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Archive for Overcoming Self

why i am teaching bible

Why I am Teaching Bible for the First Time

Posted by admin 
· January 9, 2017 
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Prior to 1963 the school district of Abington Township, Pennsylvania had this statement in their public policy:

Each school…shall be opened by the reading, without comment, of a chapter in the Holy Bible…Participation in the opening exercises..is voluntary. The student reading the verses from the Bible may select the passages and read from any version he chooses…There are no prefatory statements, no questions asked or solicited, no comments or explanations made and no interpretations given at or during the exercises. The students and parents are advised that the student may absent himself from the classroom or, should he elect to remain, not participate in the exercises.

I grew up in a very authoritarian household. My parents were extremely strict and ultra conservative. As a result, as I’ve stated in previous posts such as Baby in the Corner I will ill equipped to deal with the “real” world. Shy and socially awkward, I didn’t cope well with others not having been raised with the same morals and values.

I absolutely did not want my kids to experience that social ineptitude so they’ve been wildly exposed with proper supervision and limits to the world. (I think my ex-husband feared I might go a bit too far in the opposite direction, but I’m happy to report that I found a happy medium.) But because of this, I never felt the urge or need to teach Bible in our now 8 years of homeschooling. I figured they would get enough of that at church without me shoving it down their throats.

I was wrong. Very wrong. And even though I am confident my children know what’s right and what’s wrong, and how to handle themselves in more questionable situations without giving in to pressure, I have failed miserably in giving them a “solid as a rock foundation.” Somehow I lost sight of the fact that it is not our works that save us, it is not our ability to follow the rules, it’s the grace of God. We cannot earn it, we cannot steal it, it has been given freely, sacrificially.

It’s been a hard road for me to come to this conclusion and I pray that I am not too late. But now our daily school session starts like those in Abington Township from those many years ago. We start with God’s word, the Bible. We start with reading it and thinking about it. And while I may, on occasion, add my two cents, I am mostly prayerfully silent as I leave it to God to open their eyes and meet them where they are at.

All I can do is guide and point, pray and be there. God will do the rest. I have found my happy medium between shoving my faith down their throats and introducing them to God’s love through His word. Have you introduced your child to your God? Have you given them the one and only tool they need to know Him better? If not, I challenge you to do so today.

Recommendation:I have found the Daughters of Decision Quiet Time Journals to be fantastic guidebooks for our journey through the Bible. We started with the book of John. I highly recommend it.

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Categories : Overcoming Self
Tags : abington township, bible, christian, daughters of decision, god loves me, god will do it, homeschool, journal, overcoming my past, quiet time, teaching my children about god

He can See Your Heart and Read Your Mind

Posted by admin 
· November 12, 2015 
· No Comments

Today I am over at Creating My Happiness with the lists that have kept me focused during this job transition. But I wanted to drop in and share just a brief glimpse of how God is working in our lives.

Earlier this week, I had a very brief conversation with my Dad this week just catching him up with my job search and kids, etc.  I mentioned that my big concern was getting the little kids winter jackets as they have out grown the ones they have used for the past couple of years.  I hadn’t mentioned this need to anyone else.he-can-see-your-300x250

The next afternoon I received a message on Facebook from a woman I know from church and around the community…offering winter coats.  God answers prayers, spoken and unspoken I see examples of that daily now as I learn more and more to turn things over to Him and be aware of His work in my life.

Have you spoken to God today?  He would like to hear from you.

I am not preaching when I say that…I am praying that you do.  Because in my life, I didn’t listen, I didn’t take the time to get to know Him to listen to Him.  And because He wants my attention, He wants a relationship with me…well, I’m hard headed and He had to bring me to my knees to get it.  I don’t want that to be the case with you.  He’s waiting for you too!

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Categories : Overcoming Self
Tags : god answers prayers, grateful, hate preaching, pray, talk to god, winter coat needs

Face as a Slide Anyone

Posted by admin 
· July 30, 2011 
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Face Wound – Day 1


My daughter is strong, graceful, caring and lots of fun to be with.  She lights up my life with her love and affection and I am so proud of her compassion and care for others.  But on this day in March .  . . well, you can see the results.  Evidently she was running in the street and decided to dive onto the pavement face first.  I wasn’t home.  The sitter, who I trust implicitly with my children, called and said Hannah fell down and was fine but resting in my room with an ice pack on her face.  Ok, no problem.

I certainly wasn’t expecting to find have her face covered in scrapes when I returned.  I broke into tears.  How could I not be hear to protect her, take care of her?

Face Wound – Day 3

As moms, especially of young children, we coddle them, do everything we can to protect them from physical as well as emotional harm and take the best care of them that we know how to and possibly can.  But sometimes, things happen – behind our backs, behind closed doors, even outside in our front drive.  We can’t always be there, we can’t always protect them.  The bubble boy proved that to us.  It doesn’t make it any easier.  And it doesn’t make us feel any less guilty even it was ABSOLUTELY not our fault or even in our control.

Face Wound – Day 4

So what do we do?  Well, my take on it is that kids need to be prepared for the real world, without constant parental supervision.  Meaning, we can’t wrap them in a bubble or even be with them all the time.  We have to let them make their own mistakes, starting early and be there to help them cope, repair and overcome.  I know this is a corny example, but it’s a visual.  My daughter’s face healed completely.  But for a week, she wore her hair (or tried to) over the right side of her face so no one would see.  She was embarrassed, thought she was “ugly” and had a hard time dealing with the results of this fall.

Hannah – 7 Years Old Photo by CRitchie


My daughter is perfect in my eyes, even when she falls and skins up her face.  Even when she is mean, even when she sasses me (I dread the teenager on the horizon.)  She has my heart and I would do absolutely anything for her.  But I will teach her to stand up for herself, to be proud of herself and to overcome the trials that life will certainly hand her.  And I hope to teach her to do all that with the inner beauty she already possesses – compassion, love for others and strength.

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Categories : Overcoming Self
Tags : accidents happen, beautiful girl, internal beauty, life disappoints, mama heartbreak, raising moral children, teaching them to cope, when you fall get back up, wrap them in bubble wrap

Minus the Kitchen Sink

Posted by admin 
· March 10, 2011 
· No Comments

Stick around here long enough and you will quickly discover that each of us has our very own, unique talents.  In fact, that has been my mantra over the last 5 months since we moved into our new home and directly across the street from one of my fabulous friends who is featured here as well.  Let me tell you why . . .

I cannot cook.  I don’t cook.  I have no desire to change this either. Now don’t get me wrong, my sink filled with pots and panschildren are well fed.  We eat a variety of foods including all of the main food groups BUT I do not cook from scratch, I have to follow a recipe and I tend to stick with what I know, which honestly is very limited.  So go back 5 months, when we moved into our new home and my children got front and center experience with another family, rather several families.  Mrs. Maria and Mrs. CJ cook from scratch.  They love to cook.  And they are VERY good at it.

Now my kids attitude on our eating habits began to change . . .

  • Mom, why do we always have to have . . .
  • Mom, why don’t you cook from scratch . . .
  • Mom, why don’t you have so and so . . .
  • Mom, why can’t you cook like insert anyone’s name . . .
  • Even their friends “Mrs. Hunt, why do you always make . . . “

So my mantra began . . . “we all have different strengths, mine just don’t happen to be cooking, but I am really good at my job, having fun with you and doing craft stuff.”  Boy, this is tough on a girls ego!

So what have I done.  I started collecting recipes, I started trying new things.  Oh boy, have we had some interesting meals since then.  Now even the kids beg me to return to my old self where our regular cereal for any meal, breakfast for dinner and good ole PB&J sandwiches were a standard.

While I am happy for the challenge and I truly appreciate my friends’ generosity in trying to guide this hapless cook on the path to cooking healthy, organic meals from scratch.  I have decided to take the pressure off myself.  I just can’t compete when it comes to the kitchen.  And really, I’m ok with that.

We often run into things that challenge us, even cut us, especially when our kids start comparing us to their experiences with other families.  And sometimes it’s hard, especially as a single mom, to keep that confidence that we are doing a good job, our best job when those comparisons start flowing.  But take it from me, find your strengths and stick to them . . . ok, maybe put yourself out there on some occasions, don’t live life in fear, but lean on those strengths and make sure your kids know it’s ok to be unique, different and have those special strengths that may not be the same.

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Categories : Overcoming Self
Tags : generosity, i cannot cook, in the ktichen, kids complain, live life in fear, my friends are family, strengths and weaknesses

More Unpleasant Truths

Posted by admin 
· March 3, 2011 
· No Comments

I went out with The Girls the other evening. They are a lovely group of women, smart, funny, and thoughtful, I enjoy them a great deal. On the way home I was reviewing the night in my mind, reliving the highlights, and realized how socially awkward I have become. It was as if at certain points in the evening as if my mouth was possessed by some needy, approval seeking, self centered teenager. One of the ladies will have shared something about themselves, and rather than letting them have the moment, and just listen or acknowledge their point of view, I had a compulsion to share a similar event in my life, like I was competing for attention. I was totally disgusted with myself.

I grew up in a large loud family. I take pride in the fact that they all feel as if they can talk to me about anything and can just listen and empathize, letting them have their time. Why the heck am I having such a hard time translating this trait into friendships?? Am I that insecure? Am I that self-centered? Have been isolated for so long that I have forgotten how to talk to people? What am I missing???? Whatever it is I need to find a way to stop it as it only makes me feel worse about myself and not want to be around people.

Next time I am hanging out with my friends I will challenge myself to ask them a question about their story rather than relate one of my own immediately. Maybe this will help. I want so badly to be a good friend, one who listens when needed, lends a helping hand when wanted, and glories in their successes, letting them have their moments in the sun. I want to be like my idol Polly in An Old-Fashioned Girl!

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Categories : Overcoming Self
Tags : an old fashioned girl, being a better friend, empathy, girlfriends, socially awkward, time for me, time with the girls

Baby in the Corner

Posted by admin 
· February 15, 2011 
· No Comments

babyincorner
We’ve all felt it.  That quick panic, eyes darting around looking for someone we know, someone to acknowledge us, to make us feel as if we belong.  A week ago, I was desperate to get out of the house, it was one of my very rare kid free nights and a friend’s band was playing at a local pool hall.  I wanted to go.  BUT I did not want to go alone.  This is a predicament I am certain I am not alone in.  So I started calling, all my normal “”dates”” (my kids married moms) were busy especially with it being a work/school night, so I was stuck.  I finally did find a friend who was already going for other reasons and well, I invited myself along.  So step 1 – find someone to go with – check.

The night of, I get dressed.  My stomach was already in knots.  But I did it, I walked through the door of that club alone.  Ugh, that feeling was enough to make me want to turn around and walk right back out.  Eyes darting back and forth as I scanned the crowd for that welcoming smile, that eye catch that would make me feel like more than the deflated balloon that was starting to settle in.  Thank God for my friend’s parents who I didn’t even know were coming, were there.  They smiled and pulled me right in.

Needless to say, I did not last long.  I smiled, was introduced to a whole bunch of people and felt like turning to flee every few minutes.  Is it just me who feels so awkward in these types of situations? I mean, put me in front of a group of people to speak or out with my kids and I am good.  I am confident, the women in charge.  But put me in a social setting where I need to make small talk and meet strangers, where I really have no purpose and honestly, more often than not, you will find me leaving quickly and often with tears in my eyes.  Such a failure, an incompetent, unacceptable failure.

So how did we get like this?  And how do we overcome it? How do we break out of “Baby in the Corner,” not even to become the center of attention, but to become the confident, bright, and fully acceptable women that we truly are?

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Categories : Overcoming Self
Tags : baby in the corner, dirty dancing, feeling like a failure, getting out of my own way, introvert, overcoming self, patrick swayze
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