The Mothership

Comparison is the thief of joy - Theodore Roosevelt I feel as if I live a fairly joyous life. Yeah. I would say I am generally happy. I have beautiful kids, my husband and I have fun together and walk in relationship with Jesus...and many other blessings. I am a fairly positive person moving through life...and yet the enemy can still attack...not often, but he does it just enough.  And it is usually when I have realized a different piece in my calling.   He attacks me in my identity and tries to plant lies. He tries to strangle those seeds that God has planted and that are growing and squish the life from them.  The way he does this to me is mostly through comparison. He whispers: they are more fun than you they are nicer than you they are a better mom than you you are not looking like a Christian that person doesn't like you because you're not ... they are better at everything than you you are not enough And on and on it goes until I put a stop to it beca...

I don't know about you, but I find myself saying "NO"...a lot to my children. Why, in heaven's name, is this my first reaction? Control.  I think I've talked about this before.  For whatever reason I revert to needing to control my child.  I control out of fear.  Fear of them misbehaving, fear of them being hurt, fear of them hurting someone, fear of being singled out, fear, fear fear.  And I'm pretty sure my God does not operate out of fear.  So then, why should I?  I find myself repeating and negotiating over and over.  I do this so much that it seems the word "NO" has lost its meaning.  Others say it, and it means so much more.  I want my children to respond when I say no, whether it is because I am not feeling what is happening or for safety concerns.  Whatever the reason I want them to respond appropriately So how does that happen? A few months ago I said I was going to focus more on giving the children responsib...