May 1....

Last night, as I was spending my ritualistic time on Facebook, I came across a "Photo a Day in May." It intrigued me. I don't know if it's meant for Instagram, Facebook, etc....But, I decided to set a goal to do as many as I can this month (I'm certainly not promising each day). I realize it's a bit more work to put on this blog (as compared to Instagram), but I'll give it a shot. We'll see what happens :) So, for May 1, the photo is to represent "Peace." ***** I must give a short background about my day....And, ultimately, my "peace" photo is going to be 3 different pics (I can bend the rules a bit....) This morning, my Tuesday morning Bible Study group from church met for our last "Hurrah" for the school year. Last week, we finished our Beth Moore study on David. Today, we met at the park with all of our kiddos for a playdate and a picnic lunch. This particularly morning, though fine at home, Luke did NOT behave well AT ALL! I realize all children (and adults) have their moments, but oh my -- quite frankly, he embarrassed me. I'm not sure what was going on (other than we're all sinful -- see Romans 3:23). Luke pushed a friend of his. Luke was disobedient with me. I did NOT stop pushing somebody on the swing even though she repeatedly told him to stop. Blah, Blah, Blah.... Long story short, he was in time out twice at the park. And, quite frankly, we should've exited the park, and I should've instituted a stronger consequence. Looking back at the situation, however, I also realize that not only was Luke defiant, I didn't handle the situation in a very graceful, Godly-mother way. My tone was harsh with him. I was annoyed....again, Blah, Blah, Blah.... When we finally got home, I told him (upon noticing that he seemed rather tired) he needed to go and spend some time in his room with the door closed. Even though Luke does not routinely nap anymore, I also went on to tell him that he needed to lie down for awhile. I figured he must've been tired because he didn't dispute me (or, he just finally picked up on the fact that I was very upset with him and figured out that he better just obey). SO, when he was finally in his room and I was by myself, my version of "Peace" set in....This would be a pic of Luke's door CLOSED!

Then, something else dawned on me. Luke's door closed (with Luke in the room, quiet) may indeed be peaceful. But ultimately, that is NOT peace....Yes, it's "peaceful" at the moment. But, peace can really only be obtained from one source -- the source up above -- abiding in Christ....peace in my soul. One way to "listen" to God is to spend time in His Word....

Currently, my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE song is 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman. On a side note (really quick), I was extremely pleased when our worship pastor candidate at church (this past Sunday) lead the congregation in this song. Anyways, this song is based on Psalm 103.

So, while many "things" of this world may seem like peace, ultimate "peace" in the soul can truly only be found by abiding in Christ. And, read and meditate on Psalm 103.... **And, scroll on down to read my next post if you haven't yet.