I. LOVE. THIS. LITTLE.GIRL. I mean, really, could she be any sweeter?
I do remember that you had the two teeth on bottom at nine months, pretty sure you had or were working on the top two!
Crawling everywhere, pulling up to everything and cruising and walking with help! Granddaddy helping you walk around!
They very end of April my Thirty One team bloomed. I finally had my four qualified consultants and we met our numbers for me to DIQ in April. (Director in Qualification) My team met our sales goals again in May, and I promoted May 30 to Director with Thirty One gifts. It was a long journey to get to the title change and I was feeling very grateful and thankful for the promotion.
I think this promotion, coupled with the fact that I started a workout program three days a week (P31) on May 1, 2013. My life was in for a big change personally, spiritually and a great change for my family life. I suffered horribly with depression after giving birth to Kallie, and struggled horribly with depression until about mid July 2013. I went to counseling each week, at least once, I tried different medications, none worked and made my symptoms worse. The only thing that worked was setting myself straight with God.
God broke me. He showed me that I can not do anything without His grace and mercy on me. He taught me to pray. He taught me to seek Him in every situation. He guided me through scriptures, He held my hand in my darkest days. Post partum depression is something that no one can understand or explain unless you have experienced it. It is not something you can just SNAP out of. It is a work in progress to get better. To get support for yourself from your friends, family, and church. Depression is not something you can remain silent about. You have to reach out and seek help for yourself. It is not your fault. It is nothing you can control. It will get better. One day at a time.
I learned may things from my struggle with depression the last year. I learned that I did not talk nice to myself or think good thoughts about myself and what I do. I have changed that. I look in the mirror everyday now and tell myself that I’m looking good, I’m pretty, and I am an awesome Momma. Just telling yourself those things and replacing any negative thinking about how you look or how you are as a Mom, makes a HUGE difference. I know that I am a good Mom and I am capable of handling any situation that may come my way everyday. For some reason I had no confidence in myself to Mother. And, the truth is, I am a great Mom, and I do a great job everyday. So, why wasn’t I giving myself credit? Why was I feeling so overwhelmed and like I couldn’t handle a screaming baby and a four year old throwing fits? I know now that I can and I do, and I talk myself nicely through every situation now. I know it may sound silly, but this was a HUGE struggle for me.
I learned that satan has no place in my thoughts. He deserves no credit or acknowledgement. However, that doesn’t stop him from trying every day again. The devil knows that if he can control our thoughts, that he can control our life. Pay attention to the condition of your mind and keep it free, peaceful, and full of faith. Usually we know something in our heart but our mind wars against it. Solution: Praying out loud over myself and my children. PRAYING OUT LOUD has proven to be the BIGGEST GIFT I have ever given myself. When you pray out loud, not just in your head, actually say your words, you connect fully to and with God. I feel His presence when I pray out loud. I come away from prayer peaceful and renewed and feeling blessed. God is showing me mighty things through praying out loud. Solution: Pray in Jesus name, By the power of His blood, come against all evil spirits that hinder Godly thoughts. If you feel your mind is sluggish, lazy, and unable to believe, then speak against “mind binding spirits”. Pray this way not one time, but anytime you experience difficulty in this area.
We will get from the word what we put into it. This could not be more true! The words of God BLESS you when you study, memorize and meditate on it. It gives you swords and shields to battle your way through life. It gives you ways to help others and words to say and share with people. The flesh is lazy. This is so true in studying the Bible and excersising. We want the easy way, it’s just how we are made. But when we sweat and work hard and pray out loud and meditate on scriptures, we are made stronger and we feel so much better. Our flesh may be lazy, but God gives us the strength to overcome and be more than lazy.
Proverbs 4:20 “My son, attend to my words; consent and submit to my sayings.”
Joshua 1:8 “you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
I learned a lot about my brain and thoughts this year. I learned that my mind shouldn’t be filled with reasoning, worry, anxiety, fear and the like; The mind is normal when it is at rest. When my mind is too busy, it is abnormal. At these times I have to cry out, “Open the eyes of my heart Lord.” Ephesians 1:17-18
On my low days this past year, when I had let my thoughts and anxiety and fears get the better of me I always turned to my bible and my prayer scriptures and notes. These are my favorites to help me through tough days:
I believe God. I believe He is working in me no matter what i may feel or how the situation may look.
“ God began a good work in me, and He is well able to bring it to full completion.” Philippians 1:6 and Philippians 2:13, “for it is god who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
Purposely think right thoughts, go an extra mile and speak them out loud as your confession. It shall be done for you as you have believed. Matthew 8:13
Expect that God will bring good out of your current situation. He has promised in His word. “All things work together for good to those who love God.”
Good things are going to happen to you. Rejoice! It’s a new day!
Ask the holy spirit to convict you the next time you get negative. John 16:7,8 “The Holy spirit will convict us of sin and convince us of righteousness.” When the conviction comes, ask God to help you. Don’t think you can change yourself. Lean on Him.
Romans 4:19-20 “And not being weak in faith, he didn’t consider his own body, already dead (since he was 100 yrs old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He didn’t waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God.”
A peaceful, alert mind is what God intended for us to have.
An inability to concentrate indicates mental attack from the devil. Extreme fatigue can affect concentration. I have found that when I am excessively tired satan will try to attack my mind because he knows that it is more difficult to resist him during these times. satan wants you to think you are mentally deficient-that something is wrong with you. BEGIN TODAY TO KEEP A YOUR FOOT ON YOUR MIND AND WHAT IT IS DOING.
You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. –Isaiah 26:3
Two spiritual weapons to use are praise and prayer. Praise defeats the devil quicker than any other battle plan.
Know that God loves you, He is full of mercy, He will help you. Get to know Jesus. He is your friend. He died for you. Get to know the Holy Spirit. He is with you all the time as your helper. Let him help you. Learn to fill your prayers with the word of God. Our weapons are the word of God used in various ways.
We can pray the word. We can speak the word. We can sing the word. We can study the word.
“Our weapons are not fleshly weapons, they are spiritual.”
Even Jesus used the word in the wilderness to defeat Satan. Luke 4:1-13 Each time the devil lied to Him. Jesus responded with, “It is written” and quoted him the Word.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you. Isaiah 43:2
Things I say to myself:
I will never give up! God is on my side, He loves me, and he is helping me!
Our thoughts become our words. It is important that we choose life generating thoughts. When the battle seems endless and you think you’ll never make it, remember that you are reprogramming a very fleshy worldly mind to think as God thinks. Impossible? No. Difficult? Yes! But, just think, you have God on your team. He is reprogramming your mind. It will definitely take time, and it won’t be easy. Make up your mind that you will not quit and give up until victory is complete and you have taken possession of your rightful inheritance.
Don’t receive condemnation when you have set backs or bad days. Just get back up, dust yourself off, and start again.
Use your ‘Word Weapon’ quote. Romans 8:1, reminding satan and yourself that you don’t walk after the flesh, but after the spirit. Walking after the spirit is depending on God. When you fail (which you will), that doesn’t mean that you are a failure. Just let Christ be strong in your weaknesses, let Him be your strength in your weak days.
Psalm 42:5 Discouragement destroys hope, so naturally the devil always tries to discourage us. The Bible repeatedly tells us NOT to be discouraged or dismayed. God wants us to be encouraged, not discouraged. When discouragement takes over, examine your thoughts, What kind of thoughts have you been thinking? I’m not going to make it, this is hard, I cant do this, etc. You become what you think. Say to yourself instead, ‘Well, things are going a little slow, but, thank God, I’m making some progress. I’m sure glad that I am on the right path that will lead me to freedom. I had a rough day yesterday, I choose wrong thinking all day long. Father, forgive me, and help me to keep on going. This is a new day. You love me Lord. Your mercy is new every morning.”
Therefore, the Lord waits (expecting, looking, longing) to be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you and show loving kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are he who wait for Him. Meditate on this scripture!!!
Hebrews 6:19 tells us hope is the anchor of the soul. Hope is the force that keeps us steady in a time of trial. Don’t ever stop hoping. Expect a miracle in your life. Expect good things.
Other things that have helped me overcome depression:
Get help! (With kids, with house, etc)
Eating healthy! Healthy choices in have changed. my. life. completely! I’m a BELIEVER now!
Get sleep! You are doing a HUGE disservice to yourself, your children, your husband and your job if you are not getting rest. 8 hours a night, I recommend it to feel your best! It’s amazing how much better we feel and perform and THINK after rest.
If He calls you to it, He will get you through it!
Life is precious! Such the life out of every day. Enjoy the moment. Get in the floor and play with your kids. Really listen to them. Hug and kiss them and pray with them and tell them how much you love them and how great and special and loved they are. Be here TODAY! Be in the MOMENT. Live it. Love it.
Faith comes from hearing and speaking the word,
I know you love me.
I know you have a plan for my life.
I know that nothing can separate me from your love.
He has something for you everyday that you are here.
Some more favorite scriptures:
2 Thessalonians 3:3
2 Samuel 22:3-4
Isaiah 54:17
Psalm 46:1
1 Corinthians 10:31
Luke 10:27
Proverbs 22:6
It is my job as Mom to teach my children the things and the ways I want them to go. Teaching them routines. Do they know what I expect? A Godly woman, calmly goes about her way…
The things that frustrate me the most in my home, I have learned to train my kids how to fix it. Whether its getting dressed, getting our bags ready to leave the house, picking up toys, etc.
God says our children are a gift, am I treating them like a gift? I have started asking myself this almost daily. They are treasures. They are the biggest gift I could ever receive, I want them to know that.
Children are called to obey their parents. Train they to obey you. Ephesians 6:1, Colossians 3:20 What are you going to do when they don’t obey? I have started making plans for these things, because God expects me to train my kids and to teach them to obey. We are doing our children a disservice if we do not teach them that there are consequences for sin.
Joshua 24:15 ‘Choose this day whom you will serve, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
The Lord has blessed me and revealed to me why I have suffered, I can be hope to others in need.
The Lord has brought me so much peace of mind. And I just wanted to share in hopes that something I’ve written down here helps someone along life’s way.
Whoever says to the mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you will receive them. and you will have them.”
Mark 11:23-24
Tis so GREAT to trust in Jesus, and to take Him at His Word.
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