I came across some thoughts that I had written down back in February of 2012. They are still relevant in my life today and I wanted to share them with you, as well as expand on them.
As I was getting my kids ready for preschool, I quickly got on Facebook and scrolled through some posts on the news feed. I came across one posted from a sister in my church that said, "Don't forget to pray today, because God didn't forget to wake you up this morning." How true are these words? I've never really giving much thought to most of the mundane things I do on a daily basis. I just do them, as I am sure a majority of people do as well. I go to bed at night. I wake up in the morning. I brush my teeth. I make breakfast. The list goes on and on and for most of us, they are similar tasks, the basics of living. I never thought too hard about it in the sense that God is the one allowing me to do these things. He is the one allowing me to go to sleep and rest my mind. He is the one waking me up to another day in this life He has allowed me to live. I brush my teeth because he has given me another day with the use of my hands to take care of this body He has given me to use. Everything I have in this life, is His.
Reflecting on this reminded me of a blog post I read awhile back where the writer expressed how blessed she was that the Lord allowed her to borrow His children as her own. Most of us, myself included, live our lives like those in the world live their lives, in the sense that we don't always fully recognize that everything in our life is the Lords. Our house is His house and He allows us to live there. Our car is His, and He allows us to use it to get from place to place. Our children are not our own, but children of God, children He has allowed us to raise in the hopes that we will raise them to be servants unto Him.
It's funny how man thinks these things are his. The house they buy, the car they drive, the clothes and food they shop for, all of it is theirs. They earned it by working. How silly and wrong we are when we think the things we have in this life are because of us. None of it is ours. We didn't earn it. We certainly don't own it. Everything we have can be taking from us in a split second. Everything we own is the Lords, and he is the one who decides what we can have and what we can't have.
If you're a parent, then you are all too familiar with the constant whining and nagging that ensues when children want something. Buy them one Barbie, they complain for a different one. Parents often tell their children to stop acting spoiled, that they cant have everything they want. Isn't this the same with God? When he provides us with a home but we complain that it's too small, or too old? When we complain that the vehicle we drive is old, or needs repairs. Isn't that sending the same message to Him? That what he has provided for us is somehow not good enough? How can we teach our children these things when we are doing the same thing?
As a parent we all have desires for our children to achieve greatness. We want them to succeed in life, and to have every opportunity that they may want to pursue, open to them. However, our greatest wish and desire for them should be that they have a relationship with God. As long as they learn to rely on Him fully, as well as to serve Him and honor Him, they will go far in life.
"When you know Him, when you know Him, you'll love Him just as others do" - When You Know Jesus, Too
Most of the time I get caught up in doing everyday things that I forget what God has in-store for me at the end. It's not too hard to get wrapped up in doing the daily routine. Before we know it, a week has passed, or a month, sometimes even a year. Most of the time I find myself saying "It's already the fall, where has the year gone?" It seems as if time just passes by way too quickly. I find myself looking at my children and wondering when they got so big. Surely they were just babies yesterday or toddling children trying to learn the way. There is no way my youngest is turning four in a few weeks. I still remember holding her in my arms that first night in the hospital.
If you're like me than you find yourself putting things off until the next day, only to realize a long period of time has passed and the task was never accomplished. Our to-do lists are busy, full of things that are important or things that seem important at the time. The other day when I was driving Goose to her ballet class I started to reflect on this. Between all the things I do during the day, it seems I constantly loose focus of what is at the end. The song, "Your Grace Is Enough" by Matt Maher came on the radio and I found myself singing along. Most likely off key, but still loud. I can't carry a tune to save my life but that doesn't stop me from singing loudly. If there was one talent that I wish I had, it would be to sing. So here I am, driving, singing loudly, but not remembering all the words until the chorus comes around again and I find myself owning it. Thankfully my kids are too little to complain about my singing. I started thinking about how someday all I will be doing is singing with God. I will spend my time singing my heart out. I get too wrapped up in my every day life that I often forget about my promise to spend eternity with God. I'm glad it will be doing something I enjoy, like singing, and not doing laundry or dishes like I end up doing now.
It's so easy to forget that I am a daughter of the King when I have so many earthly projects to tackle. But I AM a daughter of the King. And I will get to move into my fancy and beautiful palace. I will get to spend my days singing and talking about how wonderful He is. Until then, I need to make more of an effort to spread His love and to remember His promises. Sometimes His promises are all that get me through the day.
These are such a huge favorite in our house. I make them quite a bit to eat for breakfast throughout the week and they are too die for when they are still nice and warm.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, room temperature
1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- In a bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Add the egg, milk and butter and stir until combined. Do not overmix, it will ruin the text of the muffins. Scoop the batter into a muffin tin either greased or lined with baking cups.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes
- Mix the cinnamon and sugar for the topping. When the muffins are done, dip the tops into the melted butter and then into the cinnamon sugar mixture. If you used baking cups, remove them first to help with the coating of the sugar.
