Elisabeth Elliot on Love

“This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience - it looks for a way of being constructive.
Love is not possessive.
Love is not anxious to impress nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own ideas.
Love has good manners and does not pursue selfish advantage.
Love is not touchy.
Love does not keep account of evil or gloat over the wickedness of other people. On the contrary, it is glad with all good men when truth prevails.
Love knows no limits to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that stands when all else has fallen.”

― Elisabeth Elliot, Let Me Be a Woman

Of Knights and Fair Maidens

  I have always loved fairy tales and love stories. When I was a little girl I ate, drank and slept fairy tales. One thing that always stood out to me was that no matter how bad things got for the heroine of the  story, she would always be rescued by her man. Her hero always saved her.

   There is rarely  a story you read that does not, in some way or another, feature a damsel-in-distress and a gallant knight in shining armor or a cowboy in a white hat rushing in to save her. There is always a villain after the lady and it is up to her true love to rescue her from  the clutches of evil.

    I think that deep down—even if she won’t admit it—every woman likes to be rescued. I think it is built into us and not something we can outgrow or become to mature or spiritual for. We were made to feel like we need to be saved or rescued and the hero in our lives was made to be be our husband, or our father if we are unmarried.

    Men are wired to be the hero. They like to take care of the ladies in their lives. Men like to rescue and fix things. They like to save the day. You can see this even in little boys. They like to dress up as the hero and catch the bank robber and untie the girl from the railroad track in the nick of time. They like to be “the man.” This doesn’t go away when grow up—I think it grows worse ;)

  Some women do not like feeling like they need saving. It makes them feel weak and helpless. (They are not, by any means, weak and helpless however.) They feel they have to be tough and do everything themselves and not depend on anyone. Even some married women are like this.

   I feel sorry for the women who try to smother the need to be rescued. They are robbing themselves AND their hero of a blessing.  Sometimes an area of perceived weakness can actually be an avenue to the greatest blessing you’ve ever had.

   Sometimes we don’t realize that we need to be rescued. Our hero might see something that we can’t see and it is up to us to trust him enough and let him rescue us. When we put self aside and fulfill our roles as laid out in Scripture,  contentment, joy and blessings will overwhelm us.

     One of the advantages of a wife staying at home is less drama than if the wife had a job outside the home. Maybe not less drama so to speak, but more manageable drama. For example: (and I have seen this many times!)

     The wife is having problems at the office. Whether it be issues with people, or a crazy workload, or whatever, she comes home and tells her husband about it. She is so stressed and sometimes distraught and she wants things to be fixed. Her hero—her husband—in most cases, can do absolutely nothing about it.  This frustrates him because he can’t fix it. All he can do is sit back and watch his wife grow more frustrated and stressed.

   On the other hand, most of the drama in a stay-at-home wife’s life is simpler. 95% percent of the time my issues and problems can be solved and handled by my hero. I’ve been rescued, he fixed the problem and feels macho. We’re both happy and all is well in the world.

   In the end, we all need to be rescued—heroes and damsels alike. From the beginning of time Christ has been rescuing his Bride from the evil one, even dying to save her. Even when she was  running from Him (her Savior!) and didn’t think she needed to be rescued, He had a plan that would wash her clean and draw her to him. In the end, He will carry us off to live in His castle in the sky. I can’t wait!

How to Pray for your Husband

Here are two reminders of ways to pray for our husbands. It is very needful that we lift our men up before the Lord every day, that He would strengthen them and help them.
There is no difference between the two graphics, choose whichever one your like best ;)

Click here to download

Click Here to Download

Bluebonnets and Bittersweet Goodbyes

This morning I’m going to say goodbye to a very dear old neighbor and friend. She is moving several hours away to live with her daughter. For the first time in my entire life, Mrs. Davey will not be “on the Hill” (as we like to call the area where she and my parents live).
My parents have lived next door and across the street from Mrs. Davey and her late husband for nearly 27 years. She is like a grandmother to me and there are few memories from my childhood that do not include her. She was specially escorted in and seated with the grandmothers at my wedding. She is like family to us.
  She has been the ideal example of a Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 lady to my mother and I throughout the years. She taught by example how to be a good neighbor. When someone is sick, you cook and take a meal to them. When you are going to the store, you call your neighbor and ask if there is anything she needs while you are out.  When your garden produces more that you need (even if it doesn’t) you call your neighbor and share. When your neighbor is in the hospital or at the hospital with someone, you check with them to see if gardens need watering or stock needs feeding.
She taught me to crochet, and taught me much about sewing and crafting.
One of the things that sparked the friendship between Mrs. Davey and my mother was actually me ;). When I was a wee little thing—under a year old—Mom was about to mow the yard. She was on the riding lawn mower and had me in the her lap. Mrs. Davey saw all this and came over and offered to watch me while Mom mowed. That’s just what neighbors do.
Mrs. Davey is a flower gardener extraordinaire. Her potted plants thrive! Her yard is always full of fragrant blossoms and bushes. Love of flowers is something else that we have in common. There is a grassy hillside on her property beside the highway and when I was around 5 or 6 years old, Mrs. Davey decided to plant bluebonnets, our state flower, on the hill. Bluebonnets can be difficult to get started, the seeds are finicky and you have to be careful to mow where they are planted at the right time, etc. Mrs. Davey had one plant come up and bloom. That was her hope for a blue hillside the next year, unbeknown to five year old me. One afternoon while Mama and Mrs. Davey were drinking coffee, my brother and I were outside playing. Me, ever the flower enthusiast even at that young age, spied a blue flower in the pasture. I knew that Mrs. Davey loved flowers, so I had to share this one with her. It wasn’t as easy to pick as I thought it would be—bluebonnets have tough stems!
I finally plucked the flower and proudly carried it in the house to give to Mrs. Davey. I’m sure her face fell when she saw her hope for a blue hillside in my hands, but I don’t remember. I do remember that she thanked me for the flower and placed it in water, but also gave me a firm, but gentle reminder to ask before picking next time. She explained to me that some flowers—like bluebonnets—were hard to grow and get started. To this day, every time I see a bluebonnet I think of Mrs. Davey and her patience with little me.
Mrs. Davey and her husband Dock were married for 61 years when he passed away. She was a wonderful example of a wife and helpmeet. She kept him at home and cared for him until the very end. She never had anything but praise for him.
Today I’m going to go and say goodbye for a little while, hopefully not for the last time though. Even though I don’t see her very often, just know that she isn’t on the Hill makes me miss her more.   Mrs. Davey is in her eighties and her health is fading. She is moving in with her daughter and I know that now, after years of taking care of others, she will be pampered and taken care of very well. As sad as I am that she is going, I am so glad that she will be in such good hands.
I am so thankful for the Godly influence this lady has had on my life.

Keepers of the Faith Camping trip

We had such a good time last weekend at our Keepers of the Faith camping trip. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Every year we stay at campground on the beautiful Blanco River.

One of the things that I love the most about the camping trips we take is the relaxed atmosphere. The girls have a chance to really play and build friendships and we grown ladies have a chance to visit, which is great because in our monthly meetings we are all very busy with classes.

Some of my girls headed to the river for a  swim.

The water was cold but the littles were determined to get in.

The big girls decided to build a dam using the big rocks that were plenteous in the river. I think there was more than one big rock dropped on feet.

And in the midst of all the fun I managed to do a mini-shoot with Faith.

Isn’t she adorable? I realize I am just a “tad” partial to her ;)

Are you a Lady?

Yesterday I had a rather unpleasant experience. I had made a quick trip to the grocery store to grab a few things for supper and much to my dismay found when I came out of the store that I had a flat tire. This was the first time anything like this has ever happened to me. Thankfully, I held it together, calmly put my groceries in the car and sent a text to my husband telling him what happened and asking what I needed to do.

   Seconds later my phone rang and Jacob sounded like he was about to leave work and come get me as he told me what to do. He said to get a couple cans of fix-a-flat and that should fix it so I could get home. Then he asked if I knew how to use it. I laughed a little and said no. I grew up with a Daddy and two brothers who took care of everything for we ladies. He explained what I needed to do and said to call him if I needed him.

  I trudged back in the store and bought what I needed and set out to fix the tire. I did exactly as he told me and everything worked out fine and I made it home without incident.  I was talking to my mom about it later that day and she said that she was proud of me ;) I didn’t beg him to leave work and come fix it. I handled it. She said I was a helpmeet and not a “dumb cluck” (a term from Created to Be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl)

I was glad everything worked out so well, but one thing really ruffled my feathers. For the entire fifteen or so minutes that I sat there working on my tire (and I had some trouble at first) I know of at least six men that walked by, looked at me and kept walking. And some of the men were the grandfatherly type—the type you would expect to stop and help! I was stunned that not one man stopped at least to check on me.  Where I grew up, men stop and help ladies. I guess that is one of the advantages of living in a small town.

I was just about to get mad and go on a rant about what this world is coming to—where men won’t stop to help a lady—when I realized that most of the time women get offended when a man offers to help them. Many women are so soaked and saturated in feminist lies that they won’t let a man be a gentleman. I would have welcomed some help, but they didn’t know that.

This makes me think of an incident my mother and I witnessed one day. We were headed into a store and there was a woman just ahead of us. A gentleman was headed out and held open the door for all of us. The woman in front of us huffed and puffed and said “I can get the door myself!” and opened the other door and stormed through. My mom and I were mortified that a woman could be so rude to a man who was just using common courtesy. We walked through the door he was holding open and thanked him and said that we appreciated it.

  Women can be so afraid of being perceived as weak and unable to take care of themselves.  This causes them to act out in ways that are unbecoming to them. Unnecessary rudeness that does nothing except potentially hurt another woman later down road is often the result. Do they not realize that they are affecting the future and others by how they are acting? They shun anything they consider “girlie” and do not want to be ladylike. They think ladies are weak. (These are usually the ones who rant about chivalry being dead and they are in fact the ones who helped murder it!)

A woman can’t be a lady if she will not let a man be a gentleman. Now I realize that there are some men who are NOT gentlemen in any sense of the word. A lady gives a man a chance and the opportunity to be a gentleman. A lady allows a gentleman to help her, but that doesn’t mean she can’t help herself. A lady is not a weakling. In fact, I think it takes more strength in some cases to be helped than to do it yourself.

I try to encourage the gentlemen around me and let them know that they and their efforts are appreciated. When boys are little gentlemen I try to lavish them with praise.  I realize that real gentlemen are few and far between, but the same could be said of real ladies. Perhaps if we strive to be ladies, perhaps more gentlemen will come out of hiding ;)

 

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Rebecca

Linking up today with:

Encourage One Another

 

More of Him

If you would to download this picture, right click on it, then select "Save As" or "Save Image As"  (C) 2011 Country Mouse Musings

I found this poem probably ten years ago and painted a picture to go with it and had it framed for my mom. I don’t remember where I found it but I’ve always remembered what it said. It speaks to me and convicts me even more now that I am older and have a home of my own.
  If we were to be given three wishes, would they be the same as the ones in the poem? Or would they be different?
   I have to admit that my heart isn’t always in the right place and on some of my weaker days I might wish for something else.  Sometimes the things I wish for have no eternal value at all. I wish to be out of situations that make me uncomfortable, when in reality I was placed there for my good, so I could mature and my walk with God grow deeper. I fail to see what is really happening because all I can perceive is my own little bubble of right now and what makes me happy right now. I pray and ask the Lord to give me wisdom and perception to see and realize where I am and what is happening. I ask for contentment and grace to bear what is being asked of me.
Do I really want to know Him more? Is that the driving force behind everything I do? Is that what consumes me? When Jacob and I were first getting to know each other we talked for hours on end. I  paid attention to everything he said and wanted to know what he liked, what made him happy, what drove and motivated him. I wanted to know what his goals and dreams were. I just wanted to know him.
  As I got to know him, I came to love him. His love for me began to help heal the scars from my years of rebellion and that made me love him even more and ache to be with him.
   Is it any different with the Lord? The more time we spend with Him, the more we pursue Him, the more our love for Him will deepen. We will ache to be in His presence and at His feet. If we draw nigh to Him, He will draw nigh to us (James 4:8).
   I want to be the woman that He has called me to be and wants me to be. I want the Fruits of Spirit to be evident and at work in my life. I want to be an asset, not a liability. I don’t want to be an embarrassment to Him or to His Name.
   I want to love how He loves—without respect of persons and unreservedly. I want to be meek, gentle, full of joy,  longsuffering, temperate, full of His grace, merciful, quick to forgive and forget, slow to anger, patient, self-sacrificing—I want all of the attributes of Christ in my life.
  If He asks me to do something or to give up something, I want to be at a place in my walk with Him to obey immediately without reservation, because I trust Him with my life. We don’t always understand why He asks some things of us—things that hurt or are uncomfortable. But if we submit and say “Your will, not mine”, down the road we will see how it was for our best and we’ll be so thankful that we obeyed. He will not ask us to do something that we are incapable of doing. We may no be able to do it in and of ourselves, but we can do all things through Him (Phil. 4:13).  Sometimes things are sent our way to make us lean on Him more and draw our strength from Him.

More of You, more of You,
I’ve had all, but what I need is just more of You.
Of things I’ve had my fill, and yet I hunger still,
Empty and bare, Lord hear my prayer for more of You.

EOA # 15

O Give us Homes

O give us homes built firm upon the Savior, Where Christ is Head and Counselor and Guide;
Where ev'ry child is taught His love and favor And gives his heart to Christ, the crucified:
How sweet to know that tho his footsteps waver His faithful Lord is walking by his side!
O give us home with godly fathers, mothers, Who always place their hope and trust in Him;
Whose tender patience turmoil never bothers, Whose calm and courage trouble cannot dim;
A home where each fins joy in serving others, And love still shines, tho days be dark and grim.
O give us homes where Christ is Lord and Master, The Bible read, the precious hymns still sung;
Where pray'r comes first in peace or in disaster, And praise is natural speech to ev'ry tongue;
Where mountains move before a faith that's vaster, And Christ sufficient is for old and young.
O Lord, our God, our homes are Thine forever!  We trust to Thee their problems, toil, and care;
Their bonds of love no enemy can sever If Thou art always Lord and Master there:
Be Thou the center of our least endeavor Be Thou our Guest, our hearts and homes to share.

 Barbara B. Hart, 1916
Jean Sibelius, 1865-1957

EOA #14 

The Bride

Many times in Scripture the Church is referred to as a woman--the beloved and the Bride of Christ. We as ladies are privileged to be able to be the physical representation of the Church to the world. We are able to show the world what a Blood-bought bride looks like and how she lives in her new life.
  The parallels and contrasts that are repeatedly drawn in the Bible confirm this. The similarities of the husband and wife relationship and of Christ and and the Church fill the pages of the Bible, not only in the New Testament, but also the Old Testament books. The books of the Prophets are replete with examples of the Lord wooing His beloved Israel (a type and foreshadow of the Church) from her sin-filled, empty life to a new life with Him.
  There is much we can learn and glean from the nation of Israel in the Old Testament. The people of Israel were different and set apart from the other nations of the world around them. They had a different lifestyle, a different set of rules, different dress, diet and style of worship. This was because of their relationship with Jehovah, the God Who led them out of Egypt and the wilderness. There was no doubt to Whom they belonged, or Who they worshipped.

  There wasn't a question of "Are they Hittites or Hebrews?" or "Well, they kind of look like Egyptians, but they talk about Jehovah so they must be Israelites." No, there was none of that. Everyone knew what they were and what they stood for.

That is how it should be with the Church. When people look at us, it should immediately be apparent that we are set apart. There should be no question whether we are His or not.

  Most of the time you can look at a married woman and at a glance see what her husband believes and stands for. If a woman is truly in love with her husband and in submission to him, she will be the image and the embodiment of what he believes and values.

   Since I became a married lady earlier this year, I am beginning to understand the Christ and His Bride relationship more fully than in times past. We married, I took his name and left my old life--my childhood--behind. Everything is new. A new home, a new church, new dishes, new furniture, new clothes :)

  I love my husband. Actually, I adore him and think that he hung the moon AND the stars. To please him is and make him happy is one of my greatest joys. I know what things make him feel loved. I know how he likes me to dress--what colors are his favorite on me--and how he likes my hair to be fixed. I know what he would like to see in my life.

  It is my privilege and my delight to please him and conform to his tastes and preferences. I love him so much and the best way I can think of to show him is to do the things he likes. It shows him that he has first place in my heart and affections, that my world revolves around him. This makes him adore and spoil me even more than he already does. He misses me when we are apart and if I send him a text or email that says "I miss you and love you and can't wait till you get home" it makes his day. When I brag on him, or praise him or something he has done, it just triples the effect. He loves and cherishes and adores me even more, and that makes me want to do more for him. It's like a circle :)

  I can't help but stop and think that if my earthly husband loves for me to lavish attention on him, and do things for him just because I love him, and tell him how wonderful he is, how much more does our Bridegroom love attention and affection and praise from His bride? When we do things that He asks, just because we love Him, not just because it will get us to Heaven. When we do things for Him, when we conform to His will, out of love and not expecting a reward, how do you think that makes Him feel?

  I don't want there to be any doubt His mind that I love Him completely and unreservedly.

EOA Link-up 

Being a Helper is Powerful--Revive our Hearts Broadcast

Today I listened to one of my favorite programs, Revive our Hearts, with Nancy Leigh DeMoss. The broadcast today was titled "Being a Helper is Powerful" by Mary Kassian. It was so good I had to share it with you. It painted a beautiful picture of the creation of woman, paralleled with the love between Christ and His bride, the Church. Awesome, awesome stuff. Hope it encourages you as much as it did me!

Being a Helper is Powerful

Loneliness and Transitions

I've learned a lot in the last nine months about loneliness and transitions. When I married, I moved from the country to the city, from one way of life to another. I changed addresses, churches, and left almost everything that was familiar and "safe" to me. I grew up in a small farming community where everyone knew everyone, just about, and if they didn't know me they knew my father, or grandfathers. My family has been in that area for close to a century.
 Now I'm in a rather large city on the outskirts of a really large city. I barely know anyone. There is not that same feeling of security that I used to have.
  Not only has all of that been a big adjustment, probably the hardest thing was going from a loud, happy, busy house that was always full of family and friends and life to being alone in an apartment most of the time. It was rather jarring, really. Going from having seven to eight other people to talk to and be with every day, all day, to just me, alone all day, was a huge change.
 The first several months were the hardest. I missed my siblings, I missed my parents, I missed my church and I missed the country. Yes, I had Jacob, and he was the fulfillment of all of my hopes and prayers, but I still missed my family. When you are as close to your family as I was  ( and still am) it is not easy to leave them. My mom is my best friend and we were used to being together, cooking together, drinking coffee in the afternoons...it was harder than I thought to leave them. My heart ached for them.
 Many nights after Jacob would fall asleep, I would get up and go to livingroom so as not to wake him while I cried from homesickness.
 I missed my church. I had grown up there, and now felt uprooted and like a stranger in a different land. My new church was wonderful, and loved me to pieces and went out of their way to make me feel loved and at home, but it just wasn't the same. It's a large church, and for awhile I felt that I wasn't needed. I grew up in a small church and I was very involved. I played piano, taught Sunday School, and helped with whatever else needed doing. Now I felt useless.
 To be honest, I was close to despair a few times.
  I don't think I could have made it through the transition without Jacob and the Lord. Jacob was wonderful and so understanding and gentle with me through all of this. He took me home to see me family A LOT. It was every weekend for awhile. We visited my church a lot those first few months.
  Whenever I would cry for missing everyone, he would hold me and pray for me, asking the Lord to help me and comfort my heart. He prayed for me a lot during that time.
 That time of loneliness drew me closer to the Lord and closer to Jacob. I'm beginning to understand "leaving and cleaving" now. It hurts sometimes. But it is necessary for growth and maturity.
  Things are much better now, nine months later. I still miss my family, and it hurts that I am missing so much of their lives--like my baby sister Faith has started walking this week, and I wasn't there. Those things still hurt. But I've grown accustomed to being alone most of the time, and actually sometimes I crave it. :) I guess I'm turning into a hermit.
 My new church is now "home" to me. My feelings of not belonging are gone now and I am very happy.
  I didn't know what I was in for when I married and moved away. So I will share somethings I wish I'd been told in order to deal with transitions and loneliness:

• You are going to miss your family more than you can imagine.
•  It's OK to cry. Don't try to hold it in, just cry and don't worry about it. You'll feel better afterwards, trust me. Tears can be healing.
• Transitions and changes do not come easily or painlessly most of the time, but they are for our good.
• Even when it hurts so bad and we don't understand, God sees the bigger picture and holds all in His hands.
• It will get better. It may take a little while, but it will be better and your heart will stop aching as much. Just draw close to God and your husband and it will all work out.

Encourage One Another Link Up

Mellowing out….(rambles alert!)

It’s funny how much people can change over just a few years. Periodically I go through old things I’ve written and it always is amusing to see how my opinions on certain things change. Most of the time it’s things that I’ve never done or experienced, but I have an idea set in my mind just how it should happen and how I’ll react and handle it when it does come. I’m learning more everyday just how idealistic and at times, silly I was when I was younger. You never know how you will handle something until it happens. You may have ideas about it, but you can’t know until that moment.
I think that my 16 year old self would be very surprised and maybe even shocked at me today. I am much more laid back about some things than I ever thought possible for me. I’m afraid I was almost an extremist (!) on some issues in my younger days. Now I can see that some of that narrow-mindedness was just from lack of experience. Maybe as I have grown older I’ve seen that some things aren’t as black and white as I thought. The further I go, the more I’m learning that you can’t stick to a set of rules and a formula and expect everything to come out how you want it. Life is not like a cake mix. Every person/family is different and how the Lord works in their lives differs and the convictions and lifestyles He calls them to differ.
On the other hand however, as I have grown and matured, my convictions and views on some areas have only grown stronger and more deep. My views on marriage and the relationship between a husband and wife have only strengthened. My opinions on children and how I would like them to be trained and educated (I don’t have any yet so I can’t know for sure ;) ) haven’t waivered but have only grown in strength.
Yes, I want to impact the world for Christ and take dominion, but right now my focus is just my little world—how can I make our home a peaceful, restful sanctuary, and how can I be a blessing to our church and family? I don’t really have much of a vision past that right now. My hands are pretty full with just that.
At the same time, while I have let some things go and held on to others, I don’t judge or look down on people who might be considered ‘in bondage’ to things I don’t feel are completely necessary. One thing I’m learning is that we don’t know all of the details or every side of the story. We may not understand why people would consider some things necessary, but we don’t know every side to the story.
I’m going to bring this rather rambling post to a close and go check on my cinnamon swirl bread. (I’ll share the recipe soon!)

What will my home be like?

These are just a few of my very rambling thoughts on a subject I've been pondering the last few days. Hopefully you can make heads or tails of it. :)

My parent's home is a very lively, happy, busy, noisy, vibrant and creative place. It is full to the brim with love and energy and grace. When I was still at home we were always trying new things, reading books, discussing and sharing what we were learning, learning new music and working together. Some of us love to write and enjoy editing film for short movies. My parents let us be ourselves and encouraged us to try new things and learn as many skills as we could. As a result, there was always some thing new going on and something happening.
 My parents view hospitality as an outreach to others and as a result, there are always people in and out of their home. They are excited about life, their family and the Lord, and is infectious. There is rarely a dull moment there.
  It was a very exciting place to grow up. You never knew what would happen next. There is always some plan or project (or two or three) in the works.
  That is the lively atmosphere I grew up in. Now I have my own home, and while we don't have children yet, I want that same, happy, vibrant atmosphere in our home. I'm a bit overwhelmed, as I don't know how they did it. I always took it for granted until I grew older and realized that not all homes were like ours.

Dear Daddy...

Dear Daddy,
This is my first Father's Day to be a married woman. I'm so glad I'll get to be with you on Sunday.
 I am so blessed to have a daddy like you. You have always shown me unconditional love and let me know that you had my best interests at heart. You have always, always sacrificed for your family and put us and our needs above your own.  You sacrificed and worked harder so that Mama could stay home with us, so we could be homeschooled.

  Thank you for the love you've always shown Mama. There was never a doubt in my mind that y'all were madly in love with each other. Seeing the love y'all share made me crave it and pray for a man like you. You showed me a real picture of what real love--for better and for worse--was. It wasn't shallow or fake. Y'all showed me what a good marriage looks like, and shared with me what y'all had learned together.
  I'm glad you weren't disappointed when I was born a girl, and not a boy like the ultrasound said. Thanks for buying me my first dresses since all the clothes y'all brought to the hospital for Jason Dwayne, not Rebecca Christen.
  Some of my happiest memories when I was a little girl are of you and me together. And some of my best big girl memories are of us, too. I'll never forget trips to the livestock auction, rides in the tractors and combines, rides out to Mata Larga and the Father/Daughter retreats you took me to, and shopping for my wedding shoes.
  Thank you for not always letting me have my way, even when I got mad at you. You kept me from making some mistakes that would have followed me for the rest of my life, and I am so thankful that you stuck to your guns and didn't budge. You kept me safe until I knew for sure what I wanted. Even when we didn't agree, you always let me know that you loved me, and I never doubted that.

Thank you for the love that you have for Jacob. I know it was hard for you to take second place, after being the first man in my life and heart for so many years, but you handled it with grace and let me go.
It means so much to me to see how much you love Jacob and how much you enjoy being with him.
Thank you for the blessing and the affirmation you gave to me (and Jacob) at the wedding.
 I could never have asked for a better Daddy than you have been. I knew you would always rescue me if I needed it. You've been my protector, my guide, teacher, comforter, hero, and one of my very best and closest friends. You showed me what the love of God is like.
I love you so much.

Love,
Bec

Deep Roots at Home Link Up

Blessed beyond Words!

I am such a blessed woman. Everyday I realize it more.
 I was privileged to be raised in a Christian home by dedicated parents who, despite opposition in the beginning, chose to homeschool my siblings and me. They sacrificed to educate not only our heads and minds, but our hearts as well. Academics were important, but matters of the heart were of even greater importance to them. They wanted us to understand and know why we believed what we believed and from where in Scripture that we drew our beliefs. They taught us that if we honor the Lord and keep His commandments and precepts, that He would always provide for us and keep us safe.
  They protected us from many things until we were old and mature enough to handle and deal with them. No wasn't always my favorite answer and I didn't always understand why they did things the way that they did, but I am so thankful now. I never doubted that they loved me and had my best interest at heart.
 I am blessed with six siblings whom I love very dearly. We have been best friends and I greatly miss being with them. We didn't always get along all of the time but we were (are!)  very close and united in vision and desires for our family and our church.
 Now, as a married woman I am even more overwhelmed by blessings. I have a husband who loves me as Christ loves the Church and constantly gives and sacrifices for me. He places me above everything but God, and I am overwhelmed and amazed by his love for me at times.
 I have awesome in-laws who love me like I was their own daughter.
 Ever since I was little I always wanted to be a mommy and stay at home--just like my mom. I expressed this desire to Jacob in the early days of our courtship and he agreed to it and honored it.
 So we are a single income family. It hasn't been easy, I'll admit, and there have been times when we haven't known where the money was going to come from. But because we have honored the Lord's precepts, He has always-without fail--provided for our every need.
  This week, Jacob showed me again how deep his love for me is. We had a big, beautiful, huge Ford F350 truck and the monthly payments for that truck were almost as big as the truck itself. Instead of insisting that I get a job so we could keep the truck, Jacob sold the truck this week so that I could stay home. Now he is driving my cute little white Chevy Malibu to work.
 Have I mentioned I love my husband?

Babysitting

I have been babysitting quite a bit lately. I greatly enjoy it because it's nice to have little people around again. I've been babysitting since I was fourteen and I've taken care of as many children as eight at a time to only one or two. Interestingly enough, I've found it generally easier to watch several children at once than only one or two. More children tend to keep each other occupied. :)
 Sometimes I keep children at my home and other times I stay with them at their home. I'm finding the latter to be the best option right now.
 Right now my home isn't the most exciting place for little munchkins, unfortunately. It's a very grown up place with lots of breakable things and practically no toys.
  This can help little people get bored very quickly, even if they've brought their own toys. I've observed that  when children get bored they begin to roam and meddle--no matter how well-behaved or well-trained they are. Another thing I've observed about children and meddling and misbehaving is that usually they do it when they want/need attention.
 Children need and thrive on attention. They need you to talk to them and to listen and pay attention when they speak to you. They need to know that they are important to you.. Many times simply stopping what you are doing and giving them attention will deal with the problem.
 A lot of the boredom issue can be avoided by being prepared. Here are some suggestions I've found helpful in babysitting and watching children.

• If possible, take them outside to play or go for a walk. This helps them burn off energy and get exercise. If you want, you can turn it into something educational by making it a nature walk. You can observe and talk about different bugs and plants you see.
• Crayons, coloring books and just good 'ole plain paper can keep children occupied for a while--especially if you sit down and color with them. I remember when I was small how much fun it was to have a "big person" color with me. It was so much more fun than doing it alone. Making a card for Grandma (or whoever) from construction paper and glue is lots of fun. If you have safety scissors, most kids enjoy just cutting out shapes and gluing them onto paper.
• I try to always have a "fun" snack or meal planned. Usually what makes it "fun" is that I let the kids help me prepare it. Cookies are fast and easy and something children love to help make.
   Make eating fun! :) Picnics are awesome, if the weather allows. One thing I did when I was younger and babysitting was to play restaurant at mealtime. You can let an older sibling be the "waiter" or "waitress" and have them take the "drink orders". You can even let the kids make "menus" to use. Kids love doing that kind of stuff.
    One time I was babysitting for a family and the mother had set out Ramen noodles for lunch. They had a low coffee table and we decided to play "Japanese" restaurant for lunch. The kids all put on kimonos (bathrobes!) and we ate lunch sitting on pillows around the coffee table.They had so much fun that for the next several times I came we had to play Japanese restaurant for lunch.
• I realize that you can't always stop your world and play when you are babysitting children in your home. If I have kids in my home and I have things to do (such as laundry) I try to let them help me. Little kids usually find it very fun to fold wash cloths and pair socks. By doing it together, they are kept busy and you are able to get things accomplished. Children love to help and feel like they are a part of what you are doing. (Be sure to thank and praise them for helping you.)
• I generally try to use videos as a last resort only. They do work well at naptime to help little ones settle down, but I try to use them only when necessary.

 I hope these suggestions help you the next time you are blessed to have little ones around. The main thing is to enjoy them and have fun. :)

EOA Link-up #17

He makes all Things New

My favorite picture from the wedding! Maybe that is why I keep using it in my blog posts :)

5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

~Revelation 21:5 (KJV)

It has always been amazing to me how the Lord allows our earthly human relationships to reflect His relationship with us. It gives us context and helps us learn and better understand His love for us. Before I was married I learned volumes about His love for me as my Heavenly Father from my earthly father.

Now that I have entered a new season of life I'm learning about another aspect of His love. I am beginning to see Jesus' love as the Bridegroom.

Everything in my life right now is new. New dishes, a new address, new towels, a new church and a new last name. My priorities have changed, as has my lifestyle. Marriage has completely changed my world and the way I live.

As I did when I was still in my father's house, I can see things that remind me of the Lord. I have a new perspective now and my husband and his love for me remind me greatly of the Bridegroom and how things change when you become His.

When you fall in love with Jesus and make a commitment to Him, you get a new name. You get a new life and a new set of priorities. Everything is new--a new heart, a new attitude.

Your life changes and with that new life comes a new set of challenges and tests. You'll be asked to move in areas that require you to leave your comfort zone.

I never dreamed my new married life would be so wonderful and full. I also never dreamed how trying some of the changes and transitions would be. It is scary to leave the safety of everything you've ever known and enter a new season.

But I haven't been alone. My husband has been patient, kind, tender and so loving to me. He has given me direction, encouragement and comfort on days when the changes hurt the most and I couldn't understand. He has loved me and made sure that my needs are met first and that I feel safe.

Just like our Bridegroom. He draws us close and comforts us; He provides for our needs and gives us direction. He is gentle and patient with us as we start our new life.

We are safe with Him.