We've all experienced it at one time or another. The door that closes...the chapter that's finished...the plans that changed. It occurred to me last night as I was closing the door to our old house, heading home to our beautiful new house, that this could possibly be the last time I close that particular door. Now we are more happy in our new home then we were in old home. We have a peaceful feeling there, and an air of excitement over all the new adventures to come. Its perfect for our family of 3! We love every inch of it :) But still, the finality of it all began to sink in. Closing that door had a lot of significance. It felt like in that moment I was closing off part of my past that is long gone. My memories of days gone by seem to be reduced to boxes and bags, with piles of things we need and things to donate. In this situation I am faced with thoughts of what to keep and what to let go of. Things to Keep & move with me: The good moments The happy times The warm fuzzy memories The laughter The holidays The sweet noises The smiles The family dinners The things we've learned The way we've loved The joy...this is what I choose to keep from our old home. Things to Let Go The hurt The shame The guilt The scornfulness The anger The bad The mistrust The hate The yelling The ugly...this is what I choose to let go of. If you are holding on to the ugly that has happened in your life I encourage you to let it go. Nothing can hold you back! If you are in a situation like us where a door is closing behind, take all the joy from the past with you to carry into the future :) Choose Joy!
1 Comment
Romans 8:38 & 39
Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord. This verse is pretty clear…there is no force, no power nothing of this world that can ever separate us from the love God has for us. We are his chosen daughters and the love He has for us is eternal! But there are things however that will get in the way of our relationship with God. I’m sure we could all give examples of things that have come in between a relationship you have or have had. Maybe you can clearly remember a time when something has come between you or caused a falling out with an ex boyfriend, a husband, your parents, or a friend, a child (face it for those who have toddlers or teens this is a daily battle lol ) Think of that time for a minute and how it felt to have something in the way of that relationship that you so desperately wanted to have. How did it feel to have something, some person, some situation pulling away or building a wall in that relationship? For me these times cause me to feel a lot of hurt, pain and confusion. So I’ve been asking myself this question. What does God feel when I let things come between me and my relationship with Him? We all have shall we say “mistresses” that can lead us away from the kind of relationship God wants to have with us. These “mistresses” can be time, money, greed, envy, anger, work, homes, sports, children and EVEN….church work! I’m sure you could all add a few more to this growing list. My focus has been called into question this week. The people or areas in my life that I am most focused on are the things that are going to grow or bear the fruits of my labor. So I have been asking myself… Does God hurt like I did when things came between me and my loved one? Does He feel that the ultimate sacrifice He made is unappreciated when I put other things ahead of spending time with Him? In His word He lovingly commands me so many times to not worry, love him, seek his will, love others, trust Him, and so on. Does he feel betrayed each time I choose not to obey Him? This week I challenge you to get a hold and Ditch the Mistresses’ that are interfering with your time and relationship with God! Budget is always a big deal in our home. How do you meet your families needs ( and occasional wants or treats) on a tight single Mama budget? Here are just a few bits of wisdom that I have received from other Single Mamas, along with what we do in our home, to stretch our budget. ~ Needs vs. Wants. On our refrigerator we have a dry erase board where we keep a list of things to pick up next time I go to the store. This list is split into 2 parts. The top part is " Things We Need" & the bottom part is " Things We Want". Let the kids help with this! You may be surprised what each person considers a need verses a want. One day I wrote paper towels on the "need list". I came back later and one of my sweet kidos had moved it to the " things we want list" explaining that we could use the dish towels and save the money. Go kids! ~ Set rules for treats. I know...I know... RULES! But seriously its better then crying over split milk ( or in my case something you buy that you cant return). This goes for both when you are treating the kids and when you are treating yourself. Personally I find it easier to stay on track when the kids are with me, its those few days that they are gone where loneliness can take over and the mindset of " I deserve it" sets in. Make a list of treats for the kids and treats for yourself along with what each splurge will cost. ~Know the cost. As Single Mama's we are the sole provider. Its up to us to manage our money wisely. Maybe you get child support, maybe you don't. Maybe you work one job, maybe you work several to make ends meet. Either way its important to that you know what things cost! You cant budget if you don't dive into what your spending and see where your money is going or needs to go. You need to know what each monthly bill will cost along with what few other things you might need such as cleaning supplies & toiletries. ~Use your friends. As Single Mamas it can be to easy to get off track financially, after all there is usually no one to hold us accountable. Find someone! I have 2-3 friends that I regularly send my monthly budget to. These are amazing ladies who I trust & do not have to be ashamed to show them how much or how little I make. They are great trusted friends who will : #1- Check my math. Been there and made that addition/subtraction mistake one to many times before. Thankful for the friends who will take 5 minutes and double check my figures! #2- Get a sneak peek at my expenses. A fresh set of eyes might see savings where maybe you don't! #3- Keep me accountable. They know what you make, and what you spend so they can encourage you to stay on budget or help you decide on a big ticket purchase. I'm posting a copy of the PDF I use to help keep my family on budget. I'm very artsy and have a hard time concentrating on plain white paper with no color so I looked online and found a free download of a "Pretty Budget" that suits my visual, organizational and financial needs. Enjoy!
More Single Mama's Stretching the Budget ....
|
AuthorI'm a single mama of 2 great kidos seeking and searching for Gods will in our lives :) Archives
December 2017
Categories
All
|