Have you ever said to someone "show me"?  Often my kids will say that to me. The other day, God used one of those times to teach me. “Mom, I want to work on the big puzzle,” Caleb said to me while I was hanging laundry downstairs. I encouraged him to work on it. Not even a minute later “Mom, it’s too hard!! It has too many pieces.”

God’s word is filled with so many incredible stories. One of my favorites is found in 2 Chronicles 20. King Jehoshaphat just received word that a vast army was coming his way. He felt fearful but instead of camping in his fear, King Jehoshaphat went directly to the Lord for guidance. He called all the people of Jerusalem and Judah together to fast and pray.

 “Stay calm. Don’t freak out. Breathe in. Breathe out.” These are words I often say in my head when I am working with one of my kids in the middle of their breakdown. Sometimes I will say these words to myself more than once a day. Last year, Analiah had bike day at preschool. She came out in her flips flops when we were ready to leave. I asked her to go change and put on her tennis shoes. You can imagine what happened next.

There is a coat that hangs on the rack in our house. It is an Unwanted Coat. Why is it unwanted? It’s heavy and different. At least that’s what Nathan tells me. One afternoon, I sent the kids out to play for just fifteen minutes. It was cold outside but they needed to get some of their energy out. I asked Nathan to wear this coat. The unwanted coat.

Close your eyes for a moment. Did you see anything? Most likely not. Saul felt like this for three days when he temporarily lost his sight. Let's take a look at Saul's story. In Acts 9, we read the story of Saul. He went to the high priest and asked for letters to the synagogues in Damascus. Saul's goal was to take anyone who believed in Jesus and put them in prison.

There would not be enough room. Every time I read this scripture verse, I stop in my tracks. Every. Single. Time. Throughout scriptures, we read many amazing stories about the things Jesus did. The miracles He performed and the people He set free.

Idolatry. What is it really? According to dictionary.com idolatry is "excessive or blind adoration, reverence, devotion, etc." In today’s reading, the Israelites are being warned against idolatry. The author of Deuteronomy warns about the prophets among the Israelites who encourage the people to worship other gods. God is using this example to test His people. Do they truly love Him with all their heart and soul?

Our words are powerful. They can be used to build up or tear down. The words we speak have a greater impact than we realize. In today’s reading found in Numbers 12, the words of Aaron and Miriam tear down Moses. It was just a little bit of complaining. This doesn’t seem like a very big deal, does it? But, it was a big deal. It resulted in a life-threatening condition for Miriam and negatively affected the whole Israelite community. What can we learn from this incident? First, our words reveal what is in our hearts. Secondly, there are consequences for the words we speak.

The other day we decided to rearrange the pictures in our living room. It is always a task because when you move one, it often means you move many pictures to help it all balance well. Jonathan pulled out the hammer and nails to hang pictures in the new spot. Caleb, our 4-year-old, noticed and declared that he wanted to help. The particular picture Jonathan was about to hang was up pretty high. So, he hoisted Caleb on his shoulders.

 Do you enjoy having your toenails painted? I do. Especially in the summer when my feet are more visible. It’s fun to add a splash of color. Analiah, our 6-year-old, loves painted toenails. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is. She just loves painting toenails! One day Analiah asked me to paint my toenails. It was just before I headed out on a Missions Trip. I knew my feet would be visible. I’ll be totally honest, I hesitated. I really didn’t want her to paint my toenails. When Analiah uses nail polish, more than my toes get covered. But the look of anticipation on her face was one I couldn’t deny.