Lessons Learned

So I have been meeting with a fellow mom on our team on a weekly basis to talk about life as a mom with another baby and a foster mom. I have had many struggles in the past with feeling like a failure as a mom and really wanted to seek out some encouragement. Through this amazing lady and my quiet times, which have become more normal since being a stay at home mom, I have learned much about failure and forgiveness and grace. Here are a few highlights, mostly for me to go back to in hard times.

-Reading Hebrews I am encouraged to find that the great cloud of witnesses is full of people who failed at one point in time. Sarah is pointed out as a woman of faith even though she is the woman in most peoples' books as the one who laughed when given the promise.

-Many of the witnesses in Hebrews never saw the promise they hoped for but lived for some perfection to come and they are now rejoicing in it.

-The testimony of a woman whose husband had multiple affairs and was raped in her home and used it as an encouragement that though her impurity was taken away from her without her being able to do anything, she sees the greatness of grace.

-Rebecca was the great woman who followed Abraham's servant to go marry a man she did not know - faithful. Years later she is the same woman who favored one child over another and helped him to lie to her own husband. None of us are exempt from falling.

-Quote (paraphrase) - He picks me up everytime I fall but I will fall again.

These may not be encouraging words for many but they are to me. I have an ideal of perfection for myself and often feel that I should be free from failing on this side of eternity but am reminded - often after many hard days and nights - that there is a reason why we sojourn here and long for another, better place. It is nice to walk away from the mirror long enough to realize that everyone struggles with feeling like they fail more than they would like and that I don't have to be perfect because then I wouldn't need a Savior.

Food for thought - Mine at least!

I also thought I'd attach some pics below of those stinking cute kiddos that we have :-)