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Join me in my daily walk through the joys and struggles of parenthood. Share a word of encouragement or be encouraged. Cry a little, laugh a lot, but know it is all in divine order.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Words of Wisdom - Potatoes, Eggs, Coffee Beans, which are you?

Photo Credit: Best Wallpaper.net

Have you ever faced adversity? May you find inspiration from the story below.
One time, a girl let out all her frustrations about her life to her father. She said that her life is full of setbacks. There seemed to be no end to her problems.
Her father -a chef- led his daughter inside the kitchen. He took three same size pots and filled them with the same amount of water. He set the pots on the stove and turned on the fire. When the water started to boil, the father put ground coffee beans in one, some eggs in the second, and potatoes in the last.
He quietly observed the three pots. The bored daughter stood there and was getting impatient with the silence and wondered why her father was cooking the coffee, eggs, and potatoes in front of her.
20 minutes passed, and the father turned the flames off. He spooned the potatoes from the water and transferred these to a bowl. Next, he took the eggs from the water and lay them in a second bowl. He poured the brewed coffee into a mug. He then asks his daughter ‘What do you see?’ To which she replied “coffee, eggs, and potatoes.”
The father said, “take a good look and feel the potatoes.” She touched it and stated that they were soft. The father asked her to break an egg. She did just that and shelled the egg. She stared at it, and it was a hard cooked egg. Lastly, he gave her the mug of coffee and told her to drink it. Both the flavor and the smell of the coffee made the daughter smile.
Finally, she broke her silence and asked her father “what does this all mean?” The father answered, “All three of these faced the same problem – the boiling water. But each of the three reacted differently. The potato was vigorous and sturdy when it went into the water but ended up soft. The eggs were soft on the inside with only a thin shell protecting it. But when faced with the problem, it toughened up inside. But the ground coffee was different. It blended with the water and made itself and the water better.”
The father proceeded “When a problem stares you in the face, which one would you like to be?”
Author Unknown

Monday, January 6, 2020

Muffins with Mom – The Bible Lesson



Can you guess what the acronym for BIBLE means? What did you come up with? The answer is
Basic
Instruction
Before
Leaving
Earth

When my sons were younger each of them had a children’s Bible of his own. Recently I recruited my college “kids” to assist with cleaning and purging items over the Holiday break. Stuffed in a backpack with other random items, was a faux leather Bible case. The bumpy brown case with black lines had the look a feel of a basketball.

One son had a case that resembled a basketball and the other sons’ case had the look of a football. It was the information on the inside of the cases that mattered most, instructions on how to live a Godly life. I remember my younger son rolling his Matchbox cars across his Bible or using it as a pad as he drew tic-tac-toe boxes on a sheet of paper.

Learning does not happen overnight...for children nor adults. There are parables in the Bible about planting seeds, waiting patiently, and reaping a harvest. When seeds are planted, they do not sprout overnight. As a parent, it took a loooong time for me to learn to be patient. I get it now. My sons have grown into competent young men with their own ideas.

There were tears shed that they never knew about, daily prayers, and sending them to Grandma’s for my respite. I’m glad I never gave up on them or my sanity. We’re not perfect, but we continue to grow. There are many Bible lessons that can be applied to our lives, the key is to never stop learning.

Situations happen in life that are beyond our control. For those times I say, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to you own understanding. In all ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” Proverbs 3: 5-6.

Is there something you have been praying about – a new job, your finances, your health? Plant your seeds, be patient, pray during your waiting and know that God is in control. Things happen in His divine order. Get ready for a shift.

Remember that your Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth (BIBLE), is your best guide. When my sons’ stumbled upon their old Bible cases, it brought back an avalanche of memories. Not all the memories were Bible lessons, but they did recall life lessons.

May all the seeds you plant this season produce a great harvest.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020