Inspirations I Treasure...

I am a lover of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior and I am also human.  I make mistakes, I stumble get up and stumble again.  Being a Follower of Christ is not a life of perfection but a life full of purpose and practice. Together Ryan and I set our eyes on the Lord and His will but this doesn't mean we are better, more righteous, smarter, or held above others by God.  It means that we try to be in the world and not of the world.  This is no easy task and we constantly cry out to God for forgiveness, mercy, and His grace.  When we fail or fall short of giving God the glory due Him, we try again- for God doesn't give up on us.  He never runs out of love for us.  Here are some inspirations that get me through this crazy journey called life:

God doesn't want perfect women he wasn't passionate women (Romans 2:7)
God is good ALL the time and ALL the time God is good
There is level ground at the cross
God is not a God of works but we must work for his kingdom, setting examples and sharing his word (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Truth is not relative, it is absolute.  God is truth.
There is more grace in God than sin in us

I am LOVED
I am precious in His eyes
I matter to God
My mistakes and sins are forgiven as far as the East is from the West

The next few it statements I read aloud with this tagged on the end "because Avery and Sadie are watching me". You can personalize the last tag of each statement and see how much more powerful the statement becomes... "Because _______ is watching me"

Be authentic be who God created you to be
If you live life trying to be like someone else then you are wasting your time, you will never get there.  But if you live your life and are authentically who God created you to be then your life will be filled with purpose and God will use you in ways unimaginable.
Be passionate
Be brave
Be strong
Be relatable and approachable
Be respectful
Set an example

Be humble
Ask for forgiveness
Be forgiving

Be real.

I have two little girls who are watching me at all times.  My above lists help me to take a step back and get a grip.  It makes me realize that I am here to serve The Lord and I can only do the things I am able to do but to do things gracefully and confidently.  If I want to ensure my children will love the Lord then I must love Him first. We (ourselves) are the only ones putting unnecessary pressure on us and our lives trying to live up to "standards" of other moms, women, men, the world.  If you think about it, who really cares if we are not the perfect moms society pressures us to be... you feed your children husband and dog , keep them and the house clean (I have dog hair floating around...and the dogs need a bath right now...), pay yo billlsss, and love God with all your heart and soul...then guess what?  Thats pretty real and that is a beautiful life.  Be proud of what you can do and try not to measure what you can do or what you have next to what others can do and what others have.

I am not perfect.  I do not try to be.  I am myself and I am sinful.  But I am forgiven...and you are too.
Jesus.  Is.  All.  We.  Need. 
 

bug hug to all you mamas out there.

keep it real.