The Seasons of Motherhood

14
Oct
2020

Commit your work to the Lord

“Commit your work to the LORD,

and your plans will be established.”

(Proverbs 16:3)

I read this verse last month and it struck me in a different way. I have been reading a Proverb every day for years. I love how God brings different things to light at different times in our lives when we need them. It reminds us of His Sovereignty and of His care for us.

When we think of the word commit we think of fully dedicating ourselves to something. God wants us to fully dedicate our work to Him. As I read this verse, I was struck by the word “work” in this verse. I have 3 different things – work – that I do. I have been asking God for wisdom and direction in each of these, but never really thought about committing them to the Lord. As I started praying this prayer to the Lord, I began to see some changes.

God has given me the work that I do. He has seen me responsible enough and able enough to do that work. Do I turn around and commit it to Him? He has given it to me, do I give it back to Him knowing His plans are sovereign?

It is the laying the work that I do at His feet knowing that He knows what is for my best and for His glory. I began to pray “Lord, I commit to you my nursing job. I commit to you my real estate job. I commit to you my counseling job.”

As we commit our work to the Lord, then our plans will be established. It is the dependency on the Lord and the realization that He knows what is for our best. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom.8:28).

I have been praying this prayer for my daughter who needed to find a job in her field, and God provided her one. It may not be exactly what she is looking for, but it is a job that will challenge her and she will be using her degree. Praise God for His goodness.

In the idea of committing, we are relying on God. When we do this, we realize our dependency on Him and also realize His sovereignty. We may never understand “the plans that are established” by us for the Lord, but we certainly can use what He has given us to increase our faith in Him.

So when you drive to work tomorrow and the next day, or you get out of bed and sit down at your desk because you work remotely “commit your work to the Lord.” He gave you that job for a very specific reason. Are you seeking to fulfill that reason? Yes, it is to help provide for our needs, but what about the people you work with. Do they know you are a believer because you are honorable in your job? Do they see the love of Christ in your words and actions?

As you begin to change your prayer, watch how God answers and then be sure to follow His lead.

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19
Aug
2020

Joy and Sadness

“Even in laughter the heart may ache…”

Proverbs 14:13

This is the time when so many of us as parents have mixed emotions. I love that Scripture speaks to this. We are not crazy. It is normal. Many of us are sending our kids off to college (if they can attend in person) and we are happy for them, but sad for us. I am so excited for the next stages of life that all of our children are entering, but I am sad for the stage they are leaving behind. The blessing for me due to Covid-19 was that two of our daughters were home from college for five months rather than three months.

Every year since they started attending Cedarville University, I have taken a picture of them next to the door of their room. Now, we have two that have graduated and live in apartments. In a matter of two weeks all three of our daughters moved into new places. They are living in new places and entering new chapters of their lives. Isn’t it exciting to see what the next step is for them? Isn’t it exciting to see how our children embrace the new challenges that they face? Don’t you love the phone calls and the stories? I cherish all of these things.

When I look at what the converse of this would be, I am thankful for the growing pains. The converse is that they live in our basement and don’t become and do what God created them for. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God has prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10). God did not create our kids to be holed up in our basement. He created them and made them for the good works He prepared beforehand for them to do. I certainly don’t want to be in God’s way for the good work that He is going to do through them.

So as hard as it is to watch our children fly and be independent, let’s rejoice in the positives. Let’s focus on being an encouragement to them. Send them letters. Send them packages. Be available when they call and be a listening ear. Sometimes, they don’t want advice. They just want someone to listen. So listen well. Follow up with a text. Remind them how much you love them. Remind them who they are in Christ. Remind them that their identity is found in Christ and not in who their friends say they are or who they feel they are. In all of these wonderful reminders, we will remind ourselves that even though they don’t need us to cook supper for them they still need us. They just need us in different ways and part of our new job is to figure out what these new ways are.

Remember, your job as Mom and Dad is just as essential, it’s just different. Go figure out your new place. Your kids will be glad you did, and you will enter new doors of life as well. You may not move, but the Lord also has new and great plans for you. As believers, we all are “His workmanship.”

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01
Jul
2020
And above all

And above all

 

I haven’t written a blog post in a while. So much is happening in our country and everyone has such a wide variety of opinions about all that is happening. Of course, I have my opinion too. I hope we all do. Most importantly, I hope that we are able to engage each other in a peaceful conversation whether we agree or not and try to understand the perspective of the other. As I watch the rioting and the looting and rhetoric that continues to plague our country, I keep thinking about two words – RESPECT and PEACE.

As a little girl, I grew up in a predominantly white community. We were very poor and were even on food stamps for a while so we could have food to eat. I just learned this week that my grandparents even paid our rent for six months. I remember how hard my dad worked and how much we struggled, but that did not negate any of the values that we were taught. Just because we were so poor, it did not mean I was ever allowed to be disrespectful to anyone. Just because we were poor did not mean that we were not taught the value of work. Just because we were poor did not mean that someone owed us anything. 

No one owed us anything. We had to work for it.

I was never taught that someone’s skin color meant anything other than they were different than me. The song I learned as a child keeps going through my head “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red, and yellow, black, and white; they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.”

I not only learned this as a child but I internalized it. Jesus loves all people and therefore so should I.

As parents, we have a responsibility to teach our children. God loves all people and so should we.

The part of all these demonstrations that is disturbing is the vandalism that is taking place. Our country has given us the freedom to protest. Our country is a country of the people, by the people, and for the people. We have the freedom to let our voices be heard. This is a wonderful freedom that we enjoy.

What has gone terribly wrong with these protests is the disrespect that has come from them. Disrespect does not breed respect. Two wrongs do not make a right. If someone wants to be respected, they must also show respect.

If we want to experience peace, we must pursue peace.

When I see protesters yelling at police men/women, I want to ask what they think they are accomplishing. When vandals run through stores looting and setting things on fire, does that make the shop owners want to stay in those areas?

The other thought that keeps running through my mind is a question that Jesus asked, “Whoever is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone…” (John 8:7).

None of us are perfect. We have all committed wrongs. There needs to be justice, and this needs to be balanced with grace. I don’t know where the balance is. Sometimes there needs to be more grace given and sometimes there needs to be more justice applied. The problem we are seeing today with the looting and the rioting is that the mobs are not seeking peace, rather they are taking justice into their own hands. When the people take justice into their own hands, there is no restrictions and no boundaries. It is chaos. When a police officer steps out of bounds and does the wrong thing, there is justice.

My heart grieves for all who have lost their lives during this time of turmoil. So many senseless deaths. I am saddened that George Floyd died and the means by which he died. Since his death more than five people have died, countless have been injured, and millions of dollars’ worth of property has been damaged.  Is this the answer to the problem? Do more wrongs make it right?

I grew up learning that hard work and respecting others was something to be valued. Are these no longer important values? I believe that we need to get back to what is important.

Respect.

Peace.

Life.

All life.

Love others and treat others as we want to be treated.

“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” (Col. 3:14, 15).

 

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27
May
2020

And the Peace of God…

I planted my garden this week. It is exciting to think about all the plants and seeds I planted and all the harvest we will be able to enjoy in the weeks and months to come. It is with eager anticipation, I walk out to my garden each day and look for the seedlings to emerge from the soil. Those few weeks of waiting for the seeds to appear is always a test in my patience. Will the seedlings actually appear? Once they do appear will the bugs or the deer eat them all?

There is one guarantee in this whole process. If I plant bean seeds, bean seedlings will appear. If I plant corn seeds, corn seedlings will appear.

We like to have guarantees. We like to know the outcome of things. We like control.

That is not the age that we are currently living in though, is it? Times are uncertain. The future is uncertain. We do not know exactly how this current crises will affect our health, our jobs, our economy, or our lives.

I have been looking at Philippians 4 over the last few weeks, and have been challenged in my walk with the Lord as I have meditated on these truths. I have found real encouragement in the truths of Scripture and I feel the need to share this knowledge with those of you who want to read what I learn. Thank-you for reading and learning with me.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  (Phil. 4:6, 7)

We looked last week at Philippians 4:6 and being anxious for NOTHING. The rest of the verse says we should take everything to the Lord and be thankful for it.

It is hard to be thankful for the hard situations in life: Covid-19, stay home orders, loss of job or wages, not being able to see family and friends, sickness, and even death. But yet, have you ever thought that God has given us a prescription for life?

The prescription and the result of following the prescription are given to us.

The prescription:

  1. Be anxious for Nothing
  2. But in everything by prayer and supplication-take everything to the Lord
  3. With thanksgiving
  4. Let your requests be made known to God

The result:

  1. The peace of God which surpasses all understanding
  2. Will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus

 

How many of us thrive on strife? How many of us like the feeling of being anxious? God has given us the prescriptions of what we need to do so we can experience peace.

The troubles of tomorrow may not come, so why do we allow ourselves to be anxious about them?  If we do have a concern, we need to pray about it and be thankful for what God will do in the situation.

The best part of all of this is that the results are predictable. If we do what God says we will get predictable results. Just like in my garden when I plant corn seeds, I will get corn to come up. Don’t we like to know what we are going to get when we invest in something?

If we follow what God tells us to do in Philippians 4:6, we will reap the benefits that God told us about in Philippians 4:7.

Do we not want peace?

This peace is so amazing it is beyond what we can understand. We will sit back in our seats and be amazed at the peace we are experiencing because we followed God’s prescription.

The verse does not just say that we will get peace, but it also says that our hearts and minds will be guarded. What is it guarded against? If we follow the prescription, we will be guarded or protected from those feelings or thoughts of anxiety.

This result all happens in Christ Jesus.

So will you follow this prescription? No one said it’s going to be easy. Working in my garden isn’t easy, but I do so love the results. I know that there have been hard things in your life that you have done and when you finished, did you like the results?

So in the midst of all the mixed messages we are receiving daily in the news, be thankful. Pray for our leaders that they will be wise. Use these opportunities to teach your children. Show them how to live in a time of uncertainty. Then show them what the peace of God looks like.

 

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 2 comments
20
May
2020

Nothing

During this time of quarantine, there is conjecture by all of us. What if this happens or what if that happens? What if I get sick? What if I lose my job and cannot pay my mortgage? What if all the stores run out of toilet paper? What if we will never be able to go to a sporting event again? What if life never returns to the normal we knew before Covid-19 hit?

Have you thought all of these thoughts and considered all these things? I think many of us have thought these things, been worried about these things, and maybe even lost sleep over these questions.

I remember before 9/11 what things used to be like. Do you? I remember flying with my 2 oldest daughters by myself to visit my parents. One of them was young enough to sit on my lap and the other sat in a car seat on the plane. On the return trip, my dad came on the plane and helped install the car seat for me. Today, he would not have even been able to help me to the gate. We have adapted to these changes and now consider them common place. Those of us old enough remember life before, but we have adapted and become accustomed to the new post 9/11 normal.

So that same thing will happen to us with this crises. As things are beginning to slowly open up and life is slowly returning to “normal” we will see changes. As this is happening, will it do us any good to be anxious for the “what ifs?”

One of the verses that most of us have memorized or are familiar with is Philippians 4:6.

 

“Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication

with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

 

I like to sing. I know lines of songs, but not always the whole song. There may be a word that I hear that reminds of a song and so it prompts me to break out into song, even if I only know one line to the song. I also like to make up songs. For some reason I made up a little ditty, “Nothing plus nothing equals nothing.” And I just repeat those same words. So what does the word nothing mean? Well if you are trying to pour some water into nothing it would spill all over the floor. If you tried to drive nothing you would look ridiculous. If you tried to wear nothing, you would look like the Emperor who wore no clothes.

Nothing is nothing. What does God tell us? To be anxious for nothing. When we start living in “what if” land, is it reality? Is it an actual event or is it nothing? “What if” is not actually anything, it is nothing. So why do we worry about the “what ifs” when they are not a present reality, but rather not a thing (NOTHING).

So as situations begin to happen in our lives, what is it we are supposed to do?

First, do not be anxious about what has not yet happened because it is nothing. Who says it is going to happen? Why are you worrying about something that has not even happened yet? It might not even happen.

Second, when something does happen we must pray and thank God for what has happened and presents our request to God.

Would we ask our friends, spouse, parents, etc. “I need something, but I don’t know what it is?” We go to someone with a specific request. So we must treat God with that same type of request.

Here is my challenge for you. Take life one day at a time. We must plan, but do not be anxious about all the “what ifs” all the “nothings.”

Remember lamentations 3:22, 23 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, hi mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

God’s mercy is what we need each day. I wrote a post about this a few weeks ago. http://www.dannadykema.com/new-morning-mercies/

Be anxious for nothing. Remember God’s mercy is new for us each and every day to help us handle the actual problem that comes our way rather than the fabricated one we tend to make up in our minds.

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 0 comments
13
May
2020

It’s Not Supposed to be This Way

In the last few weeks in our house, we have celebrated a college graduation and Mother’s Day. We have seen the governor of Michigan extend our “stay home” order until the end of May.

I have realized one thing: we all take the circumstances we are dealt and either make the most of them or long for what we want things to be.

I have been honored to watch my daughter who was supposed to graduate last Saturday handle the cards that have been dealt to her with grace and joy. There were tears and there was disappointment, but she decided to make the most of the situation. I don’t think any senior given the choice of virtual graduation or drive-thru graduation vs. the full regalia standard graduation would choose the graduation that they have been dealt this year. What I have seen along with all of you are brand new memories being made that no one else has ever made. What a unique graduating class these 2020 graduates are.

Denise, I am proud of you for standing tall and meeting the challenges of this year with grace and joy. You have had many difficult experiences in your life and you have chosen to not allow this disappointment to be “the last straw” rather you have chosen to let this disappointment be another experience of growth. Watching you go through yet another challenge in life reminds me of the following verse.

“No only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5).

 

I have seen you endure and fight hard to get back in shape after brain surgery and two ACL repair surgeries. I have watched you suffer through multiple disappointments in life and seen you become more empathetic with those who suffer. You have compassion on those who are hurting. You are strong as you meet life challenges.

As we celebrate Mother’s Day, I couldn’t be more proud, Denise, to be your mom, and as I have watched my other two girls go through various trials and joys in life, I realize that God has given me a front row seat.

As a parent, God gives us these sweet ones to raise and nurture and influence for His honor and glory. What an amazing privilege. As parents, God has entrusted us with a treasure. Each one of these children that God has given to us is a special individual that God has made in His image. Each child is like a priceless diamond that God has given to us to protect and raise for Him.

As we raise our children and live each day, how will we respond to the trials of our days? How will we respond to the continued stay home order? How will we respond when we go through trials? How will we respond as our children go through trials?

Every day, our children are watching. We may not think about them watching and they do not realize they are watching, but they are.

If we want our children to face the challenges of life with courage, we must too. If we want our children to face the challenges of life with God, we must too.

So Mamas and Daddys, remember the treasure that God has given to you each and every day. Live out your faith before your children. Show them a love that is overflowing. Show them a compassion that will reflect the compassion of your heavenly Father.

Denise, I am proud of you. I am so proud of your accomplishments. This graduation and the diploma that goes along with it did not come with ease, but rather with much fight and tenacity. You have worked hard to get to this point, and as your mom I could not be more proud.

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com, 2 comments
06
May
2020

New Morning Mercies

Are you feeling discouraged over the turmoil and mixed messages we are receving regarding this Covid-19 virus and all the restrictions? We here in Michigan still have a few more weeks for our stay at home order. Now that the weather is nicer, it is harder for people to stay home, plus they have been staying home for seven weeks now. I don’t think staying at home is the worst thing for some people. For some people, the worst thing is the question of their job. Will there be a job for them to have once this is all finished. Will their unemployment run out before they go back to work? There are so many variables that some do not have the answers for.

As I was laying down for my Sunday afternoon nap, I was thanking the Lord for who He is. He is compassionate, loving, and full of grace. Then I thanked Him for His mercies “that are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3: 22, 23).  As I was drifting off to sleep, I thought “why is it that the only attribute of God that says that it is new every morning is His mercy?”

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.” (Lamentations 3:22).

“…according to the riches of His grace. Which He lavished on us…” (Ephesians 1: 8, 9)

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you…” (II Peter 3:9).

God’s love, His grace, and His patience are steadfast. They do not change, but God’s mercy is new every morning.

God’s mercy is new every morning not because of who God is, but because of who we are.

If we ponder for a minute the definition of mercy-God NOT giving us what we deserve-we realize that God’s mercy being new every morning has more to do with us.

It is not that yesterday’s mercies were bad or inadequate, rather it is that yesterday’s mercies were for yesterday’s troubles. Today’s mercies are for today’s troubles.

We have a tendency to look at the “what if’s” of tomorrow and try to solve those problems today. Those are tomorrow’s troubles not todays and you do not have the mercy that you need for the troubles of tomorrow.

Does that mean that we should not plan? Does that mean we should not prepare for what will come tomorrow? Absolutely not. We should plan for tomorrow and prepare for tomorrow. The farmer must prepare in the spring to harvest his crop in the fall, but he cannot bring the “what ifs” of tomorrow into today. He must plant his crop in the spring. He cannot be worried about if there will be enough rain or too much rain. That is tomorrow’s trouble and that trouble will have a fresh dose of mercy for that day.

What are you worried about? Whether you will get back to work before your unemployment runs out? Whether you will get sick with Covid-19? Whether this home restriction will ever end?

Those are tomorrow’s troubles and we should let the mercy that God will give us tomorrow take care of the trouble that will come tomorrow.

“Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life what you will eat or what you will drink nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and body more than clothing? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:25, 27).

If you think about tomorrow, will worrying put food on your table? Will being anxious fix that troubled relationship? Will worrying cause you to have clothes to wear? Will being anxious add one hour to the end of your life?

God’s mercies are new every morning. If you get down to your last meal in the refrigerator, God will give you the mercy for that day when it comes. Why worry about it today? If your unemployment runs out, God will give you the mercy in that day that you need for that struggle.

Remember:

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations3:22, 23)

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 4 comments
29
Apr
2020

I Hope in Your Word

Here we are facing more days of the “stay-at-home” order from our Michigan governor as she extends this stay home order to May 15. While I appreciate her desire to decrease the spread of the virus, I also think that the citizens of this great state understand the severity of the virus and the risk involved to each individual if one should get the virus. I see people that are careful when they go to the grocery store. People don’t get near each other. People are wearing masks. The grocery stores are cleaning like never before. We have all learned our lessons on how to prevent the spread of the virus.

During my time with the Lord each morning I spend time praying through the Psalms. I am currently in Psalm 119. I especially liked the following verses and felt like they are so applicable to us as we all face different challenges of our own. Everyone is dealing with these restrictions and struggling with them in different ways, yet God’s Word is relevant to each of us in our situation.

145With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O LORD! I will keep your statues.    146I call to you; save me, that I may observe your testimonies.  147I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your  words.   148My eyes are awake before the watches of the night,  that I may meditate on your promise.     149Hear my voice according to your steadfast love; O LORD, according to your justice give me life.  150They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose; they are far from your law.  151But you are near, O LORD, and all your commandments are true. 152Long have I known from your testimonies that you have founded them forever.                                                           (Psalm 119:145-152)

As you read these verses, notice the first part of each verse in the first five verses. Life is hard. We have difficulties and challenges that seem overwhelming. We cry out to the Lord with our whole heart, we call out to God, and we are awake at night because of the challenges that face us in our lives. The author of this Psalm (probably David) knew challenges and heartaches. We have these in our lives too. Those that are facing unemployment. Those that cannot pay their bills. Those that are sick with the virus. Those that are sick with the virus and cannot work. Students who have had their school years disrupted. The list of the challenges that we all face are many. These challenges cause us to struggle emotionally because the current events and the unknown events of the future are challenging.

That is the beauty of these verses. We cannot hope in the circumstances around us. If we spend our time focused on them and worrying over them it will do nothing more than cause us to be discouraged. So what do we do?

The Psalmist says he cried out to the Lord. He asked the Lord to hear him. The last part of each of these verses then tells us what to do. Focus on God’s Word. Keep God’s laws.

This crises that we are in will not be the last crises that you will face, nor is it the first crises that you have faced. How have you handled previous crises?

Over the last year and a half I have been memorizing scripture. I have memorized Psalm 145, Daniel 9:3-19, Psalm 103, and now I am in Colossians 3:1-17. What I have found as I have committed myself to not just memorizing Scripture, but rehearsing it when I go on my walks in the morning, when I drive in the car, or when I lay down at night to sleep is my focus has changed. It has been a slow and a gradual process, but I have noticed in myself that I do not worry as much. I do not focus as much on all the negatives that happen. When something bothers me I do not hold onto the bad feelings for as long.

God’s Word via the memorization of it has transformed my heart. I understand the words that the Psalmist wrote in these verses. I have worried about things and been in turmoil over them, but then I remember God’s Word.

I challenge you during these extended days of our “stay at home” order to memorize Scripture. Do something productive rather than sit and fret over all that is wrong. Focus on what you know to always be true no matter the circumstances: GOD’S WORD.

…I hope in your Words. (Psalm 119:147)

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 2 comments
22
Apr
2020

Are you content?

We are in our sixth week of quarantine. How are you coping? What things are you going to take away from this experience? Have you ever noticed that when a challenge or an obstacle arises it brings out your worst? There is a reason for that.

Here’s an illustration to help you understand this. Say you have a cup of hot tea. When you bump that cup of tea, what comes out of it? Tea, of course.

The same is true with us. When we have a difficult situation come into our life that is the “bump,” and what comes out is what is in our hearts.

So during this Covid-19 crises, what is coming out of your heart making itself evident in your life?

My guess is one of the top things is lack of contentment.

So what is at the heart of not being content? It is an ungrateful spirit. If we are not thankful for what we have, then it is easy to complain about everything we do have. Paul tells us in I Thessalonians 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” No matter what the situation we are in, we should be thankful. We should even be thankful for the situation. That is the hardest thing to do, be thankful for the situation. Yet, Paul tells us in this verse to be thankful in every situation. Paul does not tell us that it will be easy, but he does tell us what to do. Be thankful in all circumstances.

During supper at my house, we have been sharing one thing we are thankful for. It has helped us to see the positives like a Zoom meeting with friends, a phone call, playing games with friends online, getting things done we didn’t have time for before, a delivery from Amazon. So many things that we used to take for granted, we now are thankful for.

I hope that this this crises is giving us a new appreciation for things that we once complained about.

Who used to dread going to the grocery store? Now, it’s our favorite thing to do.

What about going to church on Sunday? Did you barely make it in time or wish you could stay in bed longer? Now we can stay in bed till 1 minute before the service starts or we can even wake up and watch the service in our PJ’s in bed. Don’t you miss being with other believers?

How many of us wanted extra time to get some things done. Now we have that extra time to get extra things done. We might be careful what we wish for next timeJ

I would encourage you to think about what your take aways for this are going to be. Take some time (which you have) and consider what you have learned during this time.

Remember how valuable it is to have a schedule. Rather than getting to the end of your day and feeling like you accomplished nothing, arrive at the end of your day with a to-do list or a schedule with everything crossed off. I love the days I make a schedule and all that I am able to get done. I also have some days that I have a general guide to my days, but I leave a little margin in those days too. It is nice for me to have a balance of scheduled and unscheduled days. I appreciate them both more.

If you have not started finding something to be thankful for each day, start today. It will help you to become more content.

If you haven’t developed a schedule yet, start today. Set your schedule up for tomorrow and stick to it.

Don’t let this quarantine be a wasted time in your life. Make the most of your time. What is coming out when you are bumped?

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 0 comments
13
Apr
2020

Happy 22nd Birthday, Denise

Happy Birthday, Denise! You are an incredible blessing to our lives. It is hard for me to remember a time when I was not a Mom. The last 20+ years have been the biggest blessing in my life. I never knew that being a Mom would be so fulfilling and rewarding, and I am so thankful that God has given me the privilege to be your Mom!

I am so proud of the young lady you have become. God has sent to you many trials and you continue to grow stronger and more mature with each trial. I have never heard you complain in the midst of each trial. You just keep looking for the positives and allowing God to stretch you and grow you through them.

You have had brain surgery, two ACL repairs, and now the end of your senior year in college has been disrupted by a small little virus. You have missed out on so many things, BUT you have chosen to not let the trials dictate your response. You have chosen to continue to hope and trust in the Lord. You have chosen to make the most of each situation. You have chosen to take the negatives and make them into something positive.

I love your heart for discipleship. It shows that the love you have for God is something you want to share with those who are around you.

I love your heart for children. You love them with an unconditional love. Not just do you love them, but they love you. Kids are drawn to you.

I love to work outside with you. We seem to be able to turn any work project into something fun.

You love to work with your hands, and get them dirty. You also enjoy keeping them clean while you make something creative in the kitchen.

Your smile and laugh light up any room and bring joy to anyone’s face that hears it.

You have a heart for serving our Lord by serving others.

So today, on your birthday, I know that this is not the way you had planned to spend your birthday, but I hope that you see this day as you have seen all the other days that didn’t turn out quite how you thought they would. I hope you continue to see all the blessings in your life. I hope you see all the people that love you AND you feel loved and cherished. I hope that today is another day in your life that you continue to see God’s faithfulness in your life.

HAPPY 22nd BIRTHDAY, DENISE!

Posted by ddykema5@gmail.com in The Seasons of Motherhood, 0 comments