I said I'm sorry!!!

A couple of days ago I had a light bulb moment... I don't know if I am the only one this has happened to... ughhh how I hope I'm not...

I am a mom of really good kids... yes - they are ordinary kids - just like me - (and I chuckled as I wrote that) I try to be a good mom and love of them, teach them everyday lessons and help them with their school work and such - the mom stuff - with a fair share of complaining, shouting and repeating myself (alot)... One thing that I tend to hear myself repeating more as they get older is "stop that - apologize" "say I'm sorry"... and yes there are many times when they repeat it and there its done - only to start up again. 

Well during this light bulb moment I came to a realization that as a child - the same thing happened to me.  I was taught to apologize for doing something wrong or saying something wrong - but never really taught why... just repeat the words and it'll be okay... and yeah as good kids they'll repeat the words - mom is happy... its all okay!

Its not okay...

I understand that kids will be kids and that they will push each others buttons but do they - truly understand what "I am sorry" really means... do we understand what those words really mean.

Three words that so easily roll off our tongue - but have we taken the time to think about the persons feelings, how our words or actions may have hurt them, offended them, affected them.  Hmmm or how about those times when we assumed that the other person knew we were sorry - but only never to utter the words loud enough for them to ever hear... 

I think about my Heavenly Father and the same thing... its so easy for us to do something wrong and ask God for forgiveness - and yep even utter those childlike words - "I promise never to do it again"... does that sound familiar huh??  

I look at my kids in the heat of the moment... knowing that they'll start up again just as... my Heavenly Father looks down at me and wonders the same thing many many times... 

Asking for forgiveness - have we truly stopped to consider the weight of those words?

Again I have to let out a chuckle - its so easy to want to defend or to justify our actions... to spin the tables as my husband like to say.

The fear of being humble...

Of admitting wrongdoing...

Oh the power of words...

Teaching communication - teaching about responsibility - accountability, empathy... its not about uttering those words - I'm sorry - so our children will make us happy - but its teaching them about being real... opening their minds and hearts to other people's emotions and feelings... its teaching them that after they apologize they also have to pray about it... to ask God to help them with their speech, how they react, etc... 

Just as we do... or do we?
Oh but there are those times when its hard... oh so very hard... 

A couple of months ago in our Young Adult Bible Study - we read and discussed a book titled Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges. The book was an eye opener.  Its about those sins that we really don't think are sins... when we think of sin we think of those big ones - murdering, adultery, stealing, you know the ones that can be seen... but right off the bat we discussed anger, gossip, being selfish, critical, no self control... ouch!!  Its easy to see those things in my kids - and yes even in myself... but then what?  What must we do?  

As children of God, the bible teaches us that when we sin it grieves the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) -
We have to ask for forgiveness, we have to repent (a sincere resolve to turn away from sin and toward God). And if we are the person who was hurt, we must be willing to forgive the other person, not to feel resentment or hold a grudge. We are not able to completely forget what happened, but we must let go of the anger and resentment. And then we must turn to God and confess...

Some bible verses are:
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:23

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Its not as easy as just saying I'm sorry or telling my kids or others just to utter those simple words... if we are to grow - there is more to it... 

Its not just about repeating three simple words... its about an attitude of our heart... its about letting God correct us and mold us... its not an easy process - many times we fight it and its painful - but think of the blessings that will come with it. How we will flourish...

Its about taking the time to be real and talk - and not just "repeat after me"...  its what Jesus did... what are we passing on?

Overwhelmed

Wow - how many times I have wanted to sit here again and share my heart with you... I had so many things to say and write about - but for some reason the Lord just wasn't giving me the green light.  I would share with my friend Eleanor, who visits me at work from time to time, how much I wanted to start writing again... she encouraged me by saying to wait on God, that He would let me know when...

Yep well its 12:29am and I got the green light... Yay!!!!

For some time my blog was titled Deletiate... Delight in Spanish - it is the main word in my life verse: "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
Oh how wonderful and beautiful it is to find our delight in the Lord... its overwhelming, beautiful!!

Well, last month I went to a conference in Boston with my awesome hubby -

it was such an extraordinary blessing... The theme was Relentless Grace and one of the sessions was about ordinary grace... that session spoke so much to my heart.  Sometimes we feel we have to do something extraordinary, mind blowing... when in reality there is nothing wrong with ordinary - and mind you I consider myself to be a "nutty ordinary". So as I waited for the green light - I pondered on changing the name of my blog, asked for suggestions,  did some doodling and as I started typing - Ordinary Life - Together, is what came about - yes - you and me and can't forget -
Jesus... doing extraordinary things in our ordinary (nutty) lives...

One of the words that come to mind when I think about an ordinary life is overwhelmed...

Dictionary.com defines overwhelmed in the following ways:
1. to overcome completely in mind or feeling
2. to overpower or overcome, especially with superior forces; destroy;crush
3. to cover or bury beneath a mass of something, as floodwaters, debris,or an avalanche; submerge
4. to load, heap, treat, or address with an overpowering or excessive amount of anything
5. to overthrow.

When we hear the word - its easy to think about being overwhelmed in a negative way - think about it: being a woman, our responsibilities as a mom, a wife, working, school, expectations, illness, unanswered prayers, finances... lets be real... there are times when these things can be overwhelming... when we just want a break - just a little one... to be able to breathe, catch our breath - inhale and exhale before going back in again...

But lately I've had this song Overwhelmed by Big Daddy Weave on replay... (praise God for digital or my record would have been scratched by now)...

There is a line that says:
I delight myself in you - in the glory of your presence - I'm overwhelmed by you
And God I run into your arms unashamed because of mercy....
I'm overwhelmed by you

WOW! What a great line!

My dear friend reading this... yes this life can be overwhelming with all its challenges, all its ups and downs and sideways... but in those moments when its too much - let us find that delight in Him... let us run like a child - unashamed - into the arms of our loving Father - and breathe...

I love what it says in Psalm 61:2 - "From the end of the earth will I call unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I." How remarkably beautiful is that... that when we feel the pressure of whatever it is that we are enduring that we can know that "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:2

Let us take the definition of overwhelmed and apply it to our relationship with the Lord... let us find delight in Him by reading His word and going to Him in prayer,

In a couple of days we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving... in the midst of the preparations - let us take a moment and find something that He has done that we are thankful for, that He is doing in our lives now that we are thankful for, and something that we are thanking Him in advance for what He is going to do - by faith...

I want to leave you with these verses... this is how much we mean to Him, this is how much He love us

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4-5

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us,we also ought to love one another.1 John 4:9-11

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:16-21

Listen to this song... read the words... Oh our Lord is truly just so overwhelming...