Girls To Grow

Nurturing moms in their walk with God

How to Praise God When Life Is Difficult

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It’s hard to believe we’re closing out March today! We’ve definitely had some spring-like weather here lately. I walk outside in our neighborhood most days, and it’s been fun to see which trees and plants are newly blooming and budding each week.

Our focus on the blog this month has been praising God. We’ll close out this series today by focusing on how we can praise God when life is difficult.

There’s a long list of things that can make certain seasons of life hard. Let’s list some of them.

  • sickness – your own or a family member’s
  • death of someone you love
  • job loss
  • financial troubles
  • discouragement
  • disappointment
  • frustration with a current situation
  • marriage problems
  • parenting struggles
  • difficult co-workers
  • uncertainty about a medical issue
  • feeling lost spiritually
  • unmet expectations

And sometimes we have more than one of these happening at the same time!

So how do we praise God on those days…days when we feel overwhelmed, helpless, or hopeless? Here are five ideas.

Here are five ways we can continue to praise God when we're in a hard season of life.

1. Focus on God’s character.

What we face from one life season to another will change, but God never does. Get into His Word. Write down and meditate on Bible verses that tell you Who God is.

2. Recount His faithfulness in your life.

I think almost every post this month has included this point, but it’s so true. Think back to past trials, times when you hit a rough patch and God came through for you. Remind yourself that God has been steadfast and constant in His deliverance and provision.

3. Make a conscious decision to trust Him.

Now, when it’s hard, is the time to prove your faith. We can’t see behind the scenes to how He is working. We don’t know how or when our difficult circumstances will end. So just decide right there in the middle of it to have faith and trust God.

4. Be grateful.

As the hymn writer says, count your blessings. Are there days when the silver lining is so thin you can barely see it? You bet. But you’ll never see it if you’re not looking. Before you get out of bed each morning, mentally give thanks for something. Do like I do and keep a gratitude journal. Every day write down at least three things for which you’re thankful.

5. Reach out to others.

This one is two-pronged. First of all, ask someone you love and trust to pray for you or with you about what you’re facing. Pray for a proper perspective on the problem. If they’ve been through something similar, they can empathize. They can come alongside you and help you offer praise.

Secondly, see who there is around you who could use your help. Give someone else a reason to praise God because you’ve been a blessing to them!

When life is difficult, we can still worship our Lord and praise our God. I like how Habakkuk sums it up.

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” [3:17-18]

(In Friday’s subscriber e-mail I’ll be talking about a verse I’ve read many times that came to mean something new and personal to me in light of a recent disappointment. If you’re not already subscribed, you can do so here.)

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5 Valuable Ways to Worship God Like David Did

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I’m a little bit excited today! Our younger daughter’s on spring break at her high school this week, and she and I are flying to Florida to visit the college her older sister attends. We’re knocking out a college visit and time with my older daughter in one trip! I am praying that the weather will be nicer than predicted, but we’ll have a great time either way.

As we continue our focus on praising God this month, I thought we’d see what we could learn about worship from the man who wrote many of the Psalms. Last week we pulled some simple verses from Psalms to inspire our praise life, and there are so many more passages in that book that express praise to God.

David is a well-known Bible character. We know that he’s called a “man after God’s own heart.” [Acts 13:22] We also know that, just like us, he had times when he struggled with sin. I think there’s a lot to learn from the way he offered praise and worship to God.

From the great Psalmist of the Bible we can learn helpful ways to shape our worship of God.

1.David worshiped with a right view of himself and a right view of God.

Let me set the stage. King David goes to prophet Nathan and says that he wants to build a house for the Lord. That night, the Lord speaks to Nathan. His message for David is that David’s seed will build God a house and God will establish David’s kingdom and throne forever.

Here’s David’s response when he gets the message from Nathan in 2 Samuel 7:18-22. [I know this is a long passage, but it’s so good!]

“Then went king David in, and sat before the Lord, and he said, Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord God; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant’s house for a great while to come.

And is this the manner of man, O Lord God? And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord God, knowest thy servant. For thy word’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them.

Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.“

In humility, David acknowledged that he’d done nothing to be worthy of this great honor that God was bestowing on him. He saw God as He is, the great and only true God.

May we come to worship God in true humility. It is only because of God’s love and grace that we are even able to come into His presence. Our God is worthy of all our worship and praise.

2. David worshiped by recounting God’s faithfulness.

Here’s where we find David at the beginning of 2 Samuel 22.

“And David spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:“

The next fifty verses of this chapter are David recalling different times when he’s been in a hard place, but God always delivered him. Here are a couple of examples.

“When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;” [Verses 5-6]

In verses 17-18, he says that God “…sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters; He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.“

In verse 50, David proclaims, “Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.“

We’ve all seen God’s deliverance in our lives many times. Not only do we offer our praise to God when we recount His past goodness and faithfulness, but we also encourage our own hearts.

3. David worshiped with a desire for God to direct his life.

“Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.” ~Psalm 25:4-5

In Psalm 143:8, he says, “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.“

David wanted God’s guidance and direction. I’m afraid at times that my perspective is, “God, here’s what I want to do, so please bless it.” Instead, let’s worship with an attitude of openness to how God might direct us.

4. David worshiped God by forsaking known sin in his life.

David wanted a heart that was pure before God.

“For thy name’s sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.” ~Psalm 25:11

We’re probably all familiar with Psalm 51, written after his sin with Bathsheeba.

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.” [Verses 1-2]

If we want our worship to be acceptable to God, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us any sin in our lives. As He does, we have to be willing to take the next step and repent.

5. David worshiped God by honestly expressing his feelings.

“How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?” ~Psalm 13:1-2

God already knows how we’re feeling. It’s okay to pour our hearts out to Him, to let Him know that we’re hurting or sad or angry. And, it may take time, but if we’ll let Him, He can fill our hearts with hope. That’s where David got to when he ended that Psalm. He found hope.

“But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.” [Verses 5-6]

May we learn to worship God in these and other ways as we grow in our walk with Him!

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10 Simple Verses from Psalms to Inspire Your Praise Life

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We’re halfway through the week and I’m wondering how you’re doing post-daylight-saving time! I REALLY miss the light in the mornings. It just seemed to make getting up and starting the day easier. However, I know I’ll come to appreciate having more light at the end of the day.

So how’s your praise life right now? This month we’re talking about praising God here on the blog. Deciding to write about this subject each week is helping me to focus on it more – which is a good thing!

Last week we studied three Bible women to see what we could learn from them about praising God. Today we’re looking to the Psalms for simple verses we can use to inspire us when we want to praise God. Whether it’s praising Him or praying to Him, it’s always helpful to go directly to His Word for guidance.

Here are ten short verses from Psalms to give us inspiration as we seek to praise God.

1.Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. ~Psalm 103:1

What if we made a list of the names of God and praised Him for one of them each day? From Genesis 1 where we see Him as Creator to Revelation 22 where He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, we could spend weeks praising His names.

2. I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvelous works. ~Psalm 9:1

Let’s not hold back any part of ourselves from praising God! What a blessing if we have no sin affecting our fellowship with Him, but are wholly intent on giving Him glory.

3. I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. ~Psalm 145:1

This relates to the one above, because the word “extol” means to praise enthusiastically! We can be enthusiastic about a lot of things – our favorite sports team, a fabulous restaurant, or a new sofa. How wonderful if we can show that same energy and excitement about praising God.

4. Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments. ~Psalm 119:164

I love that David is so specific in this verse! He praises God seven times a day. Why? Because of God’s righteous judgments. In our current world, laws aren’t always enforced fairly and morally, so praise God that He always judges rightly!

And don’t miss that “seven times a day.” More than a number, let’s just remember to cultivate praise throughout our day. Remember – it helps us have a better attitude!

5. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. ~Psalm 145:3

Even though, with our finite minds, we can’t truly understand how great our God is, we can praise Him for His immeasurable power, majesty, and glory.

6. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. ~Psalm 150:2

Praise God for His miracles. There are many that we read about in the Bible; we can praise Him for the encouragement we find there for our own lives. And then as He shows Himself mighty in situations we face, we can offer thanks and glory to Him for how He worked.

7. I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. ~Psalm 69:30

Praise and gratitude go hand in hand. Say out loud to God three things you’re thankful for every day.

8. I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. ~Psalm 71:22

Sing your praise! You can do it all by yourself in the car or on your couch. Or do it as you sing hymns in church with fellow Christians or at home with your family. And if you play a musical instrument, use that as a way to praise God.

9. My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes. ~Psalm 119:171

Praise God for the truth of His Word. Thank God that we can get to know Him through what He reveals to us in the Bible. We can always count on it to give us wisdom, guidance and comfort. His Word never fails!

10. But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more. ~Psalm 71:14

We can praise God for the future because we see how He’s been faithful in the past. Our God can always be trusted to do what’s right, so we can praise Him for the outcome – no matter the situation – even before we know what it will be.

I hope these verses help you begin to praise God in some different ways. Let me know if you have other Bible verses that inspire you to praise Him!

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3 Women in the Bible Teach Us How to Praise God

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Well, here it is Wednesday again! How’s your week going so far? With some really beautiful weather here lately and the official start of spring just around the corner, I’m feeling quite hopeful.

We’ll be attending our younger daughter’s fine arts concert at her high school tomorrow night. I’ve also been finalizing some plans for a summer vacation. Admittedly we’ll likely be masked for these events – and there are definitely some senior-year moments that aren’t happening – but I feel like perhaps a more normal, post-covid lifestyle is at least closer than it has been.

Our theme this month on the blog is praising God. Last week we talked about how praising God can change our attitude.

So what exactly might praising God involve? I thought we could find a few tips from women in the Bible. Here are three of them that give us a good example to follow.

Reading our Bibles to see how Deborah, Hannah, and Mary praised God gives us valuable ways to worship Him.

Deborah

She may not be as well known as some other women in the Bible, but there’s a whole chapter devoted to her praising God.

We find her story in Judges chapters four and five. She was a judge in Israel who went with Barak to fight against Sisera and his army. After God gave the Israelites a great victory in chapter four, chapter five is Deborah and Barak giving praise.

How did Deborah praise God?

1. She praised God publicly.

“Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.” [Verse 3]

Deborah wanted the kings and princes to hear what she had to say! It’s certainly appropriate for us to praise God when we’re alone. But there are also times we need to let others know how great our God is.

2. She acknowledged God’s power.

“Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water. The mountains melted from before the Lord, even that Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel.” [Verses 4-5]

The things Deborah’s mentioning in these verses are things that only God could do.

3. She thanked God for how He orchestrated specific events.

“They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon.” [Verses 20-21]

In verses 24-27, Deborah also describes how Jael killed Sisera. Her praise wasn’t just in a general sense. She was very definitive in noting how God helped them win the battle. When God answers a specific prayer or accomplishes something that can only be a “God-thing,” we should praise Him for that.

Hannah

We find Hannah’s prayer of praise in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. For years, Hannah wasn’t able to have children. In this passage, she is thanking God for answering her prayer for a son by giving her Samuel.

So how did Hannah offer praise?

1.She rejoiced in what God had done.

“And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.” [Verse 1]

Hannah had received the desire of her heart and her joy overflowed as praise to the Lord.

2. She reverenced God as the only God.

“There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.” [Verse 2]

Hannah knew there was no other way her prayer could have been answered but through an all-powerful God working in her life.

3. She recognized God’s sovereignty.

“The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.” [Verses 6-7]

Whatever happened to Hannah, she realized that God was in control of it all.

Mary

We all know this story well! In Luke 1:46-55, Mary praises God after finding out that she is to be the mother of the Messiah.

How did Mary offer praise?

1.She gave all glory to God.

“And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” [Verse 46-47]

Mary’s heart was full of wonder and amazement at this blessing from God.

2. She had a humble view of herself.

“For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden…” [Verse 48]

Mary saw herself simply as a servant of God. She knew there was nothing in her to make her worthy of the honor of giving birth to the Son of God.

3. She recalled God’s promises.

“He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever.” [Verses 54-55]

What a blessing it is to our own souls when we can praise God for keeping His promises! It reminds us of His faithfulness and that He will always do what He says He will in His Word.

Choose one or two of these ways to praise God today. Maybe we praise God to a friend in encouragement or praise Him for His supreme power or find a promise in the Bible to praise Him for.

I hope seeing how these women praised God will encourage us as we make praising Him a priority in our own lives!

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How to Improve Your Attitude in One Step

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Happy March, friends! I would say we’re well on our way to spring now. We still have some chilly days ahead, but I’m definitely ready to pack up the boots and heavy sweaters.

Sunday was a fairly warm day here, and my daughter had a new dress she wanted to wear to church. She’d just bought it on Friday, and it needed a small alteration. [Insert fact about me: I don’t like to sew. Buttons, I can handle. Outside of that, I have little patience for it.]

My daughter said she would sew it – and I probably should have let her since she’s fairly handy with a needle. But I knew it would take some finagling for the dress to come out looking right. I’ve done this alteration before, and she hasn’t. Since I had a good twenty minutes before I needed to get ready for church, I figured it shouldn’t be a problem.

Well. The first try looked awful. On the second and third tries, I messed up a stitch near the beginning and didn’t realize it till I was almost done. Time was running out, and my daughter said she would just wear something else to church. But at this point, I was frustrated with myself and determined to get the job done.

I will spare you the rest of the details and just say that she wore the dress to church Sunday morning. But part of it was held together by clear shipping tape. (Yes, it’s true! And it survived the service!) I did sew the dress up properly on Sunday afternoon.

As you might imagine, my attitude in that moment was not the best – and it was my own fault. I was mad at myself for not being able to do it right. It should have taken me five minutes to complete, but I kept messing it up.

Many different things affect our attitude. We go through big, hard trials. We or someone we love is sick. A family member won’t communicate with us. Our every day emotions rise up and we feel mad or sad or hurt or helpless or discouraged. Some days we just get up on the wrong side of the bed!

All it takes is one adjustment to turn your attitude around.

So how can we change our attitude? I believe it boils down to one word.

Praise.

Most of the time I have an attitude problem because my focus is wrong. It’s on my circumstances or my feelings. I wrap myself up in self-pity or self-righteousness or self-condemnation.

Getting my focus off of myself and onto God can change my attitude. But I have to make the choice. It’s not easy because sometimes, as weird as it sounds, we like to indulge ourselves in our feelings. But nurturing that wrong attitude isn’t good.

So what does praising God mean? It’s us expressing our admiration of Him to Him. It can also involve expressing thanks and love to Him and showing our reverence for Him as Lord.

What better way to praise God than by saying His Word back to Him!

I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.  Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.  Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.  ~Psalm 145:1-3

In a post later this month, we’ll talk more about Bible verses that praise God. Another way to praise God is through song. Here are five of my favorite classic hymns of praise.

It could be helpful for us to create a list of “praise” Bible verses to pull out when we sense that we need an attitude adjustment. A playlist of praise hymns would also be a great tool for directing our focus to God.

Occasionally I will skip my daily scheduled Bible reading and prayer and use that time to simply praise God.  After singing hymns of praise, I read praise passages in the Bible. 

What a difference the right attitude makes! Our homes and our relationships are better when we have a grateful heart that’s saturated in praise for our God.
  
The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.  The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.  My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.  ~Psalm 145:17-18, 21

This month let’s make praising God a priority. Share a favorite praise passage or hymn if you have one!

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5 Important Lessons to Teach Our Children Before They Leave Home

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Welcome, friends! Here we are on the last Wednesday in February. It seems like the first two months of 2021 have flown by. I’ve mentioned that our younger daughter is a high school senior. I feel like the next three months until she graduates are going to go by even faster.

With her, all the “lasts” are the actual “lasts.” With our older daughter, I knew I’d get to do most of the things again with our younger daughter. I think it’s going to take some getting used to, my husband and I not planning our calendar around school or extracurricular activities. But I’m also excited about what this next season of life will look like!

As we finish up this month talking about our homes and families, I thought we could look into some of the lessons we want to teach our children before they leave our homes. I’m at one end of that spectrum, but you may be at the other! Perhaps you still have young children at home, and, Lord willing, a number of years to shepherd them before they leave.

I’ll go ahead and let you know that the first two lessons on the list are directly from my dad. He and my mom taught us four children many valuable lessons, but these are two of the ones I remember the most.

Five lessons parents can teach their children at home that will help them be successful in life.

1. Life’s not fair.

I recently got to share this lesson with a six-year-old in the children’s ministry I work at in our church on Wednesday nights. She complained that it wasn’t fair that she hadn’t yet gotten a turn to be the line leader. She loudly proclaimed to me and some of the other kids that “it’s not fair!” I don’t think my little talk about how life’s not fair impressed her very much, but maybe more stuck with her than I think! 🙂

Solomon has an interesting take on this in Ecclesiastes 9:11. “I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.“

We’re not to go around with a defeatist attitude or channeling our inner pessimist. We work hard and we do our best. But our children need to know that life’s not always fair. You’re going to get a bad call in a game. The part you want in the school play goes to someone else when you feel you were just as good. (That’s one from my own life experience.) The job promotion you believe you deserved goes to your co-worker.

Regardless of the situation, there will be times when life doesn’t seem fair…because it isn’t. And if we can help our children understand that fact ahead of time, they can hopefully be more prepared to deal with it.

2. Attitude is everything.

The earlier we learn this lesson, the happier we will be. We control very little in our lives, but our attitude we control 100%.

Every day we get to decide. Will we be grateful or discontent? Are we going to give that task we hate our best effort or just skim by? Do we sulk or pout when our feelings get hurt?

We also need to help our children see that the attitude we choose doesn’t just affect us. It affects others around us. Their day can be better or worse depending on the attitude we display.

It reminds me of Colossians 3:23. “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;” The work that we do and the attitude with which we do it should be a testimony to others that we’re seeking to serve the Lord.

3. It’s not all about me.

Goodness don’t we all know someone who’s self-centered? Children can naturally focus on having their needs and wants met. What a blessing if we can help them learn early on that they will have more joy and contentment if they put others first.

This covers a lot of ground – learning to share, taking turns, getting along with siblings. Just being part of a family and responsible for certain chores helps our kids learn that other people are important and the world doesn’t revolve around them.

“Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;” ~Romans 12:10

4. Work is good for you.

This can be a hard one because honestly, it’s often easier as a parent to just do the work yourself rather than battle with getting your child to do it – or making them do it over when it’s not done right the first time.

One of our girls was fairly self-motivated. She understood that if she’d jump in and get her work done, she could move on. The other one was more motivated to work if I worked alongside her. Regardless, we want them to know the feeling of completing a job and doing it well.

The fight against entitlement is real. We don’t want children who feel entitled to things just because they breathe air or live in our house. They don’t need everything handed to them. A good work ethic will take them a long way in life.

“In all labor there is profit, but the talk of the lips tendeth only to poverty.” ~Proverbs 14:23

5. Honesty is the only policy.

Not just when it’s convenient, but always tell the truth.

Do all children lie? Maybe not, but both of ours did at some point. Sometimes when they’re really young it’s almost funny because it’s so obvious. But there have been other times when I believe the Lord has revealed to us in some different ways that they weren’t telling the truth. And that’s a blessing! We want them to get caught when they’re dishonest so that we can deal with the issue.

Honesty’s always been a big deal in our home because without it, there’s no foundation for trust. If our girls do something wrong – and they will – we want them to come to us and confess it. There may still be consequences, but if we find out they lied about it – or we discover it through other sources – the consequences will likely be worse.

“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but they that deal truly are His delight.” ~Proverbs 12:22

These five lessons can be good reminders for all of us. I know we haven’t done a perfect job teaching these to our girls. But I do hope the time we spent instilling truths in their lives will benefit them as they leave our home and step out on their own.

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7 Prayers to Pray for Our Homes and Families in 2021

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It appears that February 2021 will go down in the record books as a weird winter weather month! I’ve read about the frigid temperatures and snow in much of the country, even in places you don’t normally expect it. I hope you’re safe and warm wherever you are!

Our weather story has been rain, followed by rain, and then some more rain. We even had thunderstorms move through on Monday night – not a common occurrence here in February. As I write this on Tuesday, we’ve finally got sunshine – and there’s actually more of it in the forecast for tomorrow!

Moving on from the weather…This month on the blog we’ve been talking about our homes. Previous posts focused on how to keep traps out of our homes and discovering what makes our homes happy.

Today I want to talk about how we can pray for our homes and families, especially in our current culture. These seven ideas are based on Scripture. You could pray one of these prayers for your family each day of the week. Or you could choose one day to pray through all seven, making your home your prayer focus for that day.

I hope these remind all of us of the importance of praying for our homes and families. How thankful we can be for a God who hears and answers our prayers!

Here's a list of seven Bible-based prayers we can pray over our homes and families this year.

1. Pray that our homes will be built on a solid foundation of faith.

“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” ~Matthew 7:24-25

Hard times will come to our families. Your storm will look different than mine and different than your neighbors. And when those rains and floods come, we want our homes to still be standing when it’s all over. That can only happen as we build our house on the rock of God’s Word and live by it.

Prayer: Dear God, help us to build our home on You and Your Word. Give us ears and hearts to hear what the Bible says to us and the strength to live out its commands. May we base our decisions on Bible principles, seeking your guidance through prayer. When trials come, may our family be a testimony to our faith in you.

2. Pray for the courage to make Godly choices in your home regardless of what culture says or the choices others around you make.

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” ~Joshua 24:15

It seems like every day it becomes clearer that following God or following the world system and its philosophies are in direct opposition. While we’re to be good citizens in the world, we’re not to buy into beliefs that go against what God teaches us in His Word. In his day, Joshua made it clear where he and his family stood.

Prayer: God, give us the courage to make a stand as a family to do right. May we do it as a way to honor you, in a spirit of love and mercy for those who don’t know you, so we can be a light shining brightly in a world that is dark with sin.

3. Pray for our homes to be marked by love and unity.

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” ~1 Corinthians 13:4-7

This one gets kind of personal! Sometimes it’s easier to love people outside our homes because we don’t know them and their faults nearly as well as we do the people who live inside our homes.

We know the characteristics of love from the passage above. It’s patient, kind, not jealous, selfless, not easily provoked, believes the best about the other person, longsuffering. Just reading through the list reminds me how often I fall short of loving my family well.

Yet our homes can be characterized by love, even though we’ll have children – and adults – who disagree. We can speak our love and we can show it through our actions.

Prayer: Lord, let love characterize our home. When children argue, when parents disagree, convict our hearts. Don’t let us get caught up in having to be right or only be concerned about getting our own way. May we cultivate a love within our family that flows over into the lives of others as a testimony to the love you have for each one of us.

4. Pray that God will protect your home from evil.

“But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.” ~2 Thessalonians 3:3

We talked about some of the harmful things that can enter our homes in a post earlier this month. Blatant sin, like pornography, brings evil directly into our homes. But we also want to pray that God will keep our family from the subtle influences that may seem harmless at first, but can lead to real problems.

Prayer: God, please protect our home from evil. Don’t let Satan gain a foothold in any of our lives. Help us to guard against temptation, especially in areas where we know we’re weak. We know that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. [1 John 4:4] May your Holy Spirit keep our hearts tender and sensitive to those things that would lead us into sin.

5. Pray for wisdom to build your home and guide your family.

“Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” ~Proverbs 14:1

I definitely want to be the wise woman, not the foolish one! We can build up our homes by loving and encouraging those in our family, and by following Biblical principles.

According to James 1:5, wisdom is ours for the asking. I often face situations that I don’t know how to deal with. But God has the wisdom I need and He willingly makes it available to me.

Prayer: God, I need your wisdom to build my home in a way that’s pleasing to you. Help me remember to pray for that wisdom before I give correction or advice to my children. Your Word provides direction, so bring appropriate verses to my mind when I’m not sure what to do. Thank you that you’re always willing to give wisdom when I ask for it.

6. Pray that God will bless and protect each one in your family, that He will be gracious to them and give them peace.

“The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.” ~Numbers 6:24-26

This is my favorite passage to pray over my husband and our girls. In fact, I have a print of these verses hanging on a wall in our living area.

Prayer: Lord, bless my daughter/son/spouse today. Protect her mind, her heart and her body. May your face shine on her. Please show her your grace as she goes through her day. Watch over her and give her your peace in her spirit.

7. Praise God for how He provides for and blesses our homes as we trust in Him.

“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;” ~1 Timothy 6:17

What a blessing our families can be! It’s a privilege to grow together spiritually, to become friends with our adult children, to see our children learn lessons and mature, to experience how we as parents become better people because we’ve learned from our children.

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for the gift of a home and a family. One day we’ll know the full experience of a family when we’re all in Heaven with you. Thank you that we can have a tiny taste of that here as we learn and grow with ones we love so much.

May we use the gift of prayer to intercede with our Heavenly Father on behalf of our homes and families so that together, we can bring glory to God.

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What Makes A Happy Home?

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We’re ten days into February and I’m ready to declare it the “winteriest” of the winter months, at least for 2021! I’m actually writing this post on Monday, which has been mostly sunny and warmer, but I see more gray skies and rain ahead in our weather forecast.

These cold, wet days naturally lead to lots of time inside at home. What comes to your mind when you think of that word – home? Is it a particular house you lived in growing up? Does it bring to the surface emotions that make you feel safe and secure – or the opposite? Are there certain people you always associate with that word?

No matter what your living situation, most of us live in a home of some sort. It could be a camper, an apartment, or a single family house. Your home could contain just one person, include a roommate, or be multi-generational.

Regardless of our home’s physical characteristics or the makeup of people, we all want our home to be a place we want to be. Somewhere that’s comfortable, welcoming, and peaceful.

Part of what creates that feeling is being surrounded by things we enjoy. For my family, that means lots of books, some pictures on the walls, and photos of family and places we’ve visited. But if filling the rooms with stuff made for a happy home, we could all create one fairly easily.

Happy homes are more than comfy sofas and pretty pictures on the walls. This list of ingredients can make our homes a happy place to be.

But a happy home is so much more than that. I’m sure we could come up with a long list of ingredients for a happy home, but here are some I think are important.

1. Love for God

This is the basis for a truly happy home. Can unsaved people have a happy home at times? I think so. But if our home is going to have an overall sense of peace and joy, even when times are tough, our faith will be our home’s foundation.

2. Love for each other

This doesn’t mean kids won’t fight or that husbands and wives won’t have disagreements. But deep down, we all know we’re for each other. We may not like each other all the time, but love is always present. Simply put, we can’t be selfish and expect our home to be happy.

3. Respect

Family members need to respect each other’s time, possessions, and differences. This means we have some ground rules like you can’t borrow your sister’s things without asking. And when we disagree, we don’t yell at each other. We respect the other person enough to talk it through – even if we need some time to cool down first.

4. Shared interests

For us this is Hallmark mystery movies and card games and skillet chocolate chip cookies with vanilla ice cream 🙂 It can also be a favorite sports team you follow or a book author you all like to read or a hobby you do together.

5. Open communication and clear expectations

Make honesty non-negotiable. Talk a little and listen a lot. And those expectations in your head that you never communicate to your family – you shouldn’t be upset when they’re not met.

As a wife and mom, I’m learning that a happy home starts with me and my attitude. No matter how fluffy the pillows or how plush the carpet, if I’m grumpy or “out of sorts,” our home will not be pleasant for anyone.

Seeing my family members as people I can serve for Jesus makes a huge difference. The tasks that I do – from folding laundry to scrubbing the shower to cooking supper – are not just acts of service for my family, but beyond that, they’re done for the Lord. 

As Colossians 3:17 reminds me, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” This doesn’t just apply to my Bible study time or the ministry I serve in at church. “Whatsoever ye do” covers packing my husband’s lunch, vacuuming crumbs off the floor, or washing the dishes.

Let’s be real – no home is totally happy 100% of the time. But there can be an ongoing undercurrent of contentment and satisfaction. With God’s help, my attitude can be one of service and selflessness, and our home can be a place of peace and happiness for my family.

Home interprets heaven. Home is heaven for beginners. ~Charles Henry Parkhurst

What other ingredients do you think it takes to make a happy home?

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Are We Keeping Traps Out of Our Homes?

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Happy first week of February! We’ve got a fairly full month ahead of us. Our senior daughter finishes up her high school cheerleading career and prepares for her last fine arts competition (which is virtual this year).

We’re also trying to plan ahead for a summer vacation, but covid restrictions are making that quite interesting. We’d initially looked at traveling internationally, but that changed last month. Now we’re checking out locations that offer a good mix of options for our one activity-loving and our other leisure-loving daughters 🙂

I briefly mentioned here on the blog our exciting (ahem) VRBO we stayed at last summer. Our younger daughter found a snake on the stairs leading from the lower level to the main floor. (Yes, there was screaming involved.) Then all four of us spotted a mouse (or more likely several different mice) on all three floors of the house.

The owner of the house did send an exterminator who put out a few of those sticky traps to catch the mice. (We, as in my husband and our older daughter’s boyfriend, took care of the snake ourselves.) As to the mouse traps…first of all, there was nothing in those traps to attrace the mice – certainly nothing as good as what was on the kitchen counters. And secondly, I’m not even sure the mouse I saw could have fit into one of those little traps! Needless to say, no mice were caught while we finished our stay at the house.

In that instance, the traps were totally ineffective. But real traps – those made to trick and deceive – can be very effective. The kind of traps I’m thinking of are those temptations that slip into our lives and homes and lead us into sin. And if we’re not careful, we can fall prey to them.

In the second chapter of Judges, the angel of the Lord rebukes the children of Israel for making leagues (alliances) with the heathen inhabitants of Canaan. In the third verse, he says that because of their failure to remove these people, he will allow them to “be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.”

There’s a real application here for our homes. You see, the Israelites failed to recongize the consequences of not ridding their environment of things that would cause them and their children to be tempted to sin.

Let's keep an eye on the things we allow into our homes so that we can protect our families from the temptation to sin.

I began to wonder if there were any areas in which I have unknowingly allowed worldly ideas or philosophies into my home. Could anything here be a snare to my family and perhaps entice them to sin?

Let’s be clear that each one of us is responsible for our own actions. We should know ourselves well enough to set boundaries in areas where we’re weak and prone to sin. But I also feel, in a way, that I can be a gatekeeper. I can ask God for discernment to allow only the best things into our home.

So what kind of snares should we be watching out for in our homes? Here are a few ideas.

Media

This area came to mind first. Are the books, music, movies, or television programs that come into our homes drawing us away from our relationship with God? It could be because of the content – bad language, inappropriate situations, or anti-Christian viewpoints. Or it could just be the amount of time we spend on those things that could be used in better ways.

I suppose we could lump our smartphones into this category as well. The purpose of this post is not to specifically discuss boundaries on social media, games, or other information we access on our phones. However, it’s certainly an area in which we can be easily tempted.

Worldly philosophies

One reason to monitor our media choices is that they affect our thoughts. Our ideology can come from what we see or hear repeatedly, so we have to be careful that we’re basing our beliefs on God’s Word. If we’re getting our opinions from Facebook, the news, another person (even a “spiritual leader”), and not checking those ideas against Bible truth, we can easily fall into a pattern of worldly thinking.

Sinful attitudes

It gets very personal here! Is there an attitude I portray that is negative or sinful? Maybe it’s discontentment, ingratitude, anger, or a critical spirit. And I’ve noticed that those attitudes are very contagious! If I fall into that trap, I’m probably going to take someone else in the house with me. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us recognize when our minds are headed in the wrong direction.

Putting other things before God

This could be work, a hobby, friends, a place we go – things that are good in and of themselves, but not when we put them ahead of God. Or maybe we just go our own way. We make decisions based on what we want, and fail to seek God’s guidance.

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but just some ideas to get you thinking. But let’s end with a few practical ways to avoid traps in our homes.

Let’s practice 1 Thessalonians 5:17. “Pray without ceasing.” As we go through our day, let’s have a heart attitude that drives us to prayer when we need guidance.

In the words of Philippians 1:9-10, let’s “approve things that are excellent.” Just as we wouldn’t feed our families a steady diet of junk food, let’s make sure that what we allow to nourish their hearts and minds is healthy.

And when we recognize that we may not be noticing the traps around us, let’s seek to have our “senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” [Hebrews 5:14] Sometimes things that seem innocent on the surface can be harmful. As we pray and delve into Scripture, God can reveal those traps to us.

Like me, you want your home to be one that honors Christ. Let’s be vigilant to watch out for and remove any traps that might be present!

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3 Places to Find God’s Goodness When Life is Hard

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As I write this post on a late January afternoon, it’s partly cloudy outside and temps are in the low 70s. Winter days here in coastal South Carolina can be unpredictable, but I’ll take this one for sure!

I know a lot of people who are carrying heavy loads in this first month of 2021. I mentioned that we’ve already been to two funerals, and have other friends who’ve lost loved ones. We know people who’ve had surgeries, hospitalizations, received a cancer diagnosis, or dealt with covid. None of us are exempt from trials.

In my Friday e-mail to blog subscribers, I included a video where I talked about part of our journey expecting an anencephalic baby. [If you’re not signed up to receive those e-mails, you can do that here.] Since we’ve been looking at God’s goodness on the blog this month, I hoped to encourage you by sharing a time in my life when God’s goodness was particularly evident.

Today I wanted to dig into this a little more. When we’re going through a difficult time, it may not be natural to immediately focus on God’s goodness. But if we can, it’s always there for us to see. It can change our perspective on the situation and give us hope going forward.

When life is hard, we can still see God's goodness in our lives in these three ways.

Three ways we see God’s goodness in our trials are through…

1. His grace

Like His unexplainable peace, God’s grace is always there to sustain us. It’s such a comfort to know that whatever comes, He will give us grace to meet the need.

In our case, it arrived when well-meaning strangers saw that I was pregnant and excitedly asked questions about the baby. They had no idea that she would never take a breath on her own on this earth.

We needed grace as other couples around us were choosing furniture for their nursery while we chose a gravesite. And His grace brought me through a difficult delivery and allowed us to hold our stillborn baby.

Does God’s grace mean that there weren’t hard days? Of course not. But His grace sustained us and brought us through that trial. We came to a place of knowing His goodness that we’d never have reached without it.

“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” ~1 Peter 5:10

2. His gifts

Can there really be gifts in a trial? Yes, so many! Among the greatest were our ob/gyn who fully supported our decision to continue the pregnancy. Our labor and delivery nurse in the hospital was unbelievably kind and caring. Family, friends, and church members prayed for and supported us.

While we may not have seen it at the time, God used this trial to knit my husband and me together. We gained a common confidence in the goodness of God. What a gift that was! It’s a lesson that has stood us in good stead over the 23 years since this happened.

God’s gifts can be people or financial provision or deliverance from a situation that only He could have orchestrated. Regardless of the form it takes, there are always gifts from God that demonstrate His unfailing goodness.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” ~James 1:17

3. His guidance

After our baby was born, I needed to go back to work. I’d given up my teaching job before we received our baby’s diagnosis since I thought I’d be staying home with a baby. God opened the door to a wonderful administrative position in a hospital system that was a blessing for the next three years. That experience would never have unfolded if not for the trial we’d been through.

In every difficulty we face, there are decisions to make. We won’t always know what to do. But as we pray and seek God through His Word, we can trust that He will guide us into what is best for us because He is good.

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.” ~Psalm 37:23

Have you’ve experienced God’s goodness for yourself? I hope the verses we looked at in last week’s post cement in your soul the truth that He is a good God. Whether life is smooth or today is hard, let’s look for His goodness in His grace, His gifts, and His guidance.

[If you’d like to read our full story about our daughter Angel, I wrote a blog post series on it called Our Story of God’s Goodness and Grace.]

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