What every woman should know...

Women are magnificent beings. We are created by a very creative God, who gives us gifts and talents to bless our family and friends with. Sometimes in the course of our day to day routines, we forget that. We want to throw our hands up in the air and ask " Does what I do really matter? Am I making a positive difference?"

Sometimes I stare blankly at the sink kitchen full of dishes, and the hampers full of dirty clothes, and have to sigh. "Didn't I just wash all of those an hour ago?" How can I make a difference and reach the lost of this world, If I am stuck doing these mundane, unimportant tasks? Then the Lord has to come beside me and remind me, that I am teaching my children how to be servants. This has to be one of the hardest lessons for me....and for them. The world doesn't praise it, and dare I say sometimes even the church doesn't. The constant struggle is always there for me to abandon these daily chores to go do something great for the Lord. Once again, He has to remind me that I am....

Women need to know that we are so beautiful, because we are unique. Not one of us is the same, and we shouldn't try to duplicate each other. If a field was full of just one type of flower it would still be pretty, but add all the different varieties and you get sheer awesomeness. Yes, some may have thicker stems (gives us a strong foundation ya know ;) or wider petals. Some may be tall, while others are short. Some may have bright colors, while others are more muted.  But grouped all together they create a wonderful bouquet of creativity.

Women need to know that love shows itself in many ways. It may be a husband who throws himself into a barn building project for his "ladies". It may be a child who decides to make a card for you....using a whole book of stamps. :-o It may be a friend who cleans out her children's closets, and offers you clothes. It may just be a short email, or a phone call to say they miss you. It may be a homemade dinner brought up to you by your mother, because you and the hubs have been working all day on that said barn. It may be all of this, and more....sent from the Lord.

Women need to know they aren't alone.  When you are trudging through the early years of being married, and you can't quite figure out how to make this all work...you are not alone. When the babies come...and they cry...and cry...and cry...you are not alone. When kids grow up and start lives of their own, and move away, you are not alone. When husbands pass on before their time....you are not alone. When parent's struggle with so many health problems, they can barely walk sometimes, you are not alone.  When friends leave you, forget about you, or say not so nice things about you....you are not alone. The Lord is always with you. Sometimes He is right there walking beside you, guiding you, and trying to teach you things. Other times He is carrying you, for He knows this is way too much for you to handle alone.

Women need to know the power we have in our own houses. Children are forever watching us to see how we handle situations. Will we gossip about so and so, take revenge, of some sort, on someone who has offended us, or complain to our husbands because we don't have the "things" our friends have? Will we fall into despair, for it is just so hard to watch loved ones suffer, or will we trust that the Lord will see us through? Will we find joy in this journey the Lord has put us on called...Motherhood? Will we seek His face when we don't know how to handle the situations life throws at us? Will we stay true to our convictions even when the world says they are silly? No..we   I will, and do, fail miserably in most of these areas, but I am reminded that the Lord's mercies are new every morning.  So today, we will start with the dishes. :-)