Thursday Thoughts: Finding Peace

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After months and months of prayer, counsel and discussion you finally make a decision. You feel at peace with it and at peace that God has guided you in this direction. You are excited to share what God has done in your life and ready to move forward. Yet, when you share what's been on your heart and what you believe God has led you to...OPPOSITION!!

Have you ever been there?

It's tough. It's lonely. It's...you fill in the blank. Our families philosophy has changed significantly in the past several years. Some times it's been readily accepted. And other times...not so much.

The Hubster is reading a life-changing book entitled, "Hungry for More of Jesus" by David Wilkerson. He talks about this exact situation and in his words and wisdom, I find comfort and peace.

God knows us! He permits our afflictions, saying, "You are the kind who forgets Me in good times. You neglect Me when all is well. But I love you too much to lose you to the devil. I'll awaken you through affliction, to remind you of how short life is and to make you dependent on Me."

Here are some good arguments to use when the devil tells you godly people don't suffer:

1. Christ suffered in the flesh mightily - and He was perfect.

2. Paul and all our Church fathers suffered great afflictions, yet God loved them dearly and used them mightily.

3. To the godly, suffering is not a sign of God's displeasure but a sign of sonship. Whom He loves, He chastens.

4. Every affliction is intended for my spiritual benefit and growth, and to equip me to sympathize with others in need.

5. My suffering may be grievous and painful. But if I'll accept it, afterward it will bear the fruit of holiness and pure love for God.

-Hungry for More of Jesus, pg. 163

This week has been particularly difficult for me. Not only is it coming up on the 2-month Anniversary of my Daddy's death, there are a lot of changes in store for our family. Some of them scary, some of them hopeful...but ALL of them for God's Glory!

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

-John 16:33, ESV

Blessings,

Annette

Linking up to these wonderful parties. Be sure and check them out!

Deep Roots at Home, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Raising Homemakers, Women Living Well, The Imperfect Housewife, Our Simple Country Life, Raising Mighty Arrows

Thursday Thoughts: 35 and missing my Daddy

I hope you’ll forgive me for not getting this out yesterday. This post has been more difficult to write than I thought. I’ve been thinking about my upcoming birthday for a while now. I knew I was turning 35 and that just hit me hard. I don’t know why…it’s just a number. But, it did.

And then this week it really hit me. This is my first birthday without my Dad. And since my birthday falls on Resurrection Day this year, it’s a double-wammy of sorts. My Dad loved to celebrate birthdays and he especially loved Resurrection Day.

More years than not, my Dad sang on the praise team at church on Resurrection Sunday. On occasion, he even sang solos. We even did a few cantatas together.

Anyone who knew my Dad and saw him sing knew he sang from his heart and with his entire body! He was quite expressive to say the least. He was “fun” to watch because you knew he felt it from the inside out. And, unfortunately, that’s rare these days. I will miss his singing.

So this particular holiday will be difficult for me on the one hand. However, I am so blessed, grateful and beyond thankful to know my Daddy knew his Heavenly Father and he’s rejoicing with him this Resurrection Sunday. What an unbelievable sight that must be to actually see Him face-to-face and fully rejoice in His resurrection!! I am jealous!! Absolutely jealous. He always did have to do things first!! :-)

How will celebrate Resurrection Sunday? Do you hunt eggs and have baskets or do something completely different?

Thanks for joining me today for Thursdays Thoughts.

Blessings,

Annette

Thursday Thoughts: Reality hits

My Dad holding my oldest daughter the day she was born.

The past few weeks have been rough to say the least. Some days I find myself able to get my housework/chores done, cook meals and take care of the kids with relative ease. And other days…like today…I find myself struggling to keep back the tears.

It’s the little things that get me. My kids talking about Papa living with Jesus now or my oldest talking about Indiana Jones, which he watched the first time with my Dad. And sometimes, it’s things like thinking about leaving this house where my kids made so many memories with my Dad, where he helped my husband put the flooring in and paint before we moved in. I also think about the next time God blesses us with a miracle…my Dad will not be there to hold him/her. He’s always been there.

There’s nothing I can do about it. He’s gone. He’s really gone. He’s not coming back. There’s nothing that will change that. I miss him so much it hurts. I know many of you probably know the sting of death. Man…does it sting!

But, I am so thankful that those same memories that bring tears also bring peace. Those memories are much more precious to me now. I will hold them close for the rest of my life. Pictures speak a thousand words to me now.

Today has been a rough one. A friend reminded me, the rain may be pouring down at the time but, the beautiful rainbow we saw today following the rain…that brings hope. Hope of God’s perfect will. Hope of God’s grace. Hope of God’s perfect love. And the hope of a new tomorrow.

Blessings dear friends,

Annette

Scriptural Sundays: Romans 12:1-2

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This weeks Scripture is very personal. This connects perfectly with Part 3 of my own personal testimony about my Daddy. (You can catch up by reading pt 1 and pt 2). 

(Part 3) The Change

I was always a Daddy’s girl, even when we weren’t that close. He would never let anything happen to me and hated when I was hurt, sad or having a rough time. But, it wasn’t until my college years that I could really see that side of him. And, it wasn’t until I was married and having children of my own that I really saw the man my mom fell in love with. He was kind, gentle and soft-spoken with my babies. That is the Dad I remember!!!! That’s the Dad I wanted growing up! I was so happy he was “back” for lack of a better term.

Several years after we got married (2003), a family friend approached my Dad about a mission opportunity in March 2007. Now, my parents had been to Mexico with our church group for 6-7 years, but this mission was in Mozambique, Africa. WOW!!! The friend came over and talked to my parents for hours (like 4 or 5 I think). And, let me tell you right now…I had known this man for close to 20 years and had never heard him say more than 20 words at a time!! The talk got my Dad so fired up that he couldn’t quit talking about it. Now, my Dad could talk for hours, but usually it was about computers (he was a computer programmer). But, for him to talk about missions was a totally new experience. My husband and I decided we needed to know all about this mission idea. We were completely blown away.

The things they told us about the Mozambican people were astounding. They had/have no conceptual thinking skills – NONE!! For example: In a story the family friend told, he sat down with some tribal leaders and they presented him with a problem they had. They did not have the vegetation for their tribe. They needed to have some for food, but didn’t know how to get it. If I remember correctly, their land could not sustain vegetation, so farming was not an option. So how were they to get it? He told them they needed to meet together and discuss their options. (He had been working with them on conceptual thinking and problem solving skills at this point.) He said it literally took them 3 days to figure out they could sell/trade some of their cattle, of which they had an abundance, to get the vegetation they desired. THREE DAYS…can you imagine?! That would have taken most Western thinkers less than 15 minutes to figure out.

And there were many more stories like that one! They have very graphic pictures painted on the outside of their “public” restrooms so people know how to use them. Their women, who are treated as property, find their worth in how many children they can bear. Some starting at the young age of 12!! And the list could go on! It’s appalling to think about when you consider where we are in our American thinking. Yes, these people needed Jesus, but they couldn’t even understand the basic concept of good and evil. So how could they understand God’s saving grace?

It begins in Romans 12:1-2, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” NLT (emphasis mine)

It all begins with “changing the way you think”! They were embarking on a new and ground-breaking philosophy that could and would quite literally change the world! And frankly, it already has!!


Blessings,
Annette


Part 4 coming Thursday!!!

The Middle Years: My perspective

(If you missed it, you can read Part 1 here.)

As I got older and entered into Middle School (6^th-8^th grade here), I saw even less of my Dad. He moved to a daytime shift, but I had dance 3-4 nights a week. I was also involved in Camp Fire, which required monthly meetings as well as campouts and various events. I volunteered at church, so I helped out on Wednesday nights, so that didn’t leave much time for my family. Except on Saturday afternoons and that was when my Dad wanted to be left alone. In the summer, he spent the better part of most Saturdays doing yard work and/or paying bills. This was the family I knew.

I was heavily involved in dance lessons through high school. I also played in the school orchestra, a extra chamber orchestra that met after school 1x a week, show choir that met 2x a week after school and I gave cello lessons to some of the middle school students one afternoon a week. Since I was at school nearly every afternoon until 4 or 4:30, I went straight to my dance studio and sat in the dressing room doing my homework until my class started at 5:30pm. I would do this Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights. Wednesday I went straight to church and Fridays I came home for a bit before football games (in the fall at least). Needless to say, my own life was busy. And, at that time…I loved it! I really did. I loved music and still do! My Dad also loved music and that is the one thing we had in common. But, with his work schedule and my extra-curriculars taking up so much time, I rarely saw my Dad. I even had dance classes on Saturday and was gone by 9am not to return before 1pm. By that time, he was usually fully engrossed in yard work or in bill paying mode (i.e. DO NOT DISTURB!).

It wasn’t until I left for college (5 years after I graduated high school, another story for another day) that we became close. I think it was the distance between us that made him reflect on his life and his life as a Dad. He realized I had grown up and he missed most of it!

Stay tuned for Part 3 coming on Monday!!!

Blessings,

Annette