Noelle

I was trying to get Noelle to sleep last night. Sometimes it's so easy...other times it's a challenge. Last night was a challenge. As I was lying there trying to keep my eyes open, Noelle was lying down, then sitting back up, just when I thought she was drifting off to sleep. I began to think that she may very well be a personification of my relationship with God.

Noelle is a very sweet baby. I'm so blessed to have her in my life...we all are. She's getting quite a personality...cute and sassy...and, of course, spoiled. :) Now that she's more mobile, she plays for a good amount of time by herself. But she does like for someone to be fairly near her...just in case she decides she *needs* to be cuddled.

Alas, my little princess does have two irritating flaws...she does not like to sleep and she doesn't seem to have (or want) any kind of routine to her day. When we lay her down for a nap, she may sleep 15 minutes...or 2 hours...one never knows. There is no rhyme or reason to it. Needless to say, she may take as many as 4 naps in a day. And she'll be up for as little as an hour or as much as 4-5 hours in between naps. Her bedtime at night is nowhere near consistent either. Sometimes she'll just lie down next to me and drift off to sleep...and sometimes she would rather me walk her to sleep.

So how does this personify my relationship with God? Well, for starters, I want to *see* Him next to me all the time, just in case I need a hug or something. Yes, I know He's always present with me...but it's not enough to intellectually know...I want to FEEL Him with me.

The biggest similarity, though, is the sleep issue...which would translate to resting in Him. There is no rhyme or reason to when I will. I may rest in Him for 15 minutes...or it may be longer. There is no rhyme or reason to it. And no matter how tired I am, sometimes I just won't give in and rest.

Noelle's name means Beloved Birth Day. That's no accident. It would seem that there has been a heightened sense of awareness of God's reality since the week I was in labor with her. I have definitely made positive progress in my pursuit of God and His true character. And it seems I have seen things about myself much more clearly since her birth.

One Thousand Gifts

I've been blessed to read Ann Voskamp's Holy Experience blog. She writes so beautifully, and I am so encouraged by her words. She challenged her reader's to write a list of 1000 gifts God has blessed them with.

1. walking my baby to sleep while I pray over her
2. a change in perspective, brought on by the words of a friend at dinner last night
3. peaceful moments to read a book
4. seven beautiful, wonderful children
5. a loving and attentive husband
6. a roof over my head
7. food on my table
8. clothes on my back
9. dear friends that I can share with my heart with
10. watching my two girls snuggled together taking a nap on the living room floor
11. listening to my boys helping each other with homework
12. fresh revelation
13. freedom to express my emotions to God without fear of punishment
14. David passed his insurance test the first time
15. playing soccer with a cereal box with Corey
16. tickle fights with Joshie and Kyle
17. sweet baby kisses
18. Noelle's belly laugh
19. the opportunity to teach my children
20. sharing joy with my children when they get good grades
21. singing songs with the littles for Bible
22. learning songs with Kaelyn
23. virtual dream shopping with Kaelyn
24. watching the Olympics with my children
25. witnessing a much-needed object lesson
26. the birth of a calf
27. hearing God speak to me, sometimes when I least expect it
28. watching my babies sleep
29. playing baseball with my children in the yard
30. listening to Joshie sing our Bible songs throughout the day

Forgiveness

I was blessed to read Jodie's blog about forgiveness today. At first glance, I had to laugh at the thought of *me* being able to do *that*! I can't honestly say I WANTED to do some of those things...much less being ABLE. But Phil. 4:13 says I CAN do all things THROUGH CHRIST who strengthens me. So I've decided to eat the elephant in bite-sized pieces. I'm going through the list...one step at a time...and CHOOSING to do each thing forgiveness means towards the people God has brought to my attention.

***BIG WHINE*** Why is everything such a seemingly long, drawn-out process????

KISS 2

To go along with my post on my *main page*....here's the prophecy for today...

"You have repeatedly been urged to release the past, and I tell you truly that as soon as you let go, doors of opportunity will open wide for you to move forward in spiritual progression. Separate yourself from the emotional strain of the difficult circumstances that you have endured. Only then will you see the value of the past experiences apart from the stress, and you will know that you have gained great wisdom and insight that will serve you well in the days ahead, says the Lord. "

Thank you, Lord, for confirmation!