Blessings In All Shapes and Sizes

God continually shows me how much he loves me with all the blessings he pours down on me. Even when things are going rough, I know it's that he wants to grow me more so he can bless me more.

I look at my husband's company and am always so amazed how God has blessed them right from the start, when they started up a little over a year ago. Who would think that a flooded office would actually be a blessing in disguise. It forced them to move to a bigger suite, and now they have so much work that their new, bigger suite is crammed full. Only God knew they were going to need that extra space!

And as we all know, blessings even come in the tiniest packages - our children! Grace is just a blessing through and through every time she smiles at me or "talks" or laughs. It just warms my heart to know that she's my daughter! I'm just so in love with her!

But Noah sometimes throws me for a loop. He's 4 1/2 and like a lot of little boys, he gets into trouble because he just can't help it. He's been having a rough week at preschool, getting lots of time outs. His consequence for a time out at preschool is no TV or video games that night. So yesterday, when I picked him up from preschool, he proclaimed, "No time outs today!" I started to praise him, when his buddy came up and stated, "Noah was mean to me and he got a time out today." Poor Noah had been caught and turned to his buddy and said, "You weren't supposed to say that!" Tears were already filling his eyes at the thought of another night without his beloved TV and videos games. Then on the drive home I explained to him how it made me feel when I realized he had lied to me. We talked about how God hates lies and how lying only gets us into more trouble. I explained how not only would he not get to watch TV or play video games, but also he would be sent to his room to wait for daddy to come home and be disciplined for lying. He was in pure misery for that hour. Finally, daddy came home, disciplined Noah, and all was well again. Later, at bedtime, I reminded him that he needed to be a better boy the next day. He said it's really hard and he forgets, so I urged him to ask God for help. So, he got down on his knees next to his bed, and prayed this little prayer, "God, please help me to be a good boy tomorrow, because I think I'm going to be a bad boy. Today, I was a bad boy and lied to mommy. Please forgive me."
That was it for me. I was done. My day was worth it all. My eyes were filled with tears because of his heartfelt prayer. I really hope he does well at preschool today. I can't wait to praise him and make a HUGE deal of it! Just so he can see that being good will get him everything good! Children are truly a blessing!

One final blessing I wanted to share goes deep into my heart. This person has no idea (or maybe she does) what I go through being a working mom. She is Noah's Cubbies leader. When I dropped Noah off at AWANAS last night, she directed me to her office (she is also the pastor's wife). She pulled out a gift bag, said, "This is for your baby. I make these for all the babies in the church. But, I also wanted to tell you that I think you are a great mom and you are doing a wonderful job. I see you every week and all that you do for Noah and I just wanted to let you know that."

Once again, tears filled my eyes! (Yes, yesterday was a very tearful day!) She has no idea how much she blessed my heart. Now, whenever I see that beautiful blanket she made for Grace, I will think of her and be reminded of her words. I try so hard to be a good mom and a good wife, and to just do it all, yet hardly ever do I hear the words "great job". I just do it, because it's my job, my purpose, my calling! So often, it is a thankless job, but when every so often, someone or something shows me that it has rewards of it's own. I just have to be quiet a little and look and listen. My rewards are a husband that loves me, two beautiful children that are my pride and joy, and beautiful home with warm beds to sleep in and a fridge full of food, and of course, a Father in Heaven that loves me unconditionally, no matter how many times I screw up. He lifts me up, dusts me off, and at times carries me on his shoulders.

Thank God for blessings big and small, because those are what keep me going and keep me smiling :)