Are you Lonely?

"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." 

The mountains of Juneau, Alaska

It's been some time since I read the bible and in the Christmas Season, I felt a need to connect and hear the Lord.  And I read 

"My thoughts are not your thoughts . . ."

These thoughts of loneliness are not of God. His being is greater than I can understand and I only know that He must have grabbed my hand to bring me close to Him.  With this undesired emotion, I am brought to my knees to pray. In that I know that I must keep my faith because it is all His will and I know He wants good things for us.

So this feeling of loneliness brings me closer to God.  Because here I am. Reading His word and feeling better already. 

Experiencing God

My sons have asked me "How do I have a relationship with God?" I come back with a question "How do you have a relationship with anyone?"  That leads me to experiencing God. 

As we discuss the ways we draw nearer to our friends and family some answers that the boys come with are: hanging out, talking on the phone, spending time together.  Now I translate that into God Speak.  We go to His home, church.  We read His word, the Bible. We pray, every day all day, hanging out.  What about that deeper part of the relationship.  The experience.

It's like falling in love isn't it.  This is when your ready to "melt" into Him and have Him in your heart.  This is when you open your eyes and look at everything He created and see the wonder that's right there.  It's not hidden, it's been there every day of your life. Since you were born. 

Experience God.  Watch the clouds float by, feel the wind touch your cheek.  He is there.

How do you experience God?

Loving Our Children

It seems like people are blogging everywhere about last weeks tragic loss of dedicated teachers and innocent children.  We are holding our children closer and maybe spending more time just watching them play.  

As one blogger noted that if she wasn't homeschooling, her children would have walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School that morning.  While for many home educators our reasons are not to keep our children  from this type of harm but as I am sure the blogger I mentioned is thankful that they are home, just as I am.

Each and every day I am thankful that I have this brief moment in their lives.  To talk with them, enjoy them and just hang out with them. I want to encourage parents that home educate and those that don't to remember what love is and shine it on your children.

1 Corinthians 13:4
 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

The Dish's Can Wait

Time is short.  It seems like yesterday my boy's were smiling as they sat snugly in car seat's.  Now they are both taller then me and making me lunch. Both my oldest boys share with me their views on raising our youngest boy.  They just can't see what I can.

They don't understand that I wish I could go back to the time when they were little and do things differently.  When they wanted me to hurry and go see the BIG bug they found this time I would drop everything and run as quick as possible to see how BIG it was.  If they asked me to make pancakes for breakfast, I would.

"Momma, come outside and play."  This time I would make the dish's wait, not my son's.

This is what I do now for my youngest and for them too.  There was this one day when God shined the light on this path called motherhood and I saw what I wanted to be an expert at.