Be still.... {a message made for mothers}

I was browsing through Instagram last week, as I do. It's such an inspiring place with all the visual impact that comes from the pictures shared.

I saw a picture shared by Rebecca from Grace and Salt ink. It was very nicely showing off her lovely inkDori's (one of which I have), and the words on the journal said simply "Be still and know that I am God". (Psalm 46:10)

As you may know, I have a gorgeous little boy who is now 4 weeks old. Having a baby, and more particularly if you feed them yourself, you are forced to sit down on a regular basis, and sit still.

It's not a natural thing for a busy mother to do. We always have something we can be doing - especially if you have little ones, or if you homeschool like I do. Even if you don't, there are school runs and after school clubs. Mums, by their very definition, are active and "on the go". It's just who we are.

But, this verse reminded me of both a spiritual and a temporal truth.

It's GOOD to be still!

Physically, sitting still to feed a baby gives me the chance to rest. It makes me stop from everything else around me, and JUST SIT. It's bliss. There's no denying it. I love those moments where I get to bond with my baby, and put my feet up. Yes, I am often doing other things (like supervising school work, directing the children in their chores, or talking on the phone), but sometimes I just take the time to read, rest, and pray. Especially in the night, many people are prayed for in those still moments.

Everything else simply HAS to stop, because feeding my baby, which is something only I can do, MUST be done. It's an imposed stillness. If I didn't take that time to be still, my baby wouldn't thrive. He'd quickly let me know he wasn't happy, and he'd end up suffering from my neglect.

Our spiritual life is no different.

We NEED to make the time to "be still".

Why?

It's in those times, when we make everything else stop, and still our hearts before God, that we KNOW He is God. We are aware of His incredible attributes, and His wonderful nature. We truly KNOW He is God when we tune out the clamour of our everyday lives, of the world that surrounds us, and when we focus on HIM.

Mothers can be so busy listening to our husband, children, friends and other "voices" that we can neglect the time to just listen for what GOD wants to say to us. Stilling our minds and hearts, and finding God's voice in our lives.

It may be time spent in prayer. Something I MUST do more of.

It may be time reading His Word.

It may be listening to a sermon, or simply resting and meditating on how much we have to be thankful for.

But, whatever it is, we should take heed to these words if we want to know God better.

Be still.

(pen: Staedtler Noris Club double ended fibre tip

white writing: masking fluid with a paintbrush

background: watercolour wash)

(I listened to these albums during labour again, and this remains a favourite of mine.)

Taking time to see God's Greatness {stepping out of the boat}

This morning, something amazing happened.

I woke up EARLIER than the alarm, and I didn't feel tired!

Yes. You read correctly.

I am equally bowled over.  Maybe it's not a "thing" for you, and you regularly waken early, refreshed and full of vim and vigour.

How nice for you.

For me, it was incredible, and a perfect start to my "working" week.  I was able to get up, and spend loads of lovely time with just me, a large mug of coffee, and God - soaking up His Word, and learning precious truths.

On top of that, I even had time to read some more of Sally Clarkson's new book - Own Your Life.  I must admit, I had been struggling to find time for reading in peace and quiet.  Umpteen Sunday afternoons, I had attempted to read, only to have invading marauders. Yes, I have hit the stage of being unable to read fully without peace and quiet.  *groans inwardly at galloping aging process*
This morning, I had peace.  I had previously been reading it on my Kindle app, on the iPad, but I now have a "hard" copy, and hightlighter in hand, I got back to reading.

I have reached Chapter 6 - Resting in the Transcendence of God - Owning the Mystery of His Supremacy.

Oh, how this comes at the perfect time for me.

It's all about stepping away from the hectic madness of life, and seeing the wonder of who God is, as a little child.

My life has been super busy.  Crazy busy.  I had recently become overwhelmed with so many things I had to do.  Choices to make.  Direction to give.  Planning to do.  Schooling to oversee. Housework to fit in.  Discipline to administer.

I was tired.  I was worn down.

I hit a wall, and had to just step away from things, to get my head in the right place.  I am so thankful that I was able to come to my husband, pour out my heart (which had been burying things, thinking it would all just resolve by prayer alone.... alas, faith without works is dead! Action is always required!), and have him help me to find direction.

One of the biggest helps he was to me, was to see that I needed to slow down and remove a lot of unnecessary pressure from myself.  To take my eyes off perceived expectations from others (including what I THOUGHT was what HE wanted, which I was SO wrong about!), and to just focus on what was right for our family.

I cannot express to you, in words, how much of a load has been lifted from me since then.

I had more to learn, though.

As I mentioned, at the end of last week, I also realised that my focus was on doing, instead of BEING.  Being with my family, fully engaged.  Not rushing about from one job to the next.  Not focussed on academics and neglecting their tender hearts and personalities.  I needed to stop, take stock, and readjust my goals and priorities.

Imagine then, how perfect it was, to then read what I did this morning.  Sally giving wise counsel to my soul, about stopping and seeing how great God is.

She told the story of a night when she had opportunity to view the night sky through a telescope. Her daughter was enthralled, as they gazed at the sky was filled with incredible, twinkling stars.  A breath-taking sight.  Her mind was drawn to Job, and God's question to him.

"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding....When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"

Job 38: 4, 7

We are so small.  God is so great.

We need to become like a little child, awed by the things we so easily miss, because we are simply too busy DOING.  I have been rush, rush, rushing through life, trying to cram so much in, all the while missing so much.  I am realising, all the more, that time is precious, and every little moment I can spend with my family, when they need me, is so important.  Every moment I can spend soaking up God, and His Word, is crucial to my growth and peace.  Taking a break from busyness, and just enjoying life, is something I need to MAKE time for.


Sally also relates how she spoke, in a blog post, about taking time with her daughter, amidst the busyness of one day, to have afternoon tea. Tea, scones and candles.  Celebrating life in the busyness of deadlines.  One commenter on the blog chastised her for not understanding the busyness in the life of Mums. This poor, harassed woman suggested Sally was setting unrealistic goals for women who are pushed for time, as it is.

Poor Sally!  Poor LADY!

I can understand the lady's life - whiny children, time your enemy as you battle to get things done.

TOTALLY.  I get it.

What I was reminded of this morning, is the very thing that I so often forget.

It's up to us to FORGE that time out of our day.  To take a step back, and think about what REALLY matters, eternally speaking.  All of the pressures and duties will still be there, after taking time out for a breather. Without a doubt.  But the refreshment your soul receives, from stopping, and resting, and being with JESUS, will be a boost to your day.

No living thing can operate without fuel.  We take time to stop and have nourishment for our bodies.  Stopping, and having a break from the duties of life, is refreshment to our MIND and our SOUL.  They equally need nourishment, and I shouldn't feel guilty for seeing to those needs, too.  That's where I have been going so wrong! We have a responsibility to care for not just our bodies, but our mind and our soul, to God's glory.

If I am having a crazy, stress-filled day, I just need to stop, and soak up God's greatness and glory. To become like a little child, and dwell upon the big things of God, instead of the fleeting, burden filled things of life. Take the time to get my perspective upon heavenly things, and not earthly.

Sally wrote of the disciple, Peter, and how he walked on the water.  How easily, in life, we try to row our way, in our own strength, through trials.  We won't get anywhere in a hurry, if we are going in our own strength.  Peter had to get out of the  boat, take a step of faith, and then keep His eyes on Jesus.  The moment he looked around at the waves, he sank.

That's me.  Rowing, as hard as I can, in the direction I THINK I should be going.  Busy, busy, trying my best to keep afloat.  All I need to do is stop, and get out of the boat.  Step away from the "boat" of life, that's being tossed around by the winds of  circumstances, and step towards the Saviour.  We are able to do great things, if we step out in faith, and keeps our eyes upon God.  I need to "think big", and realise that God is able to do great things in my life, if I just trust Him.  Step away from the storm, and towards the one who CONTROLS the storm.

Humility - bowing our lives before God - was the other area that challenged me today, from my reading in the book.



As mothers, I think there's an incredible pressure placed upon us to "get it all done".  We end up steaming on in our own strength, and forget that our strength is nothing.  We are like tiny specks, next to the greatness of God.  I need to come, with  heart bowed in humility, and see God in His greatness and His control over my life.  I need to remove my focus from the details of life, and remember that *I* am not in control - God is.  He knows the way that I take - He planned it. He, in His greatness and goodness, has planned that my life should be EXACTLY the way it is - it's my cup.

I am nothing, and He has it all in His great plan.

We are having a "week off school".  What a perfect way to launch into it.  Remembering God is great.  Remembering I am nothing.  Focussing on my mighty, awesome God.  Enjoying the moments, instead of being on the go, ALL the time.

Are you living a busy life, and forgetting to stop and enjoy the moment?  Like me, are you so busy doing, that you are not being? Not treasuring the detail that God has blessed us with in life, or the lives that God has surrounded us with?

I trust you will seek to see our great God, as I am, and take time to enjoy the moments we can plan into our busy lives, to enjoy God and His goodness.

Blogging through the Alphabet {B is for Beruhigen, busy, and the blessing of my Beth, and biggest boy}

"B"

OK, so I had to be REALLY creative here, to make my day fit my blog post for this week. So, I bring to you an educational post, wherein you learn a German word, to suit my blog post.

Is that somehow wrong?

Not sure.

These first two words are somewhat of an enigma, in one sense. Almost polar opposites, well, at least for me.

B, is for beruhigen and busy.

"What," you may ask "does BERUHIGEN mean?"

Unless you are a German scholar, you will not know what it means.  

It means "calm".

Today, I had a calm day, when it shouldn't have been, because I had a crisis, on a busy day. A crisis when you have a LOT to do, is generally not a calming experience, but for me, unusually, it was.

I can't take the credit for it - it was a definite Spirit-filled moment. 

I was busily doing jobs in the lounge, when a child came through, with a look and tone of urgency, telling me to come NOW.

I went, hearing the sound of rushing water as I went.

Ohhhhhhh yes. RUSHING, GUSHING, HIGH-PRESSURE water.

I immediately realised that something under the sink had exploded and water was exiting at a great speed. I thankfully knew where the stop-cock was, threw (pretty literally) the saucepans out of the cupboard where it is, and turned it off. The whole thing probably took less than 60 seconds, but there was a lot of water. Also, providentially, there were a lot of towels waiting to be washed, so they got put to a secondary use! 

Next was to look in the cupboard. Do you know how much you can FIT in a cupboard under the sink? A lot, let me tell you.  Most of it was at least damp, in some way or form, if not soaking. 

I was supposed to be supervising school work, working on a crochet project that is being given as a gift and the deadline is looming, and sorting out a computer issue. Also, lots of laundry was to be done today, and the dishwasher WAS running.  Those latter two things cannot be done WITHOUT water, and the former things cannot be done whilst I was clearing up an ENORMOUS mess.

It's not in my nature to be particularly calm and accepting of such situations.  I don't get easily stressed, in one sense, but my plans being thrown, and not being able to do "what I was supposed to do", bothers me. 

Today was out of the ordinary. I calmly managed the situation, without worrying about wasn't being done elsewhere. THIS is what was happening, so THIS is what I needed to be doing.

The day didn't get better. The plumber came, and it turns out the whole of the tap had just fallen apart underneath. Only solution? New tap. My KITCHEN tap - no tap, no washing up. Robert is busy on a Wednesday, and the plumber had another job he needed to go to, so I needed to do it. Normally, that would also have bothered me, again thinking about what I *should* have been doing. However, the tap was needed, and I was available to get it. So off we all (yes, with all 8 children) toddled off to the Screwfix shop to get a new tap. A monoblock, mixer tap (yes, of course I knew that before....*aherm*). Just being in that shop was an experience - Argos, for home improvers. (ie go in, look at a catalogue, write down your number, go to a till, pay, and wait for your item - I became "the kitchen tap" when it arrived, as in "are you the kitchen tap?". Yes, me, the kitchen tap).  By the time we got home, it was late in the afternoon. The children were certainly educated in the art of tidying up a huge mess, and getting school work done in an unconventional manner, at a strange time of day.

It was a strangely busy day, and it was all crammed into a short space of time, yet I got things done.

God was so good, in giving me the calm I needed to handle my day. It would have been such a different atmosphere in this house, had I panicked, and stressed about my upside-down day. It would have affected everyone else, and that would just not have been a good thing. I also learnt that you can be busy, have more on your plate than you wanted, and yet still get it all done! With God's peace and strength, you can do so much.

Beth was a joy today - she cleaned out my entire fridge, wiping out everything, and reorganising the food that went back in.  She did SUCH a great job, and it was a wonderful thing to open up the fridge, and survey the tidiness that met my eyes. Having such a helpful daughter is a blessing, indeed.

I am now ending my day, with my biggest boy being a blessing to his mother - he is doing my ironing! First time to do it like this, and a good job he's doing! He knew I had other things to do, and that the ironing also needed to be done tonight, so he's doing it.  I can't quite believe I have a son old enough to be doing a capable job of ironing, but here I am, and there he is.

So, my B's -  beruhigen in my chaos, my busy day, and the blessing of my oldest two children.

Another absence!...but back again...

Well, I had not intended such a long silence on here, but things have been, well, INTERESTING around here these last few weeks.

A few weeks ago, we had a holiday/vacation, so I was busy with that for a week.

This is all the children together, when we went for a walk on the Tuesday afternoon.  Robert didn't come with us - he was at home cleaning up the mess caused by Abigail opening the shower door, and completely shattering the glass panel! :-/  oops.....  holidays are just not so much fun without such unexpected incidents, are they?

Walks are always easy when you just get pushed around in a pram! *smiles*

I also couldn't resist putting this one in - what quite possessed Abi to rub her toast with chocolate spread all over her cheeks, I do NOT know!  But, she looked cute! 

We had a relaxing few days - with fun, fellowship and friendship! 

When we got home, we had a few "incidents" the next week....I fell down the last four stairs on the Tuesday, whilst holding Elijah.  I took a hard knock to my back, which jolted my neck and shoulder as well.  I rested up for a couple of days, whilst also then getting a cold!   Thankfully, it was all muscular sprain and I suffered no major effects - God is good!

The, friends came for an overnight visit on the Thursday/Friday.  It was lovely to have them come and stay, and we chatted VERY late on the Thursday night!!! We had a relaxing day the next day, which included a fleeting trip to the Cath Kidston factory shop that my kind sister-in-law informed me was close by!  Of course, I had to get myself a late birthday treat of a new handbag! *grin*

*sighs contentedly*

after we returned from the shop, things got a little bit, erm, dramatic?!

Bethany had just cut up some cucumber for me, helpful girl that she is.  Daniel decided to cut up some little shreds of lettuce left on the chopping board...Beth felt he shouldn't be doing so, and attempted to take the knife away...with dire consequences!!!  She badly cut her middle finger! :-/  So, a lengthy trip to A&E, resulting in steri-strips and glue and a bandage, was how our evening was spent.  Thankfully, no major damage was done, with no nerve or tendon damage. It could have been so much worse. And, a lesson was *hopefully* learnt by Beth and Daniel! Tell Mummy, and don't sort out things yourself!  My very kind friend was left to dish up dinner and sort my family out, whilst Robert and I attended to Bethany's injury (including her fainting!).   I am SO thankful for kind and loving friends. 

A few more "normal", but busy days ensued.  Another friend to visit the next week, for a day.  Then, at the end of last week, more friends came to stay for the weekend.  Another providence of the Lord was then appreciated...because, 2 of the girls got a vomiting bug on the Friday night.  That, I dealt with myself.  But, I got it on the Sunday morning!!! :-/ I *hate* vomit! But, because my friends were here, I got to rest for the WHOLE DAY in bed!!!! I can NOT even remember the last time I spent a WHOLE DAY in bed when I was ill...Mum's just don't have that luxury!!!   She was such a blessing - she took care of dinner, and looked after the children in the afternoon.  As Beth had been sick, she didn't go to Church that day, but made sure I was ok, with regular drinks (with ice!) and kind enquiries!  I also got lovely pictures and messages from my children throughout the day. So sweet, and it made me smile in my discomfort. There is always something to be thankful for, even in a day of illness!

Since then, I have been waiting for the others to get ill...and am STILL waiting!!! *laughs* It's one of these things that you don't want to happen, but IF it is, sooner rather than later would be best! At least my energy has returned, and i could cope with it now.

So, there we have it.  That's where I have been.  I kept thinking about writing a post, but I was often so tired by the end of the day, that it just didn't happen.

I want to keep on top of things now, as the new baby is due in just 6 short weeks!  WHERE did that time go to?!

Looking forward to sharing things that the Lord is laying on my heart, and the joys of my home life.