Thoughts from Mommy Duck…

Knowledge about faith and experiencing faith are two very different things. You may know a great deal about scripture and the Bible, but knowing it in your head is just the beginning. It’s when that knowledge is put to the test and you decide to following the teachings you have learned that you begin to experience faith in action.

One of the most beautiful gifts I have received from heartache is stronger faith. The situations are hard, yes – but God proves Himself and His word true. It is often different than I would have expected, but it is always amazing.

One of my favorite quotes –

“Faith must be tested, because it can only become your intimate possession through conflict.”

No, hard times are not fun, but hard times only last for a season. God promises that better times are coming!

Until Tomorrow,
’Carrow💜

1 Peter 1:6-7
6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

(more…)

Thoughts from a Mommy Duck…

Where we choose to plant our roots will decide how we grow. If we dig deep and plant them near the river we will never fear the drought. Rainy season or parching heat, our roots will have access to the Living Water and we will bear fruit.

Dig deep my friends!

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

Colossians 2:6-7
6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Jeremiah 17:7-8
7 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. 8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.

Thoughts from Mommy Duck…

When I first began exploring the idea of being thankful for brokenness the idea struck me as both repulsive and ridiculous. Brokenness is painful, hard, unwanted suffering. It’s not just a difficult season of life, it is a season that pulverized, crushes, and grinds the soul. If you have ever endured brokenness, you know what I mean. After a season of breaking it’s hard to recognize yourself. The person you were is gone, never to be seen again. How could anyone want to say thank you for that?

Perspective.

Two of my favorite scriptures – Isaiah 55:8-9 and Romans 8:28 – remind me that God knows exactly what He is doing, and that He will use it for my good and His glory. I’m not going to understand the whys, and that’s ok.

But can I really be thankful for being broken?

Yes.

You see, God took the stubborn, angry, woman I was and broke her. Not just a little, he continued breaking me until there was nothing left but dust. But this God of mine is amazing, He didn’t leave me as dust to scatter in the wind. No, He scooped up my dust, added His living water, and began forming me into something else all together. I’m not sure what the end product is going to be, but I can tell you right now, it’s far better than the vessel I was before.

Tonight I leave you with this quote from one of my favorite authors…

“If God can accomplish His purposes in this world through a broken heart, then why not thank Him for breaking yours?”
~Oswald Chambers

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

Isaiah 55:8-9
8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Romans 8:28
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Sometimes you don’t need any extra thoughts or explanations. The Word of God is always enough. These verses always bring me comfort.

Psalm 91:1-5
1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

I felt the need to write a post last night, so I asked Mr. Whiskers to write the Daily Word today. What are the odds that out of all the scriptures in the Bible, he chooses some of the same verses I was writing about? I’d say pretty slim. I’m guessing some of our friends out there are in need of these verses as much as we do.

Until tomorrow,
Tim & ‘Carrow💜

Thoughts from Mr. Whiskers…

Holidays can definitely be hard for those grieving the loss of a loved one, but My God is always good to provide mercy and grace to see me thru.

Lamentations 3:20 -23
20 I will never forget this awful time, as I
grieve over my loss.
21 Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this :
22 The faithful love of the Lord never
ends! His mercies never cease.
23 Great is his faithfulness;
His mercies begin afresh each morning.

Psalm 27:14
Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.

Thoughts from Mommy Duck,

Wait…

That isn’t one of my favorite words. Waiting seems so useless – like wasting time. I’d so much rather be DOING something than waiting. Because doing makes me feel like I am being useful, accomplishing something. But sometimes, all I’m really doing is spinning my wheels, sitting in the same spot, digging my tires in the muck a little deeper each moment. Sometimes I get so caught up in the doing, I fail to remember that God is just as much in the waiting.

One of my favorite songs right now is by Bethel Music called “Take Courage.”

Take courage my heart, stay steadfast my soul
He’s in the waiting, He’s in the waiting
Hold onto your hope, as your triumph unfolds
He’s never failing, He’s never failing

Waiting isn’t a bad thing. Waiting is just a different season of our lives. We much have both seasons of action and seasons of doing, and only Gond knows when the seasons change. So if you find yourself in the waiting, dig your roots deeply into the word of God and wait patiently for His guidance. I have discovered He always shows up right on time.

Psalm 130:5
I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

Hear the full song here Take Courage

Thoughts from Mommy Duck

Do you ever just have one of those days? You know the kind I’m talking about, the days where nothing seems to go quite right. I’m not a big fan of those days, but whenever they show up this is one of my favorite verses.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
John 16:33 | NIV

Where ever your find yourself today, I pray you will live in confidence knowing you are on the winning team  stand firm and serve Him

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

Well my friends, Happy Hallowthanksmas was a good but hard day. It was a joy to celebrate our Baby Duck, but we found ourselves being attacked from all sides. Thankfully we have wonder friends and family to support us.

This was the sight I saw when I turned on my street tonight. God knew exactly what I needed – we have the most amazing neighbors! All I could think is, yeah it’s been a hard day, but we must keep moving forward, we must stay positive. All these purple lights absolutely made my night.

MI

So where ever you are right now, I pray you will coninue moving forward.

Romans 12:12
12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer

Galatians 6:9
9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜