(in)courage me…

a new site opens today that i am really excited about…(in)courage…it is a place for christian women to gather…to laugh and to cry, to encourage each other and to clearly hear Gods voice…the official launch date is august 16 but for now they want to hear what (in)courages us…so below i will list what encourages me the most…

#1…

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

this verse is very special to me…when i was in my greatest time of need and encouragement, the Lord used this verse to speak to me…i would read this verse every single day, i had it written down everywhere i looked…it did encourage me every day to stand strong, have courage and not to be afraid…i prayed and prayed on this verse and that i would have the courage i needed…

i am encouraged by God’s grace…and how even though we might turn our back on him, he never ever turns his back on us…

#2…

my mother…

she is one of the strongest women i know and i so admire her! she is THE best daughter, mother and nanny ever…and she has taught me so much about strength…

when i was younger my mother had breast cancer, the first time being in 1981 when i was only 6 years old. her different bouts with cancer spanned across almost 10 years. she is now considered a complete cure!!!

when she found out she had cancer she was, of course, afraid…none of us ever want to hear those words. and imagine the heart breaking pain of having a 6 year old daughter at home and not knowing if you would live to see her grow up. a daughter you waited soooooo long for. but my mother didn’t get angry, she didn’t turn her back on the Lord, she didn’t pray to be cured or for the Lord to take her cancer away…she simply prayed that the Lord would let her live long enough to raise her daughter…after that her life was his. she amazes me…and i can only hope that someday i can be the strong Christian woman she is…

#3…

my children…

i have the perfect example for this…a few years ago joe and i traveled to washington dc with the kids to meet up with friends of ours…of course, we had never taken the kids to a big city like dc before, it was their first time experiencing it…we were walking past a homeless man begging for money, i reached down and grabbed jades hand to hurry her past him…she stopped and pulled on my hand for me to stop, she looked up at me with eyes full of confusion and wonder and said “mama, i know we have money and he doesn’t, we need to share with him”. how could i say no to that? i gave her a few dollars to take over and give to him.

this same thing has played over and over again just with different scenarios…when i’ve looked at life through the innocent eyes of a child and it’s stopped me dead in my tracks…we should all take time (myself included) to look at life that way…

#4…

my husband…

who has such a selfless and forgiving heart…he has forgiven me time after time for my wrong-doings, short temper, sassyness and stubborness…and i know that, without even thinking twice about it, he would put the kids and my needs and wants before his own…and he has proved numerous times…

out for now
~kisses