What it Means to Set your Eyes on Things Above

Those that know me well know that I talk a lot about the birth of my twins changing me. Prior to having the twins I lived a life that was quite comfortable. I was in a place where I knew that I could manage my marriage, my two kids, and my household. But as life would have it, it's not about what I could do. Because we are created for God's glory its through our life circumstances that we discover who He is. Through times of transition, difficulties, and struggles we come to know a God who is faithful.

So, back to the character shaping God took me through. People often ask me how I took the news when we found out we were having twins. If I can be honest I was fearful! Yes they are a blessing. Yes there are many people who would love to be in my position, but hearing the news just made me want to run.

I had a hard time enjoying the pregnancy because I feared so many things that in hindsight were just traps and schemes of the enemy. I feared they might come early, I feared I would have no help, I feared that I was not cut out to be the mother of four, and the biggest fear I had was that I would be giving up my life to have these babies. When in reality I would come to learn that life for me was just getting started.

Being the person that I am, I know how to push through when things get difficult. So, after their birth and over the course of the next few years I pushed through all that felt challenging in this new season.

I had lots of moments of joy, but it was not consistent and I often felt overwhelmed -and felt like I couldn't see the end- but then I realized God does not want us to live a life where we are just pushing through.

From that realization I also realized I was not relying on Him enough. I had allowed fear to come in and paralyze me in ways I didn't recognize.

That's the funny thing about the enemy, he never parades himself in a way that would cause alarm. He feeds us lies that tear down our resolve in a crafty way, typically in a way that causes us to become self focused.

So as I was focusing on myself, I felt one day - the gentle correction of the Holy Spirit reminding me of His best for me. In God's word He tells us "For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline." 2 Tim 1:7 there is nothing that He has not equipped us for!

With that in mind I knew I needed to take back my power. My focus needed to move from my day to day to the bigger picture. Well, you might be thinking, how do you shift your focus when everything around you feels so heavy?

Here is what I did to get me started. Instead of looking at my situation as burdensome I decided to shift my perspective. No it didn't happen over night, but through prayer, and the support system God placed in my life I've been able to - be encouraged and see the blessings and fullness that the addition of two little ones-- brought me.

We have to be willing to do the hard work, which means we take a look at our situation and the role we play in it. Are we spiritually full? Do we only go to God when we are overwhelmed? Are we aware of how the enemy works? We have to remember that he is always looking for places of weakness so we can't let our guard down not even for a moment.

When we set our eyes and hearts on things above we are keeping kingdom things at the center of our focus. Circumstances are just that, and they are not meant to take us out. When we keep in step with the Holy Spirit through prayer and reading God's word we get clarity for the days ahead.

Anytime you are going through a season of struggle I encourage you to stop and shift your perspective and invite God in to help you gain heavenly insight and wisdom. Because He is a gracious God He works all things for the good of those who love Him!

-Selah

Grace in a Season of Transition: Why You Need It.

 

Have you ever waited for a long time for something to happen that you just knew would propel you into a better position? Just recently I went from spending four years home full time with my bunch, to having my littlest two (3 year old twins) start preschool. This is a moment that I have been dreaming of since I found out I was having twins.  I was on the fence about adding a third child to our family which consisted of a 2 year old and 4 year old. But I thought okay, I'm going to bite the bullet and get on board with my husbands dream for expanding our family. As life would have it at that very first doctor's appointment we found out we were having twins. That's right we got the bogo baby! From that moment I had to get my mind right because I was getting ready to have 4 kids under the age of 5.

Fast forward a few years, and I now have a 8 year old, a 6 year old, and 3 year old twins (whew!) and it's now time for mama to be released from what I affectionately call baby jail! You know, the season where all they want is mommy... I am sending my babies off to school part time. I finally get time back, and will get to focus on the things that I would like to do. It is finally time to focus on my calling.

Well, what I had been dreaming of for all of those years has not been the reality of what I am walking out this season. But, not in a bad way! You see it is so important to make sure that we manage our expectations no matter what season of life we are in. In this new season of not having the little ones under foot all day, I now have time to get my house in order. I have more time to get laundry done and meal plan for the family. I've had to shift my perspective as well as my expectations, because for sure I originally thought I was going to have all this time to focus on my calling. However, the reality is I am walking in my calling for this season.

With new seasons come new lessons to learn. In my case better systems to create for my family so the majority of the work around our home does not solely fall on me. So in this season of transition I'm learning to take each day and see what God has in store. In His word He reminds us Phil 4:6-7, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." This is a word that I will be meditating on in this season. God knows the desires of my heart and He also knows how to get me to where I need to be. I've already learned in life that nothing is wasted and at each stage of the game there are things to be learned that prepare you for the next. Keeping all that in mind, I'm going to get my mind and heart in sync with God. I will be grateful for this time to get my house in order. The opportunity to pick my kids up from school and hear about their day which is a blessing. Learning how to get your “will” in line is so crucial to any successful transition. Once we’ve mastered this, our emotions will follow. When the next transition comes I will be ready how about you?

Are you in a season of transition? How are you handling your day to day? Do you have a scripture that you keep close to your heart to remind you of God's faithfulness? Feel free to share in the comments below!