Treasure Moments

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." -Luke 2:19

I once heard it said, "Potential treasure is hidden inside every chaotic situation". If that is the case, I believe life is filled with special treasure moments. Some are just a little more difficult to uncover than others. It takes time to discover and really ponder each treasure of our day. There are so many moments we miss, simply because our schedules are filled to the limit and running over. A very wise older lady once told me, "You never get these days back. Take time to treasure every minute." This prompted an idea with me. I will begin recording every treasure moment that comes my way in a journal and take time to reflect on those moments...treasure them...allow them to penetrate deep into my heart. I would love for you to join me on this journey. Share your "treasure moments". Just yesterday, Garyn woke up extra early from nap. What normally would have been an inconvenience to this very busy agenda minded Mom, suddenly became a "treasure moment". We rocked, we cuddled, we laughed...(I mean really laughed hard) One of those down to the pit of your stomach laughs. I realized, the giggle of a soon to be 3 year old is so contagious! I don't want to miss these moments...that special note left beside my coffee pot each morning from my pre-teen daughter...that very quick hug and kiss as my teenage boy rushes off to school. Those irreplaceable "treasure moments". What are those moments to you?

Perspective is Everything

One of my biggest struggles is with me. I never realized the impact my thoughts have on me until I read chapter 2 of Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst. 2 Corinthians 10:5 gives much hope to those of us who struggle with "destructive" rather than "constructive" thought patterns. "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." Knowing Christ gives us the power to "take captive" destructive thoughts and "demolish" them is a life-changing truth. How many of us spend day after day demolishing ourselves...beating ourselves up over wrong choices or regrets? I love Lysa's quote, "I can wallow in what's wrong and make things worse, or I can ask God for a better perspective to help me see good even when I don't feel good." I had no clue how soon I would need to put this encouragement to work in my life. Yesterday was one of those "destructive thought days"...self-esteem struggles...regrets...stress...(2 batches of burned cookies)...you get the picture. I found myself thinking things like. "You can't do ANYTHING right!, You can't get it together!" "What is wrong with you? At one time you managed bank accounts for a living and now you can't take care of a 3 year old?"...After crying over my burned cookies and batch of raw cookie dough (which by the way couldn't even be completed for lack of 1 egg), I remembered what I just read moments before. I stood in my little kitchen, and called out to a God who could change my destructive thoughts to constructive. I wish I could say, lightning flashed and a gorgeous batch of cookies Betty Crocker would drool over appeared, but that wasn't the case. I had to swallow my pride, phone a friend and ask her to pick up store bought cookies, and be still for a while. Through the day, God sent many unexpected calls, messages, and one sweet friend to deliver a King Size pack of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. God ministered to me, changing my thought patterns right where I was and blessed me beyond words. I never want to forget this day or the lessons I learned through my burned cookies. Yes, proof..."perspective is the key to not coming unglued".