Titus 2~The Godly Mentor

my girls at a bridal show~the oldest is wearing my wedding dress and the youngest is wearing the flower girl dress her older sister wore at the same age

 

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.  Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children,  to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.  Titus 2:3-5

When I got married, I had NO clue what it meant to be a Godly wife.  I did not come from a Christian home, and had no idea that God has a purpose for Godly mentors to young women.  What I did know was that I wanted the kind of marriage my in~laws had instead of the marriage my parents had.  I wanted our kids to grow up in a home more like the home my hubby grew up in rather than the home I grew up in.  What I didn't really know was how to get there.

While we did attend a church after we got married, we finally started attending a Bible believing, Bible preaching church a few years after we started having children.  It wasn't until then that I started hearing the term "Titus 2 woman".  As I started studying the Bible and growing in my faith, I started learning what the above verse meant and why it was so important.

I would have loved to have someone in my life during those early years to teach me about being a wife and mother.  Someone to teach me that being at home with my children was a blessing.  Someone to teach me how to be a Godly wife {something I am still working on!}.  Someone to teach me about being the kind of woman God wants for me to be. 

A mentor !

I know having a mentor will not make your life perfect or get rid of all of the problems you may have.  But I do believe that a mentor will make your road a little less bumpy.  If you have a Godly woman directing you based on scripture and her history as a wife and mother, that advice is priceless.  If I would have had someone in my life telling me what worked for her and what didn't work, I am pretty sure I would have made less mistakes in my marriage and mothering.

My challenge to you is this....If you are a young wife or mother, find someone to mentor you.  It could be someone from church, someone you knew growing up, even a family member.  Someone you can go to when you have questions or need advice.  A Godly "older woman" {I'm not going to define older woman!}  who you can trust to lead you as a wife and mother.  Pray for this and I believe that God will show you this woman in your life.   If you are an "older woman" {again, not going there!!}, is there someone you could be mentoring?  Is there a young mother in your church God has placed on your heart?  A new bride maybe?  Even if you think you can't possibly have any good advice for her, God can use you. 

You may be surprised with just how much!

Blessings,

Weight Loss Wednesday~Week 3 {GRACE}

This has been my third week of my weight loss journey.  Already, I've had to extend myself grace.  This week has been one of those weeks where it has been hard to stay on track.  One of our kiddo's had some testing and an appointment at University Hospital.  I have always taken our kiddo's out for lunch after such a morning.  So of course, Sport wanted to go out for lunch~at Arby's {one of my favorite restaurants, too!}.  It was an enjoyable time with just him and I.  Stinkerbelle came home from a mission trip to Haiti and was looking forward to some of her favorite meals.  I was happy to give her this.  We had a graduation party this weekend that included food, lots and lots of food!  Add to this the fact that I am hormonal this week, and I caved.  I had to have peanut butter cups!!

I am really trying not to get too involved in weight loss.  I don't want it to consume my entire day.  I want to learn how to live differently.  Part of this learning is knowing when I have lost my step, and knowing how to get back on track again.  And extending myself grace for the times I have slipped up.

Yes, I had a few bad days.  But it is not the end of the world and I refuse to chastise myself about it over and over again.  This weight was not put on in one week, and it will not be lost in one week either.  I will have successes and failures.  This is normal in any part of life.  I choose to be ok with that~and extend myself grace!

So....how'd I do this week?

My Results:

Weight loss this week~ 1 pound

Total weight loss~  11 pounds

Amount left to get to goal~29 pounds

Not a great number this week, but I'm happy to have lost something, anyway.  I'm back on track and hope next week's numbers will be better.  And again, I AM OK with this!

How did you do this week?

Blessings,

When God Whispers In Your Ear

I was standing in front of my closet. 

I was thinking about how busy our weekend was, and how little we saw our oldest daughter during it.  She had graduation parties to attend, a babysitting job, and we just didn't get a chance to sit and talk.  I was contemplating how I didn't like her being so busy that we couldn't connect with each other.

Then I heard the whisper.

That little God whisper that said "That's exactly how I  feel". 

As I pulled out clothing for the day, it hit me.  This IS exactly how God feels when we don't take the time to connect with him.  We have lots of reasons for our busyness~our homes, children, spouses, church commitments, friends, fatigue...the list can go on.  They may even be good reasons. 

But we are neglecting our relationship with the ONE who really matters most.  The One who we should be making time for.  No matter what our situation, no matter how busy we may be, we should be spending time with our heavenly father.

This whisper was eye opening for me.  Some days I am so busy that at the end of the day, I hit the pillow and realize I haven't spend time with the Lord during the day.  So I half heartedly whisper my prayers as I am falling asleep.  This is not the relationship the Lord wants with us.  He doesn't want our leftovers.  He wants our entire attention.  He wants us to talk with him.  Take our burdens to Him.  Thank Him for our blessings.  Praise Him for what we have been given.  Listen to His whispers.  Hear what He has to tell us.

A relationship!

So as I realize how much I want to maintain a close relationship to my children, I remember that God wants a close relationship with His children.  If you haven't spent time with the Lord yet today, make time.  Cut out a part of your day and be intentional about spending time with Him.  My day is so much brighter when I remember this, and it will be for you also.

Blessings,

I Will Praise Him In This Storm

source

This past Sunday in church I saw what will be forever etched in my mind.  One of the members of our church has a terminal disease.  He is nearing the end of his time on earth.  He and his wife were sitting just down the row from our family and during a song I happened to turn and my eyes fell on him.  There he stood with an oxygen tube under his nose....singing with eyes closed and lifted hands.  He was praising God even during the storm he is going through.  This beautiful picture brought tears to my eyes and I don't think I will ever forget it.

Many who know this man know that he loves the Lord.  He knows that his health is failing and he may only have a few months left with us, and yet still chooses to praise God.  His love for the Lord shines through him in all he says and does.

Does my life represent my love for the Lord?

Not always.  I get caught up in myself and what is going on in my life.  I have been complaining about things in our house that need to be fixed up.  Complaining about schedules and getting things done.  Complaining about trivial things that really don't matter.  I fail to praise God for these storms and what they are teaching me.

 This man was a perfect reminder to me about what is really important in life.  No matter what is going on in life, God is there with me.  Sometimes He is walking with me and sometimes He is carrying me through it.  Either way, I need to spend more time praising God for His goodness, instead of complaining about things that may not be as I would want them to be.  God is Good.  All the Time!

I thank God for this reminder.  A man who continues to live his life for the Lord, continues to praise God, even during the storms of life.  It was a beautiful sight!

I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.  Psalm 146:2

Blessings,

Weight Loss Wednesday~Week 2~WATER

 

 

The adult body is made of approximately 60% water on average.  Water is necessary for much of our body systems to work properly.  One of those body systems is the brain.

 

When I started my weight loss journey, I also started drinking more water.  Lots and Lots of water.  I looked up just how much water I should be drinking in a day.  I found lots of conflicting data.  So, I made the decision to focus on drinking more water, not how much water I'm drinking. 

I have been dealing with water retention lately.  I know it sounds counter productive to add more water to the body when you're already retaining it.  But I believe it has definitely helped my water retention.  Drinking water flushes your body and lets you get rid of the excess water.  My skin looks and feels much better.   When I feel hungry, I take a large drink and wait before eating anything else.  Did you know that many times you feel hunger, your body is actually looking for hydration?  I am not dealing with fatigue and I am also thinking more clearly since increasing my water intake.  When the body is hydrated properly, all systems work better!

I have a large water bottle on the counter and fill it up several times a day.  It already has become a habit to stop and take a drink during the day.  This is a habit I hope to continue even after trying to loose weight.

 

So....how'd I do this week?

 

My Results:

Weight loss this week~ 6 pounds

Total weight loss~  10 pounds

Amount left to get to goal~30 pounds

I was amazed to see how much I had lost this week.  As I said last week, I know I was losing a lot of water weight.  I now have something that actually resembles ankles and my shoes slip right on.  When I lost weight several years ago, I lost quite a bit of weight at the beginning, then it slowed down to 1-3 pounds per week.  So, while I am excited...I know this is not to be expected every week. 

How did you do this week?

Blessings,