JOY

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward." Ps. 127:3-4

"He grants the barren woman a home, like a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord." Ps. 113:9

My study Bible states in the notes, "No image better conveys human emotional suffering in biblical times than that of the barren woman. In that time and culture, a barren woman was without significance and without joy. Note that God stoops down to bring her the joy for which she craves--happy children. Salvation is like that. Not only does God fill us with significance, but also with joy."

I agree, even though there may not be the same social stigma now as there was in biblical times, that not being able to have children is intense human emotional suffering. I've been there, I've walked that road. I've spent Mother's Days in grief and left church in tears. I know that joy for which that barren woman craved. I craved it myself. And then God gave me that for which I craved. I prayed for one, and then just one more. God doubled what I requested of him, he filled my cup to overflowing, and he filled my heart with the unique joy of motherhood.

This was the joy that greeted me this morning. Four handmade Mother's Day cards from my babies. There's nothing sweeter than a card made just for you. I love 'em!

Me and my 4 guys. Aren't I blessed? I don't merit God giving me the privilege of being their mom. They are truly gifts!

And just like the gift of my children, my salvation in Christ is a gift, unmerited, undeserved, and unearned. And, like the gift of my children, it brings joy. I'm thankful that God didn't leave me without children. Even more I'm thankful that God didn't leave me without His love, His sacrifice, His forgiveness and His JOY.

Happy Mother's Day!

A special wish for my Mom, and thankfulness for her love and guidance and care, and for introducing me to Jesus.

And for my Mom-in-law, with gratitude for shaping the heart of my man, and for her love for me as a daughter and friend.

Mother's Day Surprises Left and Right

Check out my inspiration on my other post and let me know what you think of my idea. Comments wanted!

And aren't my guys just wonderful?

Well, I ended up getting another unplanned Mother's Day gift, which will arrive a day late. The board on our refrigerator fried yesterday. You don't usually use the word fried with a refrigeration appliance, huh? Well, it doesn't work well when you mix those two. Our frig is DOA. Of course, I had just gone grocery shopping the day before so it was stocked. But, I am so thankful that my parents live right next door. We were able to save everything, except leftovers. I won't cry over that. :-) We stuck everything we could into our freezer downstairs, took frig items over to my mom's frig, and have produce and condiments in coolers. So, completely unplanned, we went shopping last night for a new refrigerator. It's a little stressful having to act on such a large expense so quickly. But we think we found a great deal. Our situation is a little complicated because of the size of the boxed in space we have for our frig. We never realized it doesn't accomodate normal size refrigerators, since this frig was here when we purchased the house. So, we had fewer options, and those options tend to be more expensive because they are not the "average" size. So, it cost a little more to get what we needed for our family of 6, but we made a decision and the nice salesman helped us get delivery a little faster, and it will be delivered on Monday.

So, we are spending 3 days without a refrigerator. You really don't realize how important one is until yours is dead. In fact, I found myself repeatedly trying to open it, so Ben decided to make it easier on me and just get it out of the house. Which is a blessing because the thing stings like, well, have you ever smelled something electrical after it fried? It was stinking up my kitchen, so now it is gracing my deck.

Oh, and I'm very thankful that God allowed it to happen when we were home, and could act quickly. It would have been bad if we had been gone on vacation or something!

So, my poor husband spent alot more on me on this Mother's Day weekend than he would have ever dreamed of. But, one nice thing was, we spent the whole evening together, and we got to have a quiet dinner out together too. See, I'm really breaking the bank this weekend, aren't I?

Ben said he's going to have fun trying to cook on Mother's Day for me. :-) Oh, well, this is life, right? Things break down, money gets spent, time gets eaten up, hassles ensue. But Mother's Day is the perfect time to remember that what is most important in my life is still intact, costs no money (well, technically), makes the best use of time, and brings lots of joy and enjoyment.....my family!

Mint and Chocolate, Oh, My!

Check out my post on my other blog for a yummy recipe. If you like mint and chocolate, you'll be happy!

My Boy Makes Me Laugh

As I came to say goodnight to Evan tonight, he was "hiding" under the sheet, so I started tickling him. He got laughing pretty good, and as I stopped he said, "I haven't had this much fun in years!"

He's 6. What a sad childhood he must be having! :-)

My funny boy, pounding chicken for supper. A house full of guys is pretty handy to have.