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Friday, August 26, 2011

Sowing and Reaping

Sorry I have been a little blog absent lately. God has been working with me a lot lately so I have been pretty busy emotionally. That probably sounds  a little weird! But, I am not good at writing, even about the simplist things, when I have a lot going on in my little noggin!

This summer I did the most amazing Bible Study/Discipleship course I have ever been a part of.  Honestly, I have never learned so much about myself and God's plan for my life in such a short amount of time before! Ah-mazing stuff. And I am so grateful.

One thing that came up several times throughout the study and then again in lots of other random places was God's principle of sowing and reaping.

Galatians 6:7 says, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."

And 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 says, "The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work."        

And the Bible mentions this concept several other times. I found this link helpful.

I had honestly mostly thought of this concept in very broad terms or in terms of money only. Do good things and good things will come back to you. Sowing and reaping was God's version of Karma in my mind.

But in my learning it has been brought to my attention that this is a specific promise. The thing we sow into is what we will get back. If I spend hours sewing into blogging I will not reap the harvest of having very well behaved children. Or if I sow my energies into saving money using Biblical principles I won't directly reap a harvest of having lots of Godly friends.

I am by no means saying that God cannot choose to bless us with whatever he wants despite the fact that we are not sowing into it. But, He has promised us that, that which we sow into we will also reap.

So, that got me thinking about two big things in my life.
1. What seeds am I currently sowing
2. What harvest am I looking to reep

To be honest, my lists did NOT match up very well. Although, I am looking to reap whatever harvest comes from spending hours looking at Pinterest brings in the very near future (silly, right?).

All of this to explain why I haven't been around much lately. God is really working on my heart. He is helping me try to figure out His priorities for my life and it is a PROCESS! I am trying to figure out how blogging, friendships, etc, lots of really fun things! But, how they all fit into my life. So that everything can be in its right place and I can spend my time sewing into the things that I want to reap.

And honestly, I am not even close to having things even kind of figured out yet. But, I do know for sure of one purpose that God has for my life and one part of my life I cannot afford to be constantly sewing into and that is this...
I am praying for myself and everyone that reads this James 1:22. That we will not merely be hearers of the word but doers of the word.
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Thursday, August 18, 2011

First day of preschool!

Today is Max's first day of preschool! I cannot believe he is so big. We are only one year away from Kindergarten! I just can't believe it!

He was so excited this morning. He must have told me a dozen times that preschool is JUST for big kids.

I can't wait to go pick him up and hear all about it! 


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Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Seasons

Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 (NKJV)

To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance; 


This verse has been on my heart and mind so much lately. It is so true. There really is a season for everything. Lately, I have found myself clinging to a season in life that I used to be in. Or maybe not clinging, but maybe just not realizing that I am now in a different season in life.

I am currently in a season in life I have never been in before. So many things are going on... I have three young kiddos, Max is starting preschool, we are going to a new church, one of my best friends moved away, my husband is more on fire for Jesus than he ever has been, etc. Most of these are REALLY good things, some aren't, but either way, it is all new!

I have been struggling because I keep trying to live my life the way I did in a previous season and it just hasn't been working! And I have been wondering why! Until I read this verse and God reminded me that I am in a different season and that it is the way it is supposed to be.

I am not in a season in life where I can go to playdates all the time, where I can have people over all the time, where I can go out all the time. Life is busy around our house and it is just where we are at right now.

So, I hope everyone can be patient with me while I am learning to navigate this new season. I know it is where I am supposed to be and I want to get the most out of it that I can! I am excited about what God is doing in me and in our family right now and I don't want to miss it by clinging to the way things used to be.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Now and then...

Here is our sweet Sophie-Girl yesterday on her 3rd birthday!


And here she is exactly three years before.


Time really does fly when you are having fun! Sophie Nichole, you are the sweetest little daughter anyone could ever ask for. You are so girly we don't know what to do with you sometimes. You love pink and make-up and you even tell us that your favorite animal is princesses! But, you are sassy and you can hold your own against your brothers! We are thankful that God put you in our family and we can't wait to see the grown-up girl you become!

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Happy Birthday Jack!

One year ago today I was starting at this sweet face in the hospital. After a mad dash to the hospital in the middle of the night and a few short hours of labor Jack came into the world and our lives were changed for the better forever! You can read about it all here!
And now one year later this is the sweet face I am looking at this morning. He is still just as sweet but not quite as snuggly. Instead of sleeping and being held he is climbing and crawling to torment his siblings at high speed!
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We love you Jack and can't wait to watch you grow this year!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Jack's 1st Birthday Party

Our little man turns {1} tomorrow... so yesterday we celebrated in true "R style" with a birthday bash for our little man! Lots of our wonderful family joined us to celebrate the life of our sweet boy! Here are some pics from the super fun par-tay!











We did a circus theme so we served popcorn and Cracker Jacks and then had a hot dog bar for dinner! We hosted the party at a friend's pool so everyone was able to swim and have a great time! I would say it might have been our best party yet!

Popcorn bags and hotdog wrappers- Hobby Lobby
party hat- Target
banner and cupcake toppers- homemade with paper from Archiver's
fabric bunting- Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/jaimemancilla?ref=pr_shop_more