The Spiritual Mom® · Walk in His Presence. Reflect His Image.™

"There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:9-10).

Orthodox Jews count the days of the week in relation to Shabbat. At the close of the week, they look forward to a time of concentrated focus on God and slip into a mentality of rest. God’s chosen people cease from all work and gather loved ones together for a time of worship and quietness. Several years ago while walking through a park near a Jewish community, just prior to Shabbat, I noticed people of all ages reciting prayers of peace and thanksgiving. I marveled at the joy and quietness setting in as the Jewish children ran home for Shabbat. There was a sweet hush settling in on the neighborhood and you could feel the presence of God in their anticipation of Shabbat.

In his book The Rest of God, Mark Buchanan describes the Sabbath:

Sabbath is both a day and an attitude to nurture stillness. It is both a time on the calendar and a disposition of the heart. It is a day we enter, but just as much a way we see. Sabbath imparts the rest of God—actual physical, mental, spiritual rest, but also the rest of God—the things of God’s nature and presence that we miss in our busyness.

Times of quiet and solitude, not matter what day of the week or year, remind us that the Lord longs to draw us into His rest—His presence. Then as we learn to rest in God’s presence we can carry the Sabbath in our hearts every day, not just one day of the week. As we focus more on God and what he might have us do in the midst of the ups and downs of daily living, we can “set our hearts at rest in his presence,” (1 John 3:19) and enter into His Sabbath rest each and every day.

Today I invite you to take some time to rest in God’s presence.

Meditate on Hebrews 4:1-11. 

Listen carefully to what He speaks to your heart.

Watch for devotionals focused on the rest and image of God on Wednesdays. This weekend at the Northwest Christian Ministries Conference  (March 23-24) I will lead several workshops, including "Solitude, Simplicity, & Sanity" (Friday). If you're in the Northwest I hope to see you there!

Whether you know it or not, you are leaving a spiritual legacy for your child. And your parents and grandparents left one for you.

I was reading Genesis chapter 16 this past week. And though I’m familiar with the story of Abraham and Sarah, God gave me a new revelation upon this passage.

The angel of the Lord also said to her: “You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” Genesis 16:11-12

I know this passage seems harsh, but Sarah and her maidservant Hagar lost faith in God’s promise to give Sarah and Abraham a child. Sarah decided to take matters into her own hand, instead of relying on the Lord.

And because of this sin, both Sarah and Hagar’s children spent the rest of their lives at odds with one another. Spiritual legacy.

I think back on my parents and my grandparents. One of my grandfather’s was an alcoholic, and that disease continues to rear its head among my family. Particularly, one of my older brothers. But God Used an Addict to Convict Me and teach me a powerful lesson. Thankfully, we serve a God who can work in any situation. Amen!

My other grandfather was a musician and both my mother and I have a strong love of music. My mother is a godly woman and took me to church every Sunday. I grew up knowing the stories of the Bible. I now take my children to church and read them Bible stories.

You see, what we do and how we act is the legacy we leave our children.

Keep His decrees and command, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and children after you and that you may live long in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time. Deuteronomy 4:40

Think back on your parents and grandparent. Do you see similarities or traits you possess that they did?

I hope that they are good traits, but sometimes they’re not. Don’t become discouraged, it’s never too late to leave a healthy spiritual legacy for our children. Because we are children of God and He left us a beautiful legacy.

But, we have to claim it. Pray with me,

Dear Jesus,

I want to leave a godly spiritual legacy for my children. Please help me to lay to rest anything that is not from you Lord. May your Holy Spirit reign in me and my children’s lives. May you be the legacy that I leave for all future generations of my bloodline. In the name of Jesus, I break any harmful bondage and I let loose the full promise of new life by the shedding of the blood of Jesus on the cross. In Jesus Name, Amen.

What are some positive legacy’s your family has left you?

 Melissa K. Norris is a Christian fiction author and blogger. She prays her words inspire you closer to God. For faith posts and country living how-to’s visit www.melissaknorris.com 

If you received my e-zine this weekend you know a bit of the struggles we’ve experienced lately. Our family has faced a real time of testing with people who we love deeply spreading libelous slander and lies. Hey, it’s nothing compared to what other brothers and sisters face daily. It’s hard when you start to realize what is said in the name of “friendship;” and like Jesus, you recoil at the kiss of betrayal. As a result, my blogging and writing took a bit of a nose dive. Not only was my time limited due to the battle, but some days I don’t even want to open my computer, much less look at emails. I never know what lies I will read and from whom.

Whenever one comes to see me, he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander; then he goes out and spreads it abroad. . . But you, O LORD, have mercy on me; raise me up . . . In my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever. (Psalm 41:6-12)

Now, I’ve feel like I’ve turned a corner and pushed the self-pity aside. (Remind me of this post when I start to feel sorry for myself again.) I’m excited to see what God has in store for our family, ministry, and business. I’m ready to dive back in and loading my website is a step in that direction. I wanted to wait to everything was perfect, but life happens and happens fast and hard, so it’s a waste of time to do that. So ready or not, here we go!

What’s to come?

You will notice that the appearance of the website has changed very little. However, I have a lot more options such as the online Bible study, freebies, videos, and more. I want to thank my son Josiah and my spiritual son Thomas, for working so patiently behind the scenes and encouraging me to keep my eyes forward.

Each day of the week will feature its own type of blog:

Monday: Spiritual Mom subject posts
Tuesday: Guest bloggers and interviews
Wednesday: Walk with the Lord Devotional
Thursday: Ask Mom—Send your questions about motherhood, marriage, walking and resting in God or whatever you want to ask.
Friday: Fun Friday (Activities to do with family and kids; mom stories, videos)

 

Online Bible Study

I’ve been asked when this will start, since it has been pushed aside during this time. It will start April 18th and will run for eight weeks. I will post every Wednesday a new installment for participants to do during the week. We will focus in on the attributes of the Holy Spirit and how to reflect that image of God in our lives. This is my heartbeat and I look forward to sharing the biblical principles God has given me.
Please sign up and watch for details and announcements.

Give-away Today!

Write a comment or a question for a chance to win gift bag of books. Let me know what you think of the new site, ask a question for Thursday’s “Ask Mom” posts, or leave a prayer request. I look forward to resting in His Presence and reflecting His image with you.

Do you ever wonder if you’re a bad mom? There are days where I’ve snapped at my kids, when I’ve lost my patience, when I’ve disciplined in anger, not to help them grow and mature.

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Psalm 127:3

And once they’ve went to bed for the night and I gaze upon their innocent sweet faces, I feel tears burn my eyes. Tears for the way I’ve treated them. I wonder if I’ve damaged them. Will they look back on their childhood with fondness or remember a mommy who was always out of patience?

When this heavy guilt threatens to shove me down to the ground, I remember this.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. Psalm139:13

God created my children before they were made in my womb. And He chose me to be their mother. He handpicked me to raise these precious individuals and He never makes mistakes.

Yes, there are days when I should do better. There are situations I might not always handle with grace, but God knew this.

And He entrusted His children to me anyways. So instead of focusing on what we do wrong as parents, let’s focus on what we do right.

And remember, of all the mommies in the world, God chose you for your children.

Have you ever doubted your abilities as a mother? How do you handle the moments when you feel you’ve failed?

Melissa K. Norris is a Christian fiction author and blogger. She prays her words inspire you closer to God. For faith posts and country living how-to’s visit www.melissaknorris.com

Recently I noticed that our three-year-old grandson Benjamin seems to have left-handed tendencies. Not surprising since his father, our son Joshua, is a lefty. For centuries, left-handedness held a stigma, even placing criminal tendencies or dealings with the devil on lefties. Children were often “re-educated.”

Over thirty years ago Timothy and I were house parents at a home for developmentally impaired men (hopefully I’m using the politically correct label). One of “our” guys was a forty-something loveable gentleman named George (name changed). One day I asked George to sign some paperwork for me, and as he struggled to sign his name with his right hand, he told me his story.

Seems that George was born a lefty, but his mother forced him to use his right hand—even to the point of tying his left hand behind him. She told him that he would grow up stupid and become a bad person if he used his left hand. Secretly he used his left hand when Mom or teachers were not watching. He confessed that during his teen years he was a peeping Tom and blamed it on being left-handed. Poor guy. I gave George permission to use his left hand anytime he wanted, and the change and the peace he experienced was amazing. Later when my own son started showing tendencies of left-handedness I recalled George’s struggles. I determined to give Joshua the freedom to become the person God knitted him to be.

After noticing Benjie’s lefty tendencies I dug out an interesting Wall Street Journal article I had tucked away last month (Dec. 6, 2011). “Handedness, as the dominance of one hand over the other is called, provides a window into the way our brains are wired, experts say. And it may help shed light on disorders related to brain development, like dyslexia, schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, which are more common in left-handed people.”

HA! When Joshua dealt with dyslexia and other perceptual struggles, I asked counselors if there was a correlation with left-handedness. They told me absolutely not, that left-handedness was genetic. Since so many of our guys in the home were lefties, I always assumed there was a connection. Now I have research to back up my suspicions. Left-handed people make up about 10% of the population, while 1% of the population appears not to be dominant with either hand, known as mixed-handed. Handedness is only partially genetic (25%) and for reasons not clearly understood, depends mainly on how a baby's brain develops while in the womb. One study revealed that stress during a pregnancy causes cortisol, the main stress hormone, to cross over in the placenta. Boy was I stressed when I carried Joshua! But that’s another story.

God created humans asymmetric. Early in our embryonic development, the heart turns to the left. The liver develops on the right. The left and right lungs have distinct structure. Brain lateralization, the distribution of function into right and left hemispheres, is crucial for understanding language, thought memory and perhaps even creativity. Handedness, another basic human asymmetry, reflects the structure and function of the brain, and the reversed pattern is relatively common.

Now why do I think this is important, besides the fact that it might affect my darling grandson? Because it confirms that God indeed knits our children in the womb.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 139:13-14)

As a young child gaining his dominant hand, Joshua expressed concerned about becoming a lefty. He had heard this verse: The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left (Ecclesiastes 10:2).Apparently he feared that he couldn’t follow God because he always went to the left. I reassured him that God had knitted him in the womb and had a plan for him. We read the story of lefthanded Ehud who saved Israel from a wicked King (Judges 3). And how the priest poured oil into their left hands and that he could be a vessel of the oil of the Spirit (Leviticus 14). God may encourage us to veer to the right, but He sent his Son to do the “out of the norm” and die on the Cross. He knitted each child unique and has something different plan for them.

In spite of what George’s mother told him, there is no difference in intelligence between right-and left-handed people. But lefties have stronger divergent thinking, the ability to start from existing knowledge to develop new concepts, which is considered an element of creativity. My Joshua is certainly creative and his son shows similar traits.

While it's certain that handedness runs in families, experts say that one thing remains a mystery—why the population of lefties has remained at 10% for generations. It's obviously all part of God's plan. Watching my son, helped me to realize how tough it is for left-handed people in a right-handed world. But I also know it kept him dependent on God. If it’s true that left-handedness is associated with a greater risk for a number of psychiatric and developmental disorders, then God has a plan in knitting that in the womb as well, and I will praise Him.