moms Archives - Truths for Tots

Light Means More than Spring Has Sprung

Truthsfortots Cathy Jo's Blog March 13, 2015March 13, 2015children, family activities, family devotions, moms, parenting, scripture 0 Comment

Daily Truth: “And God saw the light, that is was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.” Genesis 1:4

Just as we begin to enjoy the earlier sunrise of late winter-SMACK-Daylight Saving Time is upon us.

Why do we enjoy beginning our day in the light rather than the dark? For me it is the singing of the birds, the beauty of the sun piercing through the dark, and knowing no matter what, God is in control with the rising of the sun.

Why are we disgruntled with extended darkness? I find it more difficult to get motivated in the darkness of morning-let’s face it-doesn’t a beautiful sunrise put a smile on our face?

The Bible uses the word “light” in this context over one hundred times. In the third verse of the Bible we read that the first thing God created was light. Genesis 1:3 “And God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light.”

It is amazing to think that the sun is just the right distance (92,960,000 miles) from the earth to provide us with warmth, food, and fuel. Any difference of distance would alter our life drastically. What a great God to create all things so perfectly.

Truths for Tots

Turn out the lights and then illustrate how a flashlight brightens the room and directs our path. (Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.)
Plan a camp out so the sunrise and sunset will illustrate the importance of light. (Genesis 1:16 Then God made two great lights, the greater to rule the day and the lesser to rule the night. He made stars also.)
Discuss how the LORD guides us and leads us. We do not need to be afraid of the dark. (Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; when shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?)

Truths for Parents

My grandmother lived to be 99 years old. She lived in the time period when the Wright Brothers flew their first airplane, Henry Ford brought cars to the masses, and Thomas Edison’s incandescent light bulb was perfected by William D. Coolidge in 1908 so that homes were lit by lamps rather that candles. My grandmother said that the best invention of her time was the incandescent lamp.

Light changes everything!

John 8:2 “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying,’ I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’ ”

As we walk through these days before Resurrection Sunday, may we prayerfully consider how Jesus is the light of the world. You no longer need to walk in darkness. You can have as much light as you want.

For more information about Jesus as the light of the world please check out the link http://www.blbclassic.org/knowgod.cfm .

Until the next “Truth” sharing moment,

Cathy Jo Johnson

The Value of Memories and Praise

Truthsfortots Cathy Jo's Blog January 14, 2015January 14, 2015christian, moms, Mothers, parenting 0 Comment

Daily Truth: “They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, And shall sing of Your righteousness.” Psalm 145:7 NKJV

How many times have you locked keys in your car, forget a dear friend’s birthday, or an appointment? We have lives that are fully scheduled. It is nearly impossible to remember everything on our plates if it were not for the alarms and calendar on our phone, computer, or sticky notes on mirrors and in cars. Our memories are on overload. To remember what is important to us takes planning and purpose.

If we want to remember God’s goodness it is going to take planning and purpose. How are we going to praise God if we do not remember what He has already done?

The Practice of Praise by Spurgeon shows us exactly in the title that praise takes practice. Practice is the “repeated performance or systematic exercise for the purpose of acquiring skill or proficiency.”

Spurgeon tells us that the first step to “mental philosophy of abounding praise” is to take “careful observation.” We must take note of things we want to remember. Do you take notes when you listen to a sermon, take pictures of your children at special events, or have Pinterest boards full of ideas that you want to remember?

If we want to remember something, we will need to have a way that helps us to remember what we have observed.

“The first thing, therefore towards the plentiful praising of God is a careful observation of His goodness.” Look for God in the moments of life. A child’s first step, freshly picked dandelions given to you by your child, a beautiful snowfall, waves rolling in by the sea are some of the moments we have committed to our memories. There are sad observable moments as well. In the words of Spurgeon, “Let rebellious spirits murmur as they may, goodness is enthroned in God’s kingdom, and evil and suffering are intruders there.”

“The greatness of the goodness is on some occasions made manifest by the evil from which it rescues us.” I think of the Olympian, Louis Zamperini, who was tortured relentlessly after being captured in World War II. No one knows the blessing of health better than those who have been through great physical, mental, and spiritual pain.

We need to practice careful observation of God’s goodness. Arrange photos and mementos in your home of wonderful family memories. This helps to provide an anchor so you can “abundantly utter the memory of [God’s] goodness.” By looking at good memories we can “link one idea with another” and thus associate God’s goodness with observable moments.

We know how a child can observe a tiny ant carrying a small piece of dirt that goes entirely unnoticed by us yet it is an amazing thing to a child. In this busy world, we too need to observe those things around us with child-like eyes of wonderment.

Dear Lord, help us to see things in this world with wonder and awe of you. Please give us this child-like wonder to observe with intention so we will fall more in love with you and the world you have created. Help us to purposely make memories that will remind us of your goodness. Help us to share your love and goodness through our praise of you with the children you have entrusted to our care.

Stay tuned as next week we will consider the second part of Psalm 145:7 in our study of praise.

Until the next “Truth” sharing moment,

Cathy Jo Johnson

Praying for My Children

Truthsfortots Blog, Guest Blog April 9, 2014children, family, moms, parenting, prayer, scripture 0 Comment

Daily Truth: “For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him.” I Samuel 1:27

Praying for my children.

Seems like such a simple task. Yet, how often I have failed in this area. Oh, I pray for my children.

“Help them to have a good day.’

“Help them to obey in school and to be kind.”

But I mean the type of praying for my children that parallels the pleading of the woman in Matthew 15:22-28 for her daughter.

This woman was so convinced that Jesus would heal her demon possessed daughter that she even endured the cruel remarks of the disciples.

She would not leave Jesus’ feet until her request had been answered.

She knew the power of “praying for my children”.

That’s the type of praying I am talking about. The type of praying for my children in which I plead for them at Jesus’ feet.

Having been forced to “be still” for 2 1/2 weeks this is one thing that the Lord really convicted me about. I mean REALLY convicted me.

I have this book entitled Praying the Scriptures for Your Children by Jodie Berndt. I started reading it during that time.

This book was what I needed. It is filled with scripture and encourages you to dig deeper into God’s Word.

Well, ladies, that’s what I did.

I started out by thinking of women in the Bible who prayed for their children. We already discussed the desperate mother of a demon possessed child earlier. But there are others.

Hannah – Samuel’s mom.

She so desperately wanted a child. Her husband’s other wife already had children and mocked Hannah because the “Lord had closed her womb“.

Elkanah was no help. He asked Hannah why she wept, and wasn’t he enough. Poor guy was clueless!

Hannah went to the temple to pray hoping to find peace and reassurance. However, as she was pleading with God for a son (specific prayer) along comes Eli and thinks she’s drunk.

(Thought: Have I ever prayed so fervently that people thought I was crazy?)

Hannah reassures him that she isn’t drunk and explains why she was there and for what she was praying.

Eli reassures her that God heard her prayer.

Hannah, in faith, returns home no longer sad. Talk about knowing the power of praying for your children.

Sure enough God heard her cry and answered her prayer for a son. Her prayer of thanksgiving has become one of the most famous verses for praying for a child and dedicating him to the Lord.

I Samuel 1:27-28 ” For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.” So they worshiped the Lord there.”

Eunice and Lois – Timothy’s mother and grandmother

Paul compares Timothy’s genuine faith to that of his mother and grandmother. Although scripture doesn’t specifically say that they prayed for Timothy, we’re smart enough to connect the dots.

Genuine faith doesn’t just happen. It is developed through scripture reading and prayer.

They saw the results of “praying for my children” .

Virtuous Woman

Once again scripture doesn’t specifically say that she prayed for her children. Yet, we can surmise that this is true based off of Proverbs 31:30.

“But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.”

She understood the necessity of “praying for my children”.

The next few weeks, I would like you to explore this topic of “praying for my children” with me. We are going to dig into God’s Word together.

You see, we aren’t just going to pray for our children. We are going to pray specific scripture for our children.

Here is what you will need:

– Bible

– Two journals (trust me)

– Highlighter

– Pen

– Glue

– Scissors (No, you aren’t cutting up your Bible)

– Access to www.Biblegateway.com (Although this isn’t absolutely necessary, it will be very helpful in locating scriptures.)

– A copy of Praying the Scriptures for Your Children by Jodie Berndt although not necessary it is super helpful.

Are you up to the challenge of not just “praying for my children”, but “praying SCRIPTURE for my children”?

Are you ready to have God work in your heart like never before?

Until next week,

Rebekah

Out of Commission: Lessons Learned from Being Still.

Truthsfortots Blog, Guest Blog April 2, 2014children, family, moms 0 Comment

Daily Truth: “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalms 46:10

Out of commission. Not something usually attributed to mom’s.

However, we’ve all been there at some point. We wake up with a headache or come down with the flu and…..

Wham!

We are out of commission for a few hours or even a couple of days.

Yet somehow the fam still has to be fed, kids still have to get to school, boo-boo’s still need to be kissed, etc.

That was me – out of commission for 2 1/2 weeks.

I knew it was coming. I prepared as best as I could with a checklist of items.

Freezer meals made – check.

Laundry done – check.

Sister here – check.

Clothes laid out for the kids for the week – check.

House cleaned – check.

Yet, somehow it didn’t feel like it was going to be enough.

The day came. Everyone was ready. Thus began my time of being out of commission.

Don’t get me wrong, I still kissed boo-boo’s and listened to how the days went for each child. But I didn’t move from my chair in the living room except for when absolutely necessary.

However, I must say I learned a lot while being out of commission.

So, here are “Lessons learned from an Out of Commission Mom”.

1. It’s OK to say “no”. We mom’s are so busy and we make ourselves even busier by adding extra burdens on us. Then we wonder why we have melt downs. It was so refreshing to be able to tell people “No, I can’t do that because….”. For 2 1/2 weeks, no responsibilities except for my family. REFRESHING!!!!

2. Devotional time can be refreshing. I have had a devotional book that I have been meaning to tackle for about 4 months and just never got to it. Well, I got to it and it forced me to go deep into God’s Word.

To my shame, too often my devotional time was a quick verse and a prayer.

I wondered why I would feel spiritually depleted.

When I was forced to sit, my devotional time was amazing. I would start and then look at the clock and an hour would have passed!

I’ll say more about this another week.

3. It’s OK to ask for help. My sister could only stay for a week. My mom helped as much as she could as well as my husband. But there were times we needed another set of hands. That’s when we called on our friends. It is amazing the friends that God brings in your life before you “need” help. When that time comes where you just can’t do it by yourself, those friends are there for you – ready and willing to help!

4. It’s OK to accept help when it’s offered. People would text and say, “I’m bringing a meal.” or “I am taking the littlest guy for a play date these days.” They didn’t ask. They just did it. All of those people made my recovery time so much shorter because I could get much needed rest.

Warning: Both asking for and accepting help can be very humbling.

5. It’s amazing how much help the kids can be. The house got cleaned, laundry got done, and supper was put on the table all with the kids help. Ok. So, it wasn’t up to “Mom” standards but it was sufficient and much appreciated.

6. Cards and texts were an encouragement. Can I tell you what it was like to get a card with a quick note saying, “Praying for you”? I’d get a text a few times a day from friends just checking up on me. Huge blessing.

7. My husband is the BEST!!!! “For better or worse” has been put to the test the last few years with God entrusted trials. Yet, my husband has always been there for me. I depended on him completely the first few days of my “out of commission” time. He never sighed or made a comment. He just helped.

Everyday he reassured me that he still loved me (despite wearing sweatpants and t-shirts for 2 weeks).

When I knew I was going to be out of commission for awhile, I was ready for it mentally. Yet, I wasn’t ready for the lessons that I would learn spiritually and emotionally.

Honestly, would not have chosen the path that I was put on, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.

Until next week,

Rebekah

Beating the Winter Blahs: Tips for Mom’s Survival

Truthsfortots Blog, Guest Blog January 30, 2014January 30, 2014moms, parenting, scripture, winter ideas 2 Comments

Daily Truth: “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22

I love the winter in the sense of what it represents such as snow, fireplaces, hot chocolate, sweaters, etc. You get the idea.

I actually even like the winter cold. Hats off to my New England blood.

However, driving the kids to school in -8 degree weather is beyond even the cold I can handle.

It is about this time of year that I experience the winter blahs. The Christmas tree is down, it’s dark when you get up and it’s dark by 6 in the evening.

Lately, the kids haven’t been able to go outside and play. So, the sibling rivalry has increased considerably.

When you do go outside, the winter wind takes your breath away.

So, here are some tips to help you beat the winter blahs.

1. Exercise. I know it’s hard to get outside, but even if you can do a little bit you will feel more energized. Go to a gym if you can. Child care is usually included in memberships and even a 1/2 hour of biking, walking, or treadmilling will do wonders for you and honestly for your kids. Today I biked and listened to my devotions on my IPhone. If the gym isn’t an option, there are lots of workout videos online. Find one and just do it. The kids may even find it fun to jump around with mom.

2. Read/ Listen the Psalms. The Psalms are such a source of comfort and can help you beat the winter blahs by reminding us of God’s promises. Download an app that will read them for you. Plug in and listen to a few chapters.

3. Listen to Music. Calming music has an amazing affect on the soul. We all know what upbeat music does to our kids. (You know what I mean – the dancing like crazy that happens in the store thanks to the “wonderful” music being piped in.) The opposite affect will occur with calming music. Pandora is often played in our house through these months.

4. Take a hot bath. This is my favorite winter blah breaker. After the kids are in bed, fill up your tub with sudsy water, light the candles, and sit and soak with a hot cup of coffee. Nothing like it.

5. Try to have a friend over. If you have a friend with kids similar ages to yours this is a wonderful break from the winter blahs. The kids to get to enjoy a play date and you and your friend can catch up. (Don’t worry about a messy house. If she is a true friend she won’t even notice.)

Mom’s are naturally busy. We often get so busy taking care of everybody else, that we forget that we need time to rejuvenate our souls and minds so that we can be the best mom’s and wives for our families.

Even Christ needed time away from His disciples. He often went into the wilderness alone.

The wonderful thing about winter is that it soon will pass. God has given us the promise of the seasons. Psalms 74:17 states that God made the summer and the winter.

Hang in there. The winter blahs will soon pass too.

Until Next week,

Rebekah