18 April 2013

…well, days come and go and yes quickly. It has been 9months since I had my first day at the office. It was a wonder that I got into this corporate setting and I trust and believe that God allowed me here for a purpose. What is it? I’m finding it out and I think I’m getting it every single day.

Being a mother I am a firm believer that staying at home full time is the best place to be. To see your child grow, to see everything from the first step to the first date and all the other things in between; but sometimes God would lead us to roads we haven’t taken and yes with a purpose; maybe for our learning, for our growth and maturity and best of all to give God all the glory.

I do trust that I’m learning and growing through this process. Just after I got the job, my son started going to school too. Something new for the family, a new leaf, and a new chapter of our lives; gone are the breastfeeding days, diapers and flying food and toys.

What is this for me anyway? Yes, I’m earning, and I guess my husband likes the idea; I’m learning new things at work, meeting new people, having new friends, seeing and feeling the commuters every day. But the best thing is that something good is happening within me, something deep. I’m appreciating the value of many things in my life; God’s goodness, people, time, money, work, technology, life and most of all the GRACE of God.  I get to see the realities of life and people, the more I see the need for everyone of a Savior, and the great need to share the Gospel of Salvation to others. Among the thousand faces I see I always wonder, have they heard and known that there is hope beyond this life in Jesus? What can I do to share and make a difference?

No perfect life for anyone; but surely God’s Grace is always sufficient. There are days when I just want to stay home; there are corners to clean up, the laundry is waiting and how I love to be there every hour and minute my son and my husband needs me.  who led me to this experience, I believe He gave me this job to meet our needs and most especially for my learning and growth.  I want to believe, I became more understanding, more patient and caring for others this time.  I trust that God wants me to see life differently, to see and experience the lives of women who would work hard for their family. So that I would know from my heart how it is and so that God can use me for a greater ministry ahead.

S A H M

(Stay At Home Mom)

Experiencing the smiles, cries, yawns, joys, pains, blessings and all the other big and little things that goes with motherhood....there's nothing like it....indeed, "Children are an heritage from the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His reward." Psalms 127:3

I am a SAHM and I'm happy to be one.  Sometimes I still get a raised eyebrows every time I tell them I'm a Stay At Home Mom, as if there's something wrong with me.

Our postmodern society tells us to go out of our home, leave our children with a 16year old babysitter, climb the corporate ladder, and be successful.

A special U.S. commission consisting of authorities on child development made a report called Code Blue, concluded: "Never before has one generation of teenagers been less healthy, less cared for or less prepared for life." 

This busyness of mothers means that too often, there is nobody home!  The father is at work, and the babysitter is out chatting with her colleagues or maybe sitting in the coach with her eyes glued on TV.

Children, specially between 0-5 years old may look like fine with temporary babysitters, but God designed them to link emotionally with a mother and a father and to develop securely within the protection of their arms.

I'm not suggesting that all mothers quit their job and stay home. Just staying at home is not the answer, we could be there all the time and yet not be able to influence them, teach and discipline them the way we should.  Before leaving home and going to work, before doing all the chores and errands let's think a million times about our responsibility in nurturing and raising our children the way God wants us to be.  Am I doing good to my children?

Happy Mother's Day!




Bringing Up Boys Dr. James Dobson

  

Joseph

 Joseph

"Love is something different from a delirium; but it's hard to tell the difference." 

-anonymous

My friends a few years back can testify that being in love with Joseph then was delirious, not because I was extremely, madly in love. But because my friends was actually thinking that I was in complete hallucination in finding him attractive, handsome and just nearly perfect.

I love the way my husband makes me laugh. I laugh at his corny jokes, and most especially when he sings. It tickles me.  Joseph is uniquely thoughtful; he would make paper roses, write a love letter in a tissue paper and many more of those kind of things.  He likes surprising me which I really hate. And yet, I love him for doing it.  We laugh a lot, talk a lot, we cry, we argue. I thank God that He has given me the privilege to love and be in love with Joseph. Looking back, there was no way in my dreams of marrying him, but God brought us together.

I love him for just the way God created him. And I love him more everyday. I'm so excited for the days ahead of us. As God leads we follow. There's a lot of things to look forward to.  A lot of work to do for Him.  A lot of blessings to receive.  A lot of happier days!

Hold Thou Thy cross between us, blessed Lord.

Let us love Thee.  To us Thy power afford

To remain prostrate at Thy pierce'd feet -

There is no other place where we may meet.

Set Thou our faces as a flint of stone

To do Thy will.  Our goal be this alone.

O God, our hearts are fixed. Let us not turn.

Consume all our affections, let Thy love burn.

poem from Elisabeth Elliot's Passion and Purity

Living and Risking

All who FLY risk CRASHING.

All who DRIVE risk COLLIDING.

All who RUN risk FALLING.

All who WALK risk STUMBLING.

All who LIVE risk SOMETHING.

To LAUGH is to risk appearing the FOOL.

To WEEP is to risk appearing SENTIMENTAL.

To REACH OUT for another is to risk INVOLVEMENT.

To EXPOSE FEELINGS is to risk EXPOSING YOUR TRUE SELF.

To LOVE is to risk NOT being LOVED in return.

To HOPE is to risk DESPAIR.

To TRY is to risk FAILURE.

We can all add to the list above. I can. What will life be without risking? As we wholly, continually, and completely depend on God and trust Him for our lives, what is there to fear? 

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

II Timothy 1:7

September 13, 2005 (my journal) poem excerpted from Charles  Swindoll, Quest for Character

Slow down. Sit Still. Be quiet. Rethink.

Sometimes God wants us to slow down, sit still, be quiet and rethink. HE wants us to take time to discover what really matters to HIM.  HE wants us to grow roots deep into the soil of things that truly last.


In my life, it was during the time I had my  Radioactive Iodine Treatment for my Hyperthyroidism.  It was the deepest and lowest time of my life.  It was then that I felt all alone. The treatment calls for isolation.  I was in the hospital alone, no visitors allowed. It was also then that I prayed more, I sang, I cried, I sat thinking about and reevaluating my life. And then God through HIS grace allowed me to experience life's greatest victory.  It was victory to feel God's presence, to see God's provision and to have His peace.  God allowed me to experience Him, who He is and what a mighty God He is to me. 

"Be STILL, and know that I AM GOD: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.  The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge." Psalm 46:10-11

BE (verb) - to exist or live; to continue as before.

STILL (adj.) - stationary; motionless; quiet; calm; silence.

KNOW (verb) - to perceive or understand as fact or truth

                        - to be aware of.

                        - to be acquainted or familiar with.

                        - to understand from experience or practice.

Personally God is telling me to "live quietly, in silence for you, Lizley Joy is aware and you understand from experience that Christ Jesus our LORD, He is GOD....therefore, do not fear."


I rest in Thee oh my Lord...

It's my Privilege

I got into this poem when I was newly married. You know, those times when things are just all perfect.  It's happily ever after. I didn't realize it would be a real blessing to me after some time.

It's my Privilege

Give me the privilege 

of doing all I can

To be a loving help meet,

To stand behind God's man.

Give me the privilege

of praying for him daily,

of doing all I can for him-

cheerfully and gaily.

Give me the privilege

of giving him to THEE,

and watching as YOU mold him

Into the man You want him to be.

Give me the privilege

To sit beneath his teaching, 

And to realize for the very first time-

"That's my husband preaching!"

My mind goes back to the time when we we're still having our counseling sessions months before the wedding. I was in cloud 9 and I felt like everything about being a wife is just about love, love, love. Of course it still is, but you know what I mean...until I have to do the dishes 3 times a day, clean the house, cook, do his laundry, until I realize he's not perfect, and that I'm not perfect too. There were miserable days when I was thinking, "what did I get into?"

I was so focused with the burden of household chores and the imperfections of my husband rather than to God and His faithfulness to us. And really, the privilege of serving God daily. I thought, serving God is doing "important" things at church only. God's Word reminded me of I Corinthians 10:31. I realize, I can give glory to my Heavenly Father with all the laundry, the dishes, with my cooking, and all the other stuff mother's do. It changed me. God brought me closer to Him. And yes, God actually gave me the privilege to say "that's my husband preaching!" (how did it happen is another looooong story! hahahahahaha...)

Possible!

Here are some things I want to share to you.  I got this from a book I've read.  This principles helped me a lot in so many ways.  I hope this will be very helpful to you too.

A-Z Plan for Future Success

A - Accentuate the Positive.

• Minimize - Frustrations; Maximize + Possibilities.
• Look UP not DOWN
• Look AHEAD not BACK
• Attitude is the KEY

B - Believe it can happen.

• If God moves in proportion to your faith, how significant will His moving be in your life?

C - Commit Yourself Totally.

D -  Decide to make a Difference

E - Eliminate the Negative.

F - Find your options.

G - Give it All You have. 

• means having a total focus.
• Unconditional surrender to the will of God and His purpose.

H - Hope for the Best.

• When all else fails, hope for the best, expect to be blessed, and trust God to see you through.

I - Initiate a Plan of Action.

• Actions reflect beliefs.  We do what we do because we believe what we believe.
• Step out by faith, initiate a plan of action then trust God for the result.

J - Jump in all the Way.

• When God's will is clear, jump in!

K - Knock on every door.

• Keep believing! Keep knocking!

L - Live up to Your Potential.

M - Motivate Others.

N - Never Give up.

O - Overcome the obstacles.

P - Practice Makes Perfect

Q - Quit making excuses.

• Excuses are nothing more than lies wrapped in the ribbons of rationalizations.

R - Reach for the Ultimate.

S - Start Your day with God 

T - Take time with your family.

U - Understand the Basis of Success.

• Real success can only be found in seeking God and His purpose in our lives and DOING it.

V - Value Your Heritage.

• Who you are in Christ.

W - Win the Prize

X- X-ray your whole life.

Y - Yield yourself completely

Z - Zero in Your Ultimate Goal.

• Your eternal relationship to God.  
• Your future can be secure when it is secure in Jesus Christ.

"Riches are the least worthy gifts which God can give man, yet men toil for them day and night, and take no rest.  Therefore, God frequently gives riches to foolish people to whom he gives nothings else."  Martin Luther

"There's HOPE for the FUTURE"  by Richard G. Lee