If It’s Monday, It’s Mama…

 

“This World Is Not My Home”….

Madison….. 

There is a song which says to you what I want to share with you this week… 

This world is not my home

 I'm just a passing through

My treasures are laid up

Somewhere beyond the blue

The angels beckon me from heaven's open door

 

 

 

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

 

Oh Lord you know I have no friend like you

If heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do

The angels beckon me from heaven's open door

And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

Read more: HANK THOMPSON - THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME LYRICS

 

On my list of things I hope to teach you while I am on this earth….remembering this is in the top 10.   

This world….the good of it, the bad of it….

 

is NOT your home. 

The family you have been born into is a gift from God to help you through this world.  The friends you chose, the place you worship, your employer…..all are here to help you walk through this life. 

That is why it is important to be careful whom you chose to make a part of your life…..

That is why it is important to be careful where you seek to work

That is why it is important to be wise in who you chose to be-friend

 

However, more important than any of that is that is why it is important to remember whom you live for…. 

God cannot be where satan is. 

If you want to be a Godly woman, then you need to surround yourself with Godly people. 

Surround. 

There is no perfect surrounding of yourself.

 

But, what you can do is chose… 

Chose this day….chose every day to set the standard that God will be your center…..the heart of your temple, your body, your soul, your family… 

Baby….chose Him daily…..at times, chose him moment to moment, because ultimately HE is the only one who will be able to guide you in the way you should go… 

He will love you perfectly

He will stay with you perfectly

He will guide you perfectly

He will teach you perfectly

 

Noone else you will ever know will have His ability to do this for you….

 

Noone

 

Not even me, who was blessed to birth you, can help you find Him the way He can.

 

And, in that choosing, you need to remember…HIS ways are not our ways, not the world’s ways, not the “fair” ways…

 

But, His ways are the perfect ways…

 

And, the only way you can handle this knowing and understanding is to understand that  

As lovely as your life is, this life is not where your “home” is

As beautiful as your family, they are not where your spiritual home is

As wonderful as your job, your friends, your fun, they are not your home….

 

Home is and always be where God is…. 

So, as you traverse the roads in your life….as you make decisions….where to live, where to go to school, what to chose as a profession, which church to worship in, who to marry, how many children to ask for…and on and on…

 

Remember, it only will matter IF you remember

 

THIS world is not your Home

 

Home is where God is….

Blessings,

 

ILYAOYMC,

Mama

 

 

 

My Husband, Ian….In His Element….

I knew when I was only thirteen that hunting was important to my young-girl- crush, Ian.  At sixteen, I not only knew hunting was important to Ian, but I knew he was pretty caught up in the thrill of the hunt.  By eighteen, as a young woman, it was obvious to me that when Ian was in the woods, on the hunt....
                      he was in his element. 

 

As his wife of these past eighteen months, I have seen my husband lay aside his love of hunting to invest in our marriage and in our family.  No small gift from a man whose life has been enmeshed in all things out-of-doors.  Who lived, ate and breathed camouflage, weaponry and the thrill of the chase. 

So, when Todd, his friend in Christ and friend in life called Ian inviting him to go hunting, I was thrilled that he said “yes”.  For, I understand that while you can take the boy out of the woods, I also understand that if you do it for too long, you take away a part of that boy…and, I knew that it was this part of him that made me so in love with him…this manly, strong, brave hunter-man. 

When Ian called with his good news of the invite, I could hear the excitement in his voice as he asked my blessing on this weekend jaunt….it was without hesitation that I urged him to go… 

Go…hunt… 

Go….be a part of who God made you to be…one who loves sitting in the coolish early morning air, high off the ground in a deer stand, watching the sun rise and listening to the woods come to life…birds chirping, squirrels talking, deer wafting on the leaves.

And, he did.  

He excitedly dug out his well-packed hunting gear from numerous storage spots within our home, we made a trip to Wal-mart for the necessary hunting items and then made our way to Krogers to find Todd some Gluten-free bread…a gift of friendship in thanksgiving for this invite to the woods. 

Off he went, truck stored with all the requisites for a hunter expecting to not only track and glass deer, but for one who fully expected to kill and “bring it home” as well. 

I confess that I did text him a time or two or three….to see how he was doing, and he very sweetly and kindly responded, but I could tell that I was interrupting his “time with nature”…his “time with God”…so, I quickly learned to be quiet…. 

And then, it came….the message text to me… 

“Big Buck Down” 

Big Buck Down?   

I reply, “so, you killed a buck?”

His response, “yes, a BIG one”

Me, “how big?”

Him, “10 point” 

I don’t know a lot about hunting, but I do know that a ten point buck and a large one…is a GOOD thing…. 

Ian was thrilled….and, because this was important to him, it was important to me..

So, I thrilled along beside him…. 

When you are invited inside the joyful heart of a person, it is a precious gift.  Ian’s sharing this experience with me was a gift I will treasure always…he made me feel as if I were right there beside him on his hunting, sharing his thrill and joy and excitement. 

And, because he was thrilled and overjoyed and excited, I was as well.  And, so were all five of our kids.  Some celebrated in person, others via text encouragement.  All were a part of his great moment and I know it was precious to them that they were. 

The "at home" kids and I all met him at the door when he drove home, buck in the back of his truck and frankly, were amazed a his “kill”.  He had done well and we all grinned ear to ear with him. 

You see, Ian is a giver….a true, Godly giver.  He has given and given to us these past eighteen months in the type of giving which reaches deep into our souls and brings about healing…so, for us to be able to give back to him by celebrating with him was a precious experience.

We all met him outside….inspected the deer, photographed him with his deer, named the deer, felt the deer, questioned him about the deer, the hunt and then listened to Ian….in his element….as he described the hunt.

 

Family hunting moment.

Family sharing moment.

Family loving a man who gives so much to us and asks so little in return. 

That love returned by listening…and praising….and thrilling along with him. 

I rode with Ian as we took our buck to the meat packaging place and I confess, it was with great pride that my husband’s deer was the finest on the lot at that time. 

There’s a certain etiquette among hunters and it was neat to watch my husband in among his hunter/stranger turned hunter/friends.  Brothers of a kind…. 

Men young and old came by and checkout out Ian’s deer proclaiming it to be a “fine specimen” and expressing their admiration for his “score”.  Smiling now just thinking about their kind comments and gentlemanly behavior as they paid respect to a man who is obviously a fine hunter. 

Ian is that….in all areas of his life…. 

A gentleman

A hunter 

And, it has been a privilege and honor to share this first of our marriage hunting experience.  I pray that God bless us, as He has done so far, with many other opportunities to pay witness to not only God’s miracles of nature but to Ian’s life of humility and kindness and love. 

Our hunter-man, husband, Dad was in his element this weekend.

And, we were blessed to be witnesses. 

Blessed to be

Your wife,

Lesa

 

 

 

 

 

 

Facebook v Face-time with God

It has been over ten days since my husband, daughter and I have “deactivated” our Facebook pages.  We had been discussing deactivation for over a year…really, since last Christmas.  And, finally, we did it… 

We deactivated our Facebook accounts. 

It has been a good thing.  A really, really good  thing. 

I confess, at first, I really missed it.   

But, as each day passes, I don’t miss it. 

I have written more “snail mail” letters, made more phone calls and spent more time with others these past ten days…. 

I have spent more time in solitary prayer…in keeping up with my Bible daily readings and am ahead in our ladies’ church book club reading.

I confess that occasionally, I do have to “re-activate” it to get a person’s address or email or phone number, so I have had a few moments of “peeking” into what I have been missing…and, honestly, I have yet to see anything that I have really missed….and, in fact, it has actually been a protective blessing to miss some of the things I have…

What I have gained is this….

Peace of mind.

At a season in my life where peace has become a precious jewel, offered to me only through the grace of God, this gift of peace of mind is precious to my heart and soul.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Facebook is a horrible thing…or even a bad thing.  In fact, it has many good purposes…keeping in touch with a daughter away at college, or cousins who live in another state or even dear friends who hold our hands in prayer…

But, truth be told, it does allow one to think out-wardly more simply and more in-wardly, less simply.

Reflection does not come as easily when I am intertwined elsewhere…

Reflection does come more simply when I am enmeshed with Him….when my first thought in the am is an arrow prayer to Him…and the last thought before I lay down my head is an arrow prayer back to Him.

So, as we continue our season of being “de-activated”, I am actually grateful for our family…and, it’s decision to put down the computer and to lift up one another.

We may be “de-activated” from Facebook, but we are being “re-activated” to life…

And, that is a good thing.

Blessings,

Lesa