#270 - The Mom of "COMPARISON"

Let's be honest mom's, we've all done it. Done what? You know, done it. Sat there comparing ourselves to that other mom. Or on a really bad day, maybe we just sat there comparing ourselves to LOTS of other mom's… having one of those moments where we just didn't feel good enough, so let's just rehearse all the things that other mom's do better than we do! 

How exhausting!

The list may go something like this: 

She makes healthier dinners than I do. She buys the good organic stuff.Her kids don't eat much junk food. Her house is always clean. Look how good her kids behave, I never see them fight. Her kids have such great manners. She's in great shape! I mean, how does she have a stomach like that after having 3 kids?!She seems like such a nice mom. Her kids get to be in so many fun activities. She and her husband are such a good looking couple. She and her husband must be so good at handling their money, I have no idea how they live in such a nice house.  She is so disciplined at working out.I'm sure my kids watch more TV than her kids. Her kids probably color, use scissors, glue and do crafts.

And the list goes on.

Proverbs 31:10a - A capable, intelligent, and virtuous woman—who is he who can find her?

I'm thankful for the Proverbs 31 woman, and I'm thankful that as a believer, I have the Holy Spirit living inside of me. Why? Well, I'll answer the latter part first.

I'm thankful the Holy Spirit lives inside of me. 
A few years ago, as a newer mom, I was feeling a little overwhelmed. So many mom's that I was around seemed to have everything together. I couldn't figure out how I could do everything, raise my kids up in a godly manner, work out and stay fit, and cook, clean, get up early to read my Bible… yaddee yaddee yaddee. It was one of those days for me. As I sat looking at everyone else's strengths, I wallowed in all of my short-comings. And as I sat there wallowing, I felt like the Holy Spirit whispered to me, "Just focus on the atmosphere. Create an atmosphere where I am involved, and you will be the best mom that you were created to be." 

So… I had permission NOT to be the mom of the year by the "worlds" standard by being involved in everything under the sun. I had permission to just be ME while creating an atmosphere which invited the Holy Spirit.

What. A. Relief. 

As far as the Proverbs 31 woman…. I've come to more and more of the realization that as I focus on being that woman, I don't have to search for her in so many other people. I don't have to compare when I'm focused on just being.  If you read the whole section, Proverbs 31:10-31, you'll notice that she really is amazing! I can imagine, between her doing everything that she did, there was no time for comparing. For me, if I just focus on being who God created me to be, being the Proverbs 31 woman in my own life, being and listening to the direction that the Holy Spirit leads me each day, then I won't not only not have time to compare, but I won't even see the opportunities where I could compare. I will be to busy being!

So… girlfriend…. today, when you're tempted to think that other mom is thinking about you or how your kids are behaving when she looks your way, dismiss it! Focus on not wasting your time and energy on the comparison game. Focus on BEING the Proverbs 31 woman that God created you to be! When you are in the pursuit of THAT woman inside of you, you will not have time to compare yourself to Susie Homemaker. 

Girlfriend, PURSUE the YOU that God created you to be! Pursue that Proverbs 31 woman on the inside of you!

Do Your Dreams Mean Anything?

Dreams. Are. Important. 

Have you ever woke up and thought, "Man, that was a weird dream." Then you go about your morning routine, getting ready for your day. When you don't give your dream a 2nd thought, an hour later, you have no recollection of what you dreamed about. The fuzziness of your dream just floats off into oblivion. 

Dreams. Are. Important. 

Genesis 37:5 - Now Joseph had a dream and he told it to his brothers…

1 Kings 3:15 - Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream.

You know the stories. Joseph had a dream that the sheaves would bow down to him, then a second dream that the sun, moon and stars would bow down to him. The manifestation of his dream came years later when Joseph was the manager of all the food in the kingdom and 2nd in charge only to the Pharaoh! 

Solomon had a dream. God spoke to him and told him to ask what he wanted. Solomon, in his dream, asked for "understanding to recognize what is just and right (1 Kings 3:11)." If you remember, in the dream, God in turn not only gave Solomon discernment and wisdom, but riches and honor as well! But in reality, not just his dream, throughout the Bible we can see the fruition of Solomon's dream. He's know as the most wise & richest man in the Bible. His dream became a reality. 

Dreams are a way that God can communicate with us. As it says, God is the same yesterday, today and the future. Next time you wake up and you think, Wow! That was a weird dream. Write it down! Pray. Ask God to give you discernment into what your dream meant. 

I recently did this. I woke up with clarity, remembering my dream. In my quiet time that morning, I journaled what I saw in my dream and began to seek the Lord if it had specific meaning. As I sought the Lord about it, he revealed to me the meaning of the dream. Though this was a few weeks ago, I can go back to this journal entry, and in anticipation, be excited about it's fulfillment. 

Granted… if you had some bad fish the night before, that could cause you to wake up thinking some weird things. Also… TV can cause you to have dreams that aren't "messages from God." When on vacation recently, before bed I caught a clip of the local news of the Florida town we were visiting. The next morning, I remember waking up to a nightmare (we don't watch news at home!) That news clip, though just seconds, was one of the last things that went in before we went to sleep. The dream did not represent something from God, it represented the last thing I put in my head before bed. My subconscious thought on that news clip while I slept. So, I encourage you, don't go to sleep with the news being the last thing that goes in your mind. 

But, just as in the day of Joseph and Solomon, God still communicates to His people through dreams. Next time you wake up remembering a dream, don't just brush it off! Write it down. Pray about it. See if this dream was a message from the Lord. It could be a possible warning about your future if a certain area of your life doesn't change, or it could be something good you can be in anticipation for! 

Dreams. Are. Important. 

God. Communicates. Through. Dreams. 

Listen.

YOUR Supernatural Provision

1 Kings 17: 1-6 - Elijah the Tishbite, of the temporary residents of Gilead, said to Ahab, As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before Whom I stand, there shall not be dew or rain these years but according to My word. (2) And the word of the Lord came to him, saying, (3) Go from here and turn east and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, east of the Jordan. (4) You shall drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you THERE (5) So he did according to the word of the Lord; he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, east of the Jordan. (6) And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening, and he drank of the brook.

Supernatural Provision. You have a wealthy place. You have a place where everything is provided for you. A place where the supernatural meets your reality. You have a THERE! 

What is a "THERE?" A "THERE" is the place where your supernatural happens. Your "there" is the place that God instructs you to go so that He can provide for you supernaturally. Your "there" is a place of provision. When it appears everything is drying up all around you, when it appears a famine or drought has struck, business has dried up, opportunities seemed to have stopped, all around you the only thing you see are people at a stand still and struggling. During that time, if you listen, you will hear God telling you, like Elijah, "Go." During this time where the world seems to be struggling and not succeeding, it is God's desire to provide for you in a way that you can only tell the world, "This is God. How did I make it? How did I survive? It was God, He did it supernaturally."  

But?? Where is the "THERE?" The THERE is wherever God has instructed. A crucial element in supernatural provision is actually SHOWING UP! Notice, that God lets Elijah know that there will be no dew or rain for years. Then, God gives Elijah his next step, and the next step is not to stand still. The next step is to GO.  There was supernatural WAITING for Elijah at his THERE! 

The thing is this… if Elijah would have went to the stream, up the road behind his mom's house, he could have starved to death. The supernatural provision was waiting for him at a defined and definite place. The supernatural provision HAD A PLACE, it had a LOCATION. For Elijah his place was, "from here and turn east and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, east of the Jordan." It was very specific. If he chose to go somewhere else, his friends house, his mentors house, his moms house, his grandparents, his place of employment… if he had decided to go anywhere else, like everyone else in the drought, he would have been met with struggle. Elijah's Supernatural Provision had an actual place! His wealthy place was waiting for him. Those ravens were circling that area waiting to provide for Elijah. 

Let me wrap up by adding, the Go, that Elijah had to do in order to receive his provision may not have been comfortable or convenient. He may not have wanted to GO. But, thankfully for him, he did. If you slowed down to listen to that still small Voice of the Holy Spirit. What would you hear? 

Today, apply this BLOG to your life! Allow The supernatural provision to meet your needs!  

1. Be Warned: Know the upcoming season. 
2. Listen: If you listen, the Word of the Lord will come.
3. Obey: If you obey, God's provision will meet you there. 
4. Go: Where is your "THERE?" (Maybe it is where you are at now? Maybe it means going somewhere else.) Your "THERE" is where the provision is! Now GO!

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A SHOUT OUT!

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