Daily Devotionals
Friday, February 9, 2024 (Ashley)
Sacrifices. We all make them. Every single day, we make them!
Working moms sacrifice their time.
Stay-at-home moms sacrifice their income.
If you’re older, you may be sacrificing money for flexibility.
And if you’re younger, you may be sacrificing time for opportunity.
Stage of life and circumstances may change, but we’ll always be sacrificing something. This can sound discouraging but I think that there is a lot of power in this knowledge!
It takes the pressure off of us!
We need to STOP thinking we can have it all because we can’t!
Instead, determine which areas you are willing to sacrifice and which ones you aren’t. Please, don’t do this on your own. Bring this request to the Lord in prayer and petition. Meditate on His plans for your life day and night. Then and only then, will there will be peace that comes with the sacrifice you have chosen.
Take this bowl of fruit for instance. The other night, my daughter requested a bedtime snack; strawberries and raspberries with whipped cream and apples with no whipped cream. There was a moment, that out of my selfishness to make my life easier, I contemplated asking her to just choose one; the fruit with the whipped cream or the fruit without the whipped cream. But the Holy Spirit quickly reminded me that this is not where I sacrifice!
My daughter may not get an ocean-view vacation this winter…
I may not get the upgraded vehicle I want…
And my husband might have to miss out on the ice fishing trip his buddies go on…
But those are the sacrifices we have chosen for me to take care of our family and our home. So when my family requests food, love, or energy from me, you best believe that they are going to get ALL OF ME. The picture below is the snack that I lovingly put together for my daughter. Apples on the bottom (touching no whipped cream) with strawberries and raspberries surrounding whipped cream for dipping.
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” -Matthew 6:33
Sacrifices… Remembering what ours are, helps us to make those split-second decisions that build us into the women God created us to be.
Have a beautiful weekend—
Ashley
Working moms sacrifice their time.
Stay-at-home moms sacrifice their income.
If you’re older, you may be sacrificing money for flexibility.
And if you’re younger, you may be sacrificing time for opportunity.
Stage of life and circumstances may change, but we’ll always be sacrificing something. This can sound discouraging but I think that there is a lot of power in this knowledge!
It takes the pressure off of us!
We need to STOP thinking we can have it all because we can’t!
Instead, determine which areas you are willing to sacrifice and which ones you aren’t. Please, don’t do this on your own. Bring this request to the Lord in prayer and petition. Meditate on His plans for your life day and night. Then and only then, will there will be peace that comes with the sacrifice you have chosen.
Take this bowl of fruit for instance. The other night, my daughter requested a bedtime snack; strawberries and raspberries with whipped cream and apples with no whipped cream. There was a moment, that out of my selfishness to make my life easier, I contemplated asking her to just choose one; the fruit with the whipped cream or the fruit without the whipped cream. But the Holy Spirit quickly reminded me that this is not where I sacrifice!
My daughter may not get an ocean-view vacation this winter…
I may not get the upgraded vehicle I want…
And my husband might have to miss out on the ice fishing trip his buddies go on…
But those are the sacrifices we have chosen for me to take care of our family and our home. So when my family requests food, love, or energy from me, you best believe that they are going to get ALL OF ME. The picture below is the snack that I lovingly put together for my daughter. Apples on the bottom (touching no whipped cream) with strawberries and raspberries surrounding whipped cream for dipping.
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” -Matthew 6:33
Sacrifices… Remembering what ours are, helps us to make those split-second decisions that build us into the women God created us to be.
Have a beautiful weekend—
Ashley
