Words to Think About

"Chaos to Calmness"My phrase for 2020...My life seems to be filled with chaos so much of the timeWebster states chaos is "
My niece posted something on Facebook awhile back about leaving a positive word for 2020 beginning with the first letter of the person's name reading/responding to the post.  I thought what  a great idea and shared it on my Facebook page.  Six friends responded with...

complete disorder and confusion" and some days it feels like confusion runs amok in our home...think about it...five people, coming from five very different backgrounds, trying to mold into one family.  Yes, two of us have been together for over 44 years but some days I know we look at each other and think "what the heck are you thinking?"  So how do we expect three little's who come from a state of confusion to meld into our home without a lot of guidance, grace and mercy???

~ Devoted

~ Caring
~ Respect
~ Kindness
~ Tender
~ Loving

were the words given to me and I have been thinking about how to incorporate them into my phrase...

I want to move from Chaos to Calmness and can do that by being Devoted to where the Lord has planted me right now...so often when I get stressed I think "I can just leave..." but is that being devoted...no, it really isn't.  And I think about a friend who on her wedding day she told me if it didn't work out she would just get a divorce...she always had a foot out the door...and I do that too thinking "I can just leave" but that isn't a good mindset to be in...so this week while we have been camping, resting and rejuvenating I have been working on my thinking process and taking the phrase "I can just leave" out of my mind and changing it to...for such a time as this, God has called me to devote my life to these little's that He has entrusted in our care.

Caring...I need to take care of myself to be able to take care of these kidlets.  I learned that phrase "take care of me to be able to care for others" many years ago and some days I do better at it than others.  I want to be intentional in caring for myself, through bettering my health, my emotional and spiritual life so that I can be the best person, woman, wife, mom, grammy, friend that God designed me to be and to do that I must take care of me...all of me!!!

Respect...I must respect myself enough to love myself to be able to share and teach others to respect themselves and others...respecting myself includes setting limits/boundaries to not let others disrespect me either with their words or actions and respect for myself must begin with me.  The definition of Respect is: a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements and so I to have a deep admiration (LOVE) for all the things I am and can do for me before I can do and have it for others.  I need to value who I am and not allow others to tarnish or hurt me to make themselves feel better.  Respecting myself is loving me for who I am and for who God made me to be!!!

Kindness and Tender...immediately I think of something Janice shared with me many years ago...I need to become soft, soft like a marshmallow.  For many years I kept a quart jar of marshmallows on my desk, it sort of looked like this

to remind me to be soft, kind and tender to myself and others.  I tend to be stern and harsh trying to get people or kidlets to do what I need or want them to do...I need to be remember 

and

loving to myself and to others,

 in loving I need to extend grace, 

and grace like Jesus extends to me over and over.

By remembering each of these words and utilizing their meaning in my every day I know that our home will be one of peace and calmness!!  So I pray, Lord  help me to keep these words in my sight as I wake each morning and try to do your will and follow your commandment to love one another!!!