At the Well - Persistence

The topic for today is Persistence.

The discussion questions are:
Think about your daily life as a wife, mother and child of God.
What are some ways that you have persisted when you have been knocked down?
How have these circumstances brought glory to the Father?

There is a verse that I found years ago that stuck a chord in my heart: Psalms 101:2 I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.

This verse reminded me of the importance of good manners, good behavior, kind words and a heart that seeks out only good things in my own home.

It is so easy at home to "let go" and not give extra attention to words and attitudes. It seems we are on guard to be on our best behavior everywhere we go and in front of others, but at home looks, answers and attitudes that are not perfect seem to fly from me! From the above verse, we are encouraged to walk within our own home with a perfect heart and behave wisely.

This is a constant reminder to me of how to behave. Now, because I know this, does not mean I do this. Far, far from it. I struggle with unkind words, bad manners, rudeness etc. It takes persistence to keep on aiming toward the mark of a perfect heart. To be the wife and mother I want to be means that I am engaged in an ongoing battle, daily choosing God's good over my selfish desires. Each time I fail in the wrong word or attitude instead of defeat, I can look to God for His help and strength. By seeking Him, sure enough little by little, these bad areas seem to get better. A gentle reminder from the Holy Spirit breathes renewed kindness into my heart which is extended to others. By continually choosing God's way over my own, this brings glory to God.

Persistence is a very difficult, but a very vital characteristic that is needed in every area of our life. Constantly we are bombarded by difficult people, difficult decisions, difficult situations. Many times we feel like just stopping, covering our heads under the covers and not coming back out! But that is not an option, the only direction we need to go is forward. Persistence is a step by step journey forward, overcoming one obstacle at a time. The best news is that God will provide the renewed strength we need during every one of those steps.

So, may we be encouraged to stride purposefully through each day, empowered with the strength and grace of God with persistent and overcoming attitudes that reflect the grace and glory of the Lord.

Sometimes We Score, Sometimes We Block

Our family is in the midst of little league soccer season. My youngest son is playing and his enthusiasm is contagious. He is pretty good at the sport, but what makes it so great is that he loves it! He counts the days until the next game or practice. He loves his coach and teammates. He has moved up an age level this year and the players are working more like team, passing to each other and watching out for each other during play. During the last game, my son scored two goals, they were the only goals of the game. In today's game the team scored eight goals. My son came up afterwards to me and said, "I didn't score today, but I blocked". What a powerful truth those words can hold. In life, sometimes we score, sometimes we block. Sometimes we do great things, we excel, we achieve, we meet our goal - we score! There are also times we see the needs of others, sometimes they are sad or hurting, we block their hits. We look out for them so they can score. We...

WFW – Write It On My Heart

This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. Hebrews 8:10 On a recent field trip to a museum featuring the days gone by, we sat in an old schoolroom as the teacher introduced us to the quill pen and bottle of ink. She cautioned us to use extreme caution using the ink and told us that if it got on our skin or clothes, it would not come off. This reminded me of this beautiful promise from Hebrews. God told His people he would put His law in their minds and write it on their hearts. This is a covenant which cannot be broken. He loves us and wants us to know Him through His Word. As we read more and more of His Word, it becomes w...

Construction, Challenges, Chaos

Who knew something simple could erupt into something chaotic so quickly? A broken file cabinet forced us to purchase a new one. We found one online, ordered it and it arrived quickly with a do it yourself assembly book, complete with 24 part packages and 18 steps of instructions! As we unpacked the items and compared with the instruction book, we realized a part was missing. Customer service was called, a replacement part was quickly received. Except, the screws did not fit into the holes on the replacement part. We tried again, received another part, same issue. Meanwhile, the 24 packages of parts are spread out on my living room floor, customer service does not understand my issue, they asked for photos which were sent and now we are again, waiting for a part. It seems every project faces the inevitable delay. My work place is undergoing a floor remodel. Upheaval, dust, packing, lots of inconvenience and depending on the work crew's schedule dictate the next fe...

YolandaMarch 2, 2009 at 8:58 AM
There is much that needs to be changed in our world, in our own homes....and you touched on a perfect example...of who we are out in the public needs to match who we are on the inside of our four walls at home.

Great thoughts...some things to ponder over and chew on this Monday.

Yolanda
DarcyLeeMarch 2, 2009 at 9:13 AM
Guarding my attitudes and tongue is my biggest challenge at home. Thanks for the encouragement.
UnknownMarch 2, 2009 at 10:14 AM
I, too, struggle with this. My mouth tends to be hurtful when I am stressed, tired, etc. This was a great post. Thanks for sharing.
loriMarch 2, 2009 at 1:13 PM
GIRLFRIEND...I have to be persistent with my KIND and EDIFYING words too...ahh yes, this spoke to ME! Thank you for bringing out an area that I can always be a bit more persistent with!!

peace,
lori
The Queen MommyMarch 2, 2009 at 2:45 PM
Being Christlike IN our homes is so important, and something God is continually reminding me. It is not enough to show other people I love Jesus - but it is critical that I show my husband & daughters that I love Jesus and want to live for Him. Thanks for this perspective!
Patty WysongMarch 2, 2009 at 3:47 PM
Persistence at home is the hardest! I loved this line: 'Persistence is a step by step journey forward, overcoming one obstacle at a time. The best news is that God will provide the renewed strength we need during every one of those steps.' This is so true and encouraging!
LAURIEMarch 3, 2009 at 2:07 AM
"So, may we be encouraged to stride purposefully through each day, empowered with the strength and grace of God with persistent and overcoming attitudes that reflect the grace and glory of the Lord. "

Now that is an encouragement for all of us to take with us. Thanks for a great post over AT THE WELL today. -blessings, Laurie

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