As hinted in the title of this post, I attended a Joyce Meyer conference last night here in Houston at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church. I went with a couple other houseparents and had such an enjoyable night full of praise, worship, and wonderful biblical insights from Joyce. The theme of her message last night was celebrating everyday life: focusing on the positives and giving your burdens to God. As Christians, we hear this message a lot. However, it's often so difficult to do and I definitely needed the reminder! As a foster parent to five beautiful children, the monotony of routine can easily creep in and sabotage the simple joys of everyday life. I need to take time out each day to just sit in appreciation of my life and all the amazing people in it. I need to revel in the laughter of our kids and let go of my mental "to-do list" every now and then! It's moments like these that will stay with me forever. Sweeping all the cheerios off the floor can wait a few minutes while my four-year-old shows me his new "ninja cape" or my six-year-old sings "Hakuna Matata" for the hundredth time or my three-year-old walks around in slippers 10 sizes too big for him with the silliest smile on his face or my two-year-old laughs uncontrollably as she pretends to be a monster and scares her big brother. Or even when my precious baby girl gives us a huge, adorable smile (usually right before a massive poop explosion). These moments aren't defined by how clean the kitchen was or how messy my hair looked that day; these moments are defined by the sheer beauty of God's perfect light, shining brightly through the eyes of a child.
Lord, help me to remember your love and beauty in every situation. No matter how many "burdens" lay in front of me, help me to see only You and to reflect only Your love to every person I meet. Help me to enjoy my everyday life. You've given me a great one.
“For the word of God is alive and active…” - Hebrews 4:12
No comments:
Post a Comment