Mom: A Blessing Given To Us By God!

Proverbs 31:26-31 "She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many woman do noble things, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceptive , and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
 

Wounds In The House of Friends

Zechariah 13:9; "And one will say to him. 'What are these wounds between your arms?' Then he will answer and say, 'Those which were received in the house of my friends.'

 It's all too familiar to find wounds inflicted upon us, being orchestrated by those we love the most. People of whom we've given the biggest part of our hearts to. Is it simply a part of life? Is it done intentionally? Words and actions can have such a strong influence upon us if we don't find a balance. It's easy to internalize. Way too easy! We are human beings created with strong emotions and convictions. Much of that is based within the DNA we've been given from birth. Rejection can be implanted at birth ... sometimes even before birth. Rejection is a massive stronghold and keeps us in bondage for such a long time if not dealt with.

Our words can affect people. Our emotions can affect people. Our thoughts can affect people.Our actions can affect people. Our actions are often-times based upon our emotions. Words and thoughts produce emotions ... and emotions produce actions.Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if Bret and I moved to an Island with the only inhabitants being me and him? I immediately release that thought because even though we adore each other, there would still be areas of irritation (lol) I'm quite certain we would do harm to each other! You cannot spend day in and day out with the same person and not have something get under your skin no matter how much you love them.

I was thinking today about how deep and how cutting the wounds can go from friends or family members, compared to strangers.What a difference! There's a reason for that of course. The people we've invested emotionally in ... are in our hearts ... strangers are not. The people we've invested emotionally in  ... are part of our inside areas which consist of our mind, will, heart and emotions. They are sacred places and they are all intertwined. Vulnerability has always been a scary thing for me.Ever since I was a child, I have battled scars and wounds that have gone so deep that I've felt as though I couldn't go on, but I did. God has given and continues to give me His Strength and Unconditional Love and Acceptance. I treasure that so much.

Wounds can also appear when we've been gossiped or slandered about by people we care about and love. If we could just get a revelation as to how much power our words produce. Confidential things that are uncovered and shared about someone who is not directly involved, is also very painful. It makes a person feel they are not safe. It  turns people towards isolation because it become unsafe to open yourself up and become vulnerable. We make a choice to put up walls of protection that really don't offer protection, but only loneliness and isolation.

When trials and tribulations arise they can add to our wounding. We find ourselves questioning ... "What have I done wrong? How have I failed in these areas?" Once again we internalize and begin beating ourselves up with condemnation and failure. Does it ever help? No. Whenever we get caught up in being critical of ourselves and begin heaping condemnation upon ourselves ... it only serves to further and deepen the pain we are already batting with. That never brings any resolve, it only creates more unresolved problems and issues. 

None of us are perfect, we all make decisions ... that when viewed through hindsight we wish we could undo what we chose to do. I guess that's where the phrase; "hindsight is 20/20" was coined. The positive aspect in viewing our failures and bad decisions is to learn from them. Life teaches us so many lessons, and when we take those lessons and make the choice to use them to progress forward and not fall backward in to an even more critical state, we will experience victory. The Bible says we are more than conquerers through the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. 

Forgiveness is such a powerful key. It's the only door that releases us from the other person. When we hold on to unforgiveness we are trapped in an emotional prison with a ball and chain attached to the one we've chosen not to forgiven. Please don't misunderstand me ... it's not easy to forgive, we need our Savior to help us through it. We need His Love to cover our unforgiveness and make a choice to release, love and choose not be angry. We love others through Him. We aren't able to do it on our own. It's humanly impossible, but spiritually necessary. 

Until next time,
Tracy ;)

The Spiritual Significance of Barns!

Ever since I was a little girl I've had this fascination with barns! I can remember tagging along with my dad when he would go hunting ... my favorite part of the hunting expedition? ... exploring the barns, of course. I have such fond memories of that. Over the years, I have accumulated barn things in my house. Barns make me happy! I have Warren Kimble's "Barns" dishes and coffee cups, I have pictures of barns in my great room, I have an antique buck saw, an old sieve and a pair of old rug beaters hanging on my wall. I know ... I'm a little peculiar. But I've learned to accept that too. lol

My ultimate dream home would be a barn house. I think that would be amazing! As I was pondering about barns this morning I decided to begin a little Bible search/study on "barns". Who else would ever do that besides me? I found some Scripture referring to barns ... here's what I uncovered. Proverbs 3:10 says, "And thy barns shall be filled with abundance, and thy presses shall run over with wine." Hmm ... I would eventure to say barns represent abundance in this passage. Then there's Psalm 144:13, "Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields." Another Scripture that refers to provision and blessing ... along the same lines as abundance. I recieve that!

Then I moved on to an internet search on the spiritual meaning of barns. In the "Dictionary of Biblical Symbols" it says the barn represents a man's storehouse for the future.I also looked in my trusty old Strong's and found the word barn in Hebrew means "asam" which is transliterated in to storehouse. I am convinced there is a strong spiritual connotation between storehouse and barn. Last, but certainly not least, I asked God to show me why I'm so drawn to barns. There's gotta be a reason! How do I figure all of this out? I'm by nature, analytical and quite observant. I observe and analyze the things around me. I'm actually trying to shy away from that a little more now because at times, it can become overhwelming to me. I like to figure stuff out!

I'm also very curious by nature. All my life, I've been a big believer in seeking out the Truth and understanding why I believe what I believe and I never take anyone's word, I have to figure it out myself. I'm definitely not a follower and I don't conform very well. I'm an original, I'm who God created me to be and I don't try to be anyone else. I think it's safe to say I just exited on to a rabbit trail just now.Well ... let me get off the rabbit trail I was just on and share what I felt like the Lord showed me in my heart about barns. This is good.

The Lord showed me that for many years I walked in a poverty mentality. I never believed I deserved anything. I've finally walked out of a season of being overly critical of myself too. Now, I am embracing who I truly am in Christ. For many years, I didn't know who I was. I was afraid to be me. I thought being me was not acceptable. I understand now that who I am is wonderful. I am blessed, I am unique and ... yes, even peculiar. God is creating in me a storehouse of understanding and wisdom.

In our marriage, abundance and blessing is continuing to make it's way in to our lives. Bret and I are experiencing a new kind of provision. The first half of our marriage was filled with lack, gloom and famine. Now, God is turning that around. He has taken us from the pit to the mountaintop. The view is incredible, not to mention very different and I know that this is only the beginning. Just as Paul said in Philippians 4:12, "I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need."

I believe the best is yet to come! I believe that God has a great plan for our lives. I'm a sucker for happy endings!
Until next time,
Tracy :)