How to stay sane in a crazy world we live in right now.

We all know how crazy life gets sometimes, but lately, especially in 2020, it's been very stressful and scary at times. Knowing that life gets hectic, and very unpredictable we need to have a stable foundation in our life to stay strong no matter what happens. 

Jesus is that foundation. He is our strong hold, he is our saneness, He is our light when it's dark around. He is our everything. I love it, that I can turn to Him in any situation, in any need, with any question. He is my answer. 

He can be your answer too. He can be your guiding Light, and  your loving Friend. Come to Him, and just asking Him to help you in any situation. I know He will come through for you. He loves you, that's why. 

How to make a baby stop crying.

I was holding my super cranky 2 month old in my arms, as he kept fussing, crying, flapping his arms and legs all over. The only way he would take his nap if I was breastfeeding him and rocking him to sleep, as soon as I scooted away to do other 'normal mom duties', he would wake up to fuss again. So I was holding him, trying to calm him down, when my 5 year old came up, and asked why he was crying. I told her that possibly his tummy was upset. So in childish faith, she puts her hand on his tummy and in her clear voice she tells him, “May the Lord heal your tummy! Don’t worry baby, Jesus will heal you soon.” To my surprise the little one stopped crying and soon enough he fell into a quiet sleep. I was amazed! Truly only a child’s faith can do that. Try it; it may work for you as well.

So if you want your baby to stop crying, pray to God, who hears every whisper, and He will help you.

~~~Call to me and I will answer you. Jer 33:3~~~

New Years musings.

You probably heard about putting a theme on a new year, and a lot of people I know, they name their year. Even though the year has barely started but people already feel something in the air in how they feel the year will be. Some people hope for a good year, and they name their year something hopeful. Some say it wont be a good year, "what 2012? it sounds scary," so they name it or put a cloud over it, into possibly having a worry over their life, of not knowing, of being in stress or confusion. Some say that the new year cant bring anything good, with the economy how it is, with the health that they have, or the family problems some have. I always try to be hopeful. A hopeful year, of good beginnings, of good thoughts, of freedom from fear, stress, sadness or despair.

The first day of the year is always exciting and new. We all feel hopeful. But as soon as day four or day eight rolls around, we feel dragged down, tired, and emotional. At least that is how I feel. I pray to God that this would be a good year, but already fear and worry weight me down. I feel sadness engulfing me, surrounding me with blue thoughts, as the fog of everyday worry tends to give me bad dreams. Why is that? I struggle to pray rays of sunshine into my soul. I struggle to pray, period. Maybe this is what my new year will be called, "A year of learning to pray." For I feel like I am not fully committed to prayer, its here one day, lost the next. Maybe that is why the emotions of everyday life make me struggle to breathe, to smile, to love, to be light to this world of darkness.

So here I decided that this year would be a year of learning to pray. I had lots of years, with different names, like "learning to be married', 'learning to love your husband', 'finding happiness in everyday', 'being content in what you have', 'learning to be a mother', 'being a better mother', 'being positive, and less critical', 'learning to read the bible more', 'being a better christian', last year was 'seeking God', and this year will be 'learning to pray'.

I believe this will be a good year. A hopeful year. A year of learning and striving to be above the clouds, to fly like the birds, high above all worry, fear, and doubt. May God guide us into all the right beginnings, and the the right stages of life, where we can grow.

Prayer.

Dear Father in heaven,
Forgive me my Lord, my many transgressions, my many sins, my many unpleasant words and thoughts.
Forgive me all the things I said I would not do but I did, and all the things I said I would do but did not.
I want to find you my Lord and Savior, I need to rest in You...
I am seeking your holy presence each moment of each day, in each face, in each flower, in the clouds that rush over the sky, in the wind that blows into my face.
I listen for you soft voice in every song, in a birds melody, in a thunderstorm... in a quiet- empty church.
My eyes are looking for you... Oh where are you my friend, the lover of my soul?
My soul is starving for you, my God.
Like a child lifting up his arms to his parent, I lift up my hands to you my Father.
I need you, oh how I need you.
Where are you my Lord and Savior?
My heart is achy without you, and no one can fill me up, nothing can give me happiness or pleasure, like I find in only your presence. You are my strength and my light, you lift me up, and guide my feet on rocky ground. I cry to You in my sorrow, my tears are all in your hands, you hear my chocked whisper... don't forsake me now.... for I need you so. The road is dark and lonely without you. You are my true love, my true friend, my true Redeemer.
And then I find you, oh I am blessed.... I am loved, I am saved, I am one with Him. He is in me, and I am in him. My soul has found the true joy, the true happiness, the light and love.

The life of a child...

Oh, how wonderful it is to be a child.. carefree, free spirited, with no worries or problems to think off.


If only we could go back into the carefree days, and know that everything is being taken care of. That someone else will make sure we have everything we really need in our everyday life. So we can be carefree and run around just enjoying each day.

To love and be loved, to smile, to laugh and enjoy life. To climb a tree. (well maybe not) :)

To look for treasures in the everyday, like a piece of stick or a rock...:)

Being adults we forget that God takes care of us just like we are his little children. If only we could let Him take care of everything for us, and trust in his ever powerful strength and wisdom. He knows best and letting him help us today, and trust him to help us tomorrow, we can live in peace. I often worry too much and forget that God will help me if only I will ask him to do so...

Help me Lord to trust you and know that you will take care of me, and will take care of all my tomorrows.

The last days of summer.

The summer just doesn't want to let go here in the city. Some people I hear already state that they are tired of summer and cant wait for the coolness to arrive.... including my husband. I tell him that eventually it will get colder, we will get our first 'real' rain.

Driving home from church I noticed that we had some beautiful white clouds, like a stairwell to heaven. Thin, long, white clouds in straight lines across the sky- like in Jacob's dream a stairwell to heaven. I noticed when we start to love Jesus, we get little gifts from him, ranging from a favorite song I was dreaming about, that comes up on the radio at the exact moment when I need it. Or a beautiful miracle in the sky. Or you meet someone who just touches your soul and in everything you feel God.

Last week I heard a sermon on prayer, where the pastor was saying how we need to have specific times in our day to talk to God. Morning, afternoon, and evening- to go to our secret place where no one can hear or disturb us and pray.

'But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then you father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.' {Matthew 6:6}

It was a commitment I made and it was an amazing experience. I urge everyone who wants to experience 'Prayer' to its fullest, to set up times during the day, that you would stop everything you are doing and go to your secret spot and pray. You will be amazed. If I can do it, while working full time and having three little girls, then I am positive you can do it too. But I have to warn you, its a commitment you have to make for yourself. As soon as you do, you will experience a rush of so much to do, and just the craziness of life wants to sweep you away to prevent you from praying. I am sure you know who is against us praying, but God is stronger than what is against us.

After starting on the prayer path I got to experience so much joy and peace. All the problems of before just seem not as huge as before, I know that God has everything in his control. Well, of course!! Imagine me reminding Him every 2-3 hours. :))

'God did this so that men would seek him and grope out for him and find him, though he is not far from each on of us.' {Acts 17:27}

Let the light fill your soul.

I know that God has everything in control when my life seems so out of control to me. The everyday life is twirling me around and around in a big wide circle. Remembering to stop and smell the flowers is sometimes a bit too much on my to do list Then a little whisper softly tells me to stop and kneel before my savior to pray. To bow my head down-to open my heart and my soul to his light. I feel Him fill me with joy and peace. If only I stop the busy twirling in my life more often. To let go of all the things to do and to accomplish in one day, then I can hear his gentle voice. His voice guides me as it shows me the way. He is always with me, if I only choose to see Him. I close my eyes to go to sleep and he is there… I awake and He is still here with me.

He also knows you and waits for you. Come to him if you are tired and afraid and he will comfort you. Tell him all the decisions that are weighting you down, and he will carry your burden for you. Let him fill your soul with light, joy and peace. He is here if only you choose to let him into your heart. You will be glad you did.

I am never alone.

I need the opportunity to free my mind of sorrow, personal concerns; to see my world through the mirrored reflection of holiness. I need a time of prayer to leap beyond what is limiting in me as a person, to rediscover what is important and what is trivial, to take counsel with what my tradition stresses as the living faith. I need prayer.
Albert Silverman

I love the saying above... so true. We all need a lot of prayer. Someone may need it more, and someone needs it less. When I close my eyes and pray the mind is free to concentrate only on reaching God. To experience God, to hear his gentle voice. My mind releases all the stress from the busy and hectic day. I let him carry me away to holy ground, where no one can reach me or touch me. I am alone with him, I can tell him all my pain, my sorrow, my worries, all the complaining that I kept inside me too long. In releasing all of it, I am free from everything except the gentle, healing touch of the holy spirit. Now I can go farther, I am replenished, my batteries are recharged. I can sleep easily, I know that I am not alone. He holds my hand. He holds my children, and I am never alone.

Do you really, trully believe in prayer???

What is a prayer? I know that reading the bible is like feeding the soul, the more you read it, the more you will feel alive and fit spiritually. But prayer is like talking to our heavenly father, the less we talk, the less we pray... more distant we feel. More alone... the communication is broken.

Why do people even pray? What is that pull we feel that makes us try to connect to Our heavenly Father? To close our eyes, to whisper in the stillness, or to cry out in despair with tears streaming down our cheeks, or when we fall on the ground and beat the earth with our fists....

Here are some of the reasons.....
1. If we are in trouble, be it illness, unemployment, natural disaster, or marriage problems.
2. If someone we know is sick or in trouble, like a family member, a friend, a coworker. Its much harder to pray for a stranger who looks very sad walking down a sidewalk.... or a new neighbor who just moved into your neighborhood and doesn't talk to anyone...
3. We pray if we are in church, in a sacred building, on holy ground.

What is the prayer made of?
Words, soft whispers, desperate pleas, loud petitions? Mostly if we pray, our prayer consists of
a few words, that develops into a short sentence, and an 'amen' at the end of it... and we have fulfilled our duty as prayer warriors.... or did we?

Is it our duty to pray? It seems so in the bible... It tells us to pray all the time, for others, for ourselves... for we are weak as He is strong... It tells us that Jesus prayed... and if he prayed, I am sure we need it more...

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. {Matthew 21:21-23}

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. {Romans 12:11-13}

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. {Ephesians 6:18}

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. {Philippians 4:5-7}

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. {Colossians 4:1-3}

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—{1 Timothy 2:1-3}

I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing. {1 Timothy 2:7-9}

And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. {James 5:14-16}

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. {James 5:15-17}

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. {1 Peter 3:11-13}

And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, Jesus went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. {Mark 1:35}

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, sanctified be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory to forever. Amen. {Matthew 6:9-13}

Going to the dentist could be a chance to pray!

I had a root canal done today by an endoscopic dentist. My regular dentist tried to do the procedure a few weeks before, and after working on my tooth for over an hour, gave up, stating that the root was too deep, and he was unable to finish it properly and referred me to a specialist.

At first they did an x-ray to see my tooth, and after that a young dentist came in, to ask me if I knew that my dentist left a piece of metal string in my root from few weeks ago? At my look of horror he went to explain that he will try to get it out, and hopefully he will not need to do a surgery to remove it.

After getting a few shots to numb the area, he started the procedure.
It took forever… my feet started to tingle from laying in a semi-reclined position, with my head lower then my whole body. My head got really sore from laying on the hard chair… I had to go to the bathroom like really bad, as the dentist kept on working on my tooth. He took about an hour to do the procedure, and then an hour trying to get the piece of equipment out.

I was scared that he would never get it out and I will have to have surgery… I started to pray…. Please lord help him find it, help him pull it out. Please, please…. I just got more anxious, as I prayed in my head…. Then I started to praise Him and that calmed me down.

In the time of trouble when you praise Him, its like you confirm that He can hear you and that He will do what you ask him, and not only that… but He holds the answer in his hands, and which ever way things happen its for the best. But still the dentist is struggling to get it out and my prayer is not effective. Then I remembered that God doesn’t listen to sinners. I started to repent my sins, and five seconds after I finished repenting in my head.. the dentist pulled a piece of metal string out, and my prayer got answered!!

Our God does hear prayers, he does do miracles. Yes! He can hear me. Thank you Lord.

Every time I look at you...

Its amazing how fast the years flew by. It seems just yesterday I gave birth to my 5 year old, just yesterday I nursed her at my breast, and now my oldest child is starting kindergarten on Monday. And I am so nervous. Its so hard for me to let her go, I feel that it is too soon for her to go somewhere, where she will be without me. I know that she is ready, she has her backpack packed since last year... and is very excited at the prospect of riding the big yellow bus, and playing and learning with other kids her age. I am sad that now that she is starting school, her summer is coming to an end. A new road of learning will soon begin.

Maybe next year she wont have to go to school, maybe next year I can home school? A few of my blogger friends are homeschooling mothers, what a big commitment to make! With Gods help I will be able to let my little one go to Kindergarten and not dissolve into tears. I will let God keep her safe and sound in his hands while I am not there to watch her. May God give me wisdom and guidance on how to help my daughter adjust to this new, exciting road for her.

It is just that every time I look at you... you are still my firstborn little girl...:)

Dear Father in Heaven.....

How far away is heaven? It is not so far as some imagine. It wasn’t very far from Daniel. It was not so far off that Elijah’s prayer, and those of others could not be heard there. Christ said when you pray say, “Our Father, who art in heaven.” Men full of the Spirit can look right into heaven.
D. L. Moody

My day is not going as well as I planned it. Everything just seems to spin out of control, my job, my family, my children, and the emotional upheaval is probably not a good combination. I yelled at my husband for no reason... oh what a day. My five year old asked me if I was OK? Then she turned around and said that she is going into her room to pray for me. Shame, humility and amazement hit me with a jolt, as I realized that my little one knows how to calm the storm in our hearts. Just close your eyes and pray.

We all need someone to pray for us, when we are feeling down, when we are angry or upset. We need someone to stand there for us holding the ground, petitioning for Gods help. Even if that someone is only five... it still works. Amazing! The awesome power of prayer... our thoughts, soft words spoken in half whisper, a song sung from the heart... God hears the soft request, the tired sigh, the cry for help.

Dear Father in heaven,

Forgive me for my anger, impatience and the childish outbursts..
Teach me to come to You when the going gets though, rocky or when my spirit feels bruised. Heal my heart and help me to be a better mother, a loving wife, and a better christian everyday. You can hear me, like you heard my little five year old. Increase my faith in You and teach me to be like a child in my walk toward you.

Amen.

Prayer and dirt...

Some pictures of my onions and potatoes! Its wonderful to grow my own things, soon I can pull out my potatoes, I wonder how they will look. This is my first crop ever, I will have some pictures of my tomatoes, and cucumbers later.



I decided to do something new. I usually remember to pray to God when I am getting ready for my bed at night. The kids are asleep, the baby is making sweet sleeping sounds, I am all alone, and I realize that I haven't prayed today, haven't talked to my Lord today... I feel guilty, I feel sad, I feel like I missed him, so I quickly say a prayer, before my heavy lids close shut, and I fall into the land of dreams. And every night before I fall asleep I promise myself that I will do better tomorrow. So, today after I got ready for work, I started keeping track of what time I remembered to pray, and instead of waiting to do so at a later time I did it right then. Yep, even if I was on the phone, in an office, in front of my coworkers, I would close my eyes for a few seconds and pray for my family, for my self, for the people surrounding me. I felt so much better at the end of today, looking at all the times I actually remembered to pray.

When I got home, my husband was watering the backyard, the sprinklers were on. The girls were running around in their underwear, splashing in the puddles. '
'Come and join us, mommy', as I did walking through the wet grass, soft brown dirt squishing through my toes. The earth was soft and warm, the water cold, it was delightful. I don't remember when it was the last time I ran through the wet, warm, soft dirt....We as adults tend to think we are far above that. Don't we?

The more we pray the more softer our heart gets, like warm- soft dirt, so God can plant something in our heart, and it will bring forth fruit.

A prayer...

Dear Lord,

Help me to be a good, faithful friend to those in need. Help me see what others are going through and not be blind only by my needs. Give me wisdom in what to say to someone who is going through a though time in her faith, help her not fall from You in her faith, not to get deceived by certain books that twist the meaning of the bible. Give me words to encourage my husband not to give up, when he gets tired in his daily walk with the Lord, and all his struggles. Let me experience the moments with my children, to use them to teach, to love and to guide them, and not waste a single precious moment. Show me your way...help me not to stumble.. light my lantern, fill me with the holy spirit, let me shine for others, so I can bring praise to your name.

Amen.

I dont want to work....

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. (Isaiah 30:18)

Constant praying, constant petition to God.
'Help me, please can you hear me. I need you. I am in a dark place now, my soul is troubled. When will I see the light, when will I hear your voice, I need you, please hold me. Jesus, will I ever be out of this darkness, where I can see the light, and praise you?'
God wants us to praise him even in our darkest hour. He wants us to raise our hands to him in our neediest time. The constant prayer does miracles. Its is alive. Like the smoke that rises from the fire all the way to the heavens, that is our prayer the constant adding of wood into the main fire, and the cry rises to heavens to God above. I know God hears my prayer, but someday it seams that the heavens are deaf. No one can help me, or understand me. My husband is not on my side. Only God is. And I need his guidance, his wisdom in how to survive, in how to live. How to be happy in the times of troubles, how to raise my children when I am working full time.

That is one of my biggest worries, my kids. I am not there for them, I am gone from early morning to late evenings, earning money for our family to survive, to have a health insurance and helping my husband financially. What if my kids grow up mother deprived, and resent me for it the rest of their life? My heart is with my kids and not my job. Everyday I wish to stay with my girls, to love them, to care for them, to be home with them. My heart is breaking into little pieces.
'God please heal my broken heart.' My comfort is that in heavens when we all go to be with Jesus, there will not be heartache, he will wipe away all our tears. Someday I feel like a broken record that keeps playing the same old song over and over. My husband is sick of hearing it. I am sick of hearing it. I just wish things were better and different. I should stop wishing and just pray more.:))

Sunday morning. Lets pray....

Life for the Christian is a dialogue with God.
J. H. Oldham


I woke up to a bright sunshine, and my toddler yelling “mommy” as she was trying to open her door. That’s how my Sunday started. A beautiful day, the weather crisp and fresh in the morning, the sky light blue. I let my hubby sleep in on Sundays, as I prepare breakfast and play with the kids. I took a walk outside to look at my plants. My garden needs watering, the flower bed needs weeding. The tomato plants are heavy with fruit, green and round. My basil leaf finally started to grow, it will probably start to flower one of these days. The cucumber plants are growing taller everyday, and under nit all the clinging leaves are yellow flowers, where the tiny cucumbers are starting to appear. I am so amazed by the different types of plants, and their characteristics, it just shows how amazing our God is. He made every plant so unique, even the basic tomato, it has so many different varieties. I have about 6 different tomatoes growing in my yard. The tiny yellow pear ones, the tiny red round ones, the big juicy tomatoes, and the ones that look like a large plum. Growing my own vegetables is sure a new experience to me, thanks to my mother-in-law, I believe the garden will produce something we will be able to eat soon.

I went to church yesterday with my family. Listened to a nice sermon, while trying to keep my kids quiet. I enjoy hearing interesting ways of simple verses from the bible, it seems like every time I read or hear a certain verse, it opens up more and more to me. It is a living word, so that is not surprising. The sermon was about praying often and constantly. The Muslims in their religion have certain times when they pray, where ever they are, they stop what ever they are doing and pray. We as Christians sometimes forget to pray. To talk to our heavenly father. Imagine your child growing up and calling you only like once a week, would that satisfy you? Will that be a close relationship? We are Gods children, and he wants to hear from us daily, constantly… about our fears, problems, sadness, happiness, about everyday life. We need to thank him for everything he does for us. For the beauty that surrounds us. I had the pleasure of being by the ocean last week, and it was so awesome, so powerful, so amazing. God created the big blue ocean and the white sand. He created me and you, and gave us our precious children. He is amazing. He is worth our praise, and our prayers every hour of our life. (well maybe at least 3 times daily?)

For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.... He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near” (Ephesians 2:11a, 12-14, 17)

From one man He [God] made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:26-27)