For Jen:
No need worry, No need doubt
No biting nails, No need to pout,
He’s your Dad, Your biggest fan
The One who made the sun, the sand.
He holds the world, He counts your hairs
He’s made each soul, Knows all your cares,
We can not get, ahead of Him
He’s been there seen that, Has a plan,
You only need, To trust and wait
God will answer, Not too late
Rest your head, Calm your soul
God’s ways are more than wonderful.
ForGlorySake! –Anna
Ugh, I remember raising my voice at my kids when they were young. Not just to get them all in the car, but other times too, when I was so frustrated. I frightened them and that hurt my heart. It hurts my heart now.
I could not seem to get everyone to do what needed to be done. And there was so much to be done! Daily frustration was starting to become a real problem for me. How did David stay so calm? How did he always have a calm manner? Why was I so frustrated?
I lost my voice once from laryngitis. I heard my sweet little 4 year old say, “Mommy, you’re so nice today.” Crush. He was right. It wasn’t the words I used, but the tone and volume I gave in to. I needed help.
In the grocery store, I saw a book, She’s gonna Blow! Real help for moms dealing with anger, By Julie Ann Barnhill. Yikes, was that me? Did I really have a problem with anger? I bought the book and devoured it.
Julie used humorous stories to show me my root issue. She helped me see there was a trust-issue in my heart… or rather, a lack of trust. I learned – the more control I assumed of: schedule, homeschool, our home… the more frustrated I grew. And the more I tried to make everything work out just right, the more angry I became.
Letting go and letting God have His way allowed me to rest in Him.
Seems like a duh- moment now, but it was a real Aha then! A new Joy came with contentment in what we daily accomplished. I didn’t have to make everything perfect or everyone happy. I only needed to be faithful to One and He would cover the rest. I began to laugh more and enjoy our children more.
It took continued practice, but how thankful I am, to be free from anger.
ForGlorySake! –Anna
“Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act.” Psalms 37:4-5
For years my desires seemed so unfulfilled. I sweated and worked hard to achieve my goals; countless hours were spent in the ballet studio perfecting skills to get me where I wanted to go.
It took countless tries and fails, accepting lesser positions than I desired… until finally I surrendered all. I told God I was willing: to do what He wanted, to go where He wanted, to serve how He wanted. All of me for all of Him.
He answered that prayer, giving me new desires that quickly fulfilled all that longing. I got the opportunity to travel throughout the U.S. dancing with a Premiere Christian ballet company… sharing the Gospel and giving my testimony. I was living with and learning from other believing dancers, all top in their field. Amazing years…
And then Prince Charming showed up and swept me off my feet. Quite literally, carrying me away to a life of love, children and adventure! Such joy I’d never considered or imagined for myself. God’s plan was turning out to be so much bigger than mine.
What if it’s not our desires that God grants… what if it’s Him putting His desires in our hearts? His will actually becoming ours when we delight ourselves in Him? Any loss for me has meant gain in the hands of my LORD, because His plans blew mine out of the water!
ForGlorySake! –Anna
Wherever I go… wherever I am… He is there, with me. Waiting to hang out and catch up. Hear my thoughts, ideas, concerns. Speak to my heart. I love that!
“If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, Your right hand will guide me.” Psalm 139:9-10
As I walk down the street what a privilege it is to pray and praise my God for all I pass. So many incredible creations of His, moving around in front of me. Rich, poor, young, old, short and tall… they are His and His artistry shows in each one.
Do they know that He paid an immeasurable price to know them? That He desires to connect and communicate on the deepest level? That all of creation was made for them, the crown of His creating? Do they look up and see past what man has built, to what God made?
Oh what a gracious, merciful Father that allows for free-will, searching, trial and error… repentance and forgiveness and salvation in Jesus. What a God I serve. He is my LORD and my friend. I love all He’s made.
ForGlorySake! -Anna
When my mom (40) made Jesus her personal Savior, she shared Him with me (11). She taught me John 3:16 and other verses with hand motions. I had a hard time reading and memorizing things because of dyslexia, but using hand signs made it easier.
Everyday dropping me at school she would tuck her thumb in her hand and cover it with the other, “For I am hidden with Christ in God.“ Colossians 3:3. Then hold up 5 fingers spread, “Jesus-is-always-with-you” (just a reminder of Hebrews 13:5)
In teaching me about God and His care, I grasped that life wouldn’t always be easy, but I was not alone. He was my Covering and my Protection. I was to die (to all my selfish ways) because He was thriving inside me. I was not my own, I had been bought with a very precious price.
I belonged to the greatest King and Creator… a princess, royal and loved! These wonderful, precious treasures I hid away to pull out any time. I now pass the hand signs on to my kids. I do them every morning as my girls drive away.
The message is the same, “you are never alone, He is always with you.” Rich, abundant, joy-filled life in Jesus comes with a change of focus: off self and onto the only One Who is Faithful and True!
ForGlorySake! –Anna
It’s been a few years now since our “big move” in 2014. Life changed overnight when we put our home of 15 years 💔 on the market to live with and care for my parents until they went to be with the Lord. I wondered just how this was all going to work.
As time passed I began to see more clearly the fruit of our willingness. Caregiving and serving as a family offered valuable lessons we will never forget. It was an incredible opportunity to nurture and show compassion, to live outside of our comfort zone, and to give until it hurt. It had a huge impact on each of us.
Change of selfish ways took place as we worked together and supported one another. Never before had we taken on anything of this magnitude. God knew we were unprepared for the challenges of Alzheimer’s and dementia so He sent help through many!
And just as nothing done for Him is ever wasted, that season influenced all of us. Our children began to make education and career choices influenced from that experience. Our extended family grew closer. Our personal areas of ministry expanded.
God only asks that we offer what we have to Him… He will do the rest.
Faithful Father, thank You for using us in Your service. What a JOY it was to serve together ❤️
ForGlorySake! –Anna
2014
An update on exercise and nutrition. I’m 5 months into my new year and feeling strong. In January I was still running 3x a week with weight lifting on other days. I also began a “squat challenge”- 10 squats after every time I had to pee! That adds – Whew
By March I was ready to dive in again to the original P90x videos.. They are long with too much talking, so I skip to the exercises. I’m coming up on day 80 and will add some running back in after a time off for my hip.
I finished Keto, but have stayed lower carb – not really counting those per say. I do choose fruit & veggies over grains & bread. 2 drinks I consume EVERY day: BCAA/lemon/apple cider vinegar (pre-workout). And a low-carb protein shake (post-workout).
50s haven’t been bad! My neck & back ache more but I attribute that to sitting poorly while typing, sewing, painting… Energy is good, I only wish I could visibly see more of my muscles :/
Favorite snacks remain: raw nuts (toasted and mixed with Lily’s chocolate chips), Kirkland Nut Bars and any berries. ❤️ Goat or sheep hard cheese is a daily indulgence. We will be traveling to Spain this summer. I can’t wait to try their varieties.
After 1/2 a century, my one discovery: I don’t need as many calories as I used to, so I try to make them count nutritionally – paying attention to what’s in my food and where it comes from is #1. Stick to the garden.
Eat something healthy!
ForGlorySake! –Anna
I kept a book close at hand in 2010, Pearls of Great Price by Joni Erickson Tada. A quadriplegic woman who’s lived in a wheelchair as long as I’ve been alive. The wisdom from her experiences are rich treasures.
Her devotionals were with me throughout my husband’s cancer surgeries and hospital stays. She taught me about joy in the midst of pain. She explained her lessons had come at a great price, and she could not keep them to herself.
It’s intriguing that God doesn’t gift His children for their personal hoarding. He expects us to pass on our treasure, little or abundant… sharing all things: joy, hope, love and even pain.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Like loaves and fish He will multiply the results, blessing any struggling around us. We only have to speak up and share what we’ve learned.
Gifts gleaned through trials, are not for me to keep. These nuggets of gold are part of an endless cycle of receiving and passing on. Grace after grace. Beautiful ripples- larger and wider.
What has God taught you?
ForGlorySake! –Anna
I love that Jesus said, what’s impossible for man is possible with God. Luke 18:27. What a wonderful hope that leaves me with in the face of bad news or a devastating diagnosis, or any dilemma of monstrous proportions!
When a person’s heart won’t change or an enormous bill is due or a ridiculous deadline needs to be met… God can and God has! Not always the way I imagined He might, but He did, somehow. Because He is the God of impossible.
I hated walking through those stressful times, yet now I love looking back. It makes me cry to remember the way He held us and came shining through for His Glory. That’s how my blog came into existence.
So when today’s troubles present another mountain of impossibilities, I laugh. All I have to do is read back and see. He’s my deliverer! He remains the same today as He did then. Whatever gloomy prognosis – He’s bigger, He’s awesome-r, He’s the One and Only Maker of Possible!
ForGlorySake! –Anna
I remember begging my mom for a penny or even better, a nickel to buy a big gumball. That was the reward for going grocery shopping with her. Isles and isles of decisions and conversations with strangers. 😂 -sounds familiar.
Put the money in, twist the handle and out came the surprise every time. Unless the coin stuck… With parenting, I expected the same thing. If I followed the rules, worked the equation, the outcome would be predictable. Bah! Not so much.
It was quite a shock to me that corrections and warnings did not stick on some of our kids. Lessons I thought we had learned thoroughly were questioned repeatedly. Even strongly held family beliefs were met with doubt. Proverbs wasn’t playing out as I hoped.
If you have read my blog for a while, you may notice a common thread of concern for my children and their walk with God. Independent and strong-minded, they as a whole have been strong-willed in finding God for themselves. A great quality when yielded. A heart-ache otherwise.
But God… best phrase ever!… knew me and knew my babies and who they’d become. We have a deal: I love and pray like crazy and He does the rest. I promise not to lose hope and He promises to be my Hope always. I promise to lift high Truth and He promises to complete everything He started.
Oh why isn’t it as easy as coins for gumballs? Because, God is after real hearts of real people that will really love and follow Him of their own will. That’s a prize worth waiting for.
ForGlorySake! -Anna
Anna Etheriedge
David Etheriedge, Esq.
