Thursday, August 27, 2009

Thoughts for Thursday

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In my year of blogging on The Gift Closet I have managed to get by with writing every single post myself. I have never had a "guest blogger" before. I have been talking to my friend & neighbor, Emily Farmer, about possibly writing some devotionals for my Thoughts for Thursday posts & I am so excited she has agreed to!!

Emily's love for the Lord has grown stronger over the years. She has a passion to learn HIS word and teach others what she has learned about His word. She is excited to see others learn about God & loves to do bible studies. Emily introduced me to some Bible studies at her church this year. I think I have learned more from those studies than in my entire 33 years of attending church.
Her motto is "Love God, Love Others, Press On". She believes if you love God you can love others with his help. Loving God and others will help you press on into day to day life. Emily believes the only way to press on daily is to have God as the very center of your life. Emily is also a Stay-At-Home-Mom of 3 very active boys!

So, without further delay, here is Emily's first devotional she would like to share with you on The Gift Closet.
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Stop to smell the roses
by Emily Farmer

Do you stop to smell the roses that life has to offer? Are you REALLY aware of things that go on in front of your eyes day to day? When my third child was born I made it a goal to enjoy each and every milestone. Each smile, laugh, first words, first walk, funny sayings...you get the picture. I missed some of these things with my first two children because they were so close in age. It's sad but, true. We as mothers get so caught up in "doing life" and caring about every ones needs that we forget our own needs, like enjoying motherhood. And really taking in the moments that should be treasured for life. It brings to mind the verse in Luke where it talks about Mary, Jesus' mother. Luke 2:19 (NLT- New Living Translation) "but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often". The (NIV -New International Version) uses the word "pondered them in her heart". She treasured all the things in her heart that had to do with the kindness shown to her child Baby Jesus. She pondered or thought of them often. Can you honestly say you are doing the same these days? I hope you can. I can honestly tell you that I have reached my goal. I have enjoyed my 3 year old who will be turning 4 next month. He has cute little saying and motions. He loves to sing and dance with his toy guitar. He knows his abc's and numbers. He loves to give hugs. Those are the things that are worth treasuring and pondering to me. How about you? I want to challenge you to take the time to stop and smell the roses of life today. It's so worth it and I promise you won't regret it not one minute of it. Here are a few things you might consider.

Challenge:
Take the time to sit down and read a book with your child or better yet, if they are old enough, let them read to you.
Get out the paints,crayons, or markers and draw a picture together.
Go on a walk.
Start a new routine of reading a bible story at bedtime. What precious memories you can store up in your heart and mind if you will only take the time to do so.


Ponder these verse:
Job 23:12 (NLT) "but have treasured his words more than daily food."

Matt. 6:21 (NLT) "Where your treasure is,there the desires of your heart will also be."

Deu.7:6 (NLT) "the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure."


Thank you for sharing with us today Emily & I look forward to your post next week!
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1 comments:

Michelle said...

I very much enjoyed Emily's post as I have two boys very close in age and am expecting my third, just 11 months after my last, in a few weeks. Despite the hectic days with young children - it does remind you to stop and enjoy their every move - before time passes to quickly:)

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