Hard but Wonderful!

 I heard a preacher say this when he was talking about serving God. “It’s hard but it’s wonderful!” It’s so true and it applies to many things in life.

Having a child with special needs is hard, but it’s also wonderful. Being a Christian is hard, but it is truly wonderful! Living by faith, doing right, sharing the gospel with others, teaching the Bible, reading the Bible, being a parent, being married, and so on is hard but it’s WONDERFUL!

Trials are hard, but what we learn and become through them with Gods grace is wonderful!

There is a similar quote on our school staff room wall. “It’s hard, but it’s worth it!”

If what we are doing is good and right and in Gods will for us, it will be well worth the hardness.

It’s easy to be focused on the hardness. But it’s good to remind ourselves that it is wonderful and worth it! Don’t try to do it in your own strength. Trust God to help you and stay close to Him.

“Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9

The Importance of Teaching Children

 Two things I heard in a sermon once that was engraved on my heart for life.

The importance of teaching little ones about God and feeding them His Word at their level. Jochebed realized the importance of this. Moses was the future leader of the Israelites-the next generation. Jochebed did her part to prepare him and trusted God to do His part.

What "lambs" has God placed in your life? What are you doing to make a difference for the next generation?

The Value of Children

Yesterday morning I helped for the first time at a preschool. Our Christian school has a little preschool one morning a week and all of our children went to it. Now as all of my children are at school and a new preschool helper was needed, I am helping.

But before I went, I read my children a Bible story at the breakfast table. We were up to the story of Jesus blessing the children. What a fitting story! 

Jesus wasn't too busy for children. He didn't think they were any less important than anyone else. He made time in His busyness to be with them and bless them.

What an example to us!

It's easy to think that's it's less important to teach the littles ones as they don't understand so much.

It's easy to underestimate the value of working with children, whether it's mothering, changing nappies, feeding babies, reading stories, cuddles, playing, going for a walk, school teaching or homeschooling.

It also applies to the special needs children who don't understand as much as the others. They're just as important!

By the Pathway of Duty

I recently heard someone singing this song, and I so liked it! It is an encouragement for busy mums and for anyone who is busy doing what God has given them to do.

By The Pathway of Duty

There's a path that's sometimes thorny,

There's a narrow way, and straight;

It is called the path of duty,

And it leads to Heaven's gate.

While we tread this path of duty,

We will find our needs supplied

From the river of God's mercy

That is flowing close beside.

By the pathway of duty

Flows the river of God's grace.

'Tis a blessed way and holy,

'Tis a path of peace and joy;

Though sometimes the way be stony

And the cares of life annoy.

But this path that we call duty

Is the way the Master trod,

And the smile of love and beauty

Lights the way that leads to God.

Let us walk this path of duty

With our faces to the sun,

Carry all our burdens gladly,

Finish well what we've begun.

From the river of God's mercy

That is flowing by the way,

We may drink and find refreshing

For the burdens of the day.

Sidney Edward Cox

Christmas and New Year

 (GingerSnap Recipe below)

Today I share what we've been doing over Christmas and New Year and some thoughts, links, a Christian movie and some other ideas.

Gingersnaps

1 cups sugar

1/3 cup molasses
113g (1/2 cup) butter
1 egg
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
2 cups flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp baking soda, dissolved in approx 1/4 tsp warm water
sugar for rolling
Combine 1 cup sugar, molasses, butter and egg in a bowl; mix well. Blend in all remaining ingredients except remaining sugar. Chill Dough (if you want it easier to handle). Roll into approx 1 inch balls; roll in sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on lightly greased or lined cookie sheets, as cookies spread.
Bake at 180C degrees for 7-9 minutes or until edges are firm.

Lessons from Rahab etc.

 

In this video I share some thoughts, recipes, tips, and Bible lessons from my week. I also share 3 more playlists that I've made and a Christian Movie that I liked.

Montana Chocolate Chip Biscuits
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup (125g) butter
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

2 cups rolled oats 

13/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup chocolate chips

Mix together the first 6 ingredients. In separate bowl mix next 5 ingredients. Add 2nd mix to 1st mix. Bake on greased or lined trays for approximately 8 mins at 190C.

Chicken Pie

2 cups chicken broth (stock)

2 tblsp flour

2 cups diced cooked potatoes

2 cups diced cooked carrots

2 cups peas

2 tblsp chopped cooked celery

1 small onion, chopped and cooked

2 cups diced cooked chicken

Buttered bread crumbs or pie dough rolled out to fit oblong baking pan.

Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Heat broth. Add 2 tblsp flour to make a thin gravy. Mix with vegetables and chicken. Pour into oblong baking pan and cover with bread crumbs or pie dough. Bake for 1 hour.

Rest, Loving Your Children...

 

In this video I share some thoughts on rest and quiet time with God, loving your children and husband, frugal living tips, and some recipes etc.

What A Mess!

 This morning one of my fears came true! As I lifted my husband's delicious casserole out of the oven about five minutes before it needed to be served at the Little Haven (our outreach to lonely people), the dish somehow slipped and half of it splattered all over the floor. Thankfully I didn't completely drop it and the bottom half of it stayed in. I looked in shock and horror at the mess on the floor and the ruined casserole as my husband came in to see what the thud was he had heard. As he took in what a mess I had made of his meal, all he said was, "It's ok. We still can still eat what's left in the dish. Just as well we have two casseroles!" He didn't see the need to state the obvious and make me feel worse than I already felt. He also didn't explain to anybody as he dished up the meal why one of the dishes was only half full. He didn't see the need to embarrass me. He didn't expect me to come out and eat with the others as I usually do, as I was still feeling too upset. What he did do was to come out to the kitchen later and help me with the dishes!

I learned a few things from this small nightmare!

1. Accidents happen to everyone.

As a mum, it was good for me to get a taste of how awful a child feels when they are trying to be helpful and they manage to make a mess of things.

2. How my husband reacted to me is a perfect example of how I should react to my children when they accidentally break something or mess things up.

There is no need to state the obvious and make a child feel worse when they already feel terrible. Accidents can happen even when you are careful. There is no need to embarrass them by telling everyone what they did. Also, if they are feeling upset, give them some time to get over it.

3. Keep things in perspective
It could have been much worse. We had more than enough food so it didn't really matter. Even if it had been our only dish, we could have brought takeaways if we had to. It's so easy to over react to things that don't really matter. 

I pray that I remember these things next time it is someone else who made the mess or did the damage!

Be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Ephesians 4:32

Tired of Doing Good

Thisafternoon I was telling God in tears how tired I was of some of Lydia's behaviour. Sometimes it seems everything turns into a fight and a training session. If I take her for a walk, it's a battle to get her to hold my hand. If she rides her trike, she has started to drag her feet along the ground instead of pedaling. If she goes outside, she takes her jersey off.  The most wearying one is the way she constantly calls me! I can spend a lot of time on these things and it seems to make no difference.

But this verse came to my mind which encouraged me.

"Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Gal 6:9

What a helpful reminder that was! I straight away wrote it down on my list for the day. Perseverance, patience and consistency does pay off but only if we don't give up!

Then when I was cooking dinner, I was trying a new recipe--a Chicken Pie. On the bottom of the recipe was this quote...

The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.

Another encouraging thought! Motherhood and any honest work brings it's own reward, but there are many times it seems that there is more work than reward. In those moments of having to do that same thing yet again and our patience wears thin, it doesn't seem like there is much reward. There is if we keep at it, but this quote encouraged me by giving me a different perspective. One of my rewards for all my time and patience spent on Lydia is what I am learning and becoming through it!

Later on when Joseph came into the kitchen to set the table, he noticed my verse written out on my list. "Hey mum," and he quickly grabbed a little devotional out of his room. "Look! I read this verse in here this morning." I had a look and it was a story about two missionaries in Papua New Guinea. It described the five days journey through soggy marshes, over rocky cliffs and through freezing rain just to get to the tribe. Then they had a lot of hard work to make an airstrip and a hut etc. It went on to say...

"Does all that sound exhausting? Sometimes the work of God can be very hard. But they wanted to give these people the good news of the God who loved them and sent His Son to die for them. The hard work was worth it."

Whatever your situation and whatever the good work is that you are doing, I'm sure you can relate. Everyone has a job to do, a patience that gets sorely tested and a body that gets weary! I hope these thoughts are as encouraging to you as they were to me today.

Three Thoughts From My Hard Morning

 Thismorning was one of those mornings when you either scream or cry. I chose to cry!
Lydia was home for the day today. I like it that she can be home from school one day, but she has an annoying habit that really gets on my nerves. If she doesn't do it, I really enjoy her being home. But thismorning she was doing it! She was calling "mum" loudly over and over again. Answering doesn't help because she does it again a minute later. Ignoring it doesn't help. Nothing helps. (I'm not complaining, just being real) How do you punish a child for calling their mum?! So my nerves were bad and I had a slight headache! 

She also likes to help with everything I do, which can make doing some jobs hard. So since she needed a bath today, I thought I would put her in there while I did a few jobs. (We only have a baby bath, so there's no danger there.) I put a swim nappy on, so I thought there was nothing that could go wrong. She played happily and I checked on her a few times putting more warm water in. Then I came in and found she had been happily tipping nearly all her bathwater over the bathroom floor. It took four dry towels to clean it up. The bath mat was also sopping wet. This wouldn't have bothered me quite so much if I wasn't already catching up on washing from Johan and the kids being away. I had just emptied a suitcase and found more dirty washing! I had also brought a few second hand clothes the day before, so I was washing them, too. We airdry our clothes, and it was a wet morning.

So that was my situation... here are three thoughts that helped me. I hope they may help you in your situation.

1. Count what's not wrong instead of what is.

It was only water--nothing dirty. And it was clean water. There has been flooding in NZ lately, and I can't imagine having dirty water in my house. The fire was going--to dry the washing. I also have a washing machine to wring out the water. The floor got clean while I was drying it! A few of many things to be thankful for.

2. Count what you got done not what you didn't.

At the end of the morning, the things I had written on my list to do today were still there. Because I hadn't gotten these things done yet, it felt like I hadn't done anything. But then I counted all the things I had done and was surprised. 

I had done the breakfast dishes, tidied up, vacuumed the whole house, folded and put a large load of washing away, wrapped a present, unpacked a suitcase and put the rest of the suitcases back in their place, walked the children to school instead of driving, bathed Lydia (and mopped the floor!), read Lydia a story and played a memory game with her, planned two weeks worth of meals and cleaned the space where the children put their shoes.

3. Cast all your burdens on the Lord.

There were a few things on my mind that was adding to my hard morning. Burdens I didn't need to be carrying. So I prayed and told the Lord everything that was troubling me.

There are so many things that can burden us. Things we read on social media, things on the news, things that are happening around us...just to name a few. If we care about people, it's so easy to get burdened and depressed! We tend to carry these burdens around with us, instead of giving them all to the One who can actually help. He wants to carry those burdens for us. What a difference it makes when we give them all to Him!

Lessons from Kids, Old Ladies and Stuff || Simple Living etc.

(Baked Oatmeal Recipe below)

On this video I share some thoughts I've been challenged this week--one to do with children and consistency and the other to do with old ladies! I also share different ways I've been using up the apple sauce I made last week, some simple living tips, what I got done on Saturday, a good lunch box recipe, a frugal living tip and what I found at the opp shop this last week.

Baked Oatmeal
2 eggs

1 cup sugar (I use a bit less)

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

3 cups oatmeal

1 cup milk

2 tsps baking powder

Pinch of salt

(I like to add a tsp of vanilla for flavour)

Preheat oven to 180C /350F. Combine eggs, sugar, and butter. Add oatmeal, milk, baking powder, and salt; stir until well blended. Pour into dish and bake for 30 minutes. Eat warm or cold with some milk.

Take Time to Enjoy your Children

(A good reminder!)

 Take time to enjoy your children--

The days fly by so fast.

Their time with you will soon be gone;

Their childhood will be past.

 

Slow down and enjoy your children--

Don't get too busy for them.

“Things” are not so important

As your precious little gems.

Take time to enjoy their cuteness--

Their giggles, their gleeful grins.

Your love will make all the difference

Their priceless hearts to win.

Children are a gift from God--

“A heritage from the LORD.”

They are not little nuisances

That have to be endured.

Babies don't stay babies--

They'll soon be up and grown,

Then will come the harvest

Of the seeds that you have sown.

How often are your kids ignored?

“Just go away and play!”

But then before you realize

You're saying this every day.

 

Take time to enjoy your children--

Make special memories.

Don't let them say one day,

“Mum was too busy for me.”

~Emily van Rijn~

Keep It Simple

 Some time ago I was reading the children a Bible story at breakfast. It was about Mary and Martha. This is how the children's Bible summarized Jesus' words to Martha.

"Martha, dear," Jesus said kindly. "Don't be worried and bothered. All we need is something simple. Then you would have time to be with us and hear what I have to teach you all while you have the opportunity. A woman's place is not with the dishes all the time. Mary has chosen to do something far more important, and I'm not going to stop her."

This story always speaks to me because I feel so much like Martha sometimes! But these words really stood out to me. "All we need is something simple. Then you would have time to be with us and hear what I have to teach you while you have the opportunity."

Sometimes we don't have time for the important things because we make things too complicated or more work than they need to be. Keeping things simple can make all the difference.

There are busy 'survival mode' times like having a new baby or being sick. Sometimes there is no way around the craziness.

But if you are feeling flustered and bothered like Martha, it is good to stop and ask yourself if it is possible to simplify. Are meals more complicated than they need to be? Could you make a large dinner and have leftovers the second night? Could hairstyles be simpler and save some time? Do you have too much stuff to keep up with? Are you busy organizing, tidying and cleaning things you could easily do without? Are there any areas of your house that need decluttering? Do you have too many activities to keep up with?

Remember these words, All we need is something simple. Then you would have time to be with us and hear what I have to teach you while you have the opportunity.

I like Corrie ten Boom's humor. "Kiss--Keep It Simple Stupid!"

Not In Vain

 

Some words of encouragement which I need to hear often!

This song is based on 1 Corinthians 15:58.

Choose When You Don't Feel

 Some times it's easy to be loving, cheerful, content, happy, thankful, prayerful, confident, patient, kind, hardworking, generous, unselfish, faithful in Bible reading etc. It's easy to be those things when we feel like being them.

But other times it's plain difficult. We feel discontent, lazy, miserable, scared, frustrated, greedy, unkind, grumpy. We don't feel like reading the Bible or praying. What do we do then?
I have found that I can't change or choose my feelings. But I can choose my actions. I can choose to act cheerful, to pray, to read the Bible, to trust God, to give, to speak kindly, to do some work etc. And when I do those things, often feeling follows. Not always--sometimes we just have to wait it out, have a rest, get a good nights sleep or deal with whatever is causing those feelings.
 But often when I choose to be cheerful, I start to feel more happyl. When I choose to be kind, I start to feel more loving. When I choose to pray, I feel like praying more. When I choose to get busy with jobs, I start to feel more motivated. When I choose to count my blessings, I start to feel more thankful.

I've Got What It Takes

Have you ever thought, I don't have what it takes?
Early this week I had a stressful morning before school. Each of my children took turns being difficult! And I didn't have much patience. In the evening I was thinking about it, as I checked on them before bed. There are moments that I find really hard as a mum. I was a patient person until I had children. Or so I thought! My children have showed me how little I really have. That night I thought, 'I don't have what it takes to be a good mum.' Straight away the thought came to me, 'That is so not true. I have what it takes. I have God. He is everything! He knows everything. He is all I need.' 
In myself, I do not have what it takes. But with God, I have what it takes. Whatever God has called me to do, I can do with His help. I have exactly what it takes. My weaknesses only show me how much I need Him and they drive me to my knees.

Hearing Aids and Hidden Blessings!

Yesterday I got a package in the mail. It was Lydia's hearing aids. About ten days ago, they broke and I had to send them away to get fixed. But when I opened up the package, there was way more than I had sent away. I had sent away a little tub with the hearing aids inside. Now I had back three boxes. One box had a new headband that the aids click on to. The other two boxes had the two hearing aids. They were both in a special little case. I thought they were put in the case to keep them safe in the mail. But my husband thinks they are brand new hearing aids. I'm still not sure which, Anyway, there was a pile of boxes on our desk, so I decided to tidy it up and throw away the boxes. But for some reason I looked in the boxes again, under where the hearing aid cases had sat. I was surprised to find a small thin box underneath. I opened it up and it was little kit of extra things for the aid. A packet of batteries, a little tool to lock the aid so the batteries don't fall out, stickers to decorate the aid, and a few other things.
 There was a kit in both of the hearing aid boxes. I shuddered to think I had nearly thrown it all away! 
I didn't expect anything extra, so I nearly didn't find it. I didn't see it at first, because I didn't know it was there.

In life, we usually find what we're looking for. We can often miss the things we're not looking for. If we look for faults in people, we easily find them. If we look for faults in our husband, we're always going to find them. But there are hidden blessings, we often miss because we're not looking for them. If we make an effort to look for the good, we will find things we missed before.
It's like a garden. If you look for the weeds, you'll find them. Weeds keep coming up. But if you're focused on the weeds, you'll never enjoy the beauty of the flowers. Instead we should focus on the flowers and work on the weeds. 
We need to look a little deeper and ask God to open our eyes for the blessings we're missing. And then focus on the blessings and pray about the problems!

When You Can't Cope Anymore

Yesterday by 10 o'clock in the morning I felt like I couldn't cope anymore. I'm not sure why. Maybe I was just tired and things were starting to get to me. So I cried and prayed, and...kept on going. There was nothing else to do. But a verse came to my mind which has helped me many times before. "He giveth MORE grace."
When we are over it and we feel we can't possibly keep going, God is waiting to give us more grace. But we have to be humble enough to ask Him for it.
Motherhood is full of ups and downs. It has its wonderful moments and its very difficult moments. But no matter what happens, God has more than enough grace for us. It never runs out.

Happy Mother's Day!

Keep Planting

Planting seeds is risky! Not all seeds grow and your money, time and work can be wasted. But how do plants grow without someone taking that risk? What would our world look like if no one planted seeds?
Plant seeds are not the only seeds we can sow. We can sow seeds of kindness, love, and friendship. Seeds of the gospel. We plant seeds in our children's lives. Seeds of truth, wisdom, the Bible, and all the different things we can teach them. We plant seeds in our own life by reading and meditating on God's Word etc.
Seeds don't sprout up immediately. They take a lot of time, patience and consistent care. 
I am not a patient person. I like to see results. Immediately!!
These verses have been a big help to me, encouraging me to keep going, keep planting and have hope that at least some of the seeds will grow.

He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.
In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.  Ecclesiastes 11:4-6

Keep on planting good seeds and water them faithfully with prayer. It is the only way to reap a harvest. 

Complaining Is Easier Than Changing!

Have you ever met someone who likes to complain? And yet they don't want any solution? For example, they might complain about a lack of money, and yet they can't be bothered working to earn some. Or they might enjoy spending the money on wants that they could be using for needs.
I feel annoyed at these pathetic people, until I remember that I am one of them. It takes no effort to complain, but to do something about it takes hard work.
I started getting chronic headaches last year. It has been quite a hassle trying to completely get rid of them. I've tried wearing glasses, cutting out coffee, getting my iron levels up, drinking lots of water, cutting down on the stress, and taking tablets from the doctor. I'm still not quite there yet. My point is, It's easier and much cheaper to just complain to my husband each night! But that wouldn't make my situation any better.
Sometimes a listening ear CAN make all the difference and some of our problems we CAN'T change.
But there are many things that we can do something about, it just takes time and effort.
It's easy to look at other people and wish we had what they have. A tidy, clean house. Well behaved children. A good marriage. A beautiful garden. A close walk with God. An effective ministry.  And so on. Yet we forget that those things take much effort. They don't happen by themselves. Although different people are good at different things and life is not fair, it all takes a certain amount of work.
Not all children can learn to walk. But most can. For some, like Lydia, it takes a lot more time and effort. It's harder for her. But she didn't let that stop her from learning.
And even if something doesn't come naturally to us, we can learn, too. For example if you are a messy person, it might be harder for you to keep your house clean than for someone who is naturally more orderly. But anyone can learn who really wants to.
So the next time you find yourself complaining, stop and ask yourself a few questions. Do I actually want this to change or am I happy to just complain? Is there something I could be doing about this?  Do I want the results, but no work? Do I want it enough to put in the hard work to get it? If not, why complain? What excuses are holding me back?