You Have Purpose

If you read my "About Me" post you already know that I am a stay at home mother of three. My son is the oldest and he is nine, and then I have two daughters, 7 and 6. My children from start to finish are 35 months apart (Yes, three in less than three years. It's okay, you can call us crazy.) We would not have done it any other way. Our children have been such a blessing to us, but as you can imagine it has not been without much blood, sweat and tears. I can relate to those of you who have little ones. I know how you feel when the little ones get into everything, and by the end of the day, you just want to lock yourself in your room and go to sleep because you are nothing short of exhausted! Yes, there were many of those days, and to be honest, there still are some from time to time. I want to encourage all of you who are still knee deep in the early years, remember that they are only little for such a short period! Cherish each passing day, yes even the days that you didn't have time to shower or to do your makeup, and even those days you have spent your entire day in your pajamas! Those days will pass. (Well, maybe not the days that you spend the entire day in your pj's.) You may still experience those days from time to time as your children grow up. I know I still do.

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

When the days get tough, you can always remember who you are. You were created by God, who has a plan and a purpose for your life. He has not dropped you off into the deserted desert of the child raising years to leave you to suffer through it with no hope. In these moments of frustration try to remember the words from the book of Psalms that He is "an ever-present help in trouble." It is not God's desire for us to walk the road of motherhood alone. The Lord desires to come alongside of us, to support us, to comfort us, and to bring us direction when we are in need.

There are times that I can get so frazzled with the frustrations of motherhood. Yes, I have actually locked myself in my room just to catch a break. It is in these times I have had to remind myself that my children are a blessing, a gift from a God who loves me so very much! The Lord loves you too, and He trusts you so much that He has entrusted into your care such a precious, priceless gift, your children.

I pray that in the times of wanting to pull your hair out that you turn to the Lord for your ever present help in times of trouble.  I pray that this week you will lean on Psalm 46:1 for encouragement when you face all of the many frustrations that life can throw at you. I pray that as you come to the Lord, that He will meet your every need!

About Me

I am a 34 year old stay at home mother of three. I have been married for 12 wonderful years to an amazing man of God. I am so thankful to be able to go through life with him. I can't imagine what life would be like without him. My formal training is in elementary education, and I did teach for a number of years before having my children. Ever since I had my son 9 years ago, I have been home. We currently home school our children. My husband is also a teacher, so our children do not get off easy by any means. We have a strong Christian faith and raise our children on biblical principles. This is one of the biggest reasons for us choosing to home school our children.

I am no expert in any area of life. I simply have established this blog as a place for me to share what God has been teaching me and doing in my life. I truly want this blog to be a place where you can come for a dose of encouragement. The things I am posting here are nothing more than me walking out my faith day by day and sharing some of those things I have learned with you. Thank you for joining me on this journey and I pray that as you come along with me that the Lord reveals to you just how wide, and deep his love truly runs!   

Welcome!

Thank you so much for stopping by. I pray that you find this to be a place of encouragement and blessing. I am new to the world of blogging so since you are new to this blog, we can grow together. If there is one thing I know for sure I am no expert in anything. I just simply have a heart to encourage you today!  I want to start off by sharing with you some of my more recent history so you have a better idea of where I am coming from, and possibly why I post some of the things I post.  

In April of 2012 I ran a 16 mile mountain race. This is something I had been training for and because of my long history with running this was nothing new to me.  This race was to be the first of hopefully many mountain marathon type races. However, this goal came to a screeching halt for me. Six days after my race I began to have head and neck pain. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. One thing led to another and after 13 days of doctors writing me off and telling me it was only a migraine, I was admitted to the hospital for a 10 day stay because they had discovered I had had a stroke. Yes, apparently a 31 year old can can have a stroke, much to the surprise of the emergency room doctors who had obviously been caught off guard with the final diagnose themselves. During the course of my 13 day "undiagnosed whirlwind," I went through periods of times when I lost the ability to walk, talk, my vision was greatly impaired and I was in the worst pain I had ever experienced in my life. I have given birth to three children naturally so I know what pain was, and childbirth was nothing compared to the type of pain I experienced.

After my stroke, I basically had to learn how to do everything all over again. The only way I can explain the healing process is in this way, any task you can do without thinking, I could not do without thinking through every little painstaking detail. I basically lost my automatic button.

It has been almost three years since this all happened and most of the stroke deficits have been made up, there are still a few things I struggle with from time to time. I am just so thankful for a second chance at life because mine could have so easily slipped away from me.  I continue to remind myself of what God's word says in Jeremiah 29:11.

"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11

These words gave me so much comfort over the last three years. I pray that they will give some of you the same kind comfort. This is the background from which my blog stems from. I look forward to sharing more with you as our relationship develops in this journey in the world of blogging.