Is 98% Enough?

Is 98% enough?  In school it's an A.  If my kids bring home a 98, I'm thrilled.  If I paid 98% of my power bill, the power company wouldn't be happy with me.  Well, God leans towards the power company way of thinking.  98% of obedience is still disobedience.  It is still choosing to CHOOSE your own WILL instead of GOD's and that's wrong.  This is a hard pill to swallow.  Pastor JD really punched me in the nose with these words today.  I always felt that if I tried my best it would be good enough.  In a way it is, as long as I am giving 100%.  But most of the time my best is not truly my best and I blame lots of things for it.  I'm tired, I'm weak, I'm only human, I can ask forgiveness later...all reasons for not giving 100%.  Do you give 100%?  We should all try harder to please God knowing that we still have His mercy but He does expect us to repent and turn from our wicked ways.  I know I am turning a new leaf today.  God be with me and I pray He is with you. 

Emotions

Emotions run rampant when one of your children is hurt, especially when you are helpless to do anything about it.  Right now, my emotions range from wanting to jerk a knot in someone's head to wanting to comfort my precious young'un.  I hate teenagers and don't understand why they have to behave like their hormones are their rulers.  I can't wait til this phase has passed and ALL of my children have reached the next part of their lives.  I know each stage has its problems but GOSH!!!!  How much can a mother take!!!!

Oh Happy Day....

Well, it's Thursday, day before leaving for my scrapbooking retreat and I'm so excited I can hardly stand myself.  All of my scrapbooking stuff is packed and ready to go.  All I need to do is pack up my glad rags and wooly socks and we're off tomorrow to a land far far away (not really, only 1 1/2 hrs but it seems so far away from here).  I'm leaving behind all the cares of this world as I go.  Of course, I will come back to them, but I will be much fresher and happier and an all-around better person.  Next week will be full of the same stresses and more so I will have to be on my toes but I will feel up to facing things again after a brief refresher.  I am so thankful for this time away.  Oh happy day...:-D

Thought Thursday Giveaway

MCC Designs and The Beaufort Lookout have partnered for a giveaway of free personalized items, deadline next Tuesday October 5th.  You can get 6 entries for the giveaway:

1. Become a follower of The Beaufort Lookout which I already was.

2. Become a follower of Melissa's blog - Create the Live you Love. (which I did)

3. Become a follower of my daughter's blog - Pink, Pearls, and a Southern Girl. (which I already was)

(ironically, Melissa's goddaughter & my daughter have the same monogram!

4. Become a follower of MCC Designs on Facebook. (which I did)

5. Post about the giveaway on your blog and let me know you did with a link back to your post. (which I'm doing now) 

P.S.  You must enter comments on The Beaufort Lookout to verify entries.

You can enter too, just do it before the 5th!!!

The Peacemaker

Today is my daughter's birthday.  She is 19.  She was born at a rather tumultuous time for us, only 10.5 months behind her brother.  Irish twins (as they are called) are more difficult in my opinion than regular twins because they are at different developmental stages.  She was trying to hold her head up and he was trying to walk.  She was trying to sit up and he was getting into everything.  What a challenge!!  But we picked the right name for this jewel for our family, Rebekah, which means peacemaker.  She has been one for our family of 5 and for her friends too.  My little peacemaker will have many jewels in her crown one day in glory.  She is such a "JOY" to me...my Rebekah Joy!!!

The SignPost

Today's sermon was about Esther, one of my favorite stories in the Bible.  I've never quite heard it like JD put it but he shined a new light on it for sure.  He had a lot to say about her and what she did but one thing I captured was this, she was a signpost, a signpost to our example, Jesus Christ.  I also drew the conclusion that WE should be a signpost for others to see, pointing the way to Jesus through Holy Spirit of course but notice our responsibility.  Signposts are there to notify people of upcoming things, of changes to come.  I want to be a signpost.

Lesson in Life

This is one lesson I have learned in life and I'd like to pass on to all my friends who have younger children...

Babies Don’t Keep
by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren’t his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.