Four Somethings: January Edition

I am participating in a blog link up where each month bloggers will share four things from the month that fit into each of the following categories:

• Something Loved
• Something Said
• Something Learned
• Something Read

I am excited to ponder these four things each month and see what I find! I’d love it if you’d join me and link up over at HeatherGerwing.com.

Without further ado, my four somethings:

Something Loved 

This month I am reading through a devotional that instructs the reader to spend two minutes at the beginning and end of each reading in silence for stillness, centering, and learning to listen for God. Essentially, it’s an opportunity to practice Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” I am thoroughly enjoying this practice though it is quite difficult and I am failing quite a lot. I often will find myself thinking of my to-do list or turning to a meditative phrase to fill the silence. The closest I have come to resting in silence has been when I focus on my breathing during the time period. I want to become better at listening for God and giving him room to speak so I am excited for the chance to grow in this area.

Something Said

Being a parent sometimes means getting a laugh out of strange conversations. My five-year-old son has created a “Jackson Club” of which our whole family is a part. There is no agenda of the J Club other than to be a member. Jackson occasionally issues rules for which which a member can be kicked out of the club. I have been given lifetime status (the reason will be apparent later in this story). My husband, on the other hand, is often kicked out for small infractions, the most frequent one being “for kissing Mommy.” On one such occasion, Adam informed Jackson that he kisses Mommy because he loves her. Jackson responded, “I love Mommy more than you!” Adam and I both cracked up.

Something Learned

I want to grow in knowledge and understanding of different cultures this year. I am reading I am Malala and am learning a lot about Islamic culture and the various divisions within that group. Just like in Christianity there are different branches with different beliefs due to interpretations of the Quran. I have some more knowledge of the geography of the middle east and what life after 9/11 was like for a young girl and her family living in Pakistan.

Something Read

I read a wonderful book this month by Kayla Aimee called In Bloom: Trading Restless Insecurity for Abiding Confidence. In it Kayla speaks to our hearts about fear, loneliness, insecurity, and other internal struggles. She spoke truth to me about my own struggles. I want to share a few quotes from the book that really encouraged me.

“Replacing our inner critic with words that speak truth and life is the first step to overcoming our insecurity.”

“Oftentimes overcoming doesn’t mean we no longer experience fear, it just means we keep going in spite of it. We feel fear and we trust God. We feel fear and we ask God to step into that weakness.”

“Our gifts are our offering. Insecurity is an insidious liar, distorting the truth in our lives and stealing our opportunity to share our gifts as a blessing to others. It nags at us and we find ourselves wondering, Who do you think you are?”

“We are always in the process of becoming. I thought this was the weakness; that I was never complete meant that I was never satisfactory. But as my friend Ruth says, ‘You don’t have to be blooming to be growing so don’t give up.’”

I highly recommend this book to women and teen girls. I think it can help us all have the courage to use our gifts and have faith that God will do something with our small offerings. [If you pre-order it from this Lifeway link before February 6th, you will receive a second copy of the book plus a copy of Kayla’s first book Anchored for free!]