How to have a Meek and Quiet Spirit-Part 2

Yesterday, I began a study on what it means to have a meek and quiet spirit.  You're welcome to read along with me from a book by Teri Maxwell entitled, Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit.  While I don't homeschool my children, I am interested in learning how to have a meek and quiet spirit, especially with my children.  I hope you'll join me.

So, what do the words "meek" and "quiet" mean?  Meek is defined by Webster's 1858 Dictionary as mild of temper, soft, gentle, not easily provoked or irritated.  Quiet is defined as peaceable, not turbulent, not giving offense, mild, meek and contented.  I did not see the word weak in there at all, which is a connotation I always associated with these words.  In reality, I think it requires an inner strength.

I Peter 3:4 of the KJV Bible says, But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.  
Matthew 11:29 says, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. So, we see Jesus is meek.  Then, this is certainly something we should strive to be.  When you first envisioned yourself having children, how did you see yourself interacting with them?  Is it different than your day-to-day reality?  If you're like me, it probably is, unfortunately.  We don't always behave towards our children the way we had hoped we would.  Oh, we love them, and we start off each day saying, today will be different; I'll do things right today.  But within the first few minutes, we've already failed and we are left discouraged again.

So, what are the obstacles that keep us from having a meek and quiet spirit?  Let's look at some of those...Did your children wake up fighting with each other?  Is there a bed unmade that should have been made long ago? Is the sink full of dishes from last night? Is your husband unappreciative of all you do?  Did the alarm clock wake you up as soon as it seems you went to sleep?  Are you preoccupied with other personal or financial issues?  Most meek and quiet spirit robbers fall into the categories of fear, disorganization and anger.  I believe the Lord offers us great hope in helping us to overcome these obstacles.  "With God all things are possible", right?   I hope you'll continue to read along with me and see how we, too, can learn  practical, real-life ways to obtain this in our own lives.      

To Have a Meek and Quiet Spirit

Ok.  So, yesterday I had one of those moments where I was totally disappointed in the way I handled a situation with my middle son. You've never been there, right? I know, more than we'd like to admit.  He came in the living room when I was on the computer and just had a complete meltdown.  But how did I respond?  "You'll be ok, don't worry about it." and just shrugged him off and went back to what I was doing.  Wow.  NOT exactly what he needed from me.  I knew I needed to check myself.  I wasn't thinking of him, I was thinking about me and my own desire to finish what I was doing.  Then my mind flashed back to my own childhood.  If I had a moment like that, my mother would've stopped whatever she was doing and sat down and hugged me and let me pour out my heart to her.  Then, she would've softly tried to reassure me and tell me how much she loved me and all the positives about myself.  I definitely had not done that with my son.  So, I immediately stood up and went to my son, put my arms around him and hugged him and let him stay there as long as he wanted.

This is not a one-time deal with me.  I'm sorry to say that I've found myself responding in an irritated tone all too often.  I've been there physically, yes, but not emotionally.

It got me thinking about the kind of mother God wants us to be.  I believe He wants us to have a meek and quiet spirit as wives and as mothers also.  I am SO not there yet, and I've tried so many times in my own strength and it seems I can never succeed.  But, I know who can give me strength when I am weak-Jesus. He can help me be the mother that my kids need me to be.  So, I'll keep praying and seeking God.

With that, I'd like to do a little study on what it means to have that meek and quiet spirit.  I don't know how many posts it will be, maybe just a couple or maybe a few.  I'll be reading the book Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell.  I don't homeschool, but I'd sure like to learn more about how to have a gentle spirit like that.  So, I hope you'll join me and maybe we'll find encouragement along the way, together.

Worth Fighting For

Good afternoon all...I came across this song yesterday.  I'm sure you'll remember it from the movie Fireproof  with Kirk Cameron.  When this movie first came out, it got all America talking and The Love Dare book flew off the shelves in the stores.  It resonated with people as it let the 'cat out of the bag' so to speak.  So many couples were fighting with the same situation the movie depicted...fighting it in silence, not being able to share it with anyone, not knowing how to explain what the underlying problem really was. When we got married we promised to love our spouse forever, through whatever came our way...then the trials came and we began to wonder just how much we were supposed to take...maybe we should just cut our losses and get out.  Surely, God would understand, we deserved better.  But what about that vow we made to God?  What about that promise you made to your spouse? How much do you really love your husband or wife?  Are you willing to fight for them?  If you're a christian then you know we don't fight against physical things but against the spiritual.  The enemy would like nothing more than to destroy your marriage and your family.  If your husband/wife is unsaved, don't give up. I encourage you to get on your knees and fight for them in prayer. Prayer is your most powerful weapon in defeating the enemy.  Pray for their salvation and deliverance, pray for the walls to come down, pray for their heart to be softened and the anger and bitterness to leave. When God changes the heart, everything changes.  It may not happen tomorrow, it may not happen for years, but don't you give up on them.  Know that God is working and He will do everything in His perfect timing.  And while you're waiting, keep on serving the Lord.  Don't be depressed because you don't have the 'perfect' marriage.  Nobody does.  Marriage is always a work-in-progress and everyone is different.  It's a labor of love.  Faith requires an action, right?  So, while your waiting and praying, treat them kindly and lovingly, even if they don't seem to care.  You'll be honoring your vow, loving them even if they don't seem to love you.  It's all in your attitude.  Ask God to give you a love like He has for them.   He'll help you get past the hurt and pain.  Remember, it's not what you see on the surface, but it's the heart that matters.  Be patient and know that God is working and your victory is on it's way.  And what a glorious day that will be!!

How Strong Are You....Really?

Not long ago, I stood in the church sanctuary and sang the words: "draw me nearer; use me; make me more like you".  How many of us have sung these words and thought nothing of it, really?  We all want to be closer to God, but did you ever wonder how he accomplishes this?  Do we just wake up one morning and say, "Wow, I feel especially close to you today, Lord?"  Not exactly.  How do we grow close to our family members or our friends?  By sharing our lives with them, by sharing our hearts, by going through things together...you feel close to them because of a shared experience or an encouraging word during a difficult time.  Well, it's the same with God.  I believe that sometimes, we go through things because He wants us to look to Him for our strength, to lean on Him, to gain a greater understanding of just how much he cares and how awesome He is.  Sometimes when we feel there is no way out for us, He comes shining through in a way we could've never thought with our limited imaginations and all we can say is.."WOW-Only God could've done this!"   Trials are part of the learning process.  Not fun, no, but the victory will be worth it all.  How often do we get comfortable and think we're strong enough to handle anything, then with the first punch, we're down for the count and we see just how weak we really are.  We are nothing in ourselves.  We need to keep Jesus fresh in our lives everyday.  We need to be strengthened everday, not once a week or that time last month when we got slain out at the altar, but everyday.  You just never know when something is going to come your way and try to take you down-will you be prepared?  Will you be wearing your spiritual armour?  Did you just set it down for a minute to rest? In this day and age, we can't afford to take it off for an instant!  We have to be ready in season and out of season.  You never know when the enemy will try to sneak something in that eventually festers and grows into a full-blown trial that threatens your very salvation.  Be aware!  Stay Alert and always at the ready.  Don't get comfortable and relaxed, that's when you're a prime target and the enemy will jump when he sees any sign of weakness.  The devil is trying to deceive "even the elect" in this end day, but we as christians need to be paying attention-see it for what it is (an attack) and stand strong and fight.  How are you going to know that you're under attack if you don't stay in tune with your general.  You'll think it's nothing, just the wind.  But it quickly worsens and soon you can't even stand up for the fierceness of it.  Pray. Know your Bible.  Stay in tune with God-keep that line of communication open.  Pay attention to the still, small voice.  Know what God has to say about things-don't be swayed by popular opinion but know the truth for yourself.  When the enemy comes, quote the word of God to him and shoot him down.  Our God is greater than anything that comes our way.  Like the song says: "Our God is greater, higher, stronger than any other"  Whatever the enemy has put in your path to make you stumble, DON'T YOU QUIT.  So you stumbled or made a mistake because you let your guard down, realize it-repent and GET UP, start walking and singing and praising the Lord.  Our God WILL be victorious!  He's already won the battle.  He has a master plan and will work all things together for our good if we keep serving Him.  Keep on believing!  Give Him your situation and leave it there, don't pick it up again.  Trust Him to take care of it.  Don't let your situation rule you, your God is greater than ANY situation.  You speak the word of God to your situation.  Trust Him to do the rest.  You keep on believing!  There's no God like Jehovah!  Let this be YOUR year of Jubilee!  God bless you.

Rejoice...and get busy

Good Morning Ladies...We had our first snow of the season last night.  Hard to believe winter could be here already. Well, I was up early this morning so I thought I'd take a little time to write and hopefully encourage anyone who may be going through a struggle today.  When circumstances come, that's often all we see-it consumes our thoughts and clouds our vision.  It's very easy to sink into a depression and think there's no way out.  But, as our minister said last week, when circumstances come we have a choice...We can give into the depression of the circumstance or give it to God and let Him bring you through.  While reading with my kids this week, I was introduced to Kirtland's warblers or "birds of fire".  These birds nest in jack pine trees but the pinecones only open and release their seeds when it's very hot.  So, in order for these birds to have trees to nest in, the local forest rangers purposefully set controlled fires near these trees.  The fire is needed to make trees grow so the birds can have homes.  Now, I had never heard of these birds before and it sounded kind of strange to me.  But, when you think about it, God does the same thing with us.  He allows "fires" in our lives so we can grow spiritually.  How many times do we pray, "Lord, help me to grow in you." and then BAM, we're hit with a trial.  Trials come to test our faith and to help us grow stronger in Him.  Jesus asked the question, "Will I find faith?" when He returns.  Your trial, your battle could be right in your own home if you have a family member who isn't serving God, or at your job with a co-worker, or your finances, etc.  When you're faced with that everyday it can be hard.  But, I want to encourage you to make that choice to give your situation to God.  We cannot solve the problem ourselves and we don't always know what the right answer is.  But, God does and if we put our trust in Him, He will see us through.  Shine your light wherever God has placed you.  Rejoice!-Rejoice in your salvation, that Jesus set you free by His blood.  Let your light shine-don't let this problem cover your light so that no one sees it.  People are watching you-they're watching to see how you'll handle this and if your God is really real. So, get busy doing something-sing, pray, read, look for someone to help, exercise your faith.  The devil's time is short and he knows it so he's pulling out the "big guns" to try to bring you down.  Remember who your battle is really with, and fight him spiritually-on your knees.  That's what's going to set our loved ones free and bring them to salvation. So, Keep on Walking!        

Will you hear His voice?

In surfing the web this morning, I came across yet another prediction for the exact day and time of the Lord's return.  For a second, I wondered, could it really be?-then the words came to mind-"No man knows the day nor the hour.."  This is not the only prediction for the rapture that we've heard lately.  The latest thing in the news is of course the Mayan prophecy of the end of days being on Dec. 21, 2012 which even spawned the 2009 blockbuster movie "2012".  When I hear these things, my first response is "does it line up with God's Word".  The bible gives a clear description in Matt. 24 about the coming of Christ and the signs that would show His coming was near.  It's important to pay attention to the news and when you see these scriptures coming to pass, take heed and prepare so you'll be ready.  That doesn't mean we physically sell all we have and just wait out in the backyard looking to the sky for Him to come.  We certainly have to use wisdom and care for our families.  But I believe it means we need to prepare our hearts and make sure we are ready, spiritually, for His coming.  Will we know His voice when He gives the call?  When the angel Gabriel blows that trumpet will we hear? When was the last time we picked up our bible or prayed?  In John 10:27 it says "my sheep hear my voice".  How can we recognize His voice if we hardly ever talk with Him?  When I hear these things it just comes as a wake-up call to me to not get complacent and content with the hum-drum and routine of our daily existence, but make sure we stay focused and keep our eyes on Jesus.  In Luke 21:34 it says, "And take heed to yourselves, lest at anytime your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares."  We can get so caught up with our trials and even successes, that we forget and take our eyes off the end goal-Heaven, and miss out.  That would be the saddest thing.  So, when you hear all these things, just dig in closer to God, read and pray more, take time to explain God's word to your kids and to pray with them.  Teach your kids to check what they hear with what God's word says about things, so they'll know the truth for themselves.  You'll be surprised how much they understand and will remember.  The bible also says that in the end day the devil would try to deceive even the elect (that's a topic in itself for another day) so know God's word.  Write it on the tables of your heart.  "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."  (Luke 21:36)  And also, "And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.  Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not." (Luke 12:39-40)    God Bless you today.

He Sees the Bigger Picture

Good morning ladies!  It's so nice to be back blogging again.  I'm revamping again as this is definitely still a work in progress.  I'm still trying to find my footing in this new world of blogging, so I appreciate your patience.  This morning, I was reading to my kids from their daily devotional book and this thought resonated with me.  The scripture is from Jeremiah 29:10 and it says For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.  In the New Living Translation it reads like this: For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.  They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.   I don't know about you, but I know it's very easy for me to lose sight of the bigger picture in the face of the here and now.  How many times do we pray and cry out to God for something and the answer doesn't seem to come.  We think God hasn't heard us and begin to doubt his love for us.  But God sees the bigger picture and maybe the answer we wanted was not in His plan.  You know that old saying, "The grass is always greener on the other side"- Well, sometimes, it's not.  Sometimes we wonder if we've made the right choices in life, temptations come and cause us to doubt. But God's will is always better than we can wrap our fleshly minds around. He always knows what lies ahead and if we stay in His will and on the path He has for us, we will see in the end that He was right all along.  We will see that He was watching out for us, protecting us, keeping us from danger and ruin.  When I was a young teenager, I was in "love" with a guy for 3years who didn't care if I existed or not.  I used to pray and pray for God to let us be together.  I just knew I was the one for him.  Well, like most of you know from your own romantic experiences, love doesn't always turn out the way we planned.  Sometimes, we don't realize the qualities we really want in a spouse until we're older.  This guy was everything a young girl could want: tall, dark, handsome, a rebel, just like in the romances I was always reading. But he wasn't the one for me.  I actually met my husband as a young girl, but at that time I didn't think he was my type- bookish, loved computers, skinny, shy, etc.  It wasn't until much later (many years later) that I began to see him in a new light.  Little did I know he was who God wanted for me.   He had a sense of humor and was handsome (of course) but it was his character and inner strength that I was drawn to, his personality.  Sometimes, what we think we want now is not necessarily what we truly need.  Sometimes we see things at face value, when God sees below the surface to the heart of the matter. He knows what will be a good fit in all the areas of your life.  God truly knows us better than we know ourselves.  So, though we may not always understand, if we just trust Him, we can know that He'll give us what is really best for us in the long run-what will truly make us happy.  That love, that job, that home, that future; whatever it is you're longing for to bring you happiness, God has the perfect one for you that will fit you just right.  Don't try to rush things or take the first attractive offer that comes along-things are not always what they seem. Dig deep, pray, and God will let you know what the right choice is. Remember this: (Psalm 37:4-5) Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.  Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. You can't go wrong with that.   I hope you have a beautiful day!

                                           My husband, Chuck, and I on our first real date.