Count Your MANY Blessings

I am so ashamed to admit this, but I like being real here on my blog.  No sugar coating.

I don't pray as much as I should.  It is something that honestly just slips my mind.  

How awful, right?  

He wakes me up each morning, and the first thing I utter should be "Thank You, Lord, for this fresh new start."  I'm really good at making excuses.  However, I can't come up with a good one for this.  Laziness, kids, life... sure.  But it doesn't justify my lack of commitment and devotion to My Maker.

I can beat myself up about my shortcomings, but there's one thing that will never change.  

His love for me.  

Most of the time, my prayer time comes in the late hours of the night.  I'll lie awake in bed, unable to turn off my brain, and that's usually when he prompts my spirit to spend a little time with Him.  It always turns out to be the most comforting and relaxing part of my day.  I have time to really focus on the important things in life.  

While my best friend ever in this lifetime (and that's no exaggeration) snores beside me, I'm able to lay my hand on him, without him ever knowing, and pray blessings over his life.  If anyone deserves them, blessings and rewards, it's him.  He's my rock as we walk through this crazy life together.

Last night, as I lay listening to Jett cough... and cough... and cough, I was able to focus on my babies.  I don't need any reminders of how extremely blessed I am to be given the opportunity to be their mother... to help lead them and guide them in the direction He would have them go.  He's given me a most important job and I pray that I'm able to do my very best.  I can never be the example He intends for me to be without his guidance, strength, and patience.  And that's something I focus most of my prayers on.  I need His guidance to help me make the best decisions when it comes to raising my boys.  I need His strength to face the obstacles that parenting can bring.  And I need His patience, each and every day, to love my boys with my whole heart, showing them compassion and teaching them to love like Jesus loved.

And I can never end a prayer without thanking the Lord for the MANY blessings he has placed on my life.  I cannot even begin to comprehend why He thinks I'm worthy, but I am so glad he does.  Yes, we struggle.  Yes, we live life the hard way sometimes.  We may WANT, but we never NEED.  This year in particular, Jason and I made a pledge to give our time, talents, and treasures as He asked us to do.  It hasn't always been easy.  There have been some months where we really could've used that extra money.  But we stayed faithful and HE HAS BLESSED US.  He never said it would be easy, but He said it would be worth it.  It definitely has been.  

He has blessed our finances, our home, our children, 

and He's given us a thankful heart.

This year, I'm thankful for His MANY blessings... blessings that I haven't even seen happen yet.  Blessings that are too numerous to count.  

Blessings in disguise.

At the close of this year and the start of a new, count YOUR many blessings.
And don't forget to say "Thank You!"


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

stress and stressors

I am thankful for encouraging words from a friend.  

Someone who just simply said, “Hey, I’ve been there.  It’ll be okay.”

Today’s major dilemma in the Perkins’ household is
“the big P” = POTTY TRAINING.  

Pee.  Poop.  

I'm keepin' it real.

There are days, like today, when I feel like potty training a 2-year-old is pointless.  It’s unenjoyable, stressful, tiresome, and downright impossible.  Now, your 2-year-old may totally be grasping the concept.  But I have found that my children were cursed with an “I refuse to stop pooping in my pants” gene.  I just thought I would lose my sanity with the first kid.  But the second is EVEN HARDER!  That’s not supposed to be!  It’s not normal.  By the time the oldest has mastered using the toilet, the baby should just follow suit.  But that definitely hasn’t been the case in our house.

This morning, I had a momentary lapse of reason, and I just sat on the edge of the tub and fussed.  I fussed at my baby boy for messing up 2 Pull-Ups in less than 3 hours.  We had barely even gotten the day started!  But the only thing that meltdown accomplished was making him cry.  I got the puppy dog face and real tears!  Now, he doesn’t just feel bad for wetting his pants, he feels bad for making Mommy lose it.  And he still doesn’t understand the importance and convenience of the potty.

While trying to figure out my next plan of action (ie: potty charts, surprises, time outs) it hit me:  

If this is my biggest worry today, I’m doing pretty dang good!  

I am beyond blessed and there is ABSOLUTELY no reason I should be stressing over this.  He’s just a baby.  And I don’t know many 5-year-olds who have started kindergarten in diapers.  

He’ll get there… but not by pushing him.

Isn’t that how we react about lots of things in life?  Sometimes even daily.  Something stresses us out to the point we just mentally break down.  We lose sleep, we’re irritable, we’re bitter, and that affects every aspect of our lives – our relationships with our family, friends and God.

Mark 4:19

“but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.” The Message

“but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” NIV

(And lest we forget that He dealt with all kinds of troubles.  He is no stranger to hardships.) 

Unfortunately, sometimes we are faced with major ordeals that so easily take us off course – cancer, death, financial trouble, etc.  And those are definitely worthy of meltdowns.  

But too often, we allow trivial things, worries, and hardships to inhabit our hearts and minds to the point that we can’t focus on the good and important things.  They cloud our vision, keeping us from seeing life through our "trusting and faith-filled" eyes.

Stress is a real thing.  And it happens to the best of us…. ALL of us.  I am just simply trying to teach myself to deal with it in a much more effective way;  

taking those stressors and weighing them against all the blessings in my life.  

In the grand scheme of things, they are tiny, little troubles that will pass... bumps in the road that I will cross over.  There’s no reason to put a halt on things and give up, damaging relationships and losing focus.

James 1:2-4

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

There are so many things in life that we have zero control over.  However, there’s one that’s totally up to us.  
The most important variable when dealing with stress is your attitude.  

Attitude adjustments can make a world of difference.

It's tough, but be thankful for the hiccups in life, and take them in stride.  Make a game plan, adjust your attitude, and deal with it!  
Put things in perspective.  

The stressors will always be there, but the stress doesn’t have to be.

Sometimes we just need someone to tell us, “It’s all going to be okay.  You've got this!”

And DON’T FORGET TO PRAY! 

Nope, it’s not too silly to pray for your potty-training children.  
I do it all the time!  

He told me I could…

Philippians 4:6-7

“Do not be anxious about ANYTHING, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

"Sold out, Plan A" kind of girl

This morning at Christway, Pastor Donnie did some preaching.  Not some watered down, feel-good gospel sharing.  It was a “step on your toes” message that I definitely needed to hear.  I found myself lost in thought afterward, applying his message to my daily life.  There were a couple of thoughts that stuck in my head, and I felt compelled to share them with you.  I’ll make this short and sweet.

#1 - So many Christians these days are “buying in” to religion; the feel good kind of religion.  

They want the mega churches, the light displays, the goosebumps.  But being a Christian does not require “buying in.”  It requires SELLING OUT!  God doesn’t just want your worship on Sunday… He wants your thoughts on Monday, your praise on Tuesday, and your adoration on Wednesday.  He wants your time, your talents, AND your treasure.

When surveying my life and my daily walk with Him, I always consider my relationship with my kids and my responsibilities as a parent.  Am I teaching my children to be 100% dependent on Him?  Can they see that He always comes first, not just when it's convenient?  Am I guiding them toward a God-centered life, sold out and completely dedicated?  I sure hope the answers are yes, yes and YES, or else I'm failing at my most important job.

#2 - Christians today prefer row boats. 

If you've ever been on a cruise ship, you know they are equipped with life boats (row boats).  There has to be a backup plan in case of an emergency.  But our Christian walk can’t be that way.  We can't jump in a row boat when the seas get rocky and our ship starts to sink.  

When Plan A gets too tough, we tend to look for a Plan B.  With God, there is no Plan B.  It’s all or nothing; His way or the highway.  I have an obligation to teach my children that there is no other option but Plan A - His way.  

When times get tough, we get tougher.  When money is tight, we don’t stop giving.  When we’re faced with sickness, we believe for healing.  When fear grips us, we pray for peace.  

 “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” - He said it; we have to believe it!

When the going gets tough, and we all know it's going to, we have to stick with God’s plan.  We have to teach our children to depend on Him in each and every situation that we face.  

And we have to start NOW.  

I know that my boys will one day grow up and make their own decisions in life.  They may choose Him, and they may choose to stray.  But I have to teach them to walk the straight and narrow, in case no one else does.  That's MY responsibility.  They have to see me make a conscious effort each day to take up my cross and follow Him.  I have to lead them on a path that leads to God and pray that they follow.  

They will never learn to trust in the Plan A unless they see me trusting, too!

I'll leave you with this statement, because it meant so much to me.  It's a great reminder when walking the Christian walk.   

“ Jesus doesn’t need to be a part of your life, He needs to BE your life.”  

generous love

Several nights a week, my husband and I have a personal pow-wow while lying in bed.  We spend that time discussing things (and people) that have been on our minds and hearts… things that happened throughout the day, how the kids made us proud, how the kids drove us to near insanity, things that have upset us, people who have disappointed us, issues that are bogging our minds (one, in particular, is a daily struggle for me).  It’s just a time for us, with no one else listening, to share our thoughts with each other.  No, we don’t spend all of our time bashing folks – though we feel like doing that sometimes.  But we encourage each other – help each other in our walk.

Last night’s discussion ended with “why can’t we all just get along?”

That would be nice, right?

How many times a day do you think disgusting or hurtful thoughts about someone?  Let’s just be real.  We’re all human and we all have a not-so-nice side.  God didn’t intend for us to “gel” with every single person walking.  He made us all different, and let's face it - sometimes we clash.  We all have “that person” we just really can’t stand to be around.  Or “that person” that drives us up the wall.  Or “that person” that is just too stinkin’ pretty for their own good and they make it a point to let everyone know.

But how many times do we let those thoughts affect our attitudes throughout our daily walk?  How many times do we let our kids hear us make degrading comments or insults about a person, someone who is supposed to be our brother or sister in Christ?

1 Corinthians 10:13 says this: 

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it.”

In Isaiah 55:8 the Lord says:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.”

So let’s think about this.  He’s already told us that we’re human.  There’s no temptation (or evil thought) that’s uncommon to man.  We all deal with it.  

BUT, he said bring it to me!  Don’t harbor ill feelings; they'll harden your heart.  Just bring them to me.  I’ll help you deal.  I’ll take your trash and turn it into treasure.  

The Lord doesn’t know evil.  His ways are much higher than ours.

BUT, he knows how to squash the enemy (and our bitter attitudes) when necessary.

This is the key…

2 Peter 1:3-8 says this:

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.   For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith, goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

I don’t know how much more straightforward you can get!  He’s laid it all on the line, given us a way to escape from our troubles, our stress, our worry AND our bad attitudes.  He’s told us exactly what to do with them and what will happen if we hang on to them. 

I may not always be in tip-top shape, but there are two things I definitely do not want to be: ineffective and unproductive.

I also like the way The Message lays it out, and it actually sums up the whole point of this post.

“So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others.”

The New Living Translation calls it “brotherly affection with love for everyone.”

I know a few folks who test my patience, my character, my friendliness, and they make it really hard to love generously.  But that’s what He has called us to do.  And how will our children learn to love generously unless they see us doing it?

So next time those thoughts meander their way into your brain, instead of building on the hurt, the ugliness, the bitterness… take it to Him.  Let him turn your thoughts into ones of basic faith and generous love.

What's He to you?

Tonight was one of those nights I couldn’t wait to climb in bed and shut my eyes.  But after lying there for an hour, my brain working in overdrive, jumbled thoughts running in circles, and (to be quite honest… because, hey, it’s my blog) a sort of sad heart, I prayed over and over and over again, “Please, Lord, clear my head of this mess so I can SLEEP!”

That prayer went unanswered, so here I am.  We’ll see where those thoughts take me.

I have had this problem lately where He'll speak something into my spirit that I feel I need to share.  But if I don’t share it right then… POOF!  It’s gone.  So I won’t procrastinate on this one.

To me, one of the best parts of summertime is watermelon.  Would you agree?  I don’t know about you, but I tend to be picky about my watermelon (and most all fruit, for that matter).  I’ll stand over the bin in Walmart for 5 minutes, picking through to find the prettiest, most perfectly round watermelon. 

Aren’t you so glad that’s not how Jesus treats us?  He doesn’t stand over the bin saying, “Nah, I don’t want that one; it’s too dirty.  Nope, not that one; it’s got too many bruises.  That one is so ugly on the outside, there’s no way it’s nice and juicy on the inside.”

He doesn’t care about our bruises.  Our dirt.  Our stains.  Our inconsistencies.  He accepts us just the way we are.  He made us in His image, for crying out loud.  Hopefully, we haven’t let our bruises (because we all have them) affect our heart.  Hopefully our bruises haven’t turned us into bitter Christians.  But even if our “issues” HAVE affected our fruit, he still lovingly allows us into His arms.

About a week ago, I started reading a new devotional that was suggested by a friend.  It’s called “Out of the Spin Cycle” by Jen Hatmaker.  WOW.  I am loving it.  I can’t go a day without reading.  And every single chapter has something specifically for me.  I swear, it’s like she’s in my head.  It’s a great read for all mommies. 

Yesterday, the chapter I read dealt with how we identify Jesus.  She states that we tend to identify Jesus with our “personal heroes, legends, and stories – as well as with our own parents, pastors, and leaders.  Harsh, compassionate, impossible to please, legalistic, kind, unfaithful, trustworthy, wrathful… we assign Jesus the labels we’ve known.  You and I have already done this.  As adults, we are finding our conclusions to be right or wrong, enjoying God’s true character or unlearning what we have misjudged.”

She goes on to mention the key point.  Our children are in the process of learning WHO Christ is.  They assign Jesus an identity according to the “spirit of their homes and the language of their parents.”  Whose job is it to help them decide who Jesus is?  It’s ours!

Jesus is all knowing.

Jesus is mighty.

Jesus is powerful.

Jesus heals.

Jesus loves.

That’s my personal favorite.  Who do my children say Jesus is?  Most of all, I want them to know that He is full of love.  Unconditional love.

One Sunday morning a few weeks ago, we were getting ready to walk out the door for church (literally had already set the alarm and had one foot on the first step) when Jase looks at me with tears in his eyes, cup in hand, and a big fat tea stain right down the front of his shirt.  So what did I do?  I came a tad unglued.  (Don’t judge… we all do it.  I admit my faults, and it’s not something I’m proud of.)  Sometimes I forget that he’s 6, not 16.  And that’s definitely one thing I’ve prayed a lot about and work on daily.  I have to stop and remind myself that life is full of spilled milk.  There’s just no way around it.  The one and only variable that I can control is MY REACTION to the spilled milk.

The best part of that story, however, is the fact that 5 minutes later, he hugged and kissed me and acted like I was still worthy of the #1 MOM award. 

Yes, I was upset.  Yes, I overreacted.  But did he still love me?  Of course, he did.  I’m his mommy & he will always by my baby.  He loves me unconditionally.  And that’s exactly how our Lord is toward his children.  His love is undeniable, no matter how many times we mess up.  He’ll never turn us away because we’ve become sour, bitter, bruised, or dirty. 

Unreserved.  Unrestricted.  Unlimited.  Unconstrained.  All out.  Complete.  Definite.

So when Jen said, “we must teach our children who Jesus is any way we can.  Assuming they will pick it up from church is irresponsible; there is no other relationship more important for us to nurture.  What good is it if our kids graduate summa cum laude but still think Jesus is angry, irrelevant, judgemental, or unreal?  They must know how he held babies and raised children from the dead.  They have to hear how he was the life of the party and loved the outcasts.  They need to understand he wasn’t killed or caught but that he laid his life down willingly,” and He would do it all again.

One day, someone may ask my children, “Who do you say Jesus is?  What’s He to you?”

It’s my job to make sure they have an answer. 

And my answer is:  Jesus is… unconditional love.

***(This blog post includes excerpts from Jen Hatmaker’s Out of the Spin Cycle: Devotions to Lighten Your Mother Load – Chapter 17 entitled "Tequila Sunrise")

You can purchase the book HERE! and I highly recommend that you do!

growing weary in doing good

Sometimes we find inspiration in the strangest of places.  During my daily, mundane chores as a wife and mommy, my mind often wanders and I’m reminded of His promise to me.

Today, He spoke through the laundry basket.  Crazy, I know.  Right about now you’re thinking, “She’s lost it.  Gone head first off the deep end.”  But I’m going somewhere with this… just stick with me.  And while we’re on the subject of craziness, currently, I’ve locked myself in the closet to write this blog post.  My youngest child is determined to listen to 10 seconds of every song loaded on the iPod, not to mention at FULL VOLUME.  The closet is my one and only quiet place to retreat.

Back to my wandering thoughts.

I don’t claim to suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (at least not a full blown case), but I do have some tendencies.  I’ll leave those for another day.  But when it comes to chores, I have a method to every madness.  A routine.  A checklist for every thing.  My laundry gets done on the same day, most every week.  But how long before it actually gets put away into its final resting place varies.  I really dread taking the clothes out of the basket and putting them away, even though it takes a total of, oh, 10 minutes tops.

The very last things to make it out of the basket are the socks.  And it never fails; they are ALWAYS inside out.  For some reason, my family doesn’t know how to take their socks off without pulling them from the top, thus causing them to be turned inside out.  And instead of taking 2 seconds to fix them, they are washed inside out.  I know, I know… this is not a major, life-changing dilemma.  But it BOTHERS ME.  Instead of being able to simply find the matches and fold them up nice and neatly, I have to take extra time out of my already busy day to turn them “right-side” out.

Every week when I complete this daunting task, I say to myself, “Self, WHY, oh why, can’t anyone do this correctly???”

Hang on, I’m going somewhere.

Today, I made the same old ‘ugh’ noise and began fixing the socks and finding their matches.  And I thought, you know, I could just put them together “as is” and let the boys deal.  I’ll teach them a lesson.  But, again, my OCD tendencies will just not allow me to do so.  I will not be able to sleep at night knowing the socks are inside out in the drawer!!! 

And that’s when the light bulb went off. 

He said, “Just because no one’s watching, you still must do what’s right.  I know you’re tired of fixing these silly socks, doing what you know in your heart is right & what I’ve called you to do, but don’t fret.  Don’t grow weary.  Keep doing it the way it should be done, and one day they’ll catch on.”

Now, He may not have actually spoken those exact words into my spirit, but it was the jest of it.  I just simply applied that to my daily walk with Him.

Colossians 3:23-24 says this… “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.  Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.”

Do you get it now?  Even though I get tired of doing what’s right, I have an obligation as a Christian to do what’s right.  Not for my kids, not for my husband, not for myself.  I’m working to please my Father.  He has called me to do what’s good and right, not just when I feel like it.  He’s called me to do it every single day that he gives me breath.

So just when you feel like no one is watching, remember that He is watching your every step, your every decision.  And it’s not like your good deeds will go unnoticed.  He says in His word that He will reward you.  Your heavenly inheritance will be outstandingly marvelous, not for making yourself look good, but for staying strong and fighting the good fight, even when you don’t feel like doing it.

The socks may be my nemesis, but I will fight the good fight and continue to “fix them” and do what’s right, even when no one is watching.

Galatians 6:9 “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good.  At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

One of these days, my family will learn how to fix their socks before throwing them in the hamper.  But until then, I’ll fold them with a joyful heart and look forward to my blessing.  

story of my life

how many vacuum cleaners can one person need?

nobody passes up free donuts!

my morning routine

 let it GO!

Mommy's idea of quiet time.... McDonald's playhouse

sweet brothers 

a glimpse

Did you read my last post?   If not, take a look.  It'll explain the unorganized thoughts to follow.

______________________________________________________

constant tug-of-wars

the never-ending baskets of laundry to fold

Superman... or SuperMOM?  I prefer the latter.

inside-out socks.  enough said.

finally done, only to start over

Let it GO.. and go, and go, and go.

smiling faces

filled with love.

real life drama

Okay, okay.  So my life may not be FULL of drama.  It’s pretty mundane.  

Just how I like it.

It’s been so long since I’ve opened up to my blog.  So many things get in the way.  But now’s as good a time as any.

Another thing I’ve neglected?  My camera.  It’s a shame that my hubby bought this thing and I’m so attached to my cell phone that I rarely drag it out anymore.  Instagram is just so much fun, and the phone is so convenient.  Excuses, excuses.

I’m challenging myself to document my “real life drama.”  It might not be nail-biting excitement, but it’s my life.  I chose it.  And I love it.  Every part of it.  From the dirty laundry (literal laundry, not Facebook), to the snotty noses, to the 2^nd day hair, to the exercise I have to force myself into doing, to the yoga pants I might wear one too many times in a week, to the not-so-healthy dinner on the table, to the kisses and cuddles at bedtime, to the unconditional love we give. 

This blog is about to take a glimpse into my

REAL world.