Need to Be Like

I was watching "The Office" reruns the other day and I heard this quote:

"Do I need to be liked?
Absolutely not.
I like to be liked.
I enjoy being liked.
I have to be liked.
But it's not like this compulsive need to be liked, like my need to be praised." ~ Michael Scott, Dunder Mifflin Paper Company (The Office)

It made me laugh! I thought, "How stupid! That is one of the saddest things I have ever heard!" And then my thought process moved to whatever else was happening in the office of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. But once the episode was over, I got to thinking about that quote again.....and again....and again! It's been a few days and I am still thinking about it.

Can God speak through a sitcom? Maybe! He definitely used that quote to make me aware of my own "need to be liked".

I think I would say exactly the same thing, "Do I need to be liked? Absolutely not!" But then my life goes on to speak the rest of that ridiculous quote. I like to be liked. I enjoy being liked. And occasionally, I have to be liked. It bothers me to no end when I think someone doesn't like me. It impacts me deeply when I think that I have offended, hurt, angered, or annoyed another person. In essence, that doesn't have to be a bad thing, but when I take it to the point that I don't do or say things that God is commanding me to, or I take my focus off of the Lord, or I fail to share things that God is doing in my life, because I'm afraid of a person's reaction, that is stupid, that is the saddest thing I have ever heard, that is when it crosses the line to sin.

Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men"

Ephesians 6:7 "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men"

I was convicted once again of my need to be focused on what the LORD God Almighty thinks of me, not other people!!!! And once again I am reminded to be obedient to Him, no matter what I think someone else's reaction will be to it!!!

Hebrews 10:35-39
So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while,
"He who is coming will come and will not delay.
But my righteous one will live by faith.
And if he shrinks back,
I will not be pleased with him." But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

I'm not saying that with just a turn of a dime, my lifelong desire to be liked will just be mastered. No, not likely, I'm still a sinful person! I am saying though, that that is something that I am going to be continually placing into God's strong and capable hands, until that part of my sanctification process is over! The One who has called me is Faithful, and He will do it! And I will NOT shrink back!

Snowy Four Day Weekend

We had a very snowy four day weekend this past week. Of course all this was before the stinky asthma reared it's ugly head!

It was so beautiful! It made me think about Psalm 51:7 "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." This picture just doesn't do it's beauty justice!
The boys and Lee made a Razorback snowman! They were very proud of themselves!
One of the days we went sledding on Heritage Hill! It was so much fun! Great memories!
Eventually, we abandoned the sled and we invented penguin sledding!! The snow had packed into the ice, making it really slick! Now that was a sight to see! Thankfully......I mean, unfortunately, there are no pictures to capture the sight of me sledding down a hill on my stomach like a penguin! Oh, the things we do for our kids! :)Watch out, Mom!!!
We love snow days! :)

Stinky Asthma!

On Tuesday, we had to make an ER visit with Hunt for his stinky asthma! It was a long night and morning. One that was very concerning for this momma!
Hunter has always had asthma, he gets that from me. We have made asthma related ER visits every year of his life, but until Tuesday it had been 2 years since we had to visit the ER for asthma. That said, we've been down this road a few times! :) However, only once before, about 3 years ago, was he admitted to the hospital for it. Well, this time Hunt just wasn't responding like they hoped he would be to all the medication they were giving him. His oxygen levels were dipping down and he wasn't able to keep them up without the help of oxygen. He hadn't ever needed the help of oxygen before so that shook me a bit.
They took x-rays, and thankfully there was no sign of pneumonia! After many, many, many hours in the emergency room (6 1/2 to be exact), they decided that he needed to be admitted, at least for the night and we got moved to a room upstairs.
We met Ashleigh, our night nurse! She was so very sweet, kind, and understanding! She would let Hunter call her to "test" out the call remote and make sure it was still working, then to his delight she called on it to check on him! As a mom, I can't thank her enough for how sweet she was to my boy! She then brought him a snack and he was officially smitten. :) We were very disappointed when her shift was over! What a blessing it was, to have her as a nurse! A thank you note is going to be sent! :)
It was a long night. There was little to no sleep for either one of us. Hunter is a rough sleeper and kept tossing and turning, pulling out all the wires and sensors. Of course then, alarms, and bells, and beeps would go off and we would wake up to get them put back. Because of the updraft medicine and steroids he was being given, once he would wake back up, it would take him a long time to settle back down to sleep. Poor boy.....poor mom! He was in relatively good spirits the whole time despite where he was.
The next morning, they brought breakfast for him. He was so excited that he could eat in bed! Then they gave him a menu for lunch and told him he could choose what he wanted! Oh man, then he was excited! He chose mac and cheese, and for those of you who know him well, that is no surprise! :) We eventually got released around 1:00pm, under strict orders to keep him home from school til Monday and on an updraft schedule (We have a nebulizer at home) and liquid steroids.
Today is a new day, and he is feeling much better! And after getting relatively caught back up on sleep, so am I! :)
Hunter is a sweet sweet boy and I am incredibly blessed to be his mom! Thank you, Lord!
Now, it's time for another updraft session.....

A Voice

Today I couldn't help but take notice of a Facebook status that read, "Here's a thought: If you so despise our President and our government, you run for office. You fix every problem facing mankind. If not, please hush." This statement was followed by many supporters, saying that we do indeed need to hush and not go against the grain. Live and let live, if you will. YIKES!!! That, my friends, is a scary mind-set to have!
We all have a God-given right to have a voice! It's time we start using it! Let us not be bullied into silence! It's not racism, or anti-Americanism, or even necessarily anti-Obama, to speak up and use the voice God gave us. It's pro-God, pro-Life, pro-Scripture, pro-family, and anti-Socialism. It's time to be "knees to the earth" LOUD!!! I'm not talking about being rude, obnoxious, or disrespectful. That won't help anything, and it's not what God intended either. We need to get on our faces before the Lord and humble ourselves, then stand up for what His Word says is truth!!! We, as believers, need to be a loud voice in Washington!

Let's always remember:

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing" ~ Edmund Burke

The First Amendment ~ "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Journal of the Continental Congress, 1774 ~ "It is our indispensable duty which we owe to God, our country, ourselves, and prosterity, by all lawful ways and means in our power to maintain, defend, and preserve these civil and religious rights and liberties for which many of our fathers fought, bled and died, and to hand them down entire to the future generations."

2 Chronicles 7:14 "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

A big "Thank you!!!", to the people of Massachusetts for going against party lines and using their voices to go against the grain! May the rest of the nation be so bold!!

Goals and Giving Shaving a Try

Yesterday, during the evening service at church, Hunter was writing notes and wrote this ~ It melted my heart. I pray for him everyday, that he will grow in his faith and be a mighty man of God! Lord, help him to achieve his goal!

Today, this same sweet boy decided to give shaving his face a try. He was in the shower, saw his daddy's razor, and the curiosity overtook him. There was blood!
Then there was a wild story about trying to swim in the tub and getting cut on the faucet....after having a long talk about lying, the embarrassing, yet obvious, truth came out and so did an apology for the lie! Bless his heart, he is a good boy! :) After the cut was cleaned up, we all had a good laugh. His brother asked him, in all seriousness, if he felt like a man now! LOL!! This will definitely be one of those memories that will be retold for years to come! Boys....gotta love em!! :)

More to Come Later

I have so so much to blog about! I cant wait to tell you the exciting things that the Lord is doing! He is giving me courage and boldness, and I am filled with thankfulness and peace! I am working on a post about it, but it's a work in progress (like me!). Cant wait to finish and be able to share! :)

BUT, I do want to share that tonight, after much prayer, Lou Lou became an official member of Lakeside Baptist Church! :D It is so exciting to watch her be obedient to the Lord as He is leading her! Hopefully she will blog all about it later....hint hint!!! ;)

I'm a Work in Progress

I am so thankful that HE who began a good work in me WILL complete it!!!! He is still working on me and I need it! The sanctification is a work in progress.

Last night we had an incident in our home. The dinner burnt. BADLY!!! Filled the entire house with smoke. I'm surprised it didn't ignite, it was that bad! Lee, bless his heart, was supposed to watch it and forgot. I got home and saw the carnage of my meal and lost it. I'm talking a two year old fit. It was embarrassing. Ashamedly, I yelled and cried and stomped and slammed doors. It was terrible. TERRIBLE!!! In the scheme of life, a burnt dinner is not a big deal, a smoke filled house is not a big deal, Lee forgetting to check on it isn't a big deal. But for whatever reason, at that time, to me, it WAS! How could I have let my emotions get so out of hand? My fit, THAT was a big deal. The fact that I was not in the least kind, loving, patient, gentle, or understanding, THAT was a big deal! How could I have let a silly thing like a burnt meal cause me to be such a terrible example? The answer is, I'm sinful. I am a retched sinful human. I could have handle it SOOOOO much better. We could have easily had sandwiches, NOT A BIG DEAL! UGH....my stomach aches remembering my sinfulness.

Needless to say, I was deeply convicted! THANK YOU, LORD!!! I repented and then I went to my husband and boys and apologized for my atrocious behavior. I'm just so thankful that He who began a good work in me will complete it! I am SO thankful for conviction and the faithfulness and forgiveness of God! And a family who is also very forgiving! :)

Next time, hopefully there is never a next time, we will eat sandwiches with smiles and make a nice memory!