Friday, February 17, 2012

A New Heart

Several weeks ago, when I went to the training for my fitness class, I ended up traveling with a girl who was also attending the training. After traveling together, and rooming together for the weekend she became aware that I was a believer. I am not a "shove it down your throat" kind of girl. I absolutely, with all my heart, believe that when Jesus told us that people would know us as believers by the way we love each other, he meant it. Any way, so on our way home she began to ask me questions about my faith and the more questions she asked, and the more I answered her, the more she got upset. She wasn't even asking controversial questions, it seemed to be making her mad that I had answers to the questions she was asking. I tried a few times to change the subject because it was clear that she was not seeking, but trying to be mean. Finally she said, "Well you know, all those people probably just made all that stuff up. There is no way you could even know any of that stuff happened." I just smiled and said, "You know what I think is so neat? The Bible actual has more documentations and writings from those times to back it up than any other historical writing in the whole world."  (Yep. Can not even believe that I remembered it from the very boring exciting apologetics book I tried to read one time.) I wasn't upset at all, even when she wasn't being very nice. I just felt so sad for her. She just didn't get it; she was missing the whole sha-bang. 

Okay, so fast-forward to this week. I was reading in Mark 3, where Jesus heals the man in the synagogue on the Sabbath and the Pharisees plot to kill him. It says there that Jesus felt sad for the hardness in the Pharisees' hearts. As I read that it was almost like I could actually HEAR Jesus tell me, "See, Nicole, I'm giving you a new heart. A heart that doesn't get angry with people that don't understand me, or people who claim to know me but show nothing of me in their lives. The new heart I'm giving you grieves for people and their lost hearts."

I cried, just so you know. There is nothing in the world I want more than to have a heart that is more like Jesus'. I know that I have such a long way to go, but the journey is just so exciting. 

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Sick and Tired

Everyone in our house has been sick. I guess it's just that time of year. First it was Cady, then Wyatt joined in and just as they started getting better I got it too. Jake had a day of the "not feel goods" but he seems to have missed the worst of it, thankfully.

Have I told you that Wyatt is still not walking? I'm sure I have because I find it FRUSTRATING! He is 13 months old and won't walk.  I'm not saying he CAN'T walk, he just won't. You can do anything you can think of to try to lure him into taking a few steps and he's not going to do it. Every now and then he will take a few steps, but won't just take off.

He can do this:



but, be is NOT going to walk. If you ask him to walk he says, "Na!" meaning "no". I am having a hard time being patient and waiting for him to decide to do it. AHHHH!

In other news:

My children had a wonderful sleepover with their Aunt Amber this past weekend. Except for me turning around to talk to them in the car a few times, and tip-toeing through the house thinking it was so quiet because they were napping, it was great. They had chocolate for breakfast, and I got to sleep through the night. It was a wonderful trade! :)

It snowed again on Sunday. Cady was super excited! As we drove home from her sleepover the big flakes started to fall. "Jesus make it snow, Mommy!" She was right, we have been praying that Jesus would send more snow, and he did.



Because of the brief cold spell, we thought we would light our first fire in the fireplace. To celebrate we roasted mini-marshmallows. At first Cady was upset that we weren't letting her eat them, but she caught on and loved it!


I love this picture. I wish it was brighter, but oh well.


I hope that everyone is having a spectacular Valentines Day. 
Until next time,
XOXO

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Friend

I often use that word.
I hear other people use that word a lot too.
Have you ever thought about what it really means?

Wikipedia says that friends often demonstrate the following:

- The tendency to desire what is best for the other
- Sympathy and empathy
- Honesty, perhaps in situations where it may be difficult for others to speak the truth, especially in terms of pointing out the perceived faults of one's counterpart
- Mutual understanding and compassion; ability to go to each other for emotional support
- Enjoyment of each other's company
- Trust in one another
- Positive reciprocity — a relationship is based on equal give-and-take between the two parties.
- The ability to be oneself, express one's feelings and make mistakes without fear of judgement.

God has been speaking a lot of truth into my life recently about that word we use so often. How, if I use it to describe my relationship to/with a person I need to really mean it. I need to mean that I am willing to give, sacrifice for, love, care for, and lift them up.

After all, God calls me His friend.