LovingHim-RaisingThem

We’ve had van trouble recently and have been on and off without a vehicle for about a month now. Town and school are both about 2 miles away, so we have never walked so much!

At first I found it really frustrating that everything took so long, as if I haven’t already got enough to cram into my day! However as the weeks have rolled on by I’ve realised just how much I am enjoying the walking, it gives me chance to pray, point out things to the kids, get some exercise and chat to people I wouldn’t normally see.

One of the hardest things about trying to walk with God and raise a large young family is the lack of time you have to offer to those in your church and community. Strangely though since I have been walking a lot more, I have found I have been connecting with people more, and having more time for them than when I’m dashing in and out of the van.

Matthew 25 has been on my mind a lot recently, where Jesus says when we care for, feed, love and help the least of people, we are doing it for Him. As I was walking into town yet again this week with the kids I was asking God to show me how I could fulfil this scripture in my life now. Just as I was praying, Nate (age 2) was being a monkey and walking in the opposite direction to where we were going. I was pretending to walk away saying bye hoping he would follow ( which he didn’t!) when he began to run over to a homeless man on the grass. He looked at him shyly for a second and then handed him something. As I approached I saw he had given the man a flower, and the guy looked so happy. We chatted for a minute and then carried on the walk back home.

God answered my prayer through the innocent actions of my 2 year old, who simply views everyone the same, worthy of a flower, a smile and a few minutes of his time.

That is one story from a handful this week of things that have happened ‘along the way’. The van being broken has forced me to slow down, and through it I have had more time for things that really matter. I have still had just as many school runs, nappy changes, breast feeds etc to do but as I have journeyed between these many tasks I have heard from God and met with people in a new way.

I hope this encourages you to slow down where you can, speak to God more and ask for opportunities ‘along the way’ in your ordinary everyday life

Be blessed this week in all you do

Love Emma

Beautiful Sophia Louise entered this world 6 days ago, birth as it always is was painful but worth every moment. The days since have gone by in a haze of tiredness, elation, sore nipples, wonder, joy, tears, and happiness.

I write now after a long difficult feed, with her sleeping soundly on my chest. I thought my first blog after having her would be all about these early days, but God has pressed something else strongly on my heart.

In the last month I have faced (and am still facing) two trials, neither of which are major but have both caused me a lot of worry. As I was chatting to God in the shower this morning…(often my only place of solitude!) I realised how badly I had been dealing with them. The specifics aren’t important so I wont bore you with them, it is my response to them that I want to share with you.

In both situations instead of taking things one day at a time, my mind went straight to the ‘what if’s’, to the long term. What if it doesn’t get better, what if I cant cope in a few weeks…..etc etc. The bible talks a lot about taking life a day at a time, and about giving our worries to God, both of which I know, neither of which I was doing!

Since realising this I am now trying to stand on those scriptures and live each day as it comes. But to come to this place I first needed to;

Pay Attention – I needed to pay attention to what was going on in my own heart, mind and emotions. Lots of time we live with things like worry, fear and anxiety because we simply don’t notice they are even there.

Pause – Take the time to pray and listen to God. All I had was 5 minutes in the shower but God will bless the little we have, remember the widows mite!

Ponder – God wants us to be free of those things that keep us from living in all the fullness He has for us, but it takes regular, intentional practise…learning about ourselves, recognising our response to things and dealing with them before they take root.

Life is so busy, especially as a mum and your own heart can be the last thing you think you have time for. But its so important to try because its from our hearts that we love God and love others, and when its full of junk it doesn’t work well. The life we are called to sow into others is hindered.

Maybe have a go this week at paying attention to how you respond to situations that come into your world, pause and ask God about it, then ponder His word to show you how to deal with whatever has come up.

I hope you have a great week, as for me I will be taking mine one day at a time!!

Emma x x

This time last week I had the incredible privilige of a night away alone with my man. It was an amazing time of connection, fun and relaxation. I soaked every moment of it up! being fully present was easy in that particular 24 hours.

We came back home and straight back into normal life! We had a few difficult situations arise and decisions to make over this last week.

I have kept praying and seeking Gods face in it all, but have found my mind very busy. The normal noise levels in our house and everyday demands on me have been harder to cope with. I suppose I have been trying to get through my day, rather than really live it and enjoy it.

Being fully present and engaged in the normal chaos of life is not as easy as at the spa!

Tonight as Jon left for work at 5pm I had a decision to make, was I going to endure the 5pm-7pm madness or enjoy it? Was I going to rush through my tasks and time with my boys distracted? Or engage in it and be truly present to them?

I chose to be present.

As I fed Nate, I thanked God for him, and really looked at his beautiful face. I left the pots for a while and laughed at their film with them, enjoying their happiness and jokes. I watched their different little personalities and the lovely way they interact with each other. I treasured them all and every time my mind drifted back to problems, I brought it back to the moment I was in.

It felt good.

It felt holy.

The only moment we all have is the one we are in right now. This week lets practise being fully present to the people we are with. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. To God, to our husbands, our kids, our friends, our neighbours.

Emma x

I love heart shaped stones. On the many walks we take on the beach as a family, I always have my eye out for them, as do all my boys…seeking out treasure for mummy!

When we find one, its like a little touch from heaven, a smile from God. One day last year Jon and I were chatting and praying as the boys ran on ahead, seeking God for our future, when Jon found the stone in the picture.

I never noticed at the time, but as you can see it has what looks like a scan photo in the middle. In light of what we had been praying it was very poignant. Not planning on having any more children we thought maybe this was a ‘spiritual baby’. A picture of the vision that was growing within us. Time passed by and the stone became just one in the pile.

I had an extra scan last week, and looking at the photo one evening I couldn’t shake the sense of familiarity…..then I remembered the stone. Fetching it and setting them side by side, I was amazed by the similarity.

It has been a hard, dry time for me spiritually over the last few months, connecting with God has been a struggle. Yet in that moment I was reminded of Gods faithfulness and the unending ways He can speak hope into our hearts, when we keep them open to Him. In a moment my soul and faith were refreshed. He had never taken His hand off me.

It can be hard to find solid, regular quiet times in the busyness of being a mum. But remember God can speak hope and life into your heart in a myriad of amazing ways. Be it a song, a friend, a precious moment with your child, a sunrise…..even a heart shaped stone!

He stands at the door of our hearts and knocks, so be ready and expectant to let Him in and speak to YOU….