Empty nest or Blessed nest?

Being a mum isn't always easy. During our child raising years, we can go through a whole realm of contrasting emotions and moments. From exhilarating joy to despairing sadness, we can be proud as punch then disappointed beyond words, scared to death, then secure and peaceful.........Yet, it is all for one purpose - to raise our children to be the best they can be.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

But what happens when the last little chicken leaves the coup and the mother hen has no one left to tuck under her wings? Oh, of course they will always need you, no matter how old they get. But how do you deal with the silence in the house and the emptiness of less washing, cooking and driving them to and fro like some never ending taxi. After all, there is only so many coffee mornings with girlfriends that you will be able to handle before the caffeine sends you loopy!
Twenty one years ago, when my son was just 4yrs old, I remember having him cuddled up on my lap.I was crying at the thought of the day when he would be too big for cuddles with mummy and he would leave home. Years later, he did get married and leave home, but I coped with that because I had 3 more left...then the next one got married and left...then the next one moved to America...only 1 left....well, yesterday she too left to live in America.
Am I a blubbering mess???
No because God has prepared my heart, hands and mind for this day.
Over the years, I have prepared my hands by developing hobbies to keep me busy. I have had a life outside of raising my children. Competing on my horses, sewing, cooking, mission work and writing, are all interests that have goals and dreams attached to them.
My heart has been prepared by the love and desire it carries to see my children reach their dreams. Sure, it would have been nice if their dreams had been here on the coast......but 2 of my children are achieving their goals 9 hrs away in Emerald and and the other two in the States. God however, reassures me that love cannot be broken or destroyed by distance. When I have my relationship strong with my children and the knowledge that God's love can overcome all things....then my heart is prepared.
As for my mind being prepared?
Well, so far 10 people have died in the Toowoomba floods yesterday with around 72 more missing. Not to mention the animals, homes and business's that have been lost.....kind of puts it in perspective for me. As I waved my daughter goodbye at the airport, my prayer was not only for her safety and protection but for the people affected by the flood. There was no need for me to throw a pity party for myself, because compared to what others are going through....I am truly blessed.

So my advice to all the mum's out there. Prepare in advance. 
Don't get to the day when your children leave home and you stand there not knowing who you are or what to do.
God has a purpose for all of us till the day we die....don't waste a minute....80 yr olds still fulfill dreams and goals.

Hope the 5 Steps below help you with Empty nest Syndrome 
1. Stay Busy:  You could volunteer, take some classes, start a new hobby, use your time for not only you but also helping others.
2. Go Away: Take a vacation, and it does not have to be an airplane ride away. Take your husband to a nice, relaxing place. This will be the beginning of another stage in your relationship. If you aren’t in a relationship, take some buddies with you and have a great time.
3. Empty Space, add some new paint to that now empty room, decorate and make it your own. Turn it into a sewing, craft, or gym room you have always wanted.
4. You Are Still Needed: Just because your child is not living with you anymore, does not mean they don’t need you anymore. They will always need you! Do some baking or sewing for them, they will really appreciate it.
5. Support Is Needed: You need support during this time. This is a life change for you. No one expects it to be easy, and sometimes it isn’t. However, you can get through it with the help of the Lord, your family and friends.

Chelsea, on her way to the USA.

Charter Float.... what Charter Float?

Ever get that feeling that you have forgotten something major? You know, where you suddenly stop, right in your tracks, have that awful feeling that something is missing, but you just can't think what it could be.

About 5 years ago my family was team penning at Kilkivan. It was the weekend of the Great Kilkivan Horse Ride, so the place was pretty crowded. We all had a great day and had just packed up everything and loaded the horses on the 3 horse float. My girlfriend and youngest daughter were parked behind me with her float. People around us waved as I drove off , carefully negotiating the tight corners through the packed show grounds, but I remember having an awful feeling that something just wasn't right. Suddenly out of the corner of my eye I spotted my daughter running across the grounds, waving her arms. As a mother, instantly I worried what was wrong..........until I glanced behind me. There was no float attached!!!! I had forgotten to hook it back on. The horses were staring out the window probably wondering where I was going!!! As I reversed back to a crowd of people, hysterically laughing, I heard my ever-loving friend say (using actions to further demonstrate her point), “how could you miss something so big?” When I climbed out of the car, all I could say was “ Charter float, what Charter float???”

Looking back on my life before I became a Christian, I often had that “something's missing” feeling. As a child I used to watch my hand slowly move and be in awe, yet confused, at how that could work. As a teenager I went through some rough years, lost and trying to find my purpose. Then as a young, married  mum I knew that there was a void inside me, but nothing could fill it.

I now know, that void, could only be filled with God.......nothing else.

The bible says

“So God created man in His own image” Genesis 1 :27

“Indeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered” Luke 12:7

“For I am the Lord thy God...[You are] precious in My sight and...I have loved thee." (Isaiah 43:2-4)

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart;” Jeremiah 1:5

These scriptures show me that God wants to be involved in my life. He made me in His image, knows every hair on my head, thinks I'm precious and knew me before I was born. Someone who has gone to that much trouble must love me, this is without His ultimate act of love...sending His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for me.

That little empty, void spot inside everyone, can only be filled with God's love and gift of grace.....you see, nothing else fits.

Once I found God, I had a friend for life. It doesn't matter where I am or what situation I am in.......no one can ever take God away from me. He's always up for a chat and will never leave my side................and that empty, lost feeling inside, where you just can't work out what's missing........well, it just goes away.

Please consider today if you have forgotten something important in your life, and then set about finding it.

Photo by Jo Matherson

Standing outside the Fire
"Life is not tried it is merely survived,
when we're standing outside the fire.

Before you read the next message please Google or visit Youtube and view Garth Brooks video clip to the song Standing outside the fire. It begins with a young man learning how to drive.

Garth Brooks sings a song that I love called,"Standing outside the fire”. The lyrics are basically saying that if you stand on the sidelines worrying about what may or may not happen, you are going to miss out on a lot of life's experiences.

The song is about  how we sometimes tend to look up to those who haven’t been burned. We view successful people as the ones who have never really known what it is like to fail. When in reality, maybe we should look towards those who have been burned many times and who are still in the flames.

"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
  

The lyrics continue........
"We call them cool
Those hearts that have no scars to show
The ones that never do let go
And risk it the tables being turned"

"We call them fools
Who have to dance within the flame
Who chance the sorrow and the shame
That always come with getting burned"

Brooks claims, that most letters he receives regarding
 “Standing Outside The Fire” are from participants in Special Olympics. 
In the video, a high school student with Down Syndrome decides to not participate in the institution’s Special Olympics but signs up for the regular event. There is much strife between the young man’s father and mother concerning whether or not he should be allowed to do this. The father is strongly opposed, claiming that “he will embarrass himself.” However, the mother believes the father disapproves because he himself will be embarrassed. The young man is constantly seen working very hard for the race. On the day of the school’s Olympics, he trips during the event and is injured. The coach tries to help him out, but in the end the boy's father comes from out of nowhere to encourage his son to finish the race regardless.

The lyrics of this song inspires us to jump in…not to be afraid of getting burned. Because in the end if you don’t jump in........what have you really accomplished. You haven’t pushed yourself to the limit, you haven’t risked getting burned,  because you don’t know exactly what you are capable of accomplishing until you try to actually do it.
 God wants us to climb every mountain, chase every dream, passionately seek every goal that He has waiting for us.
However fear can hold us back, other people saying "we can't" dampens our enthusiasm, and labeling ourselves with a tag that says "failure", ensures that we never set goals again.
This is not how God intended us to be.

After all......Courage is just fear that has said it's prayers.

"There's this love that is burning
Deep in my soul
Constantly yearning to get out of control
Wanting to fly higher and higher
I can't abide standing outside the fire"

We need to get to a stage where we are sick and tired of just toasting our toes on the edge of the campfire. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the book of Daniel, chapter 3, weren't afraid of the fire,  in fact it was turned up 7 times hotter................and who did they find in the midst of it?    Jesus! They stepped out in faith, they excelled, then they influenced those around them.
I pray that you never underestimate what God can do in your life. Start to dream again, achieve those goals that you shelved years ago and earnestly pray for the Lord's guidance, courage and strength.

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
-Philippians 4:13
And looking at them Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." -Matthew 19:26