31 Days: Learning to Just BE... Endued {Day 24}

"Momma SAID!" comes the urgent tone from one daughter to another.

Have you heard this before?
The name "Momma" or, "Daddy" for that matter, carries some weight.

If Momma said, well, you'd better do it!

Or what about this one? "If you don't stop, I'm gonna tell Momma."

There is power in the name Momma.

This reminds me of another name that is powerful.
I have full access to this Name above ALL names.

I can say at any time to my enemy, "If you don't stop, I'm gonna tell Jesus!"
And, that hater? He listens and obeys. That's more than I can say for my children sometimes, hahaha.

Now, there are times when the enemy does not listen; maybe he has a "right" to stand his ground, but that would be for another post...

He promised us that we would be endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49). This power from on high was specifically the Holy Spirit.

Endued: to give qualities or abilities to, to endow, to gift, to invest, to empower, to cover, to clothe.

If you think of all the power available to us, through His Spirit, in His name, by His blood, we should have no use of fear.

I am so thankful that I am under His authority... "and His kingdom shall know no end..."

"For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him

the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW,

of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth... "

{Philippians 2:9-10}

 

Perfectionism, you will bow.

Fear, you will bow.

Anger, you will bow.

"Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth.

Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the fowlers: the snare is broken and we are escaped.

Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth."

{Psalm 124:6-8}

 

"The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to Him and are safe."

 

 

Oh, and just so ya know...

{Hahaha! Just had to share. Made by Momma}

 

Jesus, He's cool like that.

 

~ christa jean ~
~~~

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31 Days: Learning to Just BE... Wanted, Part 2 {Day 22}





There has not been one child of mine unwanted.

Our newest little peanut was a bit of a surprise (we were living with in-laws at the time, looking for our own house), but brought the joy of new life again.

 

 

{The beauty of home schoolin'... the pre-schooler can show up barefoot.}

 

I always wanted to be a mommy when I was younger. I got to practice on my little sis.

 

{I was 10 or 11 here, with my "baby"}

 

Then I became a mother. For the first couple of years I thought I was doing a darn good job. And then the bouts of anger began. I tried so hard to hide it behind the title of "Good Mother."

 

Though I still wanted each child as they came along, I stopped wanting ME as their mother. I was afraid of the monster that would rear it's ugly head.

I would see other mothers who were so loving to their children and hate who I was not. 

 

I began to wonder why God allowed me to even be a mother at all. Isn't there someone else who would treat these children the way they needed to be treated? As precious treasures? There were some very dark days, when I considered what it would be like if I were not alive anymore.

 

I have been slowly but surely accepting that God not only wanted me as the mother of these littles, He ordained it to be so.

 

 

 

And He will turn ALL things to good.

 

~ christa jean ~
~~~

 

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31 Days: Learning to Just BE... Pure {Day 12}

I have often pictured myself much like the character in "The Scarlet Letter," the one with the red letter "A" branded upon her existence. Only, my "A" stood for Anger.

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD:

though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;

though they be red like crimson, they shall be as white as wool."

{Isaiah 1:18}

"That old scarlet letter won't keep Me from holding you." He whispers.
And I say, Thank You.

Now, humor me, and take a listen to this. You'll want to turn it up.

The end gets me every time.
Touches deep.

~ christa jean ~
~~~

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31 Days: Learning to Just BE... Healed {Day 11}

 

 

We were late. Hurry! Hurry!

She stopped at the corner of the building, paused, and began backing up.

I recognized that look on her face. Fear.

I heard yelling. My pace quickened, my heartbeat with it.

 

I turned the corner to see a man yelling at a woman. Face red.

He yells some obscenities. Sees me, all the babes around me, hastily passed and said, "Sorry."

 

He had punched the fourteen year old boy inside, before we had arrived.

Thank God, we were late.

 

"Sorry." He had said, and I knew he meant it. "Sorry, I can't control this monster. Sorry, for who I am." I almost heard him say.

 

Police were called and I knew, he would become even more sorry.

I was sorry for him. In fact, after the initial "Mama Bear" instinct had settled down, all I felt was compassion for him.

 

I, too, have known anger. Or, anger has known me.

I, too, have felt helpless under it's power.

 

I recognized that look of fear on my daughter's face, because, I, too, have made others afraid.

Anger and fear always go hand in hand.

 

Sorry won't help, though. The "sorry" of regret, guilt, shame, and condemnation only brings death inside.

But, Godly sorrow? Now, that brings repentance, and repentance is a turning away from darkness to light.

 

"For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow.

But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death."

{2 Corinthians 7:10}



There is a deadly progression of Bitterness, and Anger is in the line-up.
Unforgiveness leads to Resentment leads to Hatred leads to Retaliation leads to Anger leads to Rage leads to Violence leads to Murder.

Just watch one hour of news and you can see the evidence of this. Domestic violence, murder, suicide are the obvious ones, but what about the not-so-obvious...
Isn't avoidance of someone because of dislike a form of hatred? Isn't gossip a form of murder (by tongue)? These are the hard questions I ask myself.

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God."

{James 1:19-20}

 

What I want is healing for all the broken places. It is difficult to travel on this "highway of holiness" when you are crippled.

Then He reminds me of the young cripple, Mephibosheth, who was brought to dine at the King's table.

That is who I am, broken, but healed by Him. Crippled, but made whole in Him.

"... instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God."

{Acts 3:7-8}

Tonight, I pray for the man who said, "Sorry," and who may be in a cell... to be healed, in Jesus' mighty name. And, for the one that I assume to be his son, the one he punched... forgiveness.

~ christa jean ~
~~~

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