Bubble Wrap

There are so many scary and sad things going on out it the world today.  I have felt such a heavy burden for our children this week.  I fear for what the world will bring for them.  What will things be like for them when they are the adults in the world.  There is such a big part of me that wants to wrap my boys up in bubble wrap and shove them lovingly into a large bubble that will keep them safe from all of the tragedy out in this fallen world.  Why can't I do that!!!!???  Shelter, shelter, shelter!  Can't they just be mommas boys safe inside the comfort of these walls?  Within these walls I know that they are safe, surrounded by love and happiness, filled with joy and laughter and taught how to walk closely with God.  Out in the world, they are subjected to people who may hurt them physically or verbally.  They don't have super mom to defend them all the time, or to pick them up when they fall, or to give them the Jesus lesson that they can learn in this experience.  Why would Jesus give me these precious little angels, if I can't protect them from all those horrible things out there?  Could it be because they need to go out and effect that world themselves?  Light bulb, if I keep them locked up safely here in my house then they can't shine their lights for Him! We are here not to be parents, not to be husbands and wives, not to be good at our jobs and so on (not that those things don't glorify God too) but we are here to show and share the love of Christ.  It is written:

Matthew 28:16-20

New International Version (NIV)

The Great Commission

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Our children are part of The Great Commission!  We have a large audience to reach in a short amount of time friends!  He made us to glorify Him, to share the good news with everyone! Our babies, our sweet children, are a part of that amazing calling.  And so in my heavy heart for the ways of this world, I am comforted in this thought; God loves my children so much that He has made them little vessels for His good work and this good news.  The good news that Jesus died for the sinners of this world so that they can come to know the Lord and spend eternity in Heaven.  So, instead of wrapping my boys in bubble wrap and lovingly shoving them into a big bubble, I will arm them. I will arm them with The Word.  I will soak them in the words and in the love of Christ. So that when I open this door and let them out into the world they will have on The Armor of Christ!  The armor that will take them out into the world armed with the word and good news of God.  And as I stand in the doorway and pray over them I will be thankful that God has given me His children to raise here in His honor, for His glory, to become more Christ-like everyday.

My friends, in the wake of the Aurora Colorado shootings I urge you to pray for our children, our youth and our nation.  To arm your children with The Word of God as they leave your door step. To pray over them as they sleep and to commit your life to Christ and follow hard after Him.  It is only then that these babies will survive the hard times ahead of them, out in a world full of hate.

 Until we are together again remember the we are all Beautifully and Wonderfully Made by the one true God who loves us more than we love our children!!!!

Much Love,
Chrystan

Worry

Here's the deal friends.  I worry. I worry alot.  I worry about everything.  Under this mostly calm exterior there is a little girl frantically concerned at every turn.  I spend a decent portion of my day allowing my outlandish imagination to take over and come up with every imaginable and unimaginable senario to occur.  Most of my worry centers around my children and my family.  After I am through worrying about them I move on to things like friends, work, finances, public safety, the health of my kidneys, and sometimes I even worry about how much I worry (hence the blog about worry!).  Yikes! No wonder I can't go to sleep, no wonder I have a hard time trusting those around me, i'm too busy worried about everything to put trust in the mix.  So, after lots of soul searching and talking to some wise people, I have not come up with a solution, but I have come up with a way to combat this worry.  The BIBLE!  Wow I know, shocker that the BIBLE would have answers to all my problems, but it does!  I am learning to cling tightly and dearly to my Bible.  Let me give you an example.  Cohen left for his dad's house for an entire month this weekend.  That was very hard for me.  He drove up north with his uncle, whom I am sure is a great guy, but I worried that they would get into a car accident.  Then I moved on to what would/could happen while he was away, it's like if he's not with me then he's not safe at all.  Hello???  How prideful can I be.  It is not in my hands, clearly, because wouldn't it be so scary if it were!!!???  So Cohen left, and this morning was a hard morning at church without him there.  As I felt the hot tears find my cheeks I began to search desperately for a verse to cling to.  I found Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" then I went to Philippians 4:6" Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God".  I was struck this week by the thought that my worrying is sinful because it's prideful.  I am so sure I know what's best, I am so sure I have a better plan and so afraid God is going to screw up my perfect life I worked so hard for, that I am missing the blessings of trusting him.  I can not see all the good when I am focusing on what could be so bad.  I do not want to worry my life away and I really don't want to pass my worry issue on to my children. The only way to prevent that is to commit to prayer and make a change within myself. I'm going to be prepared to combat this with prayer and scripture.  I love the people in my life with such a God given passion it will be hard to worry about everything less, but I am missing out on blessings by not giving this over and instead letting it take over and I don't want to miss out on blessings from God!

My sweet friends, what is taking over your life.  What weeds are chocking out the seeds you have planted?  Is is worry?  Is there something that you are holding on to because it's too painful to let go?  Is it holding out on giving your life over to God?  Well knock it off! :)  Now is the time. Today is the day, to relinquish these things.  Lay your burdens down at the cross and let's move on together. 

If you would like to know more about laying your burdens down and following Jesus please message me.  I would love to talk to you more about this topic and anything else. Until next time my friends, know that God made you on purpose and He loves you intentionally, fully and truly.  You are Beautifully and Wonderfully Made by God for God.

Much Love,
Chrystan

Mother's Day 2012

The thing about Mother's Day is that it makes you reflect on so many things.  I spent the day getting choked up for a variety of reasons.  I look at my children and I feel so humbled and extremely blessed to have them in my life.  My children have changed me, they have made me better, I am a better version of myself because God has put them in my life.  I have two women in my life that I call Mom.  Both have blessed me in amazing ways.  My Mom has made it a point, her life's mission I think, to make sure I always know that she loves me. I talk to her almost everyday and eveytime I get off of the phone with her she tells me she loves me.  Everytime I walk out her door or tell her goodnight when I am visiting, she tells me she loves me.  There has never been a time where I have doubted her love for me.  And so today, I thought about that love and that relationship and what it is doing to grow me as a mommy myself.  My step-mom, who has been in my life since I was very young, not only played a huge part in raising me, but played her own important role in my life as well.  She is the reason I found Jesus and have developed a solid relationship with my Lord and Savior.  Diana's legacy in my life will be the beginning of Christ in my family.  She became a believer, then my Dad, then us kiddos, and now my boys are following in those footsteps.  I could never repay that, I could never be more thankful that God put her in my life if only just for that reason (though she did so much for me outside of that as well).  I am going to Heaven when I die and she played a huge role in that.  There are other Mother's that have impacted my life greatly.  My Mother-In-Law has inspired me to be silent more often.  To be a listener and a server instead of looking around to see what people can do to serve me.  Silence and servitude have taken me on a great journey the last 2 years and Linda has been an amazing example of both.  The Lord placed Adam in my life, and with that blessing I was able to meet and gain a relationship with one of the most wonderful women to be on the planet.  Roxie Ferrell, Adam's Grandma, touched my life in a way that I could never explain to you.  She was the Wife of Noble Character, she was the best mother, the most amazing woman of God and I was lucky enough to be in her presence.  My relationship with Roxie allowed me to look into a life done right.  She was a servant, she was a prayer warrior, she was an amazing mother and grandmother, she was everything that I hope to become.  She passed lastyear and I long for her often.  To speak with her and have her wisdom flow down over me.  To see God's love in her eyes and to soak in her joy.  But alas I will wait to see her again in Heaven, to rejoice in the love that she taught me so much about.  All these women and all the women that I surround myself with teach me so much. They teach me about being a wife, a mommy and a follower of Christ.  They show me how to show mercy, give grace, have patience, to pray, to cry, to love, to have passion and follow hard after my dreams.  I love being a woman, I love being a wife and I LOVE LOVE LOVE being a mommy.
My friends, Jesus feels more love for us than we can imagine. More than our Mother's love us, more than we love our children, how crazy awesome is that!!!???  If you do not know Him as your savior, now is the time to seak Him out.  He will change your life, I promise!  Please let me know if I can pray for you or if I can help you on your journey. 

Until next time I want you to know that I am abundantly blessed and that we are all Beautifully and Wonderfully Made by the great creator who loves us immensely.

Much Love,
Chrystan

A Wife of Noble Character

I have written and re-written and un-written the following blog.  The Lord has laid it so heavy on my heart to write on this topic, but I keep saying no thanks.  It's too hard to admit these faults out loud.  It's too hard to hold this mirror up in front of my own face!  But when the Lord lays something this heavy on my heart, I really just need to conceed to it and follow step.  About a month ago, I made a decision to commit to becoming a wife and mother of noble character.  This is not my own great idea, it actually comes from a section in Proverbs titled A Wife of Noble Character.  Now before you women close your laptops thinking this is an old, no longer used, sexist view of marriage and life hear me out.  First read these verses:

Proverbs 31:10-31

New International Version (NIV)

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

 ^{10 [a]}A wife of noble character who can find?
   She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
   and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
   all the days of her life.
¹³ She selects wool and flax
   and works with eager hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
   bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;
   she provides food for her family
   and portions for her female servants.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
   out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
   her arms are strong for her tasks.
¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
   and her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
   and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
   and extends her hands to the needy.
²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
   for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
²² She makes coverings for her bed;
   she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
   where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
   and supplies the merchants with sashes.
²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
   she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
   and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
   and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
   her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
   but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
   but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
   and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

 

So, after reading, reading again, and re-reading shaking my head, I thought "Lord do you not know me.  Don't you know how stubburn and pig-headed I am.  I mean you want me to do what!  I am too independent for all of this.  Maybe you missed out on the last few years of EQUALITY!  This wife of noble character, she didn't have my full time crazy job.  She didn't have PTA and FSA and MOPS and Zumba.  What does she have to do with my life as a wife, mother, boss, choir member, 1/2 marathon runner..etc!?"  Well, as I looked deeper and dug into the verses a little bit more I learned alot from this noble wife and alot about myself.  The three most important points I am commiting to and taking away from this Lord given lesson is:

1. Serving- I need to serve more but I also need to serve my family and those around me with (get this) a HAPPY heart.  Serve with a happy heart.  The woman in these verses never stops long enough to complain about all of the work she is doing for her family and her husband.  She is too busy happily serving and loving them through her works that it never says, after she did all this she shook her finger at her husband to make sure he knew all of her accomplishments. No way!  She served him, she served her children and even her servant without complaining or carrying on.  Goal #1, serve them happily out of love for them and for God.

2. Attitude-What would my family say about my demeanor when I am doing my chores?  Am I walking around deligating barking orders and grumping that I am the only one who seems to be able to get things done around here with a baby on my hip and one hand tyed behind my back! Well of course I am.  My goal is for my husband and children and any other person that walks in my life daily to see a woman who is so full of love for her God and her family that she can't help but love and serve them.  Goal #2, change the attitude!

3. Honor- Honor does not come easily.  It is not something that just gets lavished all over me for no reason. I need to be deserving of it and I have a plan for that.  I need to put God first, honor Him in all I do and seak after His will for my life. I need to put my marriage first (in my earthly relationships) and commit to serving and honoring my husband in all I do.  I need to show God's love to my children throughout their entire day so that they can see His light through me and want that for their own life.  This will honor God and I will be honored and lifted up because of it.

 

So, why didn't I want to write on this topic?  Because it is so hard to be a wife of noble character everyday.  So everyday I am repeating these verses to myself.  Everyday I wake I have to stuff my brain full of all of this information just to make it through the morning without screwing it all up again.  Luckily I am an un-perfect person loved by a PERFECT God!  Amen to that.  God sees me beautiful everyday and lucky for me places reminders throughout the day of the things that I am working on. 

I vow to continue to work on being a noble person in all of my relationships. To work hard in this journey. To love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul and mind.  To follow hard after Him.  To be respectful and loving towards my family. To shine Jesus love throughout my life and my day.  To be a person of noble character that is Beautifully and Wonderfully Made.

You too my friends are beautifully made by a perfect God who is in the business of loving and saving imperfect people.  Please let me know if I can help you on your journey towards Him.  I am here and I will pray for you in this journey.

Until next time, know good friends that you have this warrior on your side.

 

Much Love,

Chrystan

Faith Check

January 12, 2012

What a long week I have had friends.  It has been my experience in life that there are times where we have what I call a faith check.  I'm not sure if it's God's way of testing me or Satan's way of testing me.  I'm no biblical scholar, so I couldn't tell you which it may be.  What I can say is that I can look back on my life and point out certain times where my faith is tested.  When I say tested i'm not talking about whether I believe in God or am faithful to Him.  I am always His child, I will always have faith in God.  What I am talking about when I say a faith check is a check in what I will put my faith in and will I trust in that.  I am blogging tonight from Liberty Hospital where Adam and I have been since Tuesday night with our 4 month old Dylan.  We were sent here from our Dr's office in response to Dylan's struggle with RSV, which was diagnosed on Monday.  As I have watched Dylan's health go from bad to worse back to bad then worse then better and so on, I felt myself starting to have a mom freak out moment.  I felt myself freaking out over all the what if's of the week.  What if he stops breathing, what are we going to do with Cohen, is my employer going to understand, what if work can't survive without me, what about Cohen's wrestling and getting him to church, what if Cohen feels like we dont' care about him, and what if I can't hold it all together.  All of these what if's and more were flashing through my head as we checked a very ill Dylan into the hospital.  And as we got settled in that night I did a faith check.  I thought to myself "This can go two ways, I can freak out and turn into a big ball of stress OR I can put my faith in Christ and let Him take control of this situation and my heart."  I decided to put my Faith in my Faith.  I prayed for God to take this burden and calm my heart and my fears.  This was the first important step I took in my faith check, placing my burden in God's hands.  The second step was almost as important as the first, I prayed about it and asked my church body and my friends and family to pray for Dylan and for us.  I think one of the HUGE perks of being a Christian is our church body.  Adam and I have had probably more than one hundred people praying for Dylan and us specifically.  What a relief and what a huge burden off of our shoulders. To know it doesn't just lie in our hands but that we have a whole host of other believers that are commited to praying for us and loving up on us while we are here.  Thank God for them and the blessing that they are to me and my family.
So what did I learn this week in my "faith check".  I learned that trusting in God is the only way to live!  Why wouldn't I put my problems in the hands of my creator?  I also learned to trust in my Christian family.  They are a mighty force!  What can I say that will encourage you this week?  If you have a burden, great or small, do a faith check.  Place the burden in the very capable hands of Christ, he says in Matthew 11:28 "Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest".  And I believe that with my whole entire heart.  I believe this because I am laying weary and burdened at His feet this week and He is giving my heart the rest that it needs.
Friends seek Him if you don't know Him. Find a church body if you do not have one.  Without these two things my world would be falling apart right now.  If I can help you in either of these two steps please do not hesitate to ask!
Until next time friends, know that God loves you. He wants you to know Him so that He can love on you and help you carry your burdens and show you that you are Beautifully Made.

Much Love,
Chrystan Ferrell