In I Corinthians 12: 12-27, Paul writes about the body of Christ. Every believer is a member of Christ's body. Too many times we forget that is just exactly what we are--the body of Christ. As a result of being the same body, we should be building each other up.
In the past few months, as I have been daily doing my exercises for my right shoulder, the practicality of this example in the Bible became so real to me as I compared it to my own body. Most of the exercises I must do require the help of my left arm. As a result, my left arm has become sore and at times can become quite painful. I realize that there is no way for me to do the exercises for my right shoulder without the assistance of my left hand and arm. Two practical examples came to me:
1. As members of the Body of Christ, we should be quick to assist other members of that body as they need us.
2. Just as my left arm is in pain from assisting my right arm, so we should hurt for others (or have compassion) to those who are a part of the Body of Christ.
Are we assisting other members? Are we hurting for others? I hope this lessons touches someone today as it touched me.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Why have a schedule?
A very close friend of mine just called a few minutes ago. She mentioned that I had not blogged recently and she wondered if I was feeling okay.
I am recuperating from my surgery quite well. The pain has lessened and I have been able to cut back a little bit on my pain medicine. (I do need it though for my exercises.) My range of motion leaves a lot to be desired. I am working hard and gaining little by little, but have a long ways to go.
I thought I would share a few of the things we have been learning in our Wonderfully Made Moms Bible Study.
Firstly we learned that in order to get our life in order, we need to have time with the Lord every day. Without His strength, we can not make it. Secondly, we need to have a good relationship with our husband. Thirdly, we must learn how to manage our time when we have children so that we can still find a little bit of time for ourselves. If we can not find this time, we can easily become exhausted and depressed, and sometimes, physically ill.
A few years before I met my husband, I spent a few days with my brother and sister-in-law who had just had their third child. While she was in the hospital, I cared for their two daughters. I was amazed at how difficult it was to keep two little girls clean, fed and happy and still keep other necessary things done. When my sister-in-law came home, I learned a valuable lesson from her. She had her children on a strict schedule. The girls had a time to get up, a time to play, a time to go outside, a time for snacks, a time for meals, a time for a nap, a time for family activities in the evening, and a time for bedtime. According to Ecclesiastes 3, there is a time for everything.
When my first child was born, I attempted to put him on a schedule. He was colicky so this was not possible at first. But it was such a priority, that as soon as I was able to do so, he was on a schedule. And so were all my children born after him. Fortunately, my first baby was the only one who was colicky.
By putting our children on a schedule, we can also find time for our husbands and yes, believe it or not, time for ourselves. Now I know this can't work for everybody, especially for parents of some children with special needs. But too many times I've seen parents too busy doing unnecessary running around and making too many exceptions to the schedule. We need to have priorities.
I gave an assignment to the mothers in our group. I asked them to take the letters of the word SCHEDULE and, using each letter, find a word that would describe what positive things there could be for our children (and us) by putting them on a schedule. I came up with the following:
C = He is CHALLENGED
H = He is a HELPER
E = He is EASIER to get along with (because he knows what is expected of him)
D = He will DO more of what I ask of him
U = He will UNDERSTAND what is expected of him
L = A schedule will make LIFE easier for all of us
E = We will ENJOY him more
Can you come up with more? If so, either leave a comment or e-mail me at beyondtheclouds@sbcglobal.net I will blog your answers soon. Also, for some of you Moms who have your child(ren) on a schedule, let me know some of the positive results you see.
I am recuperating from my surgery quite well. The pain has lessened and I have been able to cut back a little bit on my pain medicine. (I do need it though for my exercises.) My range of motion leaves a lot to be desired. I am working hard and gaining little by little, but have a long ways to go.
I thought I would share a few of the things we have been learning in our Wonderfully Made Moms Bible Study.
Firstly we learned that in order to get our life in order, we need to have time with the Lord every day. Without His strength, we can not make it. Secondly, we need to have a good relationship with our husband. Thirdly, we must learn how to manage our time when we have children so that we can still find a little bit of time for ourselves. If we can not find this time, we can easily become exhausted and depressed, and sometimes, physically ill.
A few years before I met my husband, I spent a few days with my brother and sister-in-law who had just had their third child. While she was in the hospital, I cared for their two daughters. I was amazed at how difficult it was to keep two little girls clean, fed and happy and still keep other necessary things done. When my sister-in-law came home, I learned a valuable lesson from her. She had her children on a strict schedule. The girls had a time to get up, a time to play, a time to go outside, a time for snacks, a time for meals, a time for a nap, a time for family activities in the evening, and a time for bedtime. According to Ecclesiastes 3, there is a time for everything.
When my first child was born, I attempted to put him on a schedule. He was colicky so this was not possible at first. But it was such a priority, that as soon as I was able to do so, he was on a schedule. And so were all my children born after him. Fortunately, my first baby was the only one who was colicky.
By putting our children on a schedule, we can also find time for our husbands and yes, believe it or not, time for ourselves. Now I know this can't work for everybody, especially for parents of some children with special needs. But too many times I've seen parents too busy doing unnecessary running around and making too many exceptions to the schedule. We need to have priorities.
I gave an assignment to the mothers in our group. I asked them to take the letters of the word SCHEDULE and, using each letter, find a word that would describe what positive things there could be for our children (and us) by putting them on a schedule. I came up with the following:
S = He has SECURITY
C = He is CHALLENGED
H = He is a HELPER
E = He is EASIER to get along with (because he knows what is expected of him)
D = He will DO more of what I ask of him
U = He will UNDERSTAND what is expected of him
L = A schedule will make LIFE easier for all of us
E = We will ENJOY him more
Can you come up with more? If so, either leave a comment or e-mail me at beyondtheclouds@sbcglobal.net I will blog your answers soon. Also, for some of you Moms who have your child(ren) on a schedule, let me know some of the positive results you see.
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