The “Herd” That Surrounds Me

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My dad has been to Africa several times for various mission trips. Several years ago he brought back the African buffalo figurine picture above. I was dusting our shelves at the office tonight and saw this and was reminded of this story.

During his last trip there he told us that he saw it and he thought of my husband. (Ok not in that way…stick with me here!) 🙂

At the time Dominic and I had been through some really tough years. TOUGH years that almost broke us….but as we started to walk in faith a little we found ourself surrounded by a group of friends that were a huge support and impact on us.

We spent time with these friends each week, found encouragement, learned how to laugh again and trust in others.

They were our “herd”…our tribe. And my dad was the first one to make the connection between the African buffalo’s behavior and that of our friend’s.

Apparently the African water buffalo displays some interesting behavior within their herd. If they are being chased by a predator, the herd will stick closely together and make it hard for the predator to pick off one member.

The weaker, smaller members are surrounded and kept in the middle and if a member of the herd issues a distress call, the other members will respond and try to rescue anyone who needs help.

They look out for one another, they support and protect each other and respond when there were times of distress.

Just like the tribe of friends that surrounded us in our times of need.

We wouldn’t be where we are today if we hadn’t had those remarkable people in our lives. I am ever grateful that God allowed us to experience that kind of friendship.

Today I have the gift of a new “herd”. (And girls I mean this in the nicest, most fashionable way) 😉

I have found myself surrounded by wonderful women of God who encourage me, pray for me and cheer me on.

When I have felt the attacks of the enemy, I know I can go immediately to my tribe. They support me and cover me with prayer and they never let the weakest of us fall outside of the protection of the circle.

I hope that if you are reading this, you too have felt the support of a tribe like this.

That figurine in our office will always be a reminder of this gift that God has given us throughout the years. While some of the people have changed, the blessings they have been to us are immeasurable.

My prayer this week is that you too will feel the comfort of your own herd, a tribe that is God-picked just for you.

Each week I am joining the lovely Holley Gerth in her 2014 Encouragement Challenge. If you want to join in on the fun hop on over here.

I Lay Me Down

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“God-sized dreams will ultimately mean dying to yourself.” Holley Gerth

I am a selfish person by nature. Maybe we all are in some way, but I feel like it is really an area of sin in my life.

When I started this blog after being accepted to the God-sized Dream team, I had some big plans for me. Big exposure, possible income from writing, being a contributor on a blog/website….not bad things necessarily, but my heart was really focused on what was in it for me.

But in October, when I attended Allume, God really broke my heart and in a good way. I walked away with less information about how to grow this site, and a more of a desire to give back to others.

In Holley’s devotional she says this “Because our God-sized dreams aren’t really about us at all. They’re about the kingdom, God’s purposes in our generation, his refining work in our lives.”

It is a daily dying to my selfish nature and asking God to direct my path and my heart for His people.

There is a worship song by Chris Tomlin called “Lay Me Down” and when I was thinking about this idea, the chorus came to mind….

“I lay me down
Im not my own
I belong to you alone
Lay me down
Lay me down
Hand on my heart
This much is true
There’s no life apart from you
Lay me down
Lay me down
Oh oh oh
Lay me down
Lay me down”

I am not MY own…I am His.

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Abraham understands this idea of laying down his dreams doesn’t he? After waiting 100 years, God gives Abraham and Sarah a son, just as He had promised. Then we see that God asks Abraham to lay down that very thing that meant so much to him….

Genesis 22:1-2 “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

For many of us, this story of Abraham and Isaac is a familiar one. And once again as I was reading these passages, I was prompted to dig a little deeper and it revealed even more to me!

I was curious about the first verse “After these things God tested Abraham…..” I wasn’t sure “what things” it was referring to so I backed up a little in Genesis and discovered even more.

Farther back in the story we see that Sarah, who not getting pregnant on her own, orders Abraham to go and be with her maidservant. Hagar does get pregnant and has a son, Ishmael.

As a side note – can I just say that I love that God still keeps his promise to Sarah and she also gets pregnant – even though she tried to play God herself. At some point, as the children are growing, Sarah sees Ishmael laughing and she gets upset. Sarah orders Abraham to cast Hagar and Ishmael out.

Genesis 21:12 “But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named.”

Did you catch that?

“Through Isaac shall your offspring be named”

So now we find ourselves at that pivotal moment when Abraham is placing his beloved son on the altar which he has built and is getting ready to sacrifice him just as God has asked.

Being obedient and willing, but yet hopeful.

God had promised Abraham that through Isaac his offspring shall be named.

God had been faithful in fulfilling His promises in Abraham’s past. Maybe not in the time frame he had anticipated, but Abraham trusted God regardless…even if it meant laying down his son on an altar. And how could Isaac have offspring if he were dead?

Abraham must of had faith that God would provide….he maybe didn’t know how He would provide, but he trusted that He would.

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So I look at my own journey to see if I have had a similar faith. And oh how I have failed miserably most of the time!

Recently there were a couple of things that I had committed to doing, wanted to do even, but I felt a very strong sense that I was supposed to go and ask for grace and step away for a season. It was hard but the “No” was so powerful I didn’t dare ignore it! 🙂

Sometimes what God is asking us to do goes against what we feel is best for us. Only because He knows the better that He has planned!

I have a friend who has lots of wonderful dreams and ambitions, and yet she has felt a pull lately to lay all of them down right now for rest. Rest is not what she wanted to hear at this time, but it IS what she heard…so she is being obedient and stepping back from her dream chasing for now.

I believe that this level of obedience comes from a constant turning over of all selfish things to God. Staying in prayer over those things we have the opportunity to participate in, and being open to laying them down if that is what God is asking us to do.

These journeys we are on won’t always be easy and I am not always certain about what path my dreaming will take me. But I can be sure about the One who is leading me.

Today I am linking up with my dreamer sisters over at God-sized Dreams….join us?!

Photo Credit: kindonnelly

When Everyone Around You Seems to be Chasing Dreams…..

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But you aren’t.

Have you been there?

Have you stood on the sidelines, secretly praying that your dreams would just happen already, and watching as it seems like everyone else around you is having their time.

It can hurt can’t it? At least it has for me.

I have struggled with jealousy for years. It started at a young age when a neighborhood friend always came to school in the newest Esprit and Guess fashions and I only had the knock-off brands.

It grew when I worked really hard to make the cheer leading team as a freshman and watched as my friends were chosen and I was not.

As a wife it worked its way out in the form of jealous comparison to others and their marriages. And as a mother, feeling as though my children didn’t sleep as well as, or potty train as quick as another mothers’.

In the online community it can present itself in jealously over a viral blog post or the number of subscribers that someone else has.

However it may look for you, at some point we find ourselves comparing ourselves to others and when seeing our deficiencies, become jealous.

Jealously steals joy. (<==== Click to Tweet)

It robs us of our ability to see the good in our own lives and makes it nearly impossible to celebrate freely with another’s success.

Join me over at God-sized Dreams to read the rest of the story!

Photo Credit: Beth Scupham

Exodus Road – March Impact Opportunity #enditmovement

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**WARNING: This post contains potential trigger warnings and discussion around sensitive topics specifically related to childhood sex slavery **

Did you know that there are approximately 27 MILLION men, women and children trapped as slaves in the world today?

Slavery as defined here: “Slavery occurs when one person completely controls another person, using violence or the threat of violence to maintain that control, exploits them economically, pays them nothing and they cannot walk away.”

I will be honest with you…human trafficking is something that I have either ignored or pushed aside in the past….it wasn’t anything that I thought I could do something about and pretending it didn’t exist was just easier.

And then I was introduced to Exodus Road, an organization that was at Allume last fall.

I attended one of the breakout sessions where Laura Parker was speaking. My eyes were opened to the realities of child sex trafficking and I was horrified.

She, her husband and children were living in Southeast Asia doing humanitarian work when they discovered the enormous problem of the child sex-trade. I imagine that I would be outraged, sickened even…but would I actually do anything about it?

Laura’s husband Matt decided that rescuing even one girl was important enough so armed with undercover equipment and with the aid of some locals, Matt would go into the dark underworld of child trafficking, posing as a “john” and work to rescue children one by one.

From her book “The Exodus Road”…..

“And Sarah shuffled towards the couch.

She was dressed in street clothes, disheveled hair. Her eyes never left the floor, and she fiddled with a napkin, tearing it into shreds.

I watched as men talked over her, laughed around her. Sarah had been sold by her mother in Burma, trafficked across Thailand and now into Malaysia, and had landed here – in a brothel, without money or passports, unable to speak the local language.

Two days earlier, they sold her virginity for $600.

She was 15 years old.”

I don’t know about you but when I read that, I want to cry. And the reality is that this is happening in our own backyards. Yes right here in the USA. I recently read a story about a warehouse in Nevada that held over 20 girls hostage as they were taken in vans to alternate locations and forced to have sex with up to 15 men in a days time.

It is sick and wrong, and I needed to stop putting my head in the sand and pretending that horrors like this aren’t happening!

So what now you might ask? How can you help?

First – pray! We as a body of Christ need to be in prayer for these innocent children. For their families who make the choice to sell them into slavery, for the perpretrator who profits from the innocence of a child. We need to be in prayer about all of it!

Second – Spread the word! Sex slavery of children isn’t fun to talk about. But I don’t feel like we can be silent. We need to spread the word, bring awareness to the world and collectively make efforts to see a change. For more information, please head to Exodus Road. Or check out the #Enditmovement. Both sites have stories, media tools etc. that can be used to help spread the word.

Third – Sponsor an Investigator. You have probably heard of sponsoring a child, but if you want to help Exodus Road keep undercover investigators in the field, making a difference one child at a time, consider a $35 monthly donation that helps cover the daily costs of keeping these men in the fields. We may not be able to do the rescue work ourselves, but we can support those who are brave and able enough to do so.

I know this isn’t a “fun” post to read, but the reality is that this is happening all around us and we can’t keep silent anymore. Will you join me in speaking out? #enditmovement

I have a copy of Laura’s book available to send to one of my readers. Just leave a comment below and you will be entered to win. I will pick the winner on Monday.

**Congratulations Elaine! You are the winner of a copy of Exodus Road – I have sent you an email and will get your book out to you!**

Photo Credit : Exodus Road

The Little Things That Make All The Difference

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Sometimes we don’t realize the impact we can have with our words and actions.

Gabriel climbed in the van after school last Friday and wasn’t his usual happy self. There is a group of six boys that he hangs out with and apparently one of the boys was having a birthday party that night and Gabriel was the only boy not invited.

If the sound of this mama’s heart breaking could be heard outside of my chest, the noise would have filled the car.

Oh how I want to protect him from hurts like this.

And it reminded me of a similar story with a different ending several years ago.

Isaac, our oldest, was 7 and wanted to have his first birthday party.

He had a class with mostly boys that year and when I asked him who he wanted to invited he gave me a list. I recognized that he had invited almost all of the boys…but there were a few names left out.

We had a conversation and I told him that I really felt like he should invite ALL the boys.

He said that there were a few boys he didn’t really get along with and he didn’t really want to invite them….but I told him that if he didn’t like them, the feeling may be mutual and they likely wouldn’t show – so invite them anyways.

I felt strongly that I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Inviting all the boys would eliminate that possibility.

The invitations went out and I planned for a party.

10 out of the 14 boys came that Saturday afternoon.

It was loud, they spilled on my carpet and Dominic entertained them with dry ice. Stressful but fun, and totally worth it.

Parents started arriving to pick up their kids as the party ended and one mother approached me.

I didn’t know a lot of the parents but she came over to thank me for inviting her son. She said that he had not ever been invited to a birthday party before. He was so excited to be included that he went to bed the night before wearing his best church clothes.

He didn’t want to chance missing out on the party.

I won’t ever forget that conversation. It choked me up then and still does today.

He and Isaac never became best friends….but for that day, in his best church clothes, he felt special and included.

THAT is what matters friends.

Doing the little things that make such a profound impact.

I don’t know why Gabriel wasn’t invited to that party. I told him that maybe the mom only had enough room for 5 kids total in their car…..would 1 more have been too much? 🙁

When I shared the story about Isaac’s party and how I felt it was so important to do our best to include everyone for that very reason, Gabriel understood and said he doesn’t ever want to make anyone feel left out.

I know that situations like this can’t be 100% avoided, but it reminds me that I need to be considerate of others and that my actions, my children’s actions, can make a difference.

Philippians2: 3-4 “3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

How have you made a difference recently? It may seem small, but I can promise even the little things can have a big impact!

Each week I am joining the lovely Holley Gerth in her 2014 Encouragement Challenge. If you want to join in on the fun hop on over here!!

Photo Credit: via

A “Fishes and Loaves” Experience

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I am a woman who can talk a good talk, have all the right “Christian” things to say, but honestly when it comes to putting my words, my faith, into practice for myself, I struggle.

I suppose we all can be like that in some way, shape or form can’t we?

Even the disciples, the very men who walked WITH Jesus in the flesh, doubted.

During difficult times I have questioned God. Cried out to Him, blamed Him, begged Him for mercy and understanding at my plight.

But the answers don’t always come as I had expected…..

I have shared about our period of unemployment here before…it was just 2 short years ago and at the time I believed that God had deserted us. I mean weren’t we “doing all the right things”, and still here we found ourselves in the middle of a huge storm?!

A mortgage, car loans and student loan debt seemed a mountain we wouldn’t ever be able to climb….especially when we were both unemployed!

But my husband had a much stronger faith than I did….he was my rock. He believed God could do big things and so he stepped out in faith and started his own business.

He knew the dream was a big one, impossible maybe, but he stepped out in faith and started to do the work.

Dream chasing isn’t always glamorous (<==== Click to Tweet) ….have you found that to be true in your journey too?

It can take long hours and tough choices, hard work and determination….and sometimes we feel so inadequate the only thing we can do is pray.

Lord, take our time, our work, our hearts to serve you and multiply it….

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In Holley’s devotional she encourages us to read the story from Matthew 14: 13-21 about the fishes and the loaves, so we can see how God can multiply the impossible for us.

This again is a very familiar story but (and oh how I am loving this) God opened my eyes to see this in a fresh way this week.

v. 13 “When Jesus learned what had happened, He got on a boat and went away to spend some time in a private place.”

This first verse got me curious….what had Jesus just learned that He wanted to be in private?

So I backed up to V. 1 and see that the “backstory” to this is that John the Baptist has been captured and Herod’s stepdaughter has been granted “anything she wanted” for her birthday…and for some reason, what she wanted, was John’s head on a platter.

This prophet, a great man of God, a friend to Jesus…the one that baptized Jesus, has been beheaded and Jesus has just heard the news.

And He desires to be in private, but the crowds follow Him. And Jesus has compassion on them.

v. 14 “Though Jesus wanted solitude, when He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, and He healed the sick and the lame.”

The day goes on and the disciples come to Jesus basically asking Him to send the crowd away for dinner….but Jesus has a different idea.

V. 16 “They don’t need to go back to the villages in order to eat supper. Give them something to eat here.”

The disciples know they don’t have enough, only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.

Clearly not enough. Clearly.

And even though the disciples had just witnessed a full day of healing and miracles, they doubted?

Does that strike you like it does me?

So the disciples brought Jesus what they had….knowing it was lacking, it wasn’t enough.

And Jesus does the impossible, and we read that 5000 men (not including the women and children) were fed with 12 baskets left over.

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So often we come to Jesus completely lacking.

We have these dreams on our hearts, but the reality of success seems impossible. Our offering seems so small, what could God possibly do with us?

Yet I have seen, time and time again, where God has taken the little that we do have and multiply it in ways that cause us to just shake our heads in awe.

We are walking in a time like that, complete amazement at what God is doing with the business, this crazy, impossible dream, just shaking our heads in wonder of all that He has done.

There are days it overwhelms and the work seems daunting.

My prayer each morning is that God gives us just what we need for that day, enough stamina, strength, energy etc., to do our jobs well and to always have hearts of thanksgiving.

In all of your “I cant’s” this week remember that God CAN. He is enough.

And don’t be afraid to pray wild “fishes and loaves” prayers…..and if you do get ready to see God do some amazing things in your life!

Each Tuesday I join my God-sized Dream sisters and talk about all things dream chasing…join us won’t you?!

Photo Credit: hoyasmeg

To The Ones Who Inspire Me

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**Thank you Melissa for this beautiful picture of just a few of the lovely women that have become sisters to me…while you are not all pictured here you are a part of my story. Thank you.**

There is a community of women that have become family to me.

While we started out as strangers a little over a year ago, today so many of you are women that I couldn’t imagine going through life without.

I have watched as you have grown in your God-sized dreams.

I have seen some doors open, and some close…but always at the guiding hand of God. With hearts full of faith and a desire to seek His plan you, my sisters, have journeyed forward.

I have seen you and I have grown because of it.

Your faith has been an inspiration to me.

Your courage has helped me fight my own fears.

Your strength and prayers have lifted me up in my times of weakness.

My life is changed because of you, and I am so grateful.

I write here in this space because you have encouraged me, told me that my stories matter too.

I hope that this will always be a place that I can do the same for those who pause here.

My dear dreamer sisters, thank you.

My words don’t adequately express my love for each of you.

You are my people, my tribe and I am blessed.

Joining Holley Gerth and her 2014 Encouragement Challenge. One day a week we take to spread joy to one another! Need a little love this week? Hop on over here and be encouraged!

Photo Credit: Melissa Aldrich

The Proper Armor

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Last week I shared some of the story of David and Goliath. David’s faith in God is so encouraging to me. He willingly went into battle to face a giant because he knew it wasn’t his battle to face.

When David first approached Saul to volunteer, Saul insisted that David wear his battle armor.

1 Samuel 17: 38 “Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off.”

David knew that he didn’t have the proper armor.

Can you imagine entering into battle without the proper armor?!

But God gave David JUST what he needed.

As a shepherd, David often used a slingshot to ward off animals seeking to hurt his sheep. I imagine that he was quite proficient with that slingshot…a weapon he practiced with often.

He may not have been able to wield a sword like the top warriors, but he didn’t need the best fitting armor or the sharpest sword. David had the perfect weapon and God had given him plenty of opportunities to prepare to use it.

40 “Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.”

God has been preparing me as well.

Preparing me to chase my dreams, preparing me to stand in the battles that will come at me.

It seems that the more I chase my God-sized dreams, I find myself in the front lines of battle with the enemy. A friend once told me that the enemy attacks those that he considers a threat…so consider an attack a compliment that you are doing God’s work! 🙂

The attacks can come in many forms.

Discouragement that I won’t be good enough….

Lies telling me that because I am failure so often, with my husband…my kids…how can I possibly share about my relationship with God here?

But God has surrounded me with His Truth.

He has shown me that my best “voice” is one that is proclaiming the truth that I AM a hypocrite – every day! But because of God’s AMAZING grace…I have the opportunity to share about His redeeming love.

As I chase these dreams, big and scary dreams…..dreams that feel out of reach and impossible, I am reminded that just like David, God is equipping me.

We are in training, can you see that?!

Maybe our “weapon” will be the stories that bring light to a dark world. (<==== Click to Tweet)

If we have God’s word on our heart, in our minds…if we have His plans in our focus…..we have the right armor on and we have nothing to fear!

In Holley’s Devotional she says this: “People may not understand. What you have in your hands or heart may seem small or even strange to them. But that’s exactly what creates the opportunity for God to do the unexpected. It sets the scene for giants to fall. For battles to be won. For God-sized dreams to come scandalously, miraculously true.”

Are you allowing God to do the unexpected in your life? If not – what is holding you back? Please leave a comment and allow me the honor of praying over those things with you…..we are in this battle together friends!

I am sharing stories of chasing dreams with my sisters over at God-sized Dreams…join us?!

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Five Minute Friday – Small

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Linking up again today with Lisa Jo to join in the fun of writing for 5 minutes.

Today’s word is SMALL!

I often feel small, insignificant…unable to make a real difference in the world.

While I want to make an impact for the Kingdom, I am not traveling to Africa to work in the mission field, I’m not speaking at conferences or writing books. How can I possibly make an impact when I am “just” a wife and a mother.

And then God uses His Word, His stories, to remind me that there are so many seemingly small people that He has used throughout history to do His will.

Mary was just a teenager.

Gideon was just a farmer.

David was just a shepherd.

Each of these people lived small, normal lives – until God called them to much greater things.

I believe that God has greater things planned for each of us.

For some of us it may mean that we work really hard to help support our family – and to our kids, our spouse, we are a hero.

Some of us will travel to other countries spreading love to orphans, the getting there will take faith and hard work as well…but when we follow God’s plan we will see the impossible become the possible.

Recently God has asked me to share some difficult stories, to test the boundaries of my comfort zone, and to take my small and difficult past and use it for His glory.

Whatever it is that He has called you to, don’t believe for a second that it isn’t important!

Friends you have a story to tell. The enemy may try and tell you that those stories don’t matter, that you can’t make a difference because you are too small and insignificant.

But hear me on this – God want’s our hearts humble so we can serve Him. He uses the small, the “just a” kind of people and makes mighty things happen for His Kingdom.

Philippians 4: 13 (ESV) “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

When It’s The Little Things….

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Dominic and I were at Walmart a few weeks ago and saw some Beta fish and he commented that he thought the kids might really like to have one. He said he wanted to bring them over to help pick a fish out so we didn’t do anything that night.

But life gets busy doesn’t it?!

Whether it is work or kids/school commitments, time at church….there are a lot of things that can fill out days around here.

We have been super busy with our business. It is a God-given blessing indeed, and we try not to take it lightly, but at times the weight of all that needs to be done can feel pretty heavy.

Last night it was time to leave the office and I could tell Dominic was so tired but felt like he needed to stay and work. I encouraged him to come home and have dinner and see the kids and then get back at it if he needed to.

He thought that maybe he should take the kids out and go look at a fish.

So while I was making dinner, Dominic took the 3 littles out to Walmart. They were so excited they could hardly stand it!

They came home with 4 fish, because of course they each needed one! 🙂

They set to task to prepare their new home environments.

They washed out old vases I had kept for a time such as this, cleaned up some old river rock we had saved from previous fish habitats and worked to get the water temperature just right and added the chlorine treatment so the water would be safe.

Then they had to wait.

Dominic explained that for the safety of the fish, it was best to wait an hour for the water temperature in the vases and the water temperature in the fish’s current “home” to align…that way when we transferred them over they would have the best chance at survival.

Waiting can be hard so we put in a movie to pass the time. It was Spongebob and it was terrible, but at one point I was sitting on the couch with 3 of my kids and they were all laughing.

It’s the little things, isn’t it?!

Seeing the smiles on their faces when they look at their new fish, hearing their laughter – even if it is at a terrible cartoon character….it was all worth it last night.

In the midst of so much “to-do”, we all needed something like a couple of new fish to remind us what is really important.

The small things can bring such joy can’t they?!

I often forget to look for the things that bring me joy, it isn’t that I am not grateful for our many blessings…but I don’t stop and “smell the roses” enough.

Last night we all did that and it was wonderful.

The kids named their fishes….Turk (short for turquoise) – Gabriel, Circle fish – Elijah and Around – Karlena. 🙂 We will see if these are still the names when the kids get up this morning!

And thankfully, at least today, all of the fish were alive when I got up!

I know life gets tough and sometimes it is hard to find the joy in our circumstances. But I encourage you today to take some time to do something small that helps you find that joy.

Whether it is taking a walk and watching the sunset, or curling up with a good book, or sitting on the couch under a pile of blankets watching a cartoon with the kids.

Take time to find that thing that brings you joy! You will be so blessed when you do.

I am celebrating that which brings us joy today with Holley Gerth and some other wonderful women that are seeking to bring light each Wednesday with Holley’s 2014 Encouragement Challenge. You can join in on the fun here!