a little motivation for your days

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." {Ephesians 4:29}

Words have the power to make or break someone.  Ours aren't always nice.  Before we did anything this morning we had a time of devotion and prayer.  {I try to do that everyday, but unfortunately I don't always.}  It's so funny how everything seems to go wrong when I forget to pray.  I'll be in the middle of doing something, and will be ready to snap an answer to someone's three hundred and thirty-eighth question of the first hour of work, when I will feel that little nudge that says, "Have you spent time with Me?".

That little nudge is not just a little nudge.  I believe it's the Holy Spirit.  He often impresses on me something~a word, a Scripture, a thought to remember to be nice. 

When I feel this, I will gather all the boys around the table and we will take time to have devotion and to pray.  And sometimes my prayers aren't always so nice.  I might say, "Lord, please help the boys to have a good attitude.", but then I'll remember that it takes two to tango, and I'll add, "And please help ME with the same thing, Lord.".  And as I pray more and more, the more my frustrations just melt away.

The more focused on Him we are, the better our day goes. 

Such a simple statement, yet so hard to do.  Why do I not just take the time to do this each day?!  Why must I reach a breaking point before I pray with the boys?  Why, why, why????

You know that Bible verse that talks about having the faith of a child?  {Forgive me~I'm too lazy to stop and Google it.}  I think that this is what the verse actually means.  For instance, a newborn baby doesn't worry and fret over whether or not he's going to be fed and taken care of; he just trusts and knows that his mom and dad will provide for him what he needs.

And even kids that are a little older have this same kind of trust and knowledge.  How many times have you been asked to pray for your child's boo boo?  They just know that when Mom or Dad prays, something will happen.

I ask myself this question all the time: why must I get to that breaking point?

Because my faith isn't always where it should be.  I take my eyes off of Jesus.  I don't mean to, I just do it.  I think, "Just let me get the kids started on their schoolwork, then I'll have quiet time.".  Yet I'll have had time to browse on Facebook that morning.  It might have been the first thing I did when I woke up. 

My morning routine should revolve around that important 'quiet time'.  If it means waking up earlier, then I should wake up earlier.  If it means going to bed earlier to make waking up earlier easier, then I should go to bed earlier.  

It takes discipline to spend time alone with God every morning.  I know that not everyone is a morning person, but I stress the word 'morning' because time with God should be our number one priority.  I don't know about you, but when He's not my number one priority, the whole world knows it.  I'm in a bad mood, my day is going all wonky, the kids are misbehaving.

To me, discipline requires repetitiveness.  I have to do something over and over for it to become a habit.  And habits...well, everyone has habits.  Habits require no thinking...just doing. 

In developing this kind of Godly habit, I have to pray!  And then I have to keep on praying.  Faith comes in here, too...trusting and knowing that God will help me become who He created me to be.  And that means that sometimes I'll mess things up.  I'll fall off the bandwagon and forget to have quiet time.  I might snap at the kids and just stay mad at them, instead of praying about it. 

I never professed to be perfect~but a totally imperfect mess.  That the Lord is still working on.  Don't you wish you could bottle your good days?  I had that thought this morning~I prayed that the Lord would help me to continually feel this connected to Him, that I would keep having these kinds of days.  I know that I won't, though, and that's okay.  He's still there at those times...I just have to spend time seeking Him. 

Don't you think He just wants that from us anyway?  I do.

I pray your Monday has been wonderful so far.  Love to all.