Five Minute Friday: Risk

Five Minute Friday

Risk

I’m the last person on earth who should be writing on risk. I could finish up this post with just 4 words:

Don’t take risks, ever!

Yup! That’s me.. the boring, predictable, planned, organized, it’s-too-risky-to-take-a-risk person. But I know that isn’t the way I want to live my life. That isn’t the way God wants me to live my life.

Isn’t the Bible filled with people who took risks and survived?

Abraham left his hometown and became a nomad.

Moses agreed to lead a crowd of Israelites out into the wilderness.

Daniel prayed.

Even Peter stepped out of the boat {not a very good example, but still makes the point}.

And if I may add… My husband and I took a risk when we refused fetal reduction {which would have killed one of our babies, giving the other two a better chance of survival}. We had no idea how we would provide for all three of them, if at all they survived.

And yet, there’s proof that when we obey God and take a risk, He takes over.

Abraham became an epitome of faith.

Moses led his people to freedom, and closer to the promised land.

Daniel did not become the lions’ dinner.

Peter built the church of God. {…after he got a lesson on faith, that we still learn from, thousands of years later!}

And all my sons are alive and well-provided for.

As much as I hate taking risks, so many times in life I have had to do just that. But I’ve learnt that when we do step out in faith and trust God; He never lets us down.

When we obey God and take a risk, He becomes our safety net.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Will you obey God today, and let Him be your safety net?

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Avoiding the Proverbs 31 Burnout

Proverbs 31:10-31 – Every Christian woman has read this passage at least once in her lifetime. When I first read it, I was ecstatic! I said, “Wow! I know what God wants for my life.. He wants me to be this woman”. And I faithfully highlighted every character of this perfect woman. Over the past 10 years, I’ve loved, hated, envied and attempted (a lot) to be just like her.

We are currently reading Proverbs 31 in our Good Morning Girls Bible study, so I made up my mind to work on this, once and for all… Except, it didn’t quite work out like I expected.

Last Monday, the kids started kindergarten, and I was all too eager to keep my home as a Proverbs 31 woman would. I woke up early, went for my morning run, got the kids ready, got them fed, walked them to the school bus, had my quiet time, swept the house, did the laundry, ironing, dishes, decluttered two rooms, cleaned a bathroom, blogged, got lunch ready and rushed off to pick the kids back from school.

I was quite pleased with myself – I had worked non-stop and it was worth it. The look on my husband’s face when he walked into our clean, uncluttered living room was priceless. All my hard work had payed off, and I was elated… until late evening, when I fell sick :(.

I had gone a little over the top and ended up sick for a couple of days, causing quite a bit of inconvenience to my family. It was time to take stock of what I was trying to accomplish as a Proverbs 31 woman. As always, God spoke to me through a number of blog posts and I learnt quite a few things. Here are a few more details about the Proverbs 31 woman…

  1. She let God take control of her life. She feared the Lord.
  2. She is a portrait of a woman’s lifetime, not a single day.
  3. She probably wasn’t perfect, because none of us are.
  4. God’s grace covers our shortcomings.
  5. She wasn’t a real woman! She was a compilation of all the qualities that King Lemuel’s mother wanted in a daughter-in-law.

The last one hit home.. I learnt that from the book “Pursuit of Proverbs 31” by Amy Bayliss. I know for sure, I will have high expectations of the women my sons will one day marry.

Well, so maybe I’ll never be everything the Proverbs 31 woman was – and that’s okay. But this passage has been included in the Bible for a reason – not to cause us stress and end up with a burnout. We ought to emulate these characteristics throughout our lifetime, through several years, and maybe decades. I may not get there today, or next year, but I’m going to try – one step at a time.

As long as I keep my eyes on Jesus, and walk in His will – step by step, I know He will teach me to be a better woman, wife and mother. And one day, my family may call me blessed… But that is not what I long for. What will make my day {or in this case, my life} is this… that I will hear my Father say “Well done“!

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Counting My Blessings: 217 to 237

“I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalm 31:1)

3 Gifts Full

217. The skies, filled with clouds that looked like this.
218. My heart, as my sons walk together, holding hands.
219. My mind, filled with all I couldn’t get done today.

3 Gifts Smelled

220. Pizza with italian seasoning.
221. My husband’s cologne.
222. Homegrown black pepper, a gift from my mother-in-law.

A Gift Unexpected, Unwanted, Unlikely

223. Husband working from home – an unexpected blessing.
224. A long wait for the school bus – definitely didn’t want that!
225. Unlikely, I’ll be getting any work done, after an extended power outage.

3 Gifts in His Word

226. Water, for the parched soul.
227. Comfort, for the hurting soul.
228. Hope, for the disappointed soul.

3 Gifts Moving

229. Our car.
230. The grocery cart.
231. Pencils, as our sons completed their homework.

3 Gifts in your Dad

232. Enjoying double scoop, choco-vanilla ice cream together on hot summer afternoons.
233. Teaching me to play “Are you sleeping?” on the piano.
234. Our trips to the library.

3 Gifts from your Heavenly Father

235. Jason.
236. Jon.
237. Judah.

Are you in the habit of counting your blessings? I mean, literally counting them 1, 2, 3… Would you consider joining me on this journey? Would you dare to live fully, right where you are?

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Five Minute Friday: Path

As I mentioned in my previous post, every morning, the boys and I walk a short distance from our home to the main road, where the school bus picks them up. It’s just a short walk, but on a pretty bad road.

And by “bad” road, I mean almost “no” road. The path is stony, littered with garbage, leaves, and other things I’d rather not mention :). So, walking this path with 3 sons has become a bit of a nightmare for me. Over the years, the boys have had quite a few falls on this road and too many bruises to count.

As a mother, I keep reminding them, to look where they’re walking and to keep to the sides of the road. How I wish I could smoothen the path for them… The’ll never have to fear a fall. And even if they do, because the path is even, they won’t bruise their knees. Well, a mother can wish…

But there is Someone who promises to do just that…

“…I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth.” (Isaiah 42:16)

“I will go before you and make the rough places smooth…” (Isaiah 45:2)

“In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:6)

The question is… Do I follow in my Father’s footsteps? Do I walk in the path He’s plotted for me? Do I listen to His gentle rebukes when I go wayward?

I strive to walk the path He’s set for me, conscious that if I ever do stumble; He’s right there to keep me from falling.

What comes to your mind, when you think of the word “Path”?

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The Kindergarten Trio

Our triplets have officially started kindergarten. I managed to get this picture of them today, before we hurried out to catch the school bus. {Kindly ignore the broken lego man on the floor} 😀

We’ve managed to establish a morning routine, so mornings aren’t quite that hectic. Every morning, the boys get dressed in their school uniforms and we walk the short distance to the main road, where the school bus picks them up. I watch them walking together, holding each others hands… Brother in arms, so alike yet so different… And my heart overflows with joy.

In the years ahead, I pray my sons will learn to walk together in grace and truth, in tandem with their Maker.

“I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are living their lives in the Truth.” (3 John 1:4)

This is one proud mama, bragging on her boys! 🙂

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Counting My Blessings: 184 to 216

Why do we end gatherings with a vote of thanks? We end a day, a month, a year with a word of thanks – gratitude for all God’s done for us in the days gone by. But, what if…

What if we started our day with thanksgiving? If we began each morning with praise? If we looked each day for things we can be thankful for… wouldn’t we find them, everywhere we looked?

I’m counting my blessings as a part of June’s Joy Dare at A Holy Experience.

3 Gifts Orange

184. Trays holding 5 dozen eggs in our kitchen.
185. Orange chalk.
186. Drinking orange soda with our prayer group family.

3 Gifts Funny

187. Travelling 90 minutes on a circuitous route to a venue we didn’t realize was only 30 minutes away! LOL!

188. Shoppers at a mall watching in amazement as our triplets filed out of the car, one after the other… Their reaction was hilarious! 😀

189. Jon raising his toy car up to the night sky and shouting, “Jesus, see my new race car!” 🙂 {Not exactly funny, but a million dollar, melt your heart, smile all night – moment}

3 Gifts from Today’s Conversations

190. Hugs.
191. Laughter.
192. Burdens shared.

3 Gifts found in Christ

193. New mercies for today.
194. Bright hope for tomorrow.
195. Pardon for sin, every single day.

A Gift of Peace, of Hope, of Love

196. Morning time (before the kiddos wake up).
197. 7 Days of Hope for Moms.
198. My husband urging me to rest awhile.

3 Gifts Ugly-Beautiful

199. A broken hair clip.
200. Toothpaste squeezed out in the bathroom sink.
201. Sore limbs.

3 Gifts in what you Read

202. “…yet not my will, but yours be done…” (Luke 22:42)
203. This blog post on large family moms.
204. Burnt Happens – a post on mistakes and learning.

3 Gifts Empty

205. Gift bags.
206. Chocolate wrappers.
207. The washing machine.

3 Gifts that made you really Smile

208. The memory of Judah peeping out the car window at the heavens, saying, “Mama, see! Jesus is looking at me. Jesus is opening the curtains and looking at me”. And when I respond, “Where baby? Where are the curtains?”, he promptly exclaims, “There.. see.. Jesus is opening the clouds and looking at me..”. {Precious :)}

209. Our sons praying for their father who wasn’t feeling so well. “Jesus, please heal Dada.. Let him go to the hospital.. !!” LOL!

210. A glimpse of monkeys, eating bananas, in our kitchen!

A Gift at 8, at 12, at 2

211. Father and sons, all cuddled up together.
212. Prepping vegetables, to make cooking the rest of the week easier.
213. Folded laundry, finally put by.

3 Gifts Painted

214. The sons’ hand prints.
215. Our crayon-colored walls.
216. The bright yellow school bus that ferried my sons, on their first day of kindergarten.

Are you in the habit of counting your blessings? I mean, literally counting them 1, 2, 3… Would you consider joining me on this journey? Would you dare to live fully, right where you are?

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Five Minute Friday: Expectation

What dream has God planted in your heart?

I came across this question in my Bible study today, and I had no answer for it. None. Na-Da. Zip. Zero. Absolutely no answer.

Truth is that, even as a child, I was always a dreamer. I had big dreams. I was going to travel the world. Rescue dogs. Help the underprivileged. Rise to the top of the corporate ladder. Work with special needs children. Work in a skyscraper. Did I mention, I wanted to travel the world? Oh yeah, I was going to save up enough to travel “around the world in 365 days”. That was probably the biggest dream of all.

And then life happened! Apparently God’s plans for me included a loving husband and adorable triplets who’d turn my life right side up again. Ummm… and they’d never made an appearance in my dreams before :).

God wasn’t kidding when He said “..more than you can ask or even think of..”. So now, I am waiting.. Waiting in expectation for a dream that is more than I can ask or even think of. I still have a lot of those dreams I had as a child. But I’m older and wiser now. I realize that His thoughts are higher than mine will ever be. If my thoughts hit the roof, His will reach the heavens! That’s awesome, right?! 😀

So, whether I do get to travel the world or not, I know that my dreams for myself pale in comparison with God’s dream for me. And when those dreams come true, I know I will be blown away.

And so I wait… with bated breath… in expectation… God’s gonna blow my mind off with His plans for my life. And while I wait, I live. I live this life, with this family, making a home, teaching my sons, serving my husband, building a deeper relationship with my Father… My expectation doesn’t create a vacuum. It makes me appreciate what I have now, and it gives me hope… A glimpse of something greater to come.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

What dream has God planted in your heart?

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A Million Little Choices

choices

I sighed as I set the alarm on my phone for 4:15 AM. I had to be up early the following morning to pick my mother up from the railway station. After a little consideration, I set the alarm on my husband’s phone as well, and kept both the phones far out of my reach {I’m an expert at switching off the alarm and going back to sleep… and then wondering why it never rang in the first place :D}.

When my alarm rang the next morning, I could barely even open my eyes. I hurriedly switched it off and reached out to switch off my husband’s phone as well. I closed my eyes for just a quick second and considered my options…

  • I could snooze for just a few minutes and risk oversleeping.
  • I could force myself to wake up, right away.

I sighed and forced myself up to a sitting position. Through bleary eyes, I could make out the dark figures of my family, blissfully asleep. I made the difficult, but right choice. I got right out of bed, freshened up and rushed off to the railway station.

On my one hour ride to the station (and another one hour wait for the train), I pondered the little choice I made, so early in the morning. And I realized, we all make choices, everyday… several choices, too many to count, in fact… Subtle choices, we don’t even realize we make. Right from the second our alarms beep in the mornings…

Do we choose to wake up? Or do we choose to hit the snooze button?

Do we choose to open our Bibles? Or do we postpone it, in favor of checking our email (or Facebook)?

Do we choose to prepare healthy meals for our family? Or opt for something more convenient?

I asked myself some hard questions…

Do I take extra time to cuddle up with my sons when they wake up? Or do I hastily shake them awake and rush them off to school?

Do I choose to read a hundred blog posts? Or do I choose to act on just one good post I’ve read?

Do I choose to read a book with the kids? Or do I conveniently pop in a DVD to entertain them?

Do I spend time playing with my sons? Or do I just watch them play, when I’m distracted with something trivial?

Do I choose to serve my husband when he returns home after a long day’s work? Or do I expect him to take care of himself?

When I need a snack, do I reach for the fruit basket? Or the cookie jar?

Do I snap in irritation at my sons’ disobedience? Or do I patiently try to figure out why they are acting that way?

Do I dread doing the dishes? Or am I thankful that my family had a full meal?

Do I choose to let a difficult day get the better of me? Or do I give thanks through the dark clouds and look for the silver lining?

Do I murmur and complain about my situation? Or am I glad that I’m exactly where God wants me to be?

Add all these up, and in a lifetime we are faced with a million little choices. Do we choose to make the right ones?

Choices that lead to joy and peace in the family. Choices that glorify God. Choices that we won’t regret making, later in the day (or life)… {I wish I had woken up earlier… I wish I had read to my kids today… I wish I wasn’t so grumpy all day… I wish I had listened to my husband… I wish I had been more patient…} Any of that sound familiar? 🙂

Today, I am choosing to open my eyes and recognize the choices as they come my way. I choose joy, peace, happiness, love, hope and everything else good and positive. I choose to make the right choices, today!

“… therefore choose life …” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Photo Credit

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A Habit A Month: June

As our family gears up for another academic year, we’re desperately trying to put the craziness of summer behind us. But that’s easier said, than done! The kids start school in a week’s time, and we’re having a tough time getting them back into a routine.

So, this month, it’s all about working out an effective morning schedule and sticking to it. I’m working on a schedule that will include:

  • My morning routine (before the kids wake up).
  • The kids’ routine, as they get ready for school.
  • My routine after the kids leave for school.

Ideally, before the kids wake up, I should be able to finish my quiet time, exercise, daily planning, and get the kids’ food and school stuff ready.

After the kids wake up, it’s pretty straight forward – get them ready, get them fed and get them to the bus on time. Umm… not exactly! It’s usually a pretty trying time, waking the kids up and doing everything three times over. I’m praying for strength and loads of patience to get me through this :).

After the kids leave, I intend to do my Bible study, daily chores, a weekly chore, clear up some clutter, blog and get lunch ready, before heading out to pick the kids up.

I’m hoping a routine will train the kids to do things by themselves, without me reminding them every 2 seconds. And I’ve got to get cracking this very week, a full-fledged attempt to get them prepared, before school starts next week. The rest of the month will be spent working out the kinks in our schedule and making it work for us.

This challenge is about working on just one habit a month – one small step at a time. Focus on just one area in your life that needs an overhaul and make it the habit you want to develop this month. It could be as simple as waking up early or spending time with God everyday. This would be an opportunity for you to actually take a step forward and work on that one good habit you have always wanted to develop. Or kick that one bad habit that has always been nagging your conscience. Are you up for it? Who’s with me?

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Monthly Goals: June

A new month and it’s time to set some new goals. But first an update on last month’s goals.

My goals for the month of May were:

  1. Start on the Good Morning Girls Proverbs 31 Bible Study. — Done
  2. Finish reading Pursuit of Proverbs 31. — Done
  3. Participate in the 21 Days of Prayer for Sons at The MOB Society. — Pending {I started out with a bang, but it fizzled out when we were travelling}
  4. Read A Confident Heart and participate in the online study. — On Track
  5. Finish reading The 5 Love Languages of Children. — Done
  6. Read through The Love & Respect Experience with my husband. — In Progress
  7. Teach the kids to recite John 3:16. — Done
  8. Teach the kids phonics (Letters K-T). — Done
  9. Organize the rest of the e-books on our laptop. — Done
  10. Memorize Romans 12:10-13. — Done

My goals for the month of June are:

  1. Stay up to date with the Good Morning Girls Proverbs 31 Bible Study.
  2. Pray God’s Word over my sons everyday, using June’s prayer calendar provided by The MOB Society.
  3. Finish reading 21 Days of Prayer for Sons.
  4. Finish reading A Confident Heart.
  5. Read through The Love & Respect Experience with my husband.
  6. Teach the kids to recite Matthew 6:9-11 (First half of the Lord’s prayer).
  7. Teach the kids phonics (Letters U-Z).
  8. Teach the kids cursive writing (Letter A).
  9. Organize all the books on my Kindle for PC app {I’ve got more than 1000 free books in there :)}
  10. Memorize scripture.

“She comforts, encourages, and does him only good as long as there is life within her.” (Proverbs 31:12)

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” (Colossians 3:23)

“Do everything without complaining or arguing.” (Philippians 2:14)

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (Hebrews 10:35-36)

Do you have the habit of setting weekly/monthly goals? If you do, how did you do last month? If you don’t, how do you keep track of things you need to get done?

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