by Him, to allow Him to come in and help heal our past.  We serve a living God! I can barely contain myself as my heart pounds with excitement that its not over! That my heavenly father has a plan for me and it is a life changing one. So lets rejoice and honer him with every step we take.. with every decision we make. not just the big ones but the small ones as well, God doesn't want to be a visitor in our lives He wants to be LORD.. But it is up to you weather you allow Him to be or not! In Deuteronomy 30:15 it states "I lay before you life and good, and death and evil.... choose life". Have you made that choice?

If you have, praise God I rejoice with you!
If you haven't its not to late, He is waiting you. He loves you and has a wonderful future in store for you.
If your not sure than declare it today! right now. He will meet you right where you are. He loves you!

If you have any questions or you are unsure how to go about things,  please feel free to contact me. 5blessedkings@gmail.com I would love to tell you about Him and what He has done in me. if you have read my previous post you know I was a mess! if you haven't read them and you will understand why I say that! share this post with anyone you feel needs a new start, needs forgiveness, needs healing.

How has this resurrection weekend affected you?

Stella

I am no super woman!

He found him out in the wilderness, in an empty, windswept wasteland. He threw his arms

around him, lavished attention on him, guarding him as the apple of his eye.

Deuteronomy 32:10 

MSG

I must first take a moment and apologize for not posting anything in a while.. I am happy to announce that We have finally moved into our new home and are in the final phase of finishing the renovation.. It is down to all cosmetic things. I have painted all but 2 small areas our closet and laundry room, 3 if you count the garage! But I am happy that my kids are finally settled and adapting well to the house and their new rooms. 

Of course with all this transition and work that we still had left to be done, our schedules have taken a hit and we are working to regain our routine. It has been hard when my husbands days off where still focused on mudding and texturizing the new walls.. Not an easy task when you are living in the space and trying to keep the area you are living in dust free, and i am not talking regular dust i am talking joint compound dust that takes over everything!  Again I am happy to be done with that! 

However after a few weeks of focusing on that I must admit I began to feel like I was losing my mind. Our schedule was crazy and I stayed up later and later trying to catch up on things.. Therefore not getting enough sleep, and as we all know that is not a good thing! I began to feel inadequate as a Christian, wife and mother. I couldn't find school papers, I fell behind daily tasks, I couldn't keep up with laundry, needless I was having a bad couple days... Have you ever had one of those? Where you just feel like you can't get it together no matter how hard you try!? Well that was me.. And I would say to myself "tomorrow will be better" and then it was worse than the day before! Hehe well I would pray and thank God I was alive, that my husband and children where healthy, and praise Him for all the blessings in our lives.. But still I felt I was falling short daily.

Then one evening I was sitting on the couch tired, exhausted and ready to cry at the drop of pin... When my beautiful daughter who was not feeling her best came and sat on my lap and snuggled up to me. She needed me! ME! At that moment when I felt like I was failing her she needed me. That was my Awesome All knowing heavenly Father and His perfect timing, that was His gentle reminder that she doesn't see my short fallings, she doesn't see me the way I was seeing myself at that moment. To her I was just her mommy and that was all she needed from me at that moment. She didn't need me to be the super woman I felt I needed to be. Of course at this moment I did cry, because it also reminded me that God too does not see me the way I was seeing myself. Praise God for that!  So I went and spent some time with my Heavenly Father and gave it all to Him.. I left all my concerns and worries at His feet making sure I didn't pick them all back up the next day, or the day after that. 

My beloved Women.. When we feel down or have a rough time lets not forget who we are! Who our Father says we are! our families need us and count on us, but let's not forget that we need our God, who is ready and willing to guide us every step of the way. I thank God I am still a work in progress... Because that means He has not given up on me, and here is the Good news He NEVER will!

How precious and weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God! 

How vast is the sum of them!

Psalm 139:17

 

If you have doubts or your not sure and wondering what God does say about you.. Please feel free to contact me. There are no wrong or dumb questions. We all start some where.. In fact as we get closer to Easter this week, my son and I were just having a conversation this morning about why Jesus did have to die on the cross for us. I loved hearing him talk about the love he knows God has for him, I admitted to him that for years I heard this amazing story and still didn't understand it... How could one man do that and why.. How I just didn't comprehend who he was and why. I know now but it took me a while to understand. So please feel free to email me any questions or concerns you have at 5blessedkings@gmail.com 

Search me [thoroughly], o God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there is any wickeder hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23&24

Feel free to comment, follow "The Word Mommy", and share this blog with your friends and family. coming soon is this blogs Facebook Page! I will keep you posted! 

Be blessed

Stella 

Puzzle Pieces

I watched my youngest son start a puzzle tonight on the kitchen table. He didn't get far but he had a good start. I had been thinking about my next post how I felt God was leading me to write about healing.  I watched as he put so much careful work into the pieces, that when diner was ready I was prepared to serve it around the puzzle pieces. As soon as I announced that diner was ready I realized my son began taking apart the puzzle without a second thought. I told him there was no need to take it apart and he simple stated "it's ok I can do it again tomorrow". I watched him carefully put all the little pieces back In the box, making sure he didn't lose any.  


 As I continued serving diner I thought about how many times I felt I was broken in my life.. How many times I felt like my life was in a million puzzles pieces, spread out not knowing where to begin to put my life back together.  Which lead to me to think about what it is that makes people feel like they are broken.. A broken heart,  loss of a job, death of a loved one, and so on. I have had a few of those in my life including, my abortion. I thought about the moment that I realized God forgave me for my sin, and how in that moment God showed my a picture.. A glimpse of my life after allowing Him to work in me, I saw a happy life, full of joy, and happiness, I saw laughter and moments of pure happiness. But then the glimpse was gone and I saw the task at hand. I had to let Him help me put the pieces back in place.  


 I thought of the journey and all the times I thought I was ready, the times I would start the puzzle get a few pieces together only to realize the hurt was still to strong.. So I would take it apart again. Making sure I would try and remember those few, where they went, what they felt like and tuck them away so I wouldn't lose them. I took me years of taking the puzzle out of the box, trying it one more time, each time getting a little further than the last. It took a few times of God showing me the picture, the one of hope before I could again try. I also remember the day that I took out the puzzle and thought this is it.. This time it will be done.. This time with Gods help I can do anything. It took me a few months I would at times walk away, but I wouldn't put it away, because God had finally shown me the BIG picture. The one where I realized its not just about me but the other women He is trying to help, it was time I get it done so I could move on to helping other women to heal.  


 For some the journey is long for some it is short, for me it took years. But it was the right, and perfect time because I didn't do it alone. I did it with my heavenly Father, and His timing is perfect! He was grooming me for this season. I am so grateful for the journey and all the things I have learned as well as all the people in my life. 


 What a wonderful Father we have! It amazes me to think of the greatness He is. Yet how much He loves me... How gentle and tender He was with my heart. How patient and careful He was when pressing in and molding me into the woman He created me to.  


 He is waiting for you! So I encourage you to take out the puzzle of your life and start just one pieces at a time to put it together. God is with you, in fact He is our biggest fan! We can't do it alone, we have to do it with Him in order to get it right, because He has the picture, He sees us as whole completed, all of our potential and greatness inside of us. If you have any questions about where to begin just ask me and I prayerfully lead you in the right direction.  I am so excited for you!  

 Stella

Lack of Knowledge

I use to joke with my husband that I wouldn't mind trading our sin, PLEASE let me explain. See my husband use to be an alcoholic, believe me I don't make light of that at all! I know alcoholism is very serious and has ruined many lives!! But compare abortion next to that and you would think abortion is worse!! Hard to imagine that to our Heavenly Father sin is sin, no matter how big or how small it is to us He sees it all the same! 


Now I use to joke and say that to my husband because I lost count of how many alter calls I have been a witness to that asked for anyone who had or has a drinking problem, not to mention drug addiction. But I can count on one hand the times I have heard one for abortion... Now I totally understand why! Because what woman in her right mind would want to walk up front for that one. Maybe pastors don't do it for fear no one will step out, and that makes me wonder why that is. 

My People are destroyed for lack of knowledge...

Hosea 4:6

The Bible is filled with this Knowledge that is spoken of.. Of Gods law! I could write about it endlessly. So to keep this short I will put it simply as this.. God Forgives all!!! Here are just a few examples;

Come now let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. 

Isaiah 1:18

When we were overwhelmed by sins, you forgave our transgressions. 

Psalm 65:3

All the profits testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins though His name.  

Acts 10:43 

So here is what I don't understand.. how come with this truth... because it is TRUTH.. do so many churches continue to ignore the topic of abortion? How is it that is it ok and acceptable for an alcoholic to step forward and accept healing and prayer then it is for a woman who has had an abortion? I will go out on a limb and say it is because of the lack of knowledge! Not on the behalf of our leaders but because of the lack of communication from the leaders to the congregation. I, like someone who commented on one of my earlier post can only recall hearing 

abortion is wrong,

abortion is a sin, 

but again I can count on only one hand the times I have heard...

if you have had one you are covered by the blood

you can be forgiven if you ask

you can have healing if you ask for it

God Loves you even if you have had an abortion

now don't get me wrong we hear that about sin in general but still we rarely hear abortion named in the list.. adultery, drug addiction, alcoholism, liars, pornography, and so on..  

I would venture to say that maybe.. just maybe if that were knowledge that were openly discussed in a church setting you would have a lot less hurting women! You would have more women coming forth at an alter call.. more women seeking out healing.

Now that I have said that I will also remind you that we can't put all the blame on church leaders. We have to be able to seek Gods word on these topics on our own as well. We need to be digging into Gods word to discover what God says about us all. I do say the above for the those who have little knowledge those seeking God for the first time.. the newcomers, the people who don't now how to read the bible yet. But we have a responsibility as Christians to share the word of God.. I heard a saying years ago that has always stuck with me, 

Sometimes we are the only bible someone will read!

How true is that! How many people do you know that won't pick up a bible but will sit and listen to you talk!! 

How many woman and men need to be destroyed because of the lack of knowledge that the blood Jesus shed was enough for our sin as well. 

So that is why I use to joke with my husband.. because I myself would find it easier to run up to an alter and say "Yes I use to be a alcoholic" out loud than to run up and say "Yes I had an abortion!".. but then again I don't think I ever had that opportunity...

I will wrap this post up (trust me its hard to stop myself sometimes) by telling you about a woman I had the honer of meeting. She is in her late 50s early 60s maybe... and she had an abortion over 30 years ago. She had never... and I mean NEVER told anyone of her abortion until the day I met her. Not her husband her children no one! I could feel some of her pain but could only imagine the deep pain she felt that day, the fear of rejection that lived inside of her. I watched her hold back tears as she learned of Gods forgiveness. There were more people that day that I learned had never told anyone and still felt so much shame and pain. These were all Christian, church going, educated, well respected women. Some worked in the medical field, some where leaders in there churches, some were homemakers. All seeking Gods forgiveness.. I say this to again remind you that you just never know! 

Don't judge, don't turn your backs on them, love them as Jesus would and tell them about Gods forgiveness.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness 

1 John 1:19

Stella

You Never Know!!

About a year ago I was researching how to explain that life begins the moment of conception,  I have read many examples in the Bible including in one of my favorites Psalms 

     

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers womb.

                                                                                     Psalm 139:13

                                                                                                

But I wanted to be able to explain it to some who who was either a non believer or someone who just needed to understand it better.. I need to be able to explain it to a believer of the 2 misguided theories "it's not a baby yet" and " it's just a lump of tissue". My search led me to a YouTube video where Mike Huckabee interviews Kathy Ireland, and simply put she explains how a newborn baby does not look like a toddler but is still a living being, a toddler does not look like an adult but is still a living being and so on.. Just like a baby at 2 hours of conception does not look like a newborn but is still a living being! Obviously she goes into further detail, lol but that is the part that stood out to me the most! I will post the link below! 

I remember I couldn't sleep that night... Because for me, every revelation was a deeper understanding of my own experience.  What if I took my 5 year old Landon, to a Dr. that specializes in ending 5 year old lives? For whatever the reason...  How would you react?  Well the truth is that is what I did. Just with my five week old baby in my womb. I don't beat around the bush or try to sugar coat what I did.. And even though I am able to type this without crying right now doesn't mean my hands aren't shaking.  All I can say is thank you Father for your mercy! ... Where would I be without you! 

So again why talk about this over and over again... Because people need to hear it. Again 1 in every 2 1/2 women have had an encounter with an abortion. One of the women i went to church with, who shared the link to my blog on her Facebook page summed it up perfectly when she said don't judge a book by its cover.. She's right. She had no idea that I had dealt with this in my life,  and honestly a lot of people in my life still have a hard time believing it. But I did, so you never really know! 

I met a woman once who had 2 abortions in her past.. She is now a 50 some year old woman never married and has no children and I watched cry and mourn the family she should have had, the 2 children she aborted, the family she will never have on this earth, she said she never imagined she would never be married and childless.  My heart ached for her. Again... You just never know. 

Today I look at my children And I try, I try everyday to be the best mom I can be. I hold them, hug them, kiss them... I love talking to them and watching them grow into these wonderful little people.. I praise God for entrusting me to be their Mommy.. I am so grateful for the people God has placed in my life, especially those who have been Jesus with skin on for me. Who have never given up on me, and who make me strive to be the best mom I can be!

Again thank you for reading, I encourage you to comment, email, subscribe and share this blog. You never know who will read it and find out they are not alone, and that mercy is there for the taking, it is abundant and never failing! 

Stella

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzisHrqZAbM&feature=youtube_gdata_player