#271 - No Gerbils Here!

Good morning! I look forward to taking a few minutes to get into the Word with you! I've had something that's been on my heart and mind for not only the last few months, but the last several years!

Deut 6:5-7 (The Message) - Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that’s in you, love him with all you’ve got!  Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night.

John 12:36 (The Message) - ... You’ll be children of light. 

Proverbs 31:28 (The Message) - Her children respect and bless her... 

I recently listened to a podcast by New York Times best-seller, Christian, tagged as the family and kid expert, Dr. Kevin Leman. The podcast episode was entitled something like, "It's your kid, not a gerbil!" The episode went on to talk about the rat race of having young children involved in lots of activities. The topic is a pretty close topic to my heart, because I've been dragging my feet. The topic has often come up in my quiet time. "Lord, do I need to get Tyler Jr and Trinity involved in sports yet? I'm just enjoying our time. Our family time. Playing outside. Playing inside. I enjoy eating dinner every night at our kitchen table. I'm just not ready for running my kids from this field to that, eating in the car or on the go."

Not that I need to have anyone else's approval on what we choose to do with our children and our time, let's just be honest, there is pressure there! Whether it be external pressure from family, cousins, grandparents, friends, Facebook, the pressure is there and it's real. I'm sure I'm late on the "ban-wagon"... honestly, I just haven't joined it yet.... and I'm COMPLETELY happy staying off it for awhile. I know my kids will be in sports. I know they will be good athletes, but for now, it is fun watching them run around and play tag outside before dinner. It is fun watching them color and draw pictures. It is fun playing the matching game with them. It is fun eating dinner as a family every night and hearing each person as they tell "their favorite part" for the day. And it is fun, pouring love into them, pouring kisses into them. It is fun "messing with them" before bed, chasing them around the house, with laughter and screaming, as mom or dad catch them. Right now, for this stage, however long it is, I am happy and content not being a mom on the soccer field or on the sidelines.

As it says in Deut. 6, write these commandments on your hearts...get them inside of you, then get them inside of your children. This is my focus, helping the Word of God get written on the heart of my children. Whether it be as simple as sharing, or loving each other, praying for each other or others. I was in Tyler Jr's kindergarten classroom last week (a public school) and I was helping in his class. A little girl got hurt, and I witnessed him pray for her right there on the spot. His teacher just looked at me and said, "Tyler Jr is our little prayer. He loves to pray." I am ok with that. I love that my kids pray, and I love that they are not shy to pray for someone when they are hurt. If they were on the soccer field or football field, all the time, with me pouring less time into them, I'm not sure how much Word would get put in, we'd be throwing food in their mouths, throwing them in the bath or shower when we got home from some muddy field, praying and hopping in bed.

For me... I'm just going to enjoy our schedule just being ours for now. I refuse to FEAR because, "what if my kid misses out." No! I am going to have confidence in the Holy Spirit that we will not miss anything. But at each season we will be in His perfect place, involved in His perfect plan for our lives. And for now, that may simply be meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans on a Tuesday night at 5:30.

I encourage you and your family, don't be guilted into anything! If it's the soccer field right now, be children of the light in that place! If it's holding out a little longer before joining that sports team or ballet class, hold out! Whatever your season and where ever your place is for your family, like the Proverbs 31 woman, may your children raise up and call you blessed! May you be the wife and mom you are called to be! Whether it's a Pot Roast, or McDonald's, as long as you are in the center of where God has you, either one may be the exact dinner for your family. NO GUILT HERE! And I encourage you, find your place and LOVE IT, GUILT FREE!

Love ya'll! Give me a shout out! What season are you in with your family? Or is it time to re-evaluate?

Be a Spectator!

The McCart Gang: Tyler Sr & I with our kiddos, Tyler Jr, Trinity, Timothy & Taylor

HELLO! :) Despite my lack of blogging in a YEAR, I am still alive! Alive and well! And what a journey it has been! I'll give you the QUICK version, before I jump into a few things in todays post. 

The year has brought a new state, a new home, and a new baby.... just to name a few things! In February, a whirlwind of God's blessings moved us from Columbia, South Carolina to Dacula, Georgia. Six weeks after officially moving to Georgia, new hospital, new doctor, we gave birth to our 4th child, Taylor Liberty on March 19th. And what a beauty she is. She is now almost seven months old and our family is officially complete, two boys and two girls. Tyler, Trinity, Timothy and Taylor. Could my heart be any more full?! 

My girls: Trinity Faith & Taylor Liberty

More than ever, we've learned to a greater degree how to trust the Lord, trust His timing, not stress, not toil, not rush His timing, and we've continued to re-center, fine-tune and re-define, on a new level what it means for our family to be fully sold out and committed to Him! What a great re-focus. With goals and dreams (which we still have) sometimes being so at the forefront of the hamster wheel, it can be easy to get caught up in it all. And here I find myself, falling in love all over again with Jesus. Wanting His best. Wanting to impact His Kingdom. Wanting my schedule to be burned to only leave HIS objectives on the table. 

Well... with that super quick update of our whirlwind year... let's jump into some Word! 

Psalm 91:8 (AMPC) - Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked. 

Now usually in life, I want to be in the game. I want to be playing. I want to be speaking, impacting, GIVE ME THE BALL! What a different perspective Psalm 91:8 puts on being a spectator. And in this reference, a SPECTATOR should be our highest goal! 

Psalm 91 is such an amazing Psalm, and many can quote it's verses as they pour out promises of protection and safety. As a mom, I find myself thinking about or praying for the safety of my children more than I ever did prior to having kids. 

I love what it says here in the amplified, how when we ABIDE, remain close to the Lord, we will be INACCESSIBLE from the enemy! As we snuggle up close under the wings of the Almighty, we can put faith in His ability to protect us and keep us from harm. 

My immediate thought goes back to Job. Something many people quote or reference, talking about how Job lost everything. Family, lifestock, home.... everything. But PRAISE GOD, we do not have to fear that for ourselves! In Job 3:25, Job references that what he had greatly feared had come upon him. Fear, gave the enemy access to those things that Job held the closest to him. As believers, Jesus died that we could have life and have it more abundantly, and a live free from fear! The enemy, Satan, comes to steal, kill and destroy. The enemy, wants you and I both to live in fear, operate in fear, tuck our kids to bed at night in fear. Fear for their safety, fear when we leave them with a babysitter, fear they'll associate with the wrong people or kids at school. The enemy wants us to put ourselves in a place of sin, in a place of fear. But as a Believer, FAITH SAYS, "I am the HEAD and not the TAIL, above and not beneath! The FRUIT of my ground (my kids) WILL NOT be destroyed, the VINE won't fail to bear fruit in the field. NATIONS will call me blessed because I am the righteousness of God. I WILL NOT fear for my children because they are protected under the shadow of the Almighty! Fear has no place in my life or heart. God has given me these children and GOD will protect them and keep them safe!" 

Psalm 91:11 says,  For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service]. 

WHO will give HIS angels charge over us? HE WILL! GOD WILL! When we ABIDE in HIS presence, when we rest in Him, commune with Him, HE, GOD will give His angels charge over us and our family! Over our children. What a great promise we can stand on, and how refreshing to take some pressure off of ourselves to be "the almighty protector" of our kids. God loves them even more than we do, and as we abide in Him, HE will protect our sweet babies!

When the devil tries to stand at your ear and make you fear the safety of your children, STAND UP and say NO DEVIL! I SHALL ABIDE IN THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY, and because of this GOD PUTS HIS ANGELS charge over me and my children! As for ME AND MY FAMILY, we are SAFE from YOU, and GOD is on the throne of our home! He has WON and YOU are defeated! 

Take a stand for your family, and ENJOY your place as a spectator!! And as a spectator, you remain INACCESSIBLE from the enemy, as you rest and abide in your place with the Lord. Isn't that good news?!!! Praise GOD!

Love you all!! Give me a shout out and let me know you're still out there! I missed you guys and I'm glad to be back! Praying for you! :)  Oh... and aside from the US and all other countries, I wanted to specifically welcome GERMANY & RUSSIA! I've noticed a lot of activity on my blog from both countries this month. :) Good to have ya'll visiting this blog. Comment and let me know where you are and how I can pray for you!