Sheena Gershom

10 Years From Today

March 26, 2014

The kids are done with their school year. It’s the end of Kindergarten and come June, we’ll be entering a new phase in their schooling. With the boys at home for their summer vacation, I won’t deny that it’s been a struggle. I’m used to having a couple of hours of quiet around the home… but with them at home, asking for peace and quiet is akin to asking for the moon! 🙂

However, I truly am grateful they’ll be at home for the next two months. And God has been impressing on my heart to make the most of this time – to love them, spend more time with them, connect with them, and teach them some good habits. I don’t know if I will have this time with them as they grow older.

Well anyway, I did a simple exercise that has really helped me be more intentional with my life. And I thought I’d share it with you today. I asked myself 3 simple questions…

What will my life be like 10 years from today?

My husband and I will be in our forties.
We would’ve been married almost 17 years!
The boys will be 16!

What do I WANT my life to look like then?

I’d like to have grown in faith, and reached more people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I’d like my marriage to have blossomed over the years – in love and understanding.
I’d like my boys to have a personal relationship with God and serve Him passionately.
I’d like to be healthy and able to care for my family.
I’d like to be writing on a blog I own.

What can I do NOW to accomplish that?

I can spend more time learning from the Bible, praying and serving in our local church.
I can love and respect my husband, and serve him wholeheartedly.
I can lead my sons to Christ, sharing with them all that He’s done for us.
I can make good food choices and exercise regularly.
I can create and design my own blog from scratch.

Going through these questions has helped me clarify the path I’d like to travel over the next 10 years. Most people talk about a 5 year plan, but I’ve found a 10 year plan to be more effective. Of course, I haven’t taken into consideration how God might mess up my plans for my good and His glory. That could always happen, and I’m game for that! 😉

So, have you thought about how you’d like your life to look like 10 years from today? I encourage you to answer the three questions above, and write down what you can do now to accomplish that.

Wishing you God’s best,
Sheena

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Counting My Blessings: 1471 to 1480

March 24, 2014

Every week (more or less), I share on the blog all the good things (and bad) I am grateful to God for. If you’d like to know more, check out these blog posts on why I do it and how to get started. Care to join me on this journey of intentional thanksgiving?

1471. A magnificent sunset.

1472. Getting the kids to help me with the laundry.

1473. Lessons from the book of Numbers in the Bible {Who would’ve thought?!}.

1474. Drawing a natural scenery for the boys…

1475. …and reminiscing how my father did the same with me 25 years ago.

1476. Fast relief from a stomach bug the boys had.

1477. Taking a day off to spend with my Father.

1478. A weekend full of long chats.

1479. Vanilla ice-cream with hot fudge.

1480. Hearing my husband talk non-stop like Yoda. {Hilarious!}

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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Top 3 Thursday – Edition #38

March 20, 2014

Here are 3 blog posts that encouraged me this week… Click through and read them, won’t you?

1. Letting Go of the Pipe @ The Better Mom {Made me wonder if I was choosing to walk the pipe when God wants me to fly.}

2. Kids and Gold Stars @ Serving Joyfully {Kids these days are growing up with an attitude of entitlement. Time to take note and change things at home.}

3. Protectors, Providers & Leaders @ The MOB Society {Praying my sons grow up to be real men who diligently protect, provide and lead.}

If you have read or written an encouraging blog post during the week, would you share the link in the comments below. I’d love to check it out!

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A Habit A Month: Work at Home Plan

March 19, 2014

Once upon a time… (err… well, actually until a year ago), I had a regular feature on the blog called, “A Habit A Month“, where I shared one habit I’d worked on that month. Umm… except that the habit I’m currently working on took about 10 months to master. Yes, you heard that right… 10 MONTHS! And it wasn’t such an impossible-to-master habit either.

Way back in May last year, I started working on my ‘Work at Home’ plan. I had been working from home for 2 months at that time and I really wanted to streamline my work schedule. Needless to say, things didn’t go as planned.

While I did know how to optimize my day, implementing it consistently on a regular basis was a totally different matter. Over the past 10 months, I’ve had some good days, and some bad days; days I’ve burned out, and days I’ve flailed; days when sickness took a toll on our family, and days I’ve been on the verge of insanity. But I’m happy to say, after months of working on it, I now have a reasonable work schedule that accommodates irregularities at home and pressing work deadlines.

I work an average of 4 – 5 hours a day.

2 hours before lunch when my boys are away at school.
2 hours after lunch while the sons rest or play.
About 15 – 30 minutes after dinner to wind things up (if required).

The challenge was to make sure my part-time work did not affect my primary role as wife, mother and homemaker. My schedule now seems to have a delicate balance, that just might continue to work even if something unexpected comes along. I’m quite happy with this schedule and it works for now. I will have to make some changes in June though, when the boys start Grade 1 and stay back longer in school.

And with that, I’m winding up the “A Habit A Month” feature on the blog. Let’s face it, I do not have the time or energy to work intentionally on one more thing within a month’s time. If I do manage to master a habit, I’ll be sure to blog about it!

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Counting My Blessings: 1461 to 1470

March 17, 2014

1461. Getting all caught up on the blogs I follow via Feedly.

1462. Final week of the kids’ exams {Hurrah!}.

1463. A lively discussion in our prayer group on the importance of church.

1464. Watching my boys mingle with other kids in church. It’s been a long time coming.

1465. The fact that I can’t wait for school to get over for the kids!

1466. Lessons from the life of Daniel.

1467. Getting hard knocks from God regarding the lack of prevailing prayers from my end.

1468. The kids playing restaurant with my kitchen utensils.

1469. Playing along with them for a while {they were stoked} 🙂 .

1470. A friend’s excitement at being given an opportunity to serve in church.

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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Top 3 Thursday – Edition #37

March 13, 2014

Here are 3 blog posts that encouraged me this week… Click through and read them, won’t you?

1. Temple Talk: The Struggle & Stewardship of the Spirit @ Good Morning Girls {We’ve been dealing with our health this week in the Intentionally Focused Bible Study and God’s been dealing with me, regarding my body and my health.}

2. Passion Following @ (in)courage {“…there is value in getting trained in something you are passionate about.” <– Loved this!}

3. Does It Really Take a Village? @ For The Family {I pray this is true for my sons as well.}

If you have read or written an encouraging blog post during the week, would you share the link in the comments below. I’d love to check it out!

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Why I Write

March 11, 2014

I love the written word. I love reading it, I love writing it, I love typing it! But I hadn’t always embraced it. Reading was always my most favorite thing to do in the world. Writing, not so much. When my 6th grade English teacher said that my essay on Heidi was remarkably good, I was thrilled but didn’t read too much into her comment.

It wasn’t until I turned 14, that I truly embraced writing. And it began with God’s word. I would write a verse from the Bible each day, and write down what I learned from it. I didn’t realize then, that this habit was actually called, “Bible Study”. About that time, I also began writing a page each day about everything that was happening in my life. It’s how I processed my day.

Over the next dozen years, I kept writing in my journal – not on a daily basis but as and when I needed to pour my heart out. Sometimes it would be a “Dear God” kind of letter, on other days I would record answered prayers. I truly enjoyed writing down my confused thoughts and seeing them make sense on paper 🙂 .

It wasn’t until I started doing a Good Morning Girls Bible study, that I seriously considered blogging (although I had been reading Christian Mommy blogs for months prior to that). Just a couple of days into the 1 John Bible study, I came across these verses:

“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you,
that ye also may have fellowship with us:
and truly our fellowship is with the Father,
and with his Son Jesus Christ.
And these things write we unto you,
that your joy may be full.”
(1 John 1:3-4)

Here’s what I wrote in my journal that day:

What John saw/heard about Jesus, he told others. I have to tell people what I know about Jesus. I should be able to put my testimony down on paper (a blog?) and share it with everybody. Could a blog be my ministry?

This was in September 2011… one month later, I started blogging. I knew it’s what God wanted me to do. I did create a fancy blogging purpose a while back to remind myself what (or whom) exactly I was blogging for.

All that said, writing for me goes beyond blogging. I ended last year writing at least a dozen pages in my journal. I wasn’t blogging during that time frame, but I certainly was writing. Sometimes, God allows me to share it here online, and sometimes not.

But I’ve realized one thing. I can’t not write! It’s as simple as that.

I want to ask you one question today. What is that one thing that you can’t not do. It could be pursuing a new dream or just reviving an old hobby. If you know God wants you to do it, go ahead and do it! You will experience the fullness of joy that comes from walking in God’s will. And He’ll be sure to touch someone else through your obedience.

Stay blessed!

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Counting My Blessings: 1451 to 1460

March 10, 2014

1451. Parenting failures redeemed by God.

1452. Testimonies that rock our comfortable Christian boat.

1453. Lightning McQueen T-shirts sent by a doting grandma.

1454. The boys’ glee when they saw those T-shirts!

1455. A de-greased oil canister {Totally made my day!}.

1456. Mighty Prevailing Prayer borrowed from a friend.

1457. Walking quite a distance, hunting for a gym.

1458. And walking back with a black forest cake in hand!

1459. A rousing Sunday sermon by Anand Pillai.

1460. A late night in-house movie date with the husband.

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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The Wall Around Your Heart: Book Review

March 8, 2014

I have to admit… The Wall Around Your Heart: How Jesus Heals You When Others Hurt You by Mary DeMuth was not a very comfortable book to read. I knew it would make me acknowledge all the walls I had built up in my life, but I didn’t realize what a struggle breaking them down would be.

Too often when we get hurt, we spend months, if not years struggling with the bitterness. Although we may forgive the person who hurt us, the memories still linger, causing us to barricade ourselves from others. In this book, the author explains how we can be healed and made whole after painful relationships have taken a toll on us.

Using the Lord’s prayer as a guide, the author gives biblical and practical encouragement to turn a fortress heart into an open heart. The one thing that stood out for me in this book is this: the painful relationships I’ve endured in the past have molded my life in a way that nothing else possibly could.

I’ve asked God so many times why He let me endure certain difficult relationships… well, I now have the answer. He used those people, those hurts, those lessons, to mold me to be a better vessel for His glory.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

“I would not be the Christ follower I am today without the painful people from my past. They were and are gifts. Messy, problematic gifts, but gifts nonetheless.”

“When we rehash, we rehearse, then relive the pain, which ends up poisoning us further.”

“I cannot fathom a God who dared to leave perfection, to come to this pain-paved world and heal those who eventually screamed for His death.”

“We ask for God’s will to be done, for Him to take divine note of the situation and act on our behalf for the sake of His name, not ours.”

“God often stretches you beyond your comfort to grow you.”

If you’ve been hurt by a loved one, someone you trusted and allowed into your life… you need to read this book. The past has no power over you unless you let it. Allow God to heal your wounds, and use your painful past to mold you towards a glorious future.

Disclosure: I received a free Kindle version of this book from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are entirely my own.

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Top 3 Thursday – Edition #36

March 6, 2014

Here are 3 blog posts that encouraged me this week… Click through and read them, won’t you?

1. 5 Ways to Sit at His Feet @ Karen Ehman

2. 4 Great Reasons to Wake up Early @ The Art of Simple

3. Reviving an Abandoned Dream @ Proverbs 31 Minisries

If you have read or written an encouraging blog post during the week, would you share the link in the comments below. I’d love to check it out!

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