Things that I am Learning

I have learned a lot of things over the past few weeks, so I thought I would put them all in one place :). They don't all relate, but that's okay!

First:I have learned that Karis just isn't quite ready for daily "lessons." It has taken me a semester of trying to do it and not succeeding to learn this! I thought that because she was so smart, that I should "foster" that by creating a lesson plan and doing it every day. I've decided that she has learned so much through play already, so I know that will just continue. She's only 2 1/2. She has plenty of time to learn! So, I will wait until she's 3 or 3 1/2, then start some simple lessons. She already knows her letters, many letter sounds, counting to about 14 (most of the time!), most of her colors, shapes, numbers, etc. So, when it's time to start again, I'll just start there and move on. It's funny because I learned in my education classes that preschoolers learn the best through play, and now I have seen it in real life :).

Second:As much as I want to feed my family natural/organic, it's okay not to sometimes! I need to do what is realistic for my family. Yes, much of the time I will choose to feed natural/organic, cook/bake from scratch, etc, but there are times that it is too difficult, and that doesn't make me a bad parent!

Third:Spending time with the Lord doesn't have to look a certain way. The most important thing is that I'm spending time with my Savior, and getting to know Him better. These past few months have been awesome as I'm figuring this out!

Fourth:I have amazing friends. I am so blessed to have such great friends. Growing up, all I ever wanted was a true, close friendship, and now I have that with a few people. Great friends are more than just friends, they become family. I hope that I'm as good of a friend to them as they are to me!!

Fifth:Just because I'm passionate about some things, doesn't mean that everyone else is passionate about those same things, and that's okay! I realize that the way we do things isn't normal :), so I need to be considerate about the things that my friends/family are passionate about, even if our passions don't look the same. I completely understand this, and am working on getting better about it! :)

Sixth:Being content with where God has placed us in life doesn't necessarily mean that everything is "perfect," it just means that you have surrendered to the life that God has given you. A few months ago, I was NOT content at all. Not much as changed, except in my heart. I have learned to be content in any situation, and thank God for the blessings that He has given us! I have learned to see things in a completely different way. It's weird to not look at life and think, "where should we go next?" Now I'm thinking, "how can I serve/bless God in the situations that he has allowed me to be in?" That doesn't necessarily mean that we'll be in these situations forever, it just means that I'm not constantly looking at the next step/season. I'm focused on where God has placed me today!

Seventh:Sometimes the things that we do don't make sense to everyone. We drive over an hour to go to church. Many people think that's silly. BUT, we knew that God called us back to River Stone, so we're driving over an hour to be there! We visited one day and it just felt like home, and it was so alive! So, we decided that we needed to be back there. We don't regret it one bit! Eighth:I'm still learning all of these things, and will continue over the course of my lifetime. That's what life is about! It's okay when I have a low moment, and it's okay when life isn't a mountain top. That's how we learn. I'm so blessed to have the life that I have, and I'm so blessed to have an intimate relationship with my Savior. How awesome is that?! We have the opportunity to have an intimate relationship with the One who created us!
"...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." Romans 10:9-10

This sums up the whole Word of God! This is the gospel! If you want to know how to have a personal relationship with Jesus, this is how! Just believe and confess! Jesus is the only way to salvation; things that you do can't save you, going to church can't save you, even being baptized can't save you. This doesn't mean that life will be easy; life is never easy. I wouldn't want it to be. Without the hard times you don't learn; without the hard times, you never grow and mature. But praise God that you have the opportunity to have someone who can carry you through those hard times, and teach you in the process! And, because of Jesus' death and resurrection, you can have LIFE!