The Journey

Here in Manitoba, it's the middle of winter.  DEEP winter.  And last night we got even more snow.  I have to say I feel like saying "ENOUGH ALREADY!!!" but at least it's not cold.  And at least it's nice enough that I can send the kids outside and they can work off their energy outside sledding or playing with the dog!

Dog pile anyone????

Can't swing any more - the snow's too deep, so might as well climb up the slide.

Buddy time - a great day to climb the snow drifts!

But along with winter, comes my ever increasing desire to head somewhere warm.  To escape the frigid temperatures.  Get away from it all.  I've been hoping to get to the Dominican Republic this spring (don't think it's going to work since I want all four of us to go and $$ is always an issue). So resigning myself to not being able to do that, I've been thinking about where we might go for a family vacation.  Having family to the far east of us, and family to the far west of us, while our children children were young, we opted to visit family for our vacations.  But now that at least one is heading into her teen years, the request has been to "see more".  Two years ago we headed to South Dakota for a very memorable vacation, so this year, I was trying to think of where we could go.  I love the mountains, but have been to the Canadian Rockies, so the thought about going to Colorado has been on my mind.  (If any of you have been there, I'd love to hear some thoughts as to where we should go!)

For us we have always traveled.  Our kids were young travelers jetting across Canada as early as four months.  They soon learned to be content in their car seats as we journeyed 20+ hours to my home in southern Ontario or the 9+ hours to my husband's home in Saskatchewan.  Both our kids soon learned that the trips could be as interesting or boring as they made it.  If they brought things to entertain them, the journey went much better.  If they drank too much juice at one time, the journey was not a pleasant one when the service stations were far and few between.

Each journey we took was never the same.  We saw different things, encountered different road blocks, admired different scenes, stopped at different waysides, went up incredibly steep hills, and made the descents trusting our brakes to hold, etc.  In the end, our destination was always worth the journey. We would arrive at Opa and Oma's or Grandma and Grandpa's homes where we were greeted with outstretched arms and hugs and kisses.

As I focused on finding out information for a potential journey to Colorado, I was reminded how our lives here on earth are a journey.  No one's journey is the same.  Some might be on a road that seems to be pretty smooth, with very few hills or valleys.  Some of us might be on a journey with many twists and turns and lots of road blocks.  Some of us might be on a journey that gets us lost at times.  But each of us has our own journey that we are on - with eternity as the final destination.

I'm thankful I know that my final destination will be with my Lord Jesus.  I'm also thankful that He knows every path and curve on my journey.  He knows when I have a "breakdown".  He knows when I've missed a major turn and gotten lost in the woods somewhere.  He knows when I am just coasting downhill not watching for what might be at the end of the hill.  He knows when I am diligently searching the map to make sure I stay on course. He knows when I have been in constant conversation with Him, to ensure that I am still staying the course.  He knows when the journey gets too much and He just needs to pick me up and carry me for awhile.  My Navigator knows all things about my journey.  He knows what my path will be and is just waiting for me to contact Him with questions or requests for help.  AND, He is waiting for me at my final destination, waiting with open arms to welcome me.

But it makes me wonder. . .  what am I doing with my journey?  Am I continually seeking guidance from my Navigator or am I trying to figure it out on my own?  When I take my eyes off the road or the map, do I try to find my way back on my own, or am I crying out to God for forgiveness and direction?  When I decide to take a detour, do I beat myself up and stay put in the pit that I've ended up in, or trust that He will guide me back to the road I should be on to continue with my journey?

Yesterday, I took a detour.  In fact, I flew completely off the tracks.  Didn't listen to my Navigator and went off on my own detour again.  Why is that so easy?  Why is it so easy to blow my stack instead of being calm?  Why is it so easy to point the finger instead of being humble and gentle?  Why is it so easy to spew angry and hurtful words?  I know. . . it's because I wasn't listening to my Guide.  I wasn't focusing on my destination but was rather looking in the rear view mirror at my own life.  At myself.  When I should have been looking forward toward my Guide.  To the one who is showing me where I should be going.

But I remind myself that today is a new day.  And I'm trying to take One Day at a Time.  My journey isn't over, it just had a minor set back.  So today, I resolve to get back on the tracks and keep my focus on God. To keep my thoughts, my words, my everything - tuned into my Navigator.  And any road blocks that come up today, I will connect with Him to get the energy and strength from Him to do the right thing.  To head in the right direction.  He's there, just waiting for me to follow.

God, help me to listen with COMPASSION and speak with GRACE!!!!  Help me to focus on YOU instead of ME!  Help me to complete a journey that brings honor and glory to YOU!!!!

Adoption: Blessings in the form of my daughter

One of my favorite pictures of my daughter and I when she was only 5 years old.  PRECIOUS MEMORIES!

Over thirteen years ago, my husband and I decided to start on the journey of adoption.  We had been married for about 12 years at that point, and over the years had been told that we would not be able to conceive a child through natural means.  This did not come as a shock to us as we had never used birth control.  So after receiving that information from our fertility doctor, we decided that we would go ahead and look into adoption.  Neither of us new much about this journey, although I grew up with a younger friend who was adopted and through my Bible School years my best friend was also adopted, so heard a lot from her.

We decided to explore the avenue of Adoption Options here in Manitoba.  (Adoption Options Manitoba).  What a wonderful organization.  They are an open adoption agency which means that the birth mother/father and the adoptive family maintain contact through out the child's growing up years.  The way it works is this. Once a birthmother decides to place her child for adoption, a file is started sharing all her information as well as stating what sort of family she would like her child placed with.  Information such as the amount of contact, spiritual preferences, home situation, family size etc. is all included.  Then, when a prospective adoptive family comes in, we also start a file sharing all our information.  We shared what our thoughts of adoption were, what type of child we were interested in (race, scenario of conception, drug abuse, etc.), our desires for the amount of contact, our history both medically (infertility) as well as a family (children vs no children) etc.  Once the birthmom finishes her file, she is matched up with several perspective adoptive families and she is able to choose, and ultimately meet with a couple.  If she doesn't feel comfortable with that family, she is able to choose a different family with whom in the end she would be comfortable to place her child.

Wait times for adoptive parents can vary from a few months to several years, to never at all.  In our case, we truly believe God had His hand in this entire process.  From the time our file became active, to the time we got a call that we had been matched with a birth mother, it was only 8 months!!!  We were shocked!  The day that we met our birth couple was an emotional day.  We knew it was only a meeting.  A meet and greet if you will.  In the end, that day turned out to be the very day our birth parents choose us to parent their baby!!!  To make a long story short, three short weeks later, they were placing our beautiful baby girl in our arms.  I can truly say that that day was one of the most agonizing moments in my life.  I could hardly feel joy for the sadness and ache I felt for our birth mother.  The incredible gift she was giving to her daughter must have been the most agonizing decision for her.  How could I ever repay her???

Our amazing and beautiful birth mom with her/our daughter!  Like mother like daughter - just look at those smiles!!!

That was 12 and a half years ago, and there is no way that I ever could have imagined how beautiful our story would turn out.  As it turns out we have an amazing relationship with our birthmom.  We get to see her 2 or 3 times a year, and more if we decide to.  She comes over for our daughters birthday and for Christmas and we love her like she is part of our family because to us she is.  She is so much more than our daughter's birth mom.  She is our gift giver.  And the question of how to ever repay her?  All I can do is bless her back by encouraging the relationship between her and my daughter.  We are all a team.  We love our daughter, and simply want the best for her.  God has blessed us not only with a daughter, but with a birth mom and an added blessing is that when we get to see her, we also get to see her son as well - a half brother for our daughter.

In the middle of this story is the fact that once our daughter was 2 years old, we found out that not only did we have an adopted miracle daughter, but I found out I was pregnant, something the doctors had said would never happen.  We were always thankful for our relationship with our birth mother, but now, having a biological son, we were able to share biological information with our daughter as well about her families.  We have been so blessed to be a part of our birth mother's life and family. We have enjoyed the opportunities to meet her extended family and feel like God has brought our two families together.  What amazing blessings to know that our daughter's birth grandparents have been praying for her and us as we grow together. What blessings to be able to have our daughter meet them and get to know them a little bit.  WHAT BLESSINGS!!!

Before we knew how any of this was going to turn out, God had laid a plan.  God had provided a birth mother for us and a family for her to parent her child.  God designed it that way and I truly believe He has big plans for her.  She was given to God the day she was laid in my husband's arms, and I know He will use her mightily.

And now as I watch my 12 year old daughter turn into a woman, I am blessed!  Her love for Jesus, her desire to grow and be like Him is so evident.  She came home from a retreat at a camp this past weekend and rewrote her message notes so that she would be able to read them clearer in the future and be reminded of what lessons God had taught her.  I am blessed by a Bible study that she and I are doing together every Thursday - something she initiated.  (We are both reading a version of the book made to crave and trying to strive to put our desires solely in Christ, rather than on things).  And so it was with my precious daughter in mind that I read Lysa TerKeurst's blog this morning, and wanted to share a part of it with you.  She lists 10 prayers we can pray for our daughters.  To read the whole blog, feel free to click here 10 Prayers for your daughter

I am so grateful for God blessing me with my daughter.  I am amazed and humbled that He chose me to be her momma and that He has also allowed me to have that relationship with her birth mother as well.   OH HOW I AM BLESSED!!!!

I trust you will find your blessings today as well!

~Sharon

10 Powerful Prayers to Help You Fight for the Heart of Your Daughter:

1. Give my daughter a deep desire to listen to You, Lord, and pray often, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” (Joshua 5:14b).

2. Let her learn early in life that to obey You, God, is the best way to the life her heart truly desires, (1 Samuel 15:22).

3. May she find comfort in Your ability, God, to reach her, hold her, and rescue her, (2 Samuel 22:17-18).

4. May she please You, Lord, by desiring, asking for, and utilizing a discerning heart full of wisdom, (1 Kings 3:9-12).

5. Let her find confidence in You, God, even when hard times come and she doesn’t know what to do, by keeping her eyes fixed on You, (2 Chronicles 20:12).

6. Give her a great desire to accept Your word, God, and store up Your commands within her so her ears will turn to Your wisdom, (Proverbs 2:1-2).

7. May she keep herself under control and not give full vent to people and situations that anger her, (Proverbs 29:11).

8. Give her the ability to rise above the traps of people pleasing so she can be kept safe by trusting You, Lord, (Proverbs 29:25).

9. Let her walk in the security of Your assigned worth to her. Give her a strong work ethic and health to accomplish all her tasks. Give her a heart that desires to extend her hand to those in need. Protect her for the right husband, a man of respect and godly honor. And let her be a woman of joy and laughter whose Christ-centered character is what makes her most beautiful, (Proverbs chapter 31).

10. And every time you, Jesus, whisper, “Follow me” she does so with great grace, (Matthew 4:19).

Going Gluten Free

Recently, I decided to try going gluten free.This was not for health reasons in that I can't tolerate gluten, but rather for health reasons (removing gluten and sugars) to see how it would affect my depression/anxiety since I was going to try to get off my medication.  For a girl who loves toast, cereals, sandwiches, buns, pasta and anything sweet, this was a major undertaking.  My brother in law had introduced me to almond and rice flour and other gluten free products so I knew it was doable.  So my first chore was to cut out my pastas and any breads or cereals I ate.  Lunches and suppers weren't that difficult since for suppers I was still able to eat potatoes and rice.

BUT, the killer for me was breakfast and snacking.  So I decided to search out some recipes that I could make for breakfast.  And I found one that is just amazing that I would like to share with you. I would eat this even if I wasn't going gluten free.  It is the most moist muffin I've ever eaten and probably the most delicious I've ever made.  They were so easy to make and ready to eat in about 1/2 an hour!!!  I store them in the fridge since I won't be eating them all within the next few days.  I'm trying desperately not to eat them all within a few days because my hope is that I will have some for the rest of the week!!!  

Let me know what you think if you do make them!  THEY ARE YUMMY!!!!

Don't these look yummy??????

Apple Cinnamon Almond Flour Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour

2 eggs

1/4 cup margarine

1/4 cup honey

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 small apples, peeled and chopped into small pieces (I used gala)

12 muffin liners

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.

Mix all ingredients together except Almond Flour and Apples. Then add almond flour and mix well. Then gently fold Apples into the batter.

Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, spoon out batter into 12 cups

Bake for 15-20-25 min (depends on oven)

Blessings

A couple of years ago, I read Ann Voskamp's book 1000 Gifts.  If you have not read it, run to the nearest bookstore and buy it.  (For a little peek into what it's about check her site out here:  One Thousand Gifts ) I had picked up the book initially because I recognized the author's last name from when I had gone to high school, and had heard that this book was a life changer.  As I read through this book I was stunned to realize that the church the author was talking about in the pages of her book, was the church that I had attended as a teen!  The people that were mentioned in her book were people I had grown up with, including my piano teacher and my best friends parents!!!  After the first few chapters, I realized that this was indeed someone who was related to a guy I had gone to school with and the in-laws that she spoke about were in fact the same people that I had gone and had clubs at as a young child.  Talk about a small world.

As I read through the book I was challenged to take up an attitude of gratitude!  For me, it is way too easy to focus on the negative things in my life, and so I took up her challenge of starting my own 1000 gift list.  This is a list of things that I am thankful for.  It can be as simple as a beautiful sunny day (which when you think of that is actually awe inspiring!) or as complex as answered prayer and seeing God's hand working in your life.  I do have to admit as I look back on my journal of praise, I have not been very faithful.  Ann's challenge is to every day write down three things for which you are thankful.  There are times that I am diligent in my thankfulness journey, but as I look back, there are months where I haven't written anything.  And ironically, its the times when life "is good" that I haven't entered anything into my journal, and yet the times that are most difficult I have tried desperately to be thankful and enter those into the journal.  I found it a little curious that it was those "good times" that I had no entries.  But I also realized that so often it is in the good times that I become complacent.  I forget that I need God.  I go about my daily duties and forget to thank Him for the very things that He has blessed me with day after day.  

Years ago, a friend of mine had made this quote "Every time you breathe in, you suck in mercy."  Isn't that so true?  Every time we take a breath in, it's one more moment that God has given to us.  What am I doing with that moment?  Am I thankful for that moment that God has given to me?  Am I using it to draw others into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ?  Am I focusing that moment on myself, or directing it in praise to God?  When I actually stop to think about all that God has blessed me with, I am overwhelmed.  I can't help but praise God.  It's when I look inward to myself, and focus on me, that I forget the blessings.  I am focused on the negative.  Satan gets a hold of me and forces my thoughts into some of the deepest, darkest places.  

However, it is also true that when I enter those dark places, it is at those times that I try to force myself to focus on the blessings that God has given to me.  To forge ahead in my praise journal and remind myself of how blessed I am by all the things/people/situations God has granted to me.  I will admit. It is not always an easy abyss to come out of.  But I can say that as I try to focus on the blessings, I am able to remind myself of what God has brought me through.  And I can say that some of those dark days of depression have been some of my most meaningful days of focusing on God's blessings.

On the good days, I am too focused on everything else.  I forget the One who has made all those good things possible.  I forget the joys that He provides for me day to day.  I forget that the very fact that I am breathing, is a sign that I am still sucking in breaths of God's mercy!!!!

So today my question to you is this:  What are you thankful for today?  What blessings has God showered on you that maybe you haven't thanked Him for?  When we turn our minds to focus on God's blessings and all the amazing benefits He gives to us, it sends Satan packing.  And I like that image.  I like that image of kicking him to the curb so that I can walk up my driveway and praise God, thank God, worship God.

One of my all time favorite hymns is To God Be the Glory.  I can still hear my Dad and so many of the GBF congregation singing it out at the top of their lungs. What precious memories! (think I'll have to add that one to my joy journal!)

Be blessed my friends, and hopefully this little blog reminds you to focus on God's blessings and to give Him such praise today!

Enjoy these words!!!!

To God Be the Glory

1. To God be the glory, great things he hath done!  

So loved he the world that he gave us his Son, 

who yielded his life an atonement for sin, 

and opened the lifegate that all may go in.

Refrain:

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, 

let the earth hear his voice!  

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, 

let the people rejoice!

O come to the Father thru Jesus the Son, 

and give him the glory, great things he hath done!

2. O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood, 

to every believer the promise of God; 

the vilest offender who truly believes, 

that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

(Refrain)

3. Great things he hath taught us, great things he hath done, 

and great our rejoicing thru Jesus the Son; 

but purer, and higher, and greater will be 

our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.

Tuesday's Choice

So last week Tuesday, I decided I was going to start memorizing verses.  Putting God's word in my mind and mulling it over and over as I tried to memorize it.  IT WORKED!  I haven't memorized anything in ages, but this week I was able to get Philippians 2:1-4 memorized.  I know, it's not much, but it's stuck in there.

So this week, I have another passage I'm throwing out there for us to memorize.

Colossians 3:12-17.  Again another one of my favorite passages.  Join me won't you?  And let me know how it's going.  Where do you like to memorize?  How do you memorize?  For me, a couple times a week, I pick my kids up from school and unless you are there half an hour early, it is nearly impossible to find a parking spot.  So I go early and that is where I do my quiet memorizing.  I type it out several times which helps me.  I find when I write/type stuff out, I really have to think about it, and I also can visualize it.

So here are the verses for the week.  They are in the NIV but feel free to try them in whatever version you are comfortable with!  And let's remember to review our Philippians passage as well.  (See Thinking ahead: Tuesdays-challenge)  Wouldn't it be fun to be able to recite an entire month's worth of verses???  Let's see what we can do.  Blessings on you as you put God's word into our hearts and into our actions!!!!

Colossians 3:12-17

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 

13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 

14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.And be thankful. 

16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 

17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

40

Yesterday, a friend of mine turned 40.  Now for her, and for many of you out there, 40 is a difficult year to celebrate.  In some respects it was for me, but not too bad.  Of course I didn't FEEL like I was 40 so it really didn't bother me too much.  My kids were still young, I was teaching young children, so feeling old wasn't really there for me.  (Don't ask me how I feel at 46 though!!!!  :-) )

These past 4 months, 40 has become a very important number for me.  A positive number.  As I shared in my post entitled Prayer Room (http://sharon2kids.blogspot.ca/2014/01/prayer-room.html) my husband and I had separated for awhile this past fall.  As we started to heal and rediscover our communication, I started to wonder when it would be that he would come home.  I was well aware that we were far from done dealing with all our issues, but I was also well aware that, as two different individuals, we would always have issues. The major one that resulted in our separation was being dealt with, the hurts and emotions were being healed, but there were so many other issues, that I knew if I waited for them ALL to be dealt with, K more than likely would never move home. I also didn't want us to jump back into something too soon that would result in more hurt, anger and frustration.  And I also wanted to be mindful of the kids, and a long separation I knew would not be in their best interest.  So after many days of praying and asking God for wisdom, 40 days was brought to my mind.  I started to do a little research on the number 40 and this is what I found.

Some of the common examples that I knew about "40" were these:
- it rained 40 days and 40 nights and then it stopped and God provided His promise with a rainbow.
- Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days
- The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years before they were allowed into the Promised Land
- Goliath had taunted the Israelites for 40 days before David defeated him.
- Moses was on the mountain for 40 days and nights before delivering the Ten Commandments to the Israelites
- Lent lasts for 40 days

In fact, I found out that 40 is mentioned in the Bible 146 times where it refers to trial and testing or probation.  As I thought about the separation that we as a family were going through, I though how ironic it would be if the time of trials and testings in our marriage also lasted 40 days, with the deliverance  or renewal of our family.

When I was at Bible School at Millar College of the Bible, we had a wonderful professor who taught The Pentateuch and Old Testament classes and who had also studied the numbers of the Bible extensively.  It intrigued me.  As I thought back to those classes, I recalled that 5 was the number of grace and 8 was the number of renewal or revival - AND 8 times 5 is 40.  Now, I'm not sure if this is all truth or not, but I was intrigued that after 40 days, and by God's grace, our marriage/family was renewed and we were able to move forward out of the dark days of separation.  It was a date I had specifically chosen and by God's grace, we are moving forward.  So what a joyful day November 27 was, that after 40 days of our family being broken, we were once again restored.

Believe me, that does not mean that all our issues were resolved.  But what it did do, was give us each some space.  K & I have grown through this time apart and I truly believe that the time apart allowed us to focus on areas of our own lives that needed changing.  It allowed us time to focus on our relationship with Jesus and to see where we needed to change.  It allowed us to remember those things that had drawn us to each other in the first place. Even the kids have grown through this.  Their spiritual and emotional strength grew by leaps and bounds.  Prayer became a huge part of their and our lives.  Believe me, I am not recommending that every family take a 40 hiatus from each other, but I do know that we as a family, endured the trials and testing for 40 days, and after that, came renewal.  We have established a better communication for it.  We have established better relationships with God because of it.  We have grown together as a family.  Truthfully, we are way better off for having taken this time.  (On a side note, I DO have to emphasis that the separation was never intended to be permanent so the time apart was always done with the intent of working to get back together.)

I praise God for our forty days that He blessed us with. I thank God that after our 40 days, came our renewal, our revival.  So today, I am thankful to God for "my 40"  !!!!

Sunday's Songs

Just thought I'd share a few of my favorite songs with you today.  Some you may have heard, and some perhaps not.  

Sit back and listen . . . on this Sunday of songs.  (Sam Robson, Laura Story, & Mercy Me)

Blessings!!!!