Day 24

With the new year approaching, a clean calendar, a fresh start, I breathe in one word: RENEW. 

God never intends to waste our trials. Even our daily little struggles with our children are not for nothing. Our God is intentional, purposeful and filled with love for you and me. He intends to use each messy moment to make something beautiful of us. Like a butterfly coming forth from his cocoon, our proud, selfish, ugly hearts are made new—renewed day by day—until we wake with His glorious likeness. 

"For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding weight of glory. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal (II Corinthians 4:16)."

The journal continues...

I am not getting very far in chapter four—so much I need to learn. 'Be careful for nothing' [Philippians 4:6]. Or it could read, 'Do not have anxiety.'

Since having children, there seems to be so much more to worry about in a day. Aside from being able to provide financially, their safety, their health, their choices; the daily grind with the kids—the craziness and messiness of each day—seems to be just filled with one small anxiety piled upon another:  

The mess on the floor, the wet bed, the broken lamp, the bleeding knee, the obstinate child, the lazy child, the whining, the puddle on the bathroom floor, the toddler eating out of the trash can, the list goes on until I am one big pile of stress and our home is anything but peaceful or joy-filled.

But Paul says further on in the next verse [Philippians 4:7] that God gives peace to those who bring their cares to Him. The Christian's demeanor was not meant to be so serious as many would think. 

We were made to be much more  care-free.

My Dare: 

To be lighthearted with the kids, trusting God with the daily and deep concerns. To release my fears to Him and instead LAUGH! Not to take lightly my responsibility to raise them in the fear of the Lord, but to see everything—even the ugly—as reason to rejoice.

'Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS…' (Philippians 4:4).

Hope your New Years is filled with REJOICING! Join back with me on Monday as we seek to re-establish our homes after the busy holidays and continue our journey toward joy in 2016.