I kept thinking that I might chime in on all of the wonderful daily thankful posts on Facebook, but alas, I kept procrastinating. I think I may have told you all before that my family has a tradition of doing what we call our "thankfuls" quite often. We used to do them at the end of every day, but for the last year or so, we mostly do them on Monday nights as we all sit around the table at dinner. We go around and everyone tells one or more things that they are thankful for. It's not very hard and it is a constant reminder that we are all very blessed and we all have soooooo much to be thankful for. Today, I think I'll begin my list of thankfuls that could have been posted daily in November....Here it goes.....
#1-I'm thankful God chose me and loves me.
#2-I'm thankful that John chose me and loves me even though I am often not very lovable. My middle name is Rose, and that mostly means that you have to put up with all of the thorns. I know that I don't deserve you which makes me even more thankful! I love you.
#3-I'm thankful for my first born daughter, Emily. I love that you are my friend and that, because of you, I have a son-in-law and two grand babies. I love to watch you with them...You remind me of me when you were little...and those memories are precious to me.
#4-I'm thankful for my son-in-law, Sam. How wonderful you are to my Emily and what a great father you are to my grand babies! God placed you in Emily's life at the perfect time and I'm so thankful that I get to love you, too.
#5-I'm thankful for my second daughter, Loressa. What a treasure you are! I love the wonderful, strong woman you have become. You amaze me in every way. I'm so thankful that you allow God to use you...I miss you terribly!
#6-I'm thankful for my first born son, Halton. You have taught me so much about how to trust the Lord in EVERY situation. I love our long talks and how we "get" each other. I love that you find joy in music and I'm so thankful to share the gift of music with you.
#7-I'm thankful for my middle child, Bethany. You have the purest of hearts! I think everyone should want to be like Bethany! I enjoy my special driving time everyday with you and I love that you listen for God's voice above every other voice-even above mine:)
#8-I'm thankful for my second son, Hunter. What would I ever be able to do without you? You are becoming such a Godly young man. You challenge me and encourage me. You make me laugh and you put me in my place all the time. You are a perfect picture of what a servant looks like. I'm so glad that I get to see that every day!
#9-I'm thankful for my precious Mackenna. I wouldn't be a very good care giver to Violet and Henry without you. You pour yourself into them and do so much of the hard work that allows me to love on them that much more. I love that you still sing with me every night and that you do all that I ask of you and more. You are so sensitive to God's leading in your life and I get to see, first hand, what an encouragement you are to others.
#10-I'm thankful for my precious Destiny Faith. You were my very special gift from God to allow me the joy of still having a young one in the house. God knew how much I would need that. You bring me joy and love. I love how your hand fits inside of mine. I love that you still blow straws on me at chick fil a and get out on my side of the van. You make me very happy.
#11-I'm thankful for my parents, Clyde and Nancy Jeffus, who love me unconditionally and have shown me what it means to give of yourself. You have shown me what a faithful marriage looks like with your 58 years of marriage and still holding hands and taking care of each other. You are my heroes and I want to grow up and be just like you!
#12-I"m thankful for my sisters, Becky Terry and Tricia Deaver, I'm so thankful that we are friends and that I know I will always have your love. It gives a girl a source of strength knowing she can turn to her sisters if and when she needs to. I love you both!
#13-I'm thankful for my husbands parents, family and extended family. They love me and my children and take me as I am, with all of my many flaws. I'm so thankful for that.
#14-I'm thankful for my two GRANDbabies! I'm so thankful that they live nearby and that I get to help take care of them have them in my life. Their smiles and love are all a grandma could ever ask for.
That brings me up to today...I may have left a lot of things and people out, but...November isn't over. I still have lots of days of thankfulness left, but, of course, I actually have all year to proclaim it because thankfulness is a way of life, not just a few statements in November.
I hope that you are thankful about the many wonders in life that God has brought your way and if you have trouble thinking about what to be thankful for...look to your left and then to your right and then right in front of you. I'm sure you will find something to be thankful for!
Love to you all,
Pam
The Pecoraro's
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
About Life4Him-Moms Encouraging Moms: Busy and Blessed
About Life4Him-Moms Encouraging Moms: Busy and Blessed: It's been a while since I've taken the time to write on here. Summer began and ended with b...
Busy and Blessed
It's been a while since I've taken the time to write on here. Summer began and ended with busy schedules and tons of ministry opportunities. It really felt like we were on a never ending roller coaster. Don't get me wrong though, our summer was amazing!
Here's a quick recap in order for you to fully grasp what our kind of busy looks like...LIFE trip to San Antonio, Mission Trip to Oklahoma, Grandson Henry Houston Fulks was born (more on that later), Mission trip to Kosovo, Youth camp with the whole family, Mission trip to Canada, Destiny to GA camp, Loressa to collegiate week at Glorietta, rehearsals and the performance of the musical that I wrote over the whole last year called "The Church Around The Corner", family vacation to see both sides of our families and then taking Loressa back to Lubbock for college...and, knowing me, I probably forgot a few things.
Like I said...we were super busy, but in the midst of such a busy summer, we were all given the privilege to be God's servants and feel His blessings on our lives.
Busy and Blessed...that was the story of our summer.
I know many of you would not have had a list as long as mine of your summer events. Most likely, just like my summer mirrored my lifestyle, your summer would have mirrored yours. We have a large family and lead busy lives...It's okay, though, because we accept and love that as part of the package of who we are. The best part of it all is the fact that we get to serve the Lord together...AND...It already makes me really sad that my kids won't always be around to keep me this busy.
Whatever your agenda was for the this past summer, I hope you ended it with knowing you were right where you should have been and that you faithfully did all the things you were supposed to be doing.
I know that if you are reading this, since it is the middle of September, you have already organized your school year with all of the different things that you hope to accomplish. I hope your list of events includes time for you to serve the Lord by serving your church, your community and your family. Remember...there are lots of things that can keep you busy, but try to do the things that really matter because when this school year is over and you are looking back over it all, you are going to want to be able to say, "I wasn't just busy, I was blessed."
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
About Life4Him-Moms Encouraging Moms: Being a mom can be...
About Life4Him-Moms Encouraging Moms: Being a mom can be...: I want to share just two words about being a mom.... It's hard! Sometimes it seems like moms are the good guys, but unfortunately a lot of...
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Being a mom can be...
I want to share just two words about being a mom.... It's hard!
Sometimes it seems like moms are the good guys, but unfortunately a lot of the time, moms seem like the bad guys. Sometimes, we have to say things that would be easier to leave unsaid and sometimes we make mistakes and jump to conclusions that are incorrect. There are even times when we say and do the wrong thing, thinking it was the right thing...yet, sadly, it is still the wrong thing and it crushes their spirit. It's funny that the most rewarding job in the world is also one of the hardest jobs. We plan and work to try to make our children's lives wonderful, but sometimes wonderful just doesn't happen...and life is difficult instead.
One thing that I have learned through the years is that even when being a mom can be hard, it is worth any headache that it can bring. No one can fill your shoes for your sons and daughters except you, so even though it would be easier to give up...Even though it would be easier to give in... And even though it would be easier to ignore the difficult things...It is still great to be a mom and to have been given the responsibility of loving and raising our children...If it were easy, it wouldn't really be such a huge honor to have been entrusted with the children that God gave us....So, when life seems overwhelming and being a mom seems like a job for someone else, remember that God chose you because He knew that you were the right woman for the job. Whether you gave birth to your sons and daughters or whether you were chosen to adopt your sons or daughters, He knew it would be you that would be pouring your life into your children. He knew, so He can be trusted to help you through any difficulties you might face as a mom.
We can trust Him. He can carry our burdens. He can help us be the best mom we can be.
Sometimes it seems like moms are the good guys, but unfortunately a lot of the time, moms seem like the bad guys. Sometimes, we have to say things that would be easier to leave unsaid and sometimes we make mistakes and jump to conclusions that are incorrect. There are even times when we say and do the wrong thing, thinking it was the right thing...yet, sadly, it is still the wrong thing and it crushes their spirit. It's funny that the most rewarding job in the world is also one of the hardest jobs. We plan and work to try to make our children's lives wonderful, but sometimes wonderful just doesn't happen...and life is difficult instead.
One thing that I have learned through the years is that even when being a mom can be hard, it is worth any headache that it can bring. No one can fill your shoes for your sons and daughters except you, so even though it would be easier to give up...Even though it would be easier to give in... And even though it would be easier to ignore the difficult things...It is still great to be a mom and to have been given the responsibility of loving and raising our children...If it were easy, it wouldn't really be such a huge honor to have been entrusted with the children that God gave us....So, when life seems overwhelming and being a mom seems like a job for someone else, remember that God chose you because He knew that you were the right woman for the job. Whether you gave birth to your sons and daughters or whether you were chosen to adopt your sons or daughters, He knew it would be you that would be pouring your life into your children. He knew, so He can be trusted to help you through any difficulties you might face as a mom.
We can trust Him. He can carry our burdens. He can help us be the best mom we can be.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Enjoying God's Blessings!!
Last night, Monday night, was such a blessing to me. I just love it when God reveals something to me that I wasn't looking for or even expecting at the time. You know how sometimes you pray and pray about something and you wait as patiently as you can for God to show you the answers. Then, as you pray and ponder about it, He leads you down a path for you to understand what He wants you to do. Sometimes, He speaks to you as you read scripture and sometimes He speaks as you listen to godly mentors...
Yesterday, after I participated in a Bible Study on raising sons, God revealed something to me that felt huge...The blessings I'm experiencing today are the blessings that I began praying for many, many years ago! He showed me that many of the things that are being taught in the study were things that He had shown me when I was a young mom and our family has been living out, in many ways, ever since that time. He has been leading me every step along the way. I'm so thankful to the Lord for reminding me that I am now experiencing the answers to many of the prayers that my husband and I prayed for my boys when they were much younger. I know that the process of praying for my sons is not over, but the blessing of realizing where we were when they were younger and where we are now in our walk with the Lord was a huge revelation to me. Years of feeling overwhelmed with the responsibility of raising them against the tide of the mainstream world was definitely exhausting, but was, and still is, well worth the cost.
Years of letting my children be children and play for hours on end has paid off with sons and daughters that love "family" and the joy that comes from being all together. It has also contributed to having children who realize that people are more important than schedules. I am now getting to live in the presence of some of my children who are all grown up or are close to being all grown up who are stronger and wiser than I ever was...who deal with adversity in a more Godly way than I ever did and who bless me daily with spiritual conversations.
Why do I want you to know of the blessings that God has been giving to me...It is simple...I know that many of the mothers that will be reading this are young and have young children and I just want to say at the top of my lungs...
Don't give up!!! Don't think, for a minute, that your love, prayers and sacrifices for the sake of your children's spiritual growth are all a waste of time. There will hopefully come a day when you will be able to look back and proclaim, "Praise you, Lord, for blessing me with young men and women who love YOU more than anything."
Even when you see darkness instead of light...Even when you think you are the only one who feels the way you do about raising children...Even when you think that there is nobody who can fix the things that you think you have made a mess of...Don't give up!!!
There is HOPE! Look to the Word of God...Look for Godly guidance to become the parent that God wants you to be... Keep using tools like good, solid Bible studies on parenting. Don't think that you are supposed to know everything already for every stage of parenting. Realize that you will make mistakes along the way. Be willing to learn and change the direction you are going if it isn't the path God wants you on and keep praying for God's wisdom!!!
My hope for you is that God will shower you with blessings today and every day to come and that you will recognize each and every blessing!!!
Yesterday, after I participated in a Bible Study on raising sons, God revealed something to me that felt huge...The blessings I'm experiencing today are the blessings that I began praying for many, many years ago! He showed me that many of the things that are being taught in the study were things that He had shown me when I was a young mom and our family has been living out, in many ways, ever since that time. He has been leading me every step along the way. I'm so thankful to the Lord for reminding me that I am now experiencing the answers to many of the prayers that my husband and I prayed for my boys when they were much younger. I know that the process of praying for my sons is not over, but the blessing of realizing where we were when they were younger and where we are now in our walk with the Lord was a huge revelation to me. Years of feeling overwhelmed with the responsibility of raising them against the tide of the mainstream world was definitely exhausting, but was, and still is, well worth the cost.
Years of letting my children be children and play for hours on end has paid off with sons and daughters that love "family" and the joy that comes from being all together. It has also contributed to having children who realize that people are more important than schedules. I am now getting to live in the presence of some of my children who are all grown up or are close to being all grown up who are stronger and wiser than I ever was...who deal with adversity in a more Godly way than I ever did and who bless me daily with spiritual conversations.
Why do I want you to know of the blessings that God has been giving to me...It is simple...I know that many of the mothers that will be reading this are young and have young children and I just want to say at the top of my lungs...
Don't give up!!! Don't think, for a minute, that your love, prayers and sacrifices for the sake of your children's spiritual growth are all a waste of time. There will hopefully come a day when you will be able to look back and proclaim, "Praise you, Lord, for blessing me with young men and women who love YOU more than anything."
Even when you see darkness instead of light...Even when you think you are the only one who feels the way you do about raising children...Even when you think that there is nobody who can fix the things that you think you have made a mess of...Don't give up!!!
There is HOPE! Look to the Word of God...Look for Godly guidance to become the parent that God wants you to be... Keep using tools like good, solid Bible studies on parenting. Don't think that you are supposed to know everything already for every stage of parenting. Realize that you will make mistakes along the way. Be willing to learn and change the direction you are going if it isn't the path God wants you on and keep praying for God's wisdom!!!
My hope for you is that God will shower you with blessings today and every day to come and that you will recognize each and every blessing!!!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
About Life4Him-Moms Encouraging Moms: From "moms of sons" to "moms of seniors"
About Life4Him-Moms Encouraging Moms: From "moms of sons" to "moms of seniors": Hello everyone! I thought I'd give a little update on Moms Encouraging Moms. Last night a group of mothers of sons met to begin a six week B...
From "moms of sons" to "moms of seniors"
Hello everyone! I thought I'd give a little update on Moms Encouraging Moms. Last night a group of mothers of sons met to begin a six week Bible/book study on "5 Conversations You Must Have With your Sons." I was excited to be able to attend it and I'm looking forward to all that I'm going to learn. One of the reasons that I was so excited about it was because of all who were there. When we met for our first Mom's meeting a while back to evaluate the needs of the mothers in our church, one of the biggest needs mentioned was how to parent boys and raise them to be godly men. One of the blessings to me about the Bible/book study was that the women who asked for encouragement in this area actually came and an added blessing was that many other women came, too!
Sadly, our society is failing our boys... We, (their mothers), must take an active role in teaching them and guiding them to go against the way of the world and become the men of God that He created them to be. God has blessed us with the privilege of raising them and with that privilege comes a huge responsibility. It can be daunting at times, but so worth it in the long run. Praise the Lord for all of the moms who are striving to raise up godly men!!!!
Speaking of raising our children to adulthood...
I am beginning to plan another evening for Moms Encouraging Moms. I don't have the date or time yet, but I'll tell you the topic now....I would like for any moms of seniors to have a time to meet together and talk about our changing roles as our students graduate. It's an emotional time for me as a mother to Bethany, my graduating senior, who is supposed to still be 10 years old. I think we would all benefit from talking together about how fast the time has gone and how to be handle and encourage each other along the way in the coming months. I'm looking for a home and a date to meet. If you think this would benefit you or if you would like to host the evening, let me know. I think maybe a Tuesday evening for about an hour or so might be good, or maybe a Saturday morning brunch. I'd like for it to be soon because life is just going to get busier in the next few weeks. Let's try to make it happen:)
Sadly, our society is failing our boys... We, (their mothers), must take an active role in teaching them and guiding them to go against the way of the world and become the men of God that He created them to be. God has blessed us with the privilege of raising them and with that privilege comes a huge responsibility. It can be daunting at times, but so worth it in the long run. Praise the Lord for all of the moms who are striving to raise up godly men!!!!
Speaking of raising our children to adulthood...
I am beginning to plan another evening for Moms Encouraging Moms. I don't have the date or time yet, but I'll tell you the topic now....I would like for any moms of seniors to have a time to meet together and talk about our changing roles as our students graduate. It's an emotional time for me as a mother to Bethany, my graduating senior, who is supposed to still be 10 years old. I think we would all benefit from talking together about how fast the time has gone and how to be handle and encourage each other along the way in the coming months. I'm looking for a home and a date to meet. If you think this would benefit you or if you would like to host the evening, let me know. I think maybe a Tuesday evening for about an hour or so might be good, or maybe a Saturday morning brunch. I'd like for it to be soon because life is just going to get busier in the next few weeks. Let's try to make it happen:)
Thursday, April 19, 2012
5 conversations You Must Have With Your Sons
I wanted to take a quick opportunity to encourage any mother's of sons to consider attending this Bible study. When many of us met to share our needs as mom's with each other, one of the needs was for moms of sons to share their concerns with each other....We met once with raising sons as a topic and now I'm so happy to let you know that this Bible Study is being done with YOU in mind. I hope many of you will try to attend...I'm sure there will be many things to learn, both from the study itself and from each other. Details are below.... 5 Conversations You Must Have with Your Son - is a women's Bible study for moms who desire to help their sons build foundations of faith that will equip them throughout their lives. Author, Vicki Courtney, helps you prepare to talk to your son about the tough topics — because even though knowing what to say or how to say it can be hard, there's no one better to teach him about life, love, and faith than you. Mondays @ 7 pm - Starting April 23 The member book also offers variety of between-session activities that build parenting skills and biblical understandings. Book cost is $11 and will be provided on first day of class. Meet at FBC. Facilitated by Monica Richardson. |
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
My Encouragement for Today
I feel like I have been a bit neglectful of this blog (and even more neglectful of my other one at skits and scripts 4 Him), but I have an excuse. For the last several weeks, I have been busy with one huge endeavor after another. They have all taken many hours for my family to complete and, I must say, by God's grace, they all turned out rather well. D-NOW was the biggest and most time consuming event. It is now over and I can take a breath for at least a moment. Writing on this blog had to take a back seat, so that I didn't go completely crazy.
With all of that said, I hope you'll forgive me for not keeping up with my posts. I have a lot of topics that I'm hoping to write about and I still hope that this will be a place where we can all find encouragement to be the women God wants us to be.
Today, my encouragement is this: Remember that most of the things our children learn are "caught" not "taught," so in order for them to catch the right things, we have to be heading in the right direction ourselves in order to "expose" them to it. It reminds me of catching a cold...most of us would rather NOT catch one, but if we are exposed to someone with a cold, there would be a chance of us catching it. If we are never around a person with nasty cold germs to share with us, it would be unlikely for us to catch a cold. We might still end up sick with a cold, though, because it is possible to get one without being exposed to one from someone else, but our chances are higher if we are "exposed."
We need to expose our children to the things we hope that they will learn...WE, as in ourselves, need to be the ones that are modeling the behaviors that we hope they will catch. The worst thing that we can do is tell our children to "do as I say, not as I do"...They will resent it and I can almost guarantee that they will grow up learning to "do as you do" instead of the other way around.
If we want our children to serve, then we better be serving. If we want our children to be respectful, then we need to be respectful. If we want our children to have positive attitudes then we better have positive attitudes. The list can go on and on, but those are some of the big ones on my list.
We, as grown ups, need to stop having a double standard about these things. We may want to teach our children to be respectful, but if we really examine ourselves, we fail at being respectful a lot. How many times are you tempted to think that what you have to say is so much more important than what someone else has to say. Isn't that disrespectful to them? I know I am guilty. How many times do you complain about things and then reprimand your children when they whine or complain? I'm guilty again. What about serving? Do you serve others with a happy heart or do you expect others to serve you and meet your needs?
These are just some things that have been on my mind...things that God has been convicting me of and things that I have noticed in others. I hope that these questions don't bring discouragement, but encouragement. Sometimes we need to ask ourselves questions and evaluate where we are in our quest to raise our children into adulthood. If being respectful, servant minded and staying positive were diseases, would our children be in danger of catching them from us? Would they even be "exposed" enough to catch it? Maybe we need to make sure we are "infected" first, before we expect it out of them.
With all of that said, I hope you'll forgive me for not keeping up with my posts. I have a lot of topics that I'm hoping to write about and I still hope that this will be a place where we can all find encouragement to be the women God wants us to be.
Today, my encouragement is this: Remember that most of the things our children learn are "caught" not "taught," so in order for them to catch the right things, we have to be heading in the right direction ourselves in order to "expose" them to it. It reminds me of catching a cold...most of us would rather NOT catch one, but if we are exposed to someone with a cold, there would be a chance of us catching it. If we are never around a person with nasty cold germs to share with us, it would be unlikely for us to catch a cold. We might still end up sick with a cold, though, because it is possible to get one without being exposed to one from someone else, but our chances are higher if we are "exposed."
We need to expose our children to the things we hope that they will learn...WE, as in ourselves, need to be the ones that are modeling the behaviors that we hope they will catch. The worst thing that we can do is tell our children to "do as I say, not as I do"...They will resent it and I can almost guarantee that they will grow up learning to "do as you do" instead of the other way around.
If we want our children to serve, then we better be serving. If we want our children to be respectful, then we need to be respectful. If we want our children to have positive attitudes then we better have positive attitudes. The list can go on and on, but those are some of the big ones on my list.
We, as grown ups, need to stop having a double standard about these things. We may want to teach our children to be respectful, but if we really examine ourselves, we fail at being respectful a lot. How many times are you tempted to think that what you have to say is so much more important than what someone else has to say. Isn't that disrespectful to them? I know I am guilty. How many times do you complain about things and then reprimand your children when they whine or complain? I'm guilty again. What about serving? Do you serve others with a happy heart or do you expect others to serve you and meet your needs?
These are just some things that have been on my mind...things that God has been convicting me of and things that I have noticed in others. I hope that these questions don't bring discouragement, but encouragement. Sometimes we need to ask ourselves questions and evaluate where we are in our quest to raise our children into adulthood. If being respectful, servant minded and staying positive were diseases, would our children be in danger of catching them from us? Would they even be "exposed" enough to catch it? Maybe we need to make sure we are "infected" first, before we expect it out of them.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
My To-Do List:
Finish All of the decorations for DNOW (large undertaking-in need of more help)
Finish writing this year's play (large undertaking-it is somewhere in my mind, but I'm having trouble finding it)
Finish school work with my kids (large undertaking-hard to completely complete)
Encourage other women as they parent their children (large undertaking-desiring for God to use me as a motivator)
Play with my grandchild (large undertaking-not quite so difficult to accomplish)
Clean my house (large undertaking-probably won't get done)
Pray that the Lord will take all of my "large undertakings" and turn them into "small undertakings" so that I can somehow accomplish them all.
I don't know about you, but my list sometimes seems overwhelming. I ALWAYS fall very short of getting it all accomplished. I don't know if you read all of my "to-do list", but there is huge flaw in it. The last thing on my list should have been my first thing on my list!!! Why do I so often forget that? And why am I surprised or overwhelmed that my list is too difficult when I try to do any of it without His guidance? Don't answer that, I really do already know the answers to my questions. I'm just a slow learner, so I keep having to learn the same lessons over and over again.
Note to self: Re-write my list...
I hope you all have a blessed day and I also hope that we all put the most important thing at the top of our list
Finish writing this year's play (large undertaking-it is somewhere in my mind, but I'm having trouble finding it)
Finish school work with my kids (large undertaking-hard to completely complete)
Encourage other women as they parent their children (large undertaking-desiring for God to use me as a motivator)
Play with my grandchild (large undertaking-not quite so difficult to accomplish)
Clean my house (large undertaking-probably won't get done)
Pray that the Lord will take all of my "large undertakings" and turn them into "small undertakings" so that I can somehow accomplish them all.
I don't know about you, but my list sometimes seems overwhelming. I ALWAYS fall very short of getting it all accomplished. I don't know if you read all of my "to-do list", but there is huge flaw in it. The last thing on my list should have been my first thing on my list!!! Why do I so often forget that? And why am I surprised or overwhelmed that my list is too difficult when I try to do any of it without His guidance? Don't answer that, I really do already know the answers to my questions. I'm just a slow learner, so I keep having to learn the same lessons over and over again.
Note to self: Re-write my list...
I hope you all have a blessed day and I also hope that we all put the most important thing at the top of our list
Friday, March 2, 2012
Mackenna Hope
Tomorrow is my second to the youngest child's 14th birthday! Mackenna Hope is the most precious almost 14 year old you could ever meet. She is fun, caring, beautiful, loving and adorable! I just can't believe she is growing up. I stay in denial about her getting older because I'm just not sure I can cope with it very well.
When Mackenna was little, she was extremely shy. I remember when we first came to the church we now serve in, she was 3 years old. An older man came up and was introducing himself to all of us and he tweaked her nose like he was pretending that he grabbed her nose off of the front of her face. She was scared to death. She spent the rest of the trip holding her nose so that no one else tried to take it. Actually, she covered her nose around older men for the next year or so. I loved how literal she was about it. It's one of those memories that I'll never forget. She still takes things pretty literally, but she doesn't' hold onto her nose anymore to protect it...
If you don't know my precious Mackenna, you are definitely missing out, but that's ok because I kind of like keeping her to myself. Its kind of like I get to personally know the world's best kept secret, Mackenna Hope. I guess I really shouldn't be too selfish with her because she isn't really mine. She belongs to the Lord. I'm so thankful, though, that He chose to allow me the privilege of raising her. Mackenna is growing into a wonderful, Godly young woman and I see Christ working in her. As she is growing and maturing, I often see her encouraging and praying with others.She is awesome like that.
Other random Mackenna facts:
She is a constant help with Violet, her niece, (my grandchild). She gives her constant, faithful, love and attention. If ever there was the perfect caregiver, it would be her....
She is an awesome photographer.
She HAS to be the last one to tell me goodnight. Everyone in the family knows and accepts this fact.
She loves to play games, just like me.
She hates to shop, just like me.
She does almost ALL of the laundry at our house (which is quite a lot)!
She is still my quietest child...but begin a conversation with her late at night and you would never notice that she is the quiet one.
I adore my daughter, Mackenna Hope Pecoraro! Can you tell?
When Mackenna was little, she was extremely shy. I remember when we first came to the church we now serve in, she was 3 years old. An older man came up and was introducing himself to all of us and he tweaked her nose like he was pretending that he grabbed her nose off of the front of her face. She was scared to death. She spent the rest of the trip holding her nose so that no one else tried to take it. Actually, she covered her nose around older men for the next year or so. I loved how literal she was about it. It's one of those memories that I'll never forget. She still takes things pretty literally, but she doesn't' hold onto her nose anymore to protect it...
If you don't know my precious Mackenna, you are definitely missing out, but that's ok because I kind of like keeping her to myself. Its kind of like I get to personally know the world's best kept secret, Mackenna Hope. I guess I really shouldn't be too selfish with her because she isn't really mine. She belongs to the Lord. I'm so thankful, though, that He chose to allow me the privilege of raising her. Mackenna is growing into a wonderful, Godly young woman and I see Christ working in her. As she is growing and maturing, I often see her encouraging and praying with others.She is awesome like that.
Other random Mackenna facts:
She is a constant help with Violet, her niece, (my grandchild). She gives her constant, faithful, love and attention. If ever there was the perfect caregiver, it would be her....
She is an awesome photographer.
She HAS to be the last one to tell me goodnight. Everyone in the family knows and accepts this fact.
She loves to play games, just like me.
She hates to shop, just like me.
She does almost ALL of the laundry at our house (which is quite a lot)!
She is still my quietest child...but begin a conversation with her late at night and you would never notice that she is the quiet one.
I adore my daughter, Mackenna Hope Pecoraro! Can you tell?
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
About Life4Him-Moms Encouraging Moms: Aiming Our Arrows
About Life4Him-Moms Encouraging Moms: Aiming Our Arrows: Moms met together. We shared some of our precious time with each other. Connie Fulks opened her home and shared openly from her heart. We di...
Aiming Our Arrows
Moms met together. We shared some of our precious time with each other. Connie Fulks opened her home and shared openly from her heart. We discussed some of our concerns about raising sons. We offered encouragement and even a little advice, then we left. An evening that was much anticipated by me is already over, but hopefully, and more importantly, the women that were there began a conversation that won't end just because the evening ended.
There were several questions asked that would be good for every woman with sons to ask. One thing that God reaffirmed to me was that we need to ask each other questions. It was so great to hear different perspectives to the questions being asked and it was wonderful to sit in the room and hear affirmation being given to different women in the room after their questions were asked. You know, a lot of parenting is overwhelming and sometimes it is scary. If you are insecure at all (like me), it is easy to second guess every decision you make and it is easy to think that everyone else already knows what the answers are and you are the only one in the dark.
If we could just get away from the idea that we are supposed to already have all the answers, then maybe, more questions would get asked and more questions would get answered to make us all better parents.
We are not alone in our desire to raise Godly young men, but sometimes it feels like we are. Godliness is completely the opposite of the society norm for our sons. They are bombarded with images by the media. Their toys are often video games that do absolutely nothing to help them mature. They are expected to fit into categories or stereotypes and are often ridiculed when they are unique.
Yet, there is a glimmer of hope. There actually are boys that are growing up and maturing in their walk with Christ. I see many of those boys turning into young men who are serving the Lord. They are changing to be more like Him and they are applying scripture to their lives. What more could a mom desire for her son?
Psalm 127:4 says, "Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth." If our children are arrows, then they need to be directed so that they hit the right target. A warrior is a skilled marksman who takes aim and then shoots. He does target practice to get better and better at his aim. We have to decide what we are supposed to aim our children towards and then begin practicing to get better and better at the skill of parenting them toward that goal.
Sometimes, we assume that our children are heading one direction, but they are actually aimed a different way... Sometimes we have to take steps to correct the course that they are on so that we help them hit the right target... Sometimes we need to correct the course that we are on so that we are aiming for the right target ourselves.
Just remember that the right target has nothing to do with what they are going to be when they grow up or how good their grades are or where they are going to go to college. It has everything to do with Whom they are going to serve and whether they are going to grow up to be warriors for Christ themselves. We all agree that there is a battle going on for the hearts and minds of our children and we need to diligently aim our "arrows" toward a life of following Christ.
Yet, there is a glimmer of hope. There actually are boys that are growing up and maturing in their walk with Christ. I see many of those boys turning into young men who are serving the Lord. They are changing to be more like Him and they are applying scripture to their lives. What more could a mom desire for her son?
Psalm 127:4 says, "Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth." If our children are arrows, then they need to be directed so that they hit the right target. A warrior is a skilled marksman who takes aim and then shoots. He does target practice to get better and better at his aim. We have to decide what we are supposed to aim our children towards and then begin practicing to get better and better at the skill of parenting them toward that goal.
Sometimes, we assume that our children are heading one direction, but they are actually aimed a different way... Sometimes we have to take steps to correct the course that they are on so that we help them hit the right target... Sometimes we need to correct the course that we are on so that we are aiming for the right target ourselves.
Just remember that the right target has nothing to do with what they are going to be when they grow up or how good their grades are or where they are going to go to college. It has everything to do with Whom they are going to serve and whether they are going to grow up to be warriors for Christ themselves. We all agree that there is a battle going on for the hearts and minds of our children and we need to diligently aim our "arrows" toward a life of following Christ.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
About Life4Him-Moms Encouraging Moms: Hello Moms
About Life4Him-Moms Encouraging Moms: Hello Moms: Hello again to those who are following along as we try our best to figure out ways to encourage each other. I hope that each of you realize ...
Hello Everyone (not just moms)
Hello again to those who are following along as we try our best to figure out ways to encourage each other. I hope that each of you realize that you are needed in the never ending business of building each other up.
Anyone can tear another person down. It doesn't take much... a look, a thoughtless remark, a Facebook post. I have been discouraged by each of those things, so I'm pretty sure others have also. I know there are some people who just make me feel worse about myself (and I'm convinced they are doing it on purpose), but I'm trying my hardest to not let them get inside my head because they absolutely do not belong there. Oh, I know that I'm totally a sinner and deserve to feel bad about myself, but if the God of the universe values me enough to have sent His Son to rescue me from my sinful self then I have no business allowing some thoughtless person to make me feel worthless.
Who wants to be known as a discourager? Not me!
Who wants to be the one everyone avoids because they never have anything positive to say? Not me!
Who wants to make it to the end of their life and leave a legacy of encouragement to all who have known them? ME! ME! ME!
I really hope you will join me in lifting others up. Our friends and acquaintances need our words of encouragement. They need to be noticed...
Maybe we could all, in the next 24 hours, find someone to build up through our words or actions. Maybe we could find a lot of "someones". Just like anyone can be a discourager, anyone can be an encourager. It might take a little "courage," but let's give it a try.... It can't hurt and I'm pretty sure it will spread a little joy to those who receive your words of affirmation.
Anyone can tear another person down. It doesn't take much... a look, a thoughtless remark, a Facebook post. I have been discouraged by each of those things, so I'm pretty sure others have also. I know there are some people who just make me feel worse about myself (and I'm convinced they are doing it on purpose), but I'm trying my hardest to not let them get inside my head because they absolutely do not belong there. Oh, I know that I'm totally a sinner and deserve to feel bad about myself, but if the God of the universe values me enough to have sent His Son to rescue me from my sinful self then I have no business allowing some thoughtless person to make me feel worthless.
Who wants to be known as a discourager? Not me!
Who wants to be the one everyone avoids because they never have anything positive to say? Not me!
Who wants to make it to the end of their life and leave a legacy of encouragement to all who have known them? ME! ME! ME!
I really hope you will join me in lifting others up. Our friends and acquaintances need our words of encouragement. They need to be noticed...
Maybe we could all, in the next 24 hours, find someone to build up through our words or actions. Maybe we could find a lot of "someones". Just like anyone can be a discourager, anyone can be an encourager. It might take a little "courage," but let's give it a try.... It can't hurt and I'm pretty sure it will spread a little joy to those who receive your words of affirmation.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
About Life4Him-Moms Encouraging Moms: Moms of Sons Encouraging other Moms of Sons
About Life4Him-Moms Encouraging Moms: Moms of Sons Encouraging other Moms of Sons: Hi moms, I hope your week has been wonderful and, just in case it hasn't been wonderful, I hope you have been able to find blessing in the m...
Moms of Sons Encouraging other Moms of Sons
Hi moms, I hope your week has been wonderful and, just in case it hasn't been wonderful, I hope you have been able to find blessing in the midst of any chaos and peace in the midst of any storms. My week was spent on many things, but one of my focuses for this week was figuring out what our next step in "Moms Encouraging Moms" ought to be....
I have, indeed, figured it out and I'm excited to announce that Monday, February 20th, we will have another meeting of the moms, but this one will be specific to mothers of sons. It is my prayer that God can lead us to develop relationships that will help us all as we raise our sons to grow from boys to men. This will not be a Bible Study or book study, although those things may come in the future. This will be a time of sharing and encouraging one another from a Biblical viewpoint.
I'm very excited to announce that my friend and the mother of my son-in-law, Connie Fulks, is going to cohost the evening with me at her home. She is going to share some of her story with you and I know you will be blessed. She is the momma that raised my daughter's husband to become a Godly young man, so I will forever be grateful for her influence on him.
Because of the evening being specific to mothers of sons, I feel like we will be able to have time to ask questions and discuss things that we were not able to go into depth with the last time we were together. I hope that, if you have sons, you will be there and I hope that you will extend the invitation to any of your friends that have sons whether or not you will be able to attend yourself. It is possible that you have sons that are grown or older and you may be wondering if this evening will have anything to offer you...well, maybe it will and maybe it won't, but one thing I'd like to ask you to do is pray about coming and participating with us anyway. Maybe God's plan for you on this night is for you to pour the wisdom that you have gained from your own experiences into some of the moms of younger boys.
I should have more details after this weekend, but mark your calendars now so you will be able to be with us. As always, you can contact me here with questions.
Blessings to you all!
I have, indeed, figured it out and I'm excited to announce that Monday, February 20th, we will have another meeting of the moms, but this one will be specific to mothers of sons. It is my prayer that God can lead us to develop relationships that will help us all as we raise our sons to grow from boys to men. This will not be a Bible Study or book study, although those things may come in the future. This will be a time of sharing and encouraging one another from a Biblical viewpoint.
I'm very excited to announce that my friend and the mother of my son-in-law, Connie Fulks, is going to cohost the evening with me at her home. She is going to share some of her story with you and I know you will be blessed. She is the momma that raised my daughter's husband to become a Godly young man, so I will forever be grateful for her influence on him.
Because of the evening being specific to mothers of sons, I feel like we will be able to have time to ask questions and discuss things that we were not able to go into depth with the last time we were together. I hope that, if you have sons, you will be there and I hope that you will extend the invitation to any of your friends that have sons whether or not you will be able to attend yourself. It is possible that you have sons that are grown or older and you may be wondering if this evening will have anything to offer you...well, maybe it will and maybe it won't, but one thing I'd like to ask you to do is pray about coming and participating with us anyway. Maybe God's plan for you on this night is for you to pour the wisdom that you have gained from your own experiences into some of the moms of younger boys.
I should have more details after this weekend, but mark your calendars now so you will be able to be with us. As always, you can contact me here with questions.
Blessings to you all!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Boys, boys, boys...Men
On my last post, which I wrote very late last night (if you haven't read it, please do), I mentioned that today I would approach the topic of raising boys...What was I thinking? That is way too big of a topic for a single blog post. I have a feeling we may need to talk about this topic a lot. One of the things that came out of last nights gathering of moms was the huge need we moms have in the area of raising our boys to become men.
Having two sons, I know a little about what is going on in the minds of some of you younger moms as your boys move into double digits and the early teen years...I think the thoughts that went through my mind were, "Where did my sweet, playful little boy go?" "Who took him?" "How can I get him back?" and "Who is this replacement boy that won't talk to me anymore?"
I remember that, as a mom who had only raised girls to that age, I lived in the fairytale land of denial. My denial was simple, if I don't admit that we are having trouble in our relationship then we aren't really having trouble...Please take my advice to NOT do that because the fact of the matter is... "living in denial" didn't end pretty at that time. I really didn't want to admit that my precious little boys were dealing with the pressures of the world and I sure didn't want to admit that what was going on was out of my control..I remember the devastation that I felt when I realized that my perfect family wasn't really perfect. I also remember being completely clueless about how to "fix" my family. Did we need more family time? Did they need more time with their daddy? Did they need to go do a bunch of manly activities? Did they need another lecture? Did they need more space? More rules? More food? More sleep? What in the world did they need that I could give them? I think I may have tried all of those things and honestly, it was a probably a combination of all of that and more, mixed with a lot of prayer and tears and time, that finally made a difference. My girls had definitely been moodier at that, "Awkward for all," stage, but I hadn't felt like they had evaporated into thin air and been replaced with look-a-likes. It was definitely a confusing few years for the boys AND for their mom.
Now, fast forward to today...Halton is a wonderful, Godly young man that has gone through more physical pain than most 20 year olds and still he knows to be thankful for the life God has given to him. He studies and worships on his own, buys books that will help him grow as a leader, seeks Godly council and is trying to faithfully walk down the path that God has him on. Hunter is my 16 year old young man who is more servant minded than any 16 year old that I have ever met. He serves continuously in the background while Halton serves in the forefront. He gives of himself all the time. I've come to realize that one of the phrases that I often hear him say is "I'll do what ever you need me to do, Mom." He entertains us with his quick wit and prays for me and for others all the time. Last night, on the way to the moms meeting, I suddenly became anxious and started tearing up out of fear and insecurity. The next thing I knew, Hunter reached out his hand, placed it on my shoulder and began praying out loud for me as I drove.
If you are a mom of young boys reading this and think, "I'm in that stage where I don't feel like I know my boy very well". Take heart, every mom of sons has been where you are and I would very much like to help you navigate through this turbulent time and I know many other moms would like to help you and your son to come out stronger on the other end of this time of life, too.
Now, just in case you were wondering, I really believe your son needs men in his life, too, but right now we are concentrating on what we, as moms, can do and how much more we need to understand in order to make it through and bring God glory as we help raise our sons to adulthood.
I think, after talking about raising boys so much, we who have sons really need to get together again very soon to talk and encourage and answer each other's questions. Let me know of your schedules for when we can make that happen. In the meantime, please leave questions or comments on here. You never know if your question or comment is something that someone else really needs to hear, so don't be shy. We can only minister to each other if we know what each other's needs are and we can't answer questions that don't get asked.
Having two sons, I know a little about what is going on in the minds of some of you younger moms as your boys move into double digits and the early teen years...I think the thoughts that went through my mind were, "Where did my sweet, playful little boy go?" "Who took him?" "How can I get him back?" and "Who is this replacement boy that won't talk to me anymore?"
I remember that, as a mom who had only raised girls to that age, I lived in the fairytale land of denial. My denial was simple, if I don't admit that we are having trouble in our relationship then we aren't really having trouble...Please take my advice to NOT do that because the fact of the matter is... "living in denial" didn't end pretty at that time. I really didn't want to admit that my precious little boys were dealing with the pressures of the world and I sure didn't want to admit that what was going on was out of my control..I remember the devastation that I felt when I realized that my perfect family wasn't really perfect. I also remember being completely clueless about how to "fix" my family. Did we need more family time? Did they need more time with their daddy? Did they need to go do a bunch of manly activities? Did they need another lecture? Did they need more space? More rules? More food? More sleep? What in the world did they need that I could give them? I think I may have tried all of those things and honestly, it was a probably a combination of all of that and more, mixed with a lot of prayer and tears and time, that finally made a difference. My girls had definitely been moodier at that, "Awkward for all," stage, but I hadn't felt like they had evaporated into thin air and been replaced with look-a-likes. It was definitely a confusing few years for the boys AND for their mom.
Now, fast forward to today...Halton is a wonderful, Godly young man that has gone through more physical pain than most 20 year olds and still he knows to be thankful for the life God has given to him. He studies and worships on his own, buys books that will help him grow as a leader, seeks Godly council and is trying to faithfully walk down the path that God has him on. Hunter is my 16 year old young man who is more servant minded than any 16 year old that I have ever met. He serves continuously in the background while Halton serves in the forefront. He gives of himself all the time. I've come to realize that one of the phrases that I often hear him say is "I'll do what ever you need me to do, Mom." He entertains us with his quick wit and prays for me and for others all the time. Last night, on the way to the moms meeting, I suddenly became anxious and started tearing up out of fear and insecurity. The next thing I knew, Hunter reached out his hand, placed it on my shoulder and began praying out loud for me as I drove.
If you are a mom of young boys reading this and think, "I'm in that stage where I don't feel like I know my boy very well". Take heart, every mom of sons has been where you are and I would very much like to help you navigate through this turbulent time and I know many other moms would like to help you and your son to come out stronger on the other end of this time of life, too.
Now, just in case you were wondering, I really believe your son needs men in his life, too, but right now we are concentrating on what we, as moms, can do and how much more we need to understand in order to make it through and bring God glory as we help raise our sons to adulthood.
I think, after talking about raising boys so much, we who have sons really need to get together again very soon to talk and encourage and answer each other's questions. Let me know of your schedules for when we can make that happen. In the meantime, please leave questions or comments on here. You never know if your question or comment is something that someone else really needs to hear, so don't be shy. We can only minister to each other if we know what each other's needs are and we can't answer questions that don't get asked.
Monday, February 6, 2012
About Life4Him-Moms Encouraging Moms: A New Chapter...Moms Encouraging Moms
About Life4Him-Moms Encouraging Moms: A New Chapter...Moms Encouraging Moms: I'm very excited to begin a new chapter of my life,. Really, it's more of a new view of my life....That might be kind of strange to say sinc...
A New Chapter...Moms Encouraging Moms
I'm very excited to begin a new chapter of my life,. Really, it's more of a new view of my life....That might be kind of strange to say since it's not like anything has drastically changed for me, but over the last year or so I've begun to finally realize that I have entered a new stage of my life. I've come to this conclusion completely kicking and screaming, but at least I've finally admitted that I am, even though I couldn't admit it for some time, one of the "older" women that the Bible talks about in Titus 2:3-5.
God gave me the white hair a long time ago, I guess it is finally time to stop trying to fight it.
I think that for many years, because of still having young children myself, I just didn't feel like I was ready to take on the role of being an older woman because I knew some of what that entailed. I knew that once I accepted that I belonged to the older woman demographic, I would need to begin to mentor younger women. I had many precious older women pour into my life when I was younger and I must say that I don't measure up. I have never felt like I have all that much to offer and I certainly don't feel like I have a great deal of wisdom to impart, but I do finally have the willingness to let God use me in this area.
I have had a few people over the years come to me for advice and I have mostly shied away from giving any because I never want other people to think that I think I have all of the answers. I absolutely KNOW that I don't have all the answers! I have simply come to the conclusion that I have to obey Him and follow His leading in my life. While I'm sure that obedience to Him is the right thing to do, I can also say with confidence that if God chooses to use me through this new chapter in my life to encourage other women it will be only because of Him.
The reason that I'm writing about my newfound vision for my life on this blog is because I would like to use this as a place for women to come and talk about the role of being a wife and a mother. I even changed the name of the blog to reflect its new purpose...I don't think it will hurt anything to have one more place for women to find a little encouragement, so I'm offering this blog as a place for people to share joys and burdens and ask questions or seek advice. I'm not saying that I will have answers to every question or even very good advice, but I can definitely give encouragement here and there. I'll still share stories from my own life as a mom because that's just who I am. I hope you'll feel free to share some of your stories, too.
Maybe you fall into the category that I find myself in. Maybe you think that its time you invested time into some other women. May I encourage you to do it. Don't wait until someone asks you to mentor them. Don't even expect that to happen. Just start by being available to encourage. You can do some of your encouraging on here in written form if you like. I would welcome sweet words from others who want to bless and encourage and add to the comments.
My final and most important thoughts of the day....
When I was a young wife and expecting my first child, I bought a book about advice for young mothers. I'm not really sure if I remember very much of the advice from the book, but I do remember the very first piece of valuable advice that it offered. It went something like this...The greatest thing about advice is that you can take it or leave it. Be kind as you listen to someone's advice whether you asked for it or not and then do exactly what you think God is telling you to do regardless of the advice you were given. It was the best "advice" I ever got!
Stay tuned for tomorrow's blog topic...Raising boys to become Godly men.
God gave me the white hair a long time ago, I guess it is finally time to stop trying to fight it.
I think that for many years, because of still having young children myself, I just didn't feel like I was ready to take on the role of being an older woman because I knew some of what that entailed. I knew that once I accepted that I belonged to the older woman demographic, I would need to begin to mentor younger women. I had many precious older women pour into my life when I was younger and I must say that I don't measure up. I have never felt like I have all that much to offer and I certainly don't feel like I have a great deal of wisdom to impart, but I do finally have the willingness to let God use me in this area.
I have had a few people over the years come to me for advice and I have mostly shied away from giving any because I never want other people to think that I think I have all of the answers. I absolutely KNOW that I don't have all the answers! I have simply come to the conclusion that I have to obey Him and follow His leading in my life. While I'm sure that obedience to Him is the right thing to do, I can also say with confidence that if God chooses to use me through this new chapter in my life to encourage other women it will be only because of Him.
The reason that I'm writing about my newfound vision for my life on this blog is because I would like to use this as a place for women to come and talk about the role of being a wife and a mother. I even changed the name of the blog to reflect its new purpose...I don't think it will hurt anything to have one more place for women to find a little encouragement, so I'm offering this blog as a place for people to share joys and burdens and ask questions or seek advice. I'm not saying that I will have answers to every question or even very good advice, but I can definitely give encouragement here and there. I'll still share stories from my own life as a mom because that's just who I am. I hope you'll feel free to share some of your stories, too.
Maybe you fall into the category that I find myself in. Maybe you think that its time you invested time into some other women. May I encourage you to do it. Don't wait until someone asks you to mentor them. Don't even expect that to happen. Just start by being available to encourage. You can do some of your encouraging on here in written form if you like. I would welcome sweet words from others who want to bless and encourage and add to the comments.
My final and most important thoughts of the day....
When I was a young wife and expecting my first child, I bought a book about advice for young mothers. I'm not really sure if I remember very much of the advice from the book, but I do remember the very first piece of valuable advice that it offered. It went something like this...The greatest thing about advice is that you can take it or leave it. Be kind as you listen to someone's advice whether you asked for it or not and then do exactly what you think God is telling you to do regardless of the advice you were given. It was the best "advice" I ever got!
Stay tuned for tomorrow's blog topic...Raising boys to become Godly men.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
A New Day
It's a new day! I'm excited that God has given it to me along with a new desire to be used by Him. Yesterday and maybe the day before that, I wasn't quite feeling that way. I was struggling (again) with my ridiculous insecurities. I was feeling defeated and anxious...but then God began to work in me, so...Thank you Lord for new days and new perspectives. Thank you Lord that you don't give up on me. Thank you Lord that you bring me peace. Thank you Lord for a family that challenges me to get out of my comfort zone even when I'm scared to and thank you Lord for a family that loves me even when I'm not at my best... I don't know if you have ever felt discouraged or not, but if you have, remember that you don't have to stay and live in discouragement. You can remove the "dis" and the "ment" from discouragement and end up with courage. For me, courage comes when I remember that God really is in control over everything, therefore feeling defeated or anxious are just Satan's tools to keep me from fully trusting Him. I don't desire to stay defeated. I desire to be at peace, trusting in my God for every aspect of my life...."These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage: I have overcome the world."(John 16:33). God and His Word brings peace, encouragement and definitely puts our lives here in this world in perspective. It's not about us...It's all about Him!
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