If You Too Wrestle With Self-Depracation....

I have wrestled with having high expectations of myself all my life...anyone who knows me has probably lectured me on granting myself grace.  I wish I could tell you I had mastered this today but it still lingers in different ways in my life.  The great news is, I am finally believing truth and laying down a ton of that extra weight.  It feels incredible.  I feel free.  I feel peace.

If you've been there, you might like this excerpt from a bible study Amy Garrison blessed me with last year...

We are simple people.  You can't remember ten things at once.  Invariably, if you could remember ONE true thing...you'd be different.  Connect one bit of Scripture to one bit of life...apply one relevant thing from our Redeemer to one significant scene in your story.  Bring one bit of the Bible to one bit of your life...You can't deal with it all at once.  Scripture never does...life goes one step at a time.

So we see that the mark of true spirituality doesn't require ten giant steps forward.  One step at a time is sufficient.  In fact, you could argue that choosing one area of growth in godliness is an expression of humility.  It's a humble acknowledgement of our serious limitations as "simple people".

And what's more, growth in one area almost always affects every other area of our lives.  So rather than lament about the twenty ways we need to grow in godliness, let's be encouraged that as we isolate just one and devote ourselves to change in that area, by the grace of God it will affect the other nineteen.

Books I Love and Why...

Oh man, have I been truly blessed this year with some amazing books!  For those of you who are avid readers...you know what I am talking about...the joy of finding a great read. A book you can't put down because it transforms your thinking and after reading it, you're forever changed.  It's been one after the other since March and so I thought I would share them with you. I feel like I could sit at a book club and talk for hours about each one of these books.  Hope they bless you as well!

1)  "Heaven Is For Real" by Todd Burpo...because I've lost someone and it brought me peace and hope and forever changed my perspective on Heaven.

2)  "The Shack" by William P. Young...because it was the best depiction for me so far, of what God's grace actively looks like.

3)  "Have Heart" by Steve Berger...because they knew my pain and they forever changed my perspective on how close Heaven and Earth really are...that are loved ones who have passed are still very alive, active and aware of us here.

4)  "Same Kind of Different as Me" by Ron Hall and Denver Moore...because it showed me how ignorant I was to homelessness and just how much I needed to be taught about it.

5)  "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett....because racism was and is real and it's disgusting. It made me ashamed to be white...as I think it should have.

6)  "Kisses From Katie" by Katie Davis...because their is a stirring within my spirit to do more and to live differently and to walk by faith alone. Her story blew me away.  I am forever changed.

7)  "Lies Homeschooling Moms Believe" by Todd Wilson...because it is freeing and hilarious and it has taught me to take a deep breath and enjoy my days.

What are some of your favorite reads?  I am always looking for a great read...got any ideas for me?

With love,
Annette

Thankful...

Just had an incredible night with some incredible friends...riding the high from cultivating friendships...what a blessing it is so be able to meet people you instantly connect with.  So thankful for people who are open, real, teachable, fun, transparent, seeking, wise and humble.  It is so freeing to be with people who share your same struggles and get what you are all about.  It feels like a gift from God tonight...to be able to have done that.  We were able to laugh about the funny things our children say to us, laugh off our extra belly weight, compare notes on how we run our home school day and squelch some of our fears...

I know God gave us community and team ship for a reason and I am thankful to have it in my life.  I am thankful, like always, to hear Ali sing and to see her filled with joy...to hold my nephew Maddux in my arms and to hug Ali's new husband and constantly be reminded that God heals and restores us if we ask and if we let him...

I am thankful for getting a sitter and having a night out so I can be refreshed and filled...which ultimately blesses my children and my marriage... I am thankful that I don't let guilt talk me out of that...for knowing it's value and feeling it's benefits.

I am thankful for my husband who works crazy hours to bless this crazy home we have.  I am thankful for all my babies who are tucked in safe to sleep and for the hope of a new day tomorrow...hearing their giggles, squabbles and playfulness.

And I am thankful for God and the peace Jesus brings my spirit...that hope, that friendship and that peace.  Thank you Father for reminding me to delight in my life.  I've been given so much.

In Him,
Annette