Mommy Guilt...Blessing Your Family Your Way!

Lately, the guilt of not having enough time with God has been weighing heavily on my heart.

My children have been sick. I have been sick. My mommy responsibilities do not end just because I don't feel well...and I feel guilty about it! I also feel guilty that I barely have enough time to physically care for my family, let alone spiritually nurture them and myself.

There are so many life coaches, spiritual leaders, and influential speakers who insist that taking time early in the morning to have that all-important one-on-one time with God, is the most important thing a mom can do to bless her family.

I have gone through the process of feeling very guilty that I am not a morning person, and that I am failing to bless my family because I don't enrich my own relationship with the Lord each morning.

Well, I have to admit, that I no longer feel this guilt!
I have found many other ways to spend that time with God, praying over my family, my house, and enriching my own spiritual life!

Here are just a few examples of what I have started to do as a busy mom to enrich my own daily journey with our Lord:

1. Praying over each room of the house as I clean it!
2. Praying as I fold the laundry, blessings for each body part that the laundry touches!
3. Keeping a Bible in each bathroom, and reading a bit whenever I am heeding my body's call of nature. If I am doing a Bible study, I keep that book there too.
4. Blogging about the scriptures that reach out and grab a hold of my heart.
5. Blessing each child and my husband by praying with them at bed time, and for them after they are sound asleep.

I don't have to feel guilty that my morning does not start with the Lord...because it DOES!!! I say a prayer before I get out of bed, that the Lord will bless my day, and that everything that I do will bring Him glory!

I don't spend an hour, or even half an hour, basking in the Glory of the Lord, to start my day. That's okay.

Spread the Glory and Blessings throughout your day, and be continually reminded of the Love He bestows upon us every moment of every day.


1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

Prayer of St. Patrick - Luck of the Irish

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This prayer is such a powerful tool!
I have printed it out, and decided that I will pray this every day for the rest of March - if not longer!

Prayer of Saint Patrick

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, and in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

Amen

If Only Everyone Could Just "Be Nice!"

I feel like I am always telling my children to, "Just Be Nice!"

It's biblical after all...Christians are supposed to be NICE!
That's not all there is to being a Christian, like some people believe - but it sure is important!

We are called to love one another, forgive others when they hurt or wrong us, and leave the judgment to our creator and Lord.

The Bible says we should correct our neighbor if they do something wrong, but not to judge them. This is so very difficult. It is much easier to form judgment, and hold
wrong-doings against our neighbors. However, God tells us to point it out, so we will not be held guilty, but then to forgive and leave the judging up to the One and Only Judge who matters!




Dear Lord,
I pray that we will be able to focus on being nice to our neighbors, and to leave the judgments up to You. We are called to be good neighbors to all, even those who commit wrong-doings. We all sin, and it is not our prerogative to judge everyone around us, but rather to be nice, neighborly, and forgiving.
Please help us, Lord, to forgive, and love our neighbors.
Amen




This has been weighing heavily on my heart for at least 2 weeks. I had to read the following passage as a Lector at church..and it also came up in my bible study a few days before that!

Leviticus 19:15-18
"Do not make something that is wrong appear to be right. Treat poor people and rich people in the same way. Do not favor one person over another. Instead, judge everyone fairly.
Do not go around spreading lies among your people.
Do not do anything that puts your neighbor's life in danger. I am the Lord.
Do not hate your brother in your heart. Correct your neighbor boldly when he does something wrong. Then you will not share his guilt.
Do not try to get even. Do not hold anything against one of your people. Instead, love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am the Lord."

This passage is so overloaded with really important messages from our Lord...but being "nice" covers most of it!