Missing My Muse

My muse has gone missing today. I'm feeling a bit uninspired (I have ideas - they just haven't taken shape yet.) as I ponder the to-do list that beckons me away from my desk.

1. Schedule doctor's appointment.
2. Text a writer friend I'm missing. Schedule coffee date.
3. Dishevel daughter's room and look for items to sell in weekend yard sale.
4. Put daughter's room back in order.
5. Label all items set aside for yard sale.
6. Take garbage to dump. (Not my favorite thing to do.)
7. Have it all done before kids get out of school, so I can pick them up, run home, get through homework and whining, cook dinner (noodles, again), and get boys to football practice by six. Listen to oldest son complain he has nothing to do (if only I could pick up what I wanted to give him for his birthday. I wouldn't hear it anymore). Try to read the book I'm supposed to review next week while listening to bemoaning son. Take kids home two hours later, have boys shower and get everyone to bed after four drinks, arguments over which movie they'll fall asleep to, and bedtime prayers. Tuck kids in and kiss them goodnight. Thank God for more peace and quiet and hope I'm not too tired to put a few hundred words into my novel. 

Yes, I suppose it's a busy day. Thank God I have Jesus and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to see me through it. My prayer? That in spite of being home alone for most of it, I'll say or write something that touches someone's heart today for Jesus. A word of encouragement, a compliment, a simple smile. These things go a long way. And maybe, just maybe, I'll get one in return. ;)

Share the Wealth Week

The Lord has taken my week and turned it upside down. Do you have those kinds of weeks? Where life changes so quickly you can't blink or you'll miss an important detail? Of course, most of the time it doesn't happen overnight. It builds up like a snowball rolling down a hill. 

A small flake falls first. The snow piles up. Someone comes along and shapes some of it into a little ball. Then they send it rolling downhill, and it builds and builds and builds until bloosh it hits a tree and falls apart all over the place.

Life is like that on occasion: A small event occurs. Another event builds upon that small event. Then someone comes along and changes things, setting something else in motion. They send it rolling along, and God builds and builds and builds on that thing. Then, it hits up against something and suddenly, life is all over the place. Many things are happening from that one.

It's a good thing, not bad. It teaches us patience, gives us hope for the future, helps us practice running the race, keeping our eyes on the goal. It encourages us to seek God's face each day, trusting fully in Him and not on the circumstances surrounding us. And we enjoy the benefits in the end.

I love living life with Jesus. There's never a dull moment!

And since this week is one of those weeks where life is happening in abundance, I would like to share the wealth of some of my favorite blogs with you. These are either previous posts of mine or posts on other friends I follow. I hope you find gold in each of them as I share from my treasure box!

Thanks for reading, and I'll be back next week, blogging my heart out! Your prayers are coveted.

Photo Courtesy of Yarik Mishin

How to Overcome the Enemy

"Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven,

'Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.'"

~ Revelation 12:10-11

Caleb lay in the back of an ambulance, drifting between agonizing consciousness and nearly passing out. He'd fallen eight feet from our back stoop and landed in the driveway below. Now my middle child appeared to fight for his life.

 

The emergency room staff had been unable to do any type of internal exam or scan, and they now shipped him off to Albany Med for attention. I sat in the back of the ambulance, caressing my son's head, trying not to bounce off the tiny seat they'd directed me to. I prayed. My spirit prayed. I asked God for a miracle. 

 

I could have looked at the circumstance before me and said it appeared dire. I could have said my son might die. I could have said he'd have major trauma to his head, his brain, his spinal cord. I could have said many things based on what my earthly eyes and motherly worry could see.

 

But I chose a different testimony. I spoke to the circumstance with authority and said, "Not today. Today my son will be healed by the hand of the Living God." 

 

When we arrived at the hospital, the ambulance crew unloaded my son and wheeled him to a private room in the ER. I had to stop at the desk and sign him in. They photocopied our insurance cards. It took two minutes that felt like two hours. As I made my way down the hall to his room, I witnessed a miracle. My son, who moments before ebbed in and out of sleepy concussion now sat straight up in bed, bright eyed, and telling the nursing staff stories. Fully conscious. Fully alert. Fully in his right mind.

 

Many times we tend to listen to the voice of the accuser of the brethren. We listen to the lies. We speak what we see and feel in our circumstances. And we wonder why things aren't getting better in our lives.

 

Revelation 12:11 holds the key. We overcome our circumstances and the enemy by Jesus' blood and the word of our testimony. Jesus conquered death and sin when He stood in as the sacrificial Lamb of God on the cross. Through Him we have the victory. Through Him, we can do anything, including getting out of our dire circumstances and entering into abundant life.

 

The word of our testimony has the power to heal. It has the power to overcome. Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat is fruit." If we speak the truth of God's Word and life into our circumstances, we can expect to see them overcome. If we speak what we see in the flesh and death into our circumstances, we can expect to see them overtake us and drag us down. 

 

What will you speak to your circumstances today? Will you plead the blood of Jesus over your life and the lives of your loved ones? Will you speak to the mountain and say, "Be thou removed, in Jesus' name!" Or will you choose to continue to walk in your circumstance, waiting for the moment to pass and dreading the future? 

Proverbs 13 - Heart Sick

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
 But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life."
 ~ Proverbs 13:12  

I sat across the desk from my pastor's wife, crying. My dreams fell apart around me. Life looked depressing to me. I'd lost hope in several areas of my life.

I had my health, but that was about it.

My marriage continued along its bumpy path. Being a stepparent wasn't easy. I struggled trying to figure out that gray line that continued to blur. How much authority did I have? Not enough, in my opinion. So I kept trying to make it work for everyone without stepping on toes. I consistently walked on broken glass, wondering when Vic might snap again. This wasn't what I'd dreamed of when I said, "I do." I determined not to let it tear my relationship with my husband apart.

We'd made the decision I would stay home with the children while Vic worked when I was pregnant with Ezra. Being home with the children had been fantastic. I loved having the ability to do so. But finances were always tight, because union carpenters get laid off when jobs are completed. We were always digging out of a hole from unemployment periods. I wanted to help with the finances without leaving home to work. Yet, whatever I put my hand to do, Vic didn't support it. He said I pursued my hobbies, not a career. It's too bad I couldn't make more money. I started wondering if he really meant it when he said I could stay home. 

I tired from the daily duties of raising four knee-cap kids and a stepson who'd become a teenager. I didn't have much help around the house. Vic pitched in every once in awhile, when I asked him to. He worked hard all day in the freezing cold of winter or the sizzling heat of summer, so I tried not to expect too much from him. But my love languages are acts of service and words of affirmation, so I found my "love tank" empty most days. Pouring out and pouring out with little put back in, I ran dry.

Nan looked across her desk at me and said, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes it is a tree of life. Your heart is sick. Your hope has been deferred." 

I'd never read that Proverb in that light before. I recognized the disease of hopelessness in my heart the moment she said the words. God spoke that day.

Do you feel depressed? Insecure? Lonely? Tired? Frustrated? Agitated? Like you want to give up, throw the towel in, or walk out? I've been there.

Today, my marriage is strong, like that tree of life. My kids are healthy and happy (as much as children can be) and full of life. My relationship with my stepson is sound and mature (he is going to be 21 next month, after all). 

What changed? How did I get through to see my heart's desires come to pass?

I took it to God. I prayed for forgiveness for my own selfishness. I prayed for peace of heart and mind. I asked him to make the changes in me that needed to be made. If I need to be stronger, give me strength, Lord. If I need to be compassionate, give me Your compassion. If I need to let go, give me the will to let go and give it to you, God. If I need to see things differently, give me Your eyes, Lord. I turned to Jesus.

I loosened the reigns I had on our step-family situation. I heeded more to my husband's desires for his son. I let him go to friends' houses more. I didn't sit on him while he did or didn't do his homework. I let him learn that his choices had consequences. He wasn't mine, after all. I didn't need to raise him as much as I felt I did. His parents could do that just fine. If neither of them were available to consult, as long as he was out of harm's way, I let him do what he pleased. As long as it didn't affect my children.


I put my husband first at the end of the day. Rather than running all over the house after the childrens' felt needs, I sat on the couch and scratched his head. Giving him the attention he needed helped. A lot.  

God moved us a few years ago. Took us out of our comfort zone and sent us on the road for Vic's work. Honestly, I think it's the best thing that's ever happened to us. Change, as dramatic as it was, has been good for us. It brought us closer together as a family. It gave Zach the freedom he needed at eighteen.

One morning, as I sat reading the Word of God, I had a light bulb moment. I realized we didn't argue as often, we communicated more, and our rough spots seemed a bit smoother. I realized Vic treated me differently. God had moved us out of our comfort zone into His more comfortable zone. Our marriage stood on solid ground. 

And life happened in abundance. My desires were coming to pass. I found myself asking God another morning, "Well, what do I ask for now? You've granted my heart's desires from last season. What new life do I want to see on my tree next year?" 

A little over a year ago, God introduced another of my desires back into my life. Writing. I've found a career that I can do from home, even though my children are all now school-aged and away during the day. When summer comes around, I'll still be able to be home with them. My husband now understands that my passions and my talents are creative, and not just a hobby, but a way to bring income into our household. I love what I do, and I thank God for making a way for me to succeed in it. It's all for His glory, anyway.

So if you find yourself desiring more in life, wondering what happened to your hopes and dreams, and felling a little less than what you know you're worth, take it to God and say goodbye to hopelessness. 

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) Put your faith in God, the One who can bring those things you hope for to pass. Look for the evidence of your faith as He causes them to be...

Photo Copyright 2011 Alycia W. Morales

Another Adventure

I have been busy creating, creating, and creating! I will have new items listed soon! I am currently in the photography stage of listing, so please check in soon to see what is new at Peek-A-Boo!

In the meantime...

I love taking pictures of life as it happens. Sometimes, I get a great shot of one of my kids, like this one:

Silhouette of a Boy

Other times, it's a picture of something that I love, like this one:

Lovely in Lilac

And sometimes, it's just everyday life and all of its challenges that catch my attention:

The Carwash

So, in order to capture all of those moments that life holds precious, I have opened another shop on Etsy, which has recently been updated with some more listings...

Find my photography at: www.godsgloryphotography.etsy.com

I reserve all rights to my photographs! I hope that you enjoy them and find them as meaningful as I do!