Thoughts from Mommy Duck

Gentleness is not easy. It’s a characteristic that tends to make us feel weak. Yet, if you follow Christ through scripture you will see that gentleness was one of His character traits – and Christ was anything but weak!

Gentleness is also a trait we have been instructed to use when we interact with others. Is it easy? No. But it’s one of the things that make us different. Be different my friend, Live Purple!

Until Tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.

Philippians 4:5
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Matthew 11:29
Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

1 Timothy 6:11
But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.

2 Timothy 2:24-25
24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. 25 Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.

Thoughts from Mommy Duck

Exercise Faithfulness and stand firm… if we want to be good at something, we have to practice! We have to take time to exercise spiritual muscles just like physical muscles if we want to grow and be strong. If we want to have faith that is unshakable, we need to practice being faithful to what God has called us to do each day. Sometimes, that will be the most ordinary tasks and that is ok. Because if God can trust us to be faithful in the small things, He knows we will be faithful in the big things.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

Deuteronomy 5:32-33
32 So Moses told the people,You must be careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God, following his instructions in every detail. 33 Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy.

Deuteronomy 29:9
Therefore, obey the terms of this covenant so that you will prosper in everything you do.

Exodus 19:5
Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me.

1 Corinthians 15:58
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

Make goodness a goal

Thoughts from Mommy Duck

This seems like a no brainer… we should strive to be good. Yet so often we over look the simple things. We look past them to bigger and flashier things. Sometimes we think God requires grand gestures or huge action from us, but that isn’t the case. God simply wants us to walk with Him. He wants us to spend time with Him. He wants us to grow. He wants us to simply be faithful and Ge will take care of the rest. And when we do, it’s amazing to see what God does.

It’s simple, but it isn’t easy. Life is always throwing things at us, pulling us away from our time with God. Circumstances pull our gaze from Him to what is going on around us. But, if we can train ourselves to walk with Him always, we will begin to see Him do amazing things from the most unlikely sources. It’s a beautiful journey to be on!

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

Gal 6:10
Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the
family of faith.

2 Cor 9:8
And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

2 Pet 1:5-8
In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God͛s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, ϲ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness,  and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.  The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Extend Kindness to others

Thoughts from Mommy Duck
Have you heard the old saying, “it doesn’t cost anything to be kind?” While there is a great deal of truth to that, kindness doesn’t cost us anything monetarily, but it still has a price. When you find yourself in a situation where you have the “right” to be aggravated, angry, or short tempered, choosing to extend kindness instead will always cost something. Sometimes, kindness requires us to set our own pride, emotions, or expectations. We respond in kindness not because the other person deserves it, but because that is what Christ did for us, and it is our job to pay it forward.

Where do you find this kind of kindness? Well, it’s not the kind of thing you can just go pick up at the store. It’s the kind of thing that grows inside us. The more we walk with the Lord, the more He is apparent in our lives, and the more fruit we bear like kindness.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

Proverbs 3:3 – Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.

Ephesians 4:32 - Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Galatians 5:22-23 – 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Practice Patience—Wait on the Lord

Thoughts from Mommy Duck

Ugggggggggggg… Can that just be my thought for today?

I don’t like talking about patience. The entire concept tends not to just step on my toes, but more like trample all over my feet, ankles, shins and knees. It would be safe to say patience is NOT something that comes to me easily. I’m a “fixer” and a “do-er” and a “if-you-aren’t-going-to-do-it-when-I-tell-you-to-do-it-I’ll-just-do-it-myself-er.” But guess what? God doesn’t work on my time schedule. Shocker right? Guess what else? His plan always works better than mine.

When God directs my path I rarely can see where He is taking me, yet God continues to prove himself faithful each time I am obedient to follow Him. So much so, that I am learning to trust both His plan and His timing as well. As a smart friend of mine said not too long ago, “the right thing, at the wrong time, is still the wrong thing.” Waiting for God’s perfect time is just as important as committing to His plan. The two go hand-in-hand.

So… take a moment and just be still – wait on the Lord and see where He leads you.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow

Galatians 6:9 - So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

Romans 8:25 - But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.

Exodus 14:14 - The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.

Psalm 37:7a – Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.

Choose to accept God͛s forgiveness & give it to others

Thoughts from Mommy Duck…

Forgiveness plays such an important roll in our lives. The forgiveness that is available to us through the blood of Christ changes everything. There are no strings attached, He simply wants us to accept it. For some, that concept is so difficult to digest. We live in a world that has scales to balance good and bad. If we look at our spiritual lives with a scale in mind we are going to find ourselves sorely lacking. God’s goodness will always out weight anything we could every offer Him. If you struggle with trying to balance the scale my prayer for you today is that you will stop! God wants you just the way you are. He loves you, and He has a plan for you.

And just as important as receiving forgiveness, we must also extend it to others. We are reminded throughout scripture to forgive. Did you know that forgiving others actually works to our benefit? Even if the other person is completely unaware, or if they don’t care or want your forgiveness – forgive them anyway. Because when you forgive, it releases the bitter and hurt that tends to build inside is when we hold a grudge and makes room for good things.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

1 John 1:9 – But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
wickedness.

Acts 3:19 – Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.

Colossians 3:13 – Make allowance for each other͛s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord
forgave you, so you must forgive others.

Matthew 6:14-15  ͞If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. ϭϱ But if you
refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Luke 17:3-4 – So watch yourselves! ͞If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive.
Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.͟

Choose to face all situations with humility

Thoughts from Mommy Duck….

Humility isn’t something we generally like to talk about. Often we equate humility with weakness, but truly, nothing could be further from the truth. A humble response requires kindness, gentleness, and strength – especially in circumstances when we feel justified in responding harshly. As with so many things along this journey, I have found that my ability to react with humility moves hand-in-hand with my walk with Christ. The more time I spend with Him, the more I begin to respond like Him. And on the days I fail to spend quality time with Him, it certainly shows up in my attitude.

It seems like since I know what type of effect my choices have on my life that I would be smart enough to make good decisions each day, doesn’t it? Well, in truth, some days are better than others. Thankfully, God is a merciful and patient teacher.

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

Colossians 3:12 –  Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Philippians 2:3 –  Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

James 4:6 - And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Ephesians 4:2 - Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.

Choose to trust God’s plan is perfect

Thoughts from Mommy Duck…

Yikes. Sometimes this one is difficult – like, really, Really, REALLY difficult. Sometimes you find yourself in hard times where no matter how hard you try, or no matter what angle you come at it from, you simply cannot see how it could possibly be good. Sometimes all you have to hold on to is the knowledge that God’s plan is perfect, because it certainly doesn’t feel perfect. Trust me, I understand this one completely.

If you told me a year ago that I would be able to use the words cancer diagnosis or death of my child in a sentence along with the word good – I would have called you crazy. Yet here I sit, writing you you from the very vantage point.

512 days ago we received Kayleigh’s cancer diagnosis…
187 days she fought and changed the world…
328 days ago she went home to be with Jesus…

The numbers sound so incredibly bleak, but I can promise you, the story has been anything but sad. The journey has been full of joy, hope, and strength that can only come from God the Father himself. He has directed us along His path faithfully, even when, especially when we could not see where to step. Each time we have trusted Him, He has set our feet on solid ground. The scriptures I have read for so many years have virtually leaped to life from the pages of my Bible. His word has proven true in every situation. Never once has He abandoned me. Even in the moments I couldn’t feel His presence, I can now look back and see just how perfectly He was lining up each and every piece to work for our good and His glory.

Even today, after 10 months and 24 days without my Baby Duck, I can tell you God is good. I can tell you his plan is perfect. I can tell you that I miss her every day and I don’t understand all that is at work, but I am going to continue placing my trust in the One that holds the future. He has proven Himself faithful in my life and I know He will do the same for you. My prayer for you today is that you will find the strength to trust Him completely in both the big and the small.

Is God teaching you something along this journey? Will you share it with us?

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

Psalm 56:3 – But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.

Psalm 9:10 – Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.

Psalm 13:5 – But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me.

Proverbs 3:5-6 – 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Choose both receive & extend grace

Thoughts from Mommy Duck…
We could spend hours discussing God’s amazing grace and what it means to us as believers. It humbles me completely when I think about the price my Savior paid so that I can have a relationship with Him. But, the verse from today’s reading that continues to hit home in me is 2 Corinthians 12:9…

His strength is all I need – His strength works best in my weakness.

Those are words that I have seen prove true in my life over and over these past 18 months. God has taken my weakness and made it into something else. He gives me the words when I think I have none. He has carried me when I can’t imagine how I can continue moving forward. He takes the grief and replaces it with hope.

This God I love has taken what should be the most tragic event in a parent’s life and turned it into something beautiful.

What a gracious God we serve!

Until tomorrow,
‘Carrow💜

Day 3

Choosing to both accept and extend mercy

Ps 51:1-2 – 1 Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. 2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.

Hebrews 4:16 – So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Luke 6:36 – You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

Matt 5:7 – God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

How thankful I am that God chose to show me mercy. When I think about what it is God has done for me, how can I not pay that gift forward? I certainly cannot do anything to repay Him for His gift, but I can share what He has done for me and hope that by sharing, it will make a difference in someone else’s life.

Has He made a difference in your life?

until tomorrow,

‘Carrow💜