Surrender

Hey Everyone. Hope this blog finds you all well. Life is tough isn’t it? By this time of night, I am pretty much spent. I wonder if any or all of you just feel so overwhelmed sometimes with what you are supposed to be to so many different people. You try every day to be the person you should be to your spouse, children, family, friends, etc., and let’s face it; it’s hard. Gracious, I so want to be good. I want to put others before myself. I don’t want to be selfish. I want to be patient with the kids. I want to create wonderful memories for them. I want to be an understanding wife. I want to always have noble and Christ-like thoughts. I want to minister to my family and friends.  
As much as I want all of this, it just doesn’t always happen. There is a verse I came upon as I was reading in our book for Wednesday night Bible Study. I have read this verse lots of times before, but it took on a new meaning for me last week, and I have held on to it like a person holding onto a life raft in the ocean. It is Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Wow. This verse has reminded me to surrender my ideas of who I should be and allow him to take on that job. To say, “Lord, I give up. Make me whatever you want me to be, and give me the tools and strength I need to do it.” This concept makes me think of when our sweet little Connor Bean is so exhausted; he needs a nap, and I know at that moment what is truly best for him, yet he doesn’t want to give in to my way. When he does give way to sleep, his world becomes peaceful, and he wakes up happy and ready to face the rest of the day. Don’t I do the same to God? Why do I kick and scream and fight him hard to insert my will and my ideas on situations when if I just surrender to his way and his leadership, I am filled with peace. He will hold my hand and help me be who he wants me to be. I don’t have to live up to anyone else’s expectations…especially my own. He is the person who began a good work in me, and it is him who will complete it. I believe this is what the Lord is saying to me in Isaiah 41:3 “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” Whew. That is truly a relief.  

One more thing, to anyone out there who is reading this blog and prays to JesusJ, I would greatly appreciate your prayers as I prepare to speak at a mother/daughter banquet on Saturday at the church where I grew up. Please pray that God will give me guidance and that he will prepare both my heart and the ladies’ hearts who will be there. Pray that he will give me peace and help me not to be nervous when I’m speaking. Pray that I will be made invisible and that He will shine brightly. 

Below are some pictures I wanted to share.

                                                            Karson is such a little athlete.
                            Here, her daddy is helping her hold her bat the right way.         

                                                            Very Typical Karsi Boo

  My two precious babies and me on Mother's Day 

                       Here I am with my most special one of a kind mom on Mother's Day.

                  This picture was taken by Karson, and I must have been seriously on my tip

 toes because Mom is actually a little bit taller than me.

 I am loving how tall I look here:) Don't I have a pretty Mama!

Truth

Just a quick word today. Connor is upstairs in his bed, but I think I hear him moving around, so trust me when I say, I don't have longJ. In this world, I find it very difficult to see a lot of truth. Everything is so wishy-washy. There are tons of decisions to be made, and let’s face it…it can be hard to know which way to turn. BUT, praise God, we have a Savior who is truth ALWYAS. Whatever this world throws at us, we can look upon His face and rest (yes, I said rest) in his truth. No matter the 1000 different directions we feel we’re spinning, we can be still and allow him to hold us in his arms. He is the answer. No matter what decision, task, or question we are faced with today, He (Jesus) is the answer. He is right. He is the truth. He is our constant. He is never changing. He is trustworthy. So today, rather than putting our focus on others, TV, various media, or worldly expectations, lets look to the truth. In every moment, let’s look to Jesus.

Verses for Today:

John 8:31 If you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

John 14: 6 I am the way and the truth and the life.

Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God.

Karson is such a little athlete, and Connor, although he is too young to play on her team, "needed" a jersey of his own (when I say it is three sizes too big, I am not exaggerating). This is them at the Central Railroad Festival a few weeks ago waiting to get on the bouncy.

I know this isn't the best picture ever, but Connor was so excited about sitting on Thomas. Actually "Thomas" was parked for a lunch break. Anyone who knows Connor will understand when I mention that Connor was perfectly willing to go ahead and hop on even though he probably wasn't supposed to ha!:)

                                                            Jess and Madi on the train ride.

 

Karson cracked me up wearing this head band on her forehead. She is definitely her own person, and I love it!

Hope you all have a great day.

Love you!

Jodi

Off to the Beach

This past week, we took a girls' trip (well, girls and ConnorJ) to the beach. We had the best time.
My Favorites From the Trip:
Karson is literally a fish...she loved diving for rings in the pools. 
The way Karson becomes friends with random kids at the drop of a hat.
Connor being so proud of himself for going under the water and him playing in the submarine/kiddie play area for over two hours...as happy as could be
Connor loving his styrofoam water shooter
Conch Cafe Buffalo Shrimp (Yum! That's all I can say.)
The presence of God felt while looking out at the ocean at night
Sitting on the balcony talking to Jess (my AMAZING sister)
The ride back home laughing with truly the world's most wonderful Mom
Seeing Benjy when we got home.

I have included some pictures below from our trip.

 What's on my heart spiritually? The Holy Spirit, but that is just a little too deep for today. Look for it soon, though. Actually I'm discovering the topic isn't as complicated and allusive as I once thought, but I digress. What else? A reminder of the constant power and comfort we can take in God's word. I can't say I read the Bible for non-selfish reasons. It is truly my daily source of sanity. Every morning, I get up and have coffee with Jesus. There is just nothing like being in a quiet house, with little sleepy heads upstairs, praying, reading my Bible, and of course drinking coffee. For those who don’t know, I am a big coffee drinkerJ. Lately I've been reminded of the power of praying God's word. The Bible says in Hebrews 4:12 that "The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword…" I have found the Bible to be full of verses corresponding to every feeling, emotion, circumstance, hope, etc. I’m experiencing in my life. If you don't know how to find them, let me introduce you to a word called GoogleJ. That will do it. Just type, “Bible verse on ___________”and fill in the blank. After you find the verse, put it on an index card, and pray it. When you pray God's word, you are praying His will. I will give you an example. “Lord, please save me out of all my calamities and distresses.” This is my prayer for today taken from my quiet time this morning in the book of 1 Samuel. God's word is real, powerful, and pertinent to every day of our lives. Give it a try. I promise; it works.

Thank you so much for reading my blog.

Love,
Jodi

My beautiful Mom (Granna) with the kids

Karson and Madi (my sister, Jessica's, daughter)

                                                        My sister, Jessica, with Madi