What I learned this Summer 2022

A truly peaceful summer is something I didn't have to seek because it was there. Peace is a great companion. It eases the mind, heart, and emotions. Peace is the atmosphere I have always wanted to dwell in. 

Friends will come to see about you. They will find you, no matter how far you are, they will come for you. This summer we enjoyed the closeness of friends and family. 

How we adapt to change is a matter of character, preference and choice. Character because when you're my age, your reactions to change display what you're made of. Preference because we all have one. Choice because we get to vote on how we react to change. We can be miserable because of change or marveled by change. We can't have both.

Summers are for swimming. The kids enjoyed being part of a neighborhood swim team. We got to meet and make good friends during the summer.  

This summer I saw dreams come true through my daughter's eyes. They told us that both of their birthdays were better than they expected. Children dream freely. We certainly encourage them to dream big and believe God's goodness with gratitude in our hearts. 

My children and becoming young adults. I see them growing right in front of my eyes. I stopped and celebrated one of our kids with a celebratory tea. It was an occasion to bless, encourage and celebrate the start of Christian womanhood. It was a beautiful blessing to our entire family.

God blessed me this summer beyond my wildest dreams and expectations. I am grateful because He is good at all seasons of life.

Related posts:

• Spring 2018
• Summer 2018
• Fall 2018
• Winter 2019
• Spring 2019
• Summer 2019
• Fall 2019
• Winter 2020
• Spring 2020
• Summer 2020
• Fall 2020

• Winter 2021

• Spring 2021
• Summer 2021
• Fall 2021

• Winter 2022
• Spring 2022

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How to get back on track with your Bible in one year reading

 

I sometimes get delayed in my Bible reading plan. Today I want to give you a plan to get back on track. Enjoy listening to this episode!

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How to get inner peace

If like me, you can use a bit more peace, listen to this episode:

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Sunday Seven

A few thoughts to inspire you.

1. Small steps lead to great accomplishments. This is the fourth of six weeks of intentionality. Although I had high expectations of myself, I knew that small steps are the secret weapon of achievement. In my experience, small, steady steps add up. I saw it during my higher ed years. Each assignment led to successfully completing classes which led to my degrees. Even failed attempts to succeed gave me inerasable wisdom. I had to make peace with starting small. I had to accept that my limitations are not permanent but designed to teach me resilience. 
2. Silence is a good friend. I learned that being silent is not a weakness but a tool of the wise. I'm learning to befriend pauses. To observe things invisible to those who choose noise over insight. I think I will keep living this way. I am finding extra joy I didn't know existed.
3. Parenting with Godly wisdom does not mean you will only have easy days. I am learning that even in difficult seasons, God is by my side. I fight through the proclivity to want a quick fix and God's desire for heart change. Often, I need to change. God is after both mother and child. Submitting myself to God means trusting His process in my life as I parent my children. Am I going to trust God's wisdom or am I going to rely on what I see? A heart submitted to God's way can see beyond the difficulties. A trustful heart can press on, even through the toughest parenting moments. 
4. Relationships are built through consistent engagement. If I want Godly wisdom, I need to consistently engage with it. I'm learning to keep Scripture in the forefront of my mind. If I keep secular content in front of my mind, I will only get one result. I desire wisdom from God. I ask for it. I read it. I think about it. I practice it. I teach it to my kids. I want to live it daily. It is easy to measure if we are engaging more with worldly wisdom or Godly wisdom. Just take a look at your weekly media intake. Your mind will follow the number of messages you are feeding it.
5. I've learned to be okay with rejection. After so many encounters, I learned to greet it and let it be. Rejection is not my portion nor my identity. God is. 
6. I am grateful for my Bible teachers. Each one has been faithful to awaken in me a passion and hunger for the word of God. 
7. A person who does not give up in the face of adversity needs to be commended. Resilience is built during the many times we fall yet refuse to stay down. 

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The One

A few years ago, I was part of a panel at a women's conference. The question was: how did you know your spouse was the one?

Without missing a beat I said, "Zeke is sexy, I had to have him!" The room exploded with laughter!

I will tell you how I knew he was the one another time. Today, I want to tell you about how I remain the one for Zeke.

I want to start by being honest and telling you that I am not perfect. I'm flawed. I am imperfect. 

I know it is not always easy to be married to me. My husband has true love, compassion, and patience with me. I'm grateful. He is dedicated to seeing me succeed. I am eternally grateful for his dedication. He is committed to me, to our marriage, and to our family. I am grateful. Now that I put myself in the imperfect person category, here are a few ways I remain the one for my husband:

Wisdom - God created marriage. I believe that if I follow His direction, I have 100% chance to succeed in Christian marriage. God comes first in my life. I go to Him for help, hope, and guidance in my journey as a wife. I read the Bible and I let it read me. I adjust to what the Bible says I need to do. I've been reminded to be more kind. I've read the Bible and realized I'm not serving from a heart of true love. I don't know where I would be if it wasn't for God's guidance through Scripture and prayer. Godly wisdom has completely helped me remain the one for Zeke.

Counsel - we surround ourselves with real people who have been married longer than we have. Some of my mentors have been married longer than I've been alive. These couples are people we can see, talk to and ask for prayers. These couples are not Tiktok stars, they are real people. This has been a practice that helped us look beyond our season of life and toward a lifetime of marital success. How did we find them? We prayed, then we actively waited for these people to show up. Most were already in our lives. I remember the first couple that actively mentored us taught us a class at another church. They challenged us and encouraged us. Their contribution to our young marriage was priceless. 

Friends - One of my good friends has a habit of only being close to women who honor their spouses. She actively pursues a Godly marriage. She understands that bad company corrupts good morals. She is very careful with her close friends. Until that moment, I didn't realize that was something I should do on purpose. Thankfully, my close friends honor their marriages and deeply respect the covenant they have with God and their spouses. These women are for me and for my marriage. They encourage me to love well and to trust God to see us through any difficulties we may face. 

Health - I believe I can't be a good spouse if I feel ill. I learned, by the grace of God, that making my health a priority benefits my marriage. When I take care of the health God graciously gives me, I can be a better wife to Zeke. I have the energy and strength to be fully his without holding back. I understand there are a lot of things I can't control. I am convicted to be a good steward of the life God has given me by taking care of my health. I truly believe it is easier to serve God, my husband, and our family when I take care of my health. 

Unity - "Can two walk together, unless they agreed?" Amos 3:3 asks. The answer is no. Unity is so important. While I agree that it takes two, I know I can do my part. It requires listening to the other. It requires the humility to wait for unity to arise. It requires thinking about the good of the entire family, not what works for me. 

I talk to my husband - We are not afraid of difficult conversations. Engaging in these conversations allows us to hear and process our positions. Some things require more than one conversation. Sometimes, the only thing we accomplish is the assurance of our commitment and love for one another. 

Growth - My husband has grown so much since we met many years ago. He's not who he was yet he's not who he is going to be. He is being transformed into who God fully made him to be. I'm committed to growing and supporting my husband in every season. I'm not going to coast. I'm going to submit to God as I become everything He created me to be. 

There are other things I can add to this list. The last one I want to mention is gratitude. God gave me the best man in the entire universe. I'm humbled and thankful to be Zeke's wife. 

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