Thrive or Survive?

This little question has been on my heart and mind for several months now. Earlier this year, I had the privilege of hearing an incredibly encouraging speaker at a mom's meeting: Frances Worthington. She talked about how she would live from one exciting, life changing conference to another. She would hear a message from God and get all hyped up to implement it in her own life, but then Monday would come and she would be back in survival mode.

That's me. Sundays are my favorite because I always get inspired and encouraged and hear from God through my pastor's sermons. I vigorously take notes and commit to make changes, but by Monday, it's like I get amnesia. I forget everything I learned and I'm back in survival mode as well.

I hate survival mode. Don't you?

Survival mode makes me focus on just getting through the day and not enjoying it. I miss those incredible details that make life so precious. What did my kids learn today? What special memory will stick with them from our time together today? What memory will stick with me? Nothing. It's all a blur. I HATE THAT!!

I don't want to live in survival mode anymore. I want to thrive. I want to enjoy each and every second I have with these babies, whether 2 or 9 years old. I want to remember those cute things they say, or those amazing facts they just shared with me.

Frances says when God finally got through to her, He told her the only way to thrive and not just survive is to daily fill your cup with His spirit, because ours is too weak to handle life on our own. (So true.) Only when we fill our cup with Him, will we have enough left over to pour into the lives of those around us: our spouse, kids, family, friends and the world around us. She even showed us how this looks using this profound visual aid:

(You can't see the water falling from one
level to the next bc my camera phone is
soooo slooooow. But you get the picture ;)

I so want this. I want His love, His patience, His grace, His compassion to overflow from me to my hubby and kids, my mom and brother and sister and dad and aunt, my friends who feel neglected by me and to the world who desperately need to hear of my Source of Hope of Love and sheer Power to go on.

How about you? Do you want this, too?

Let's commit to spend time with Him daily, so He can fill our cups and we in turn can overflow into theirs.

Encounter

Encounter is a class held by FaithBridge Foster Care to introduce prospective families to foster care.

For a while, we've been feeling like God might be calling us to become a foster family. We've been praying and researching for a while. But with finances a challenge, my work situation a challenge, it seemed like a far off goal. Something we can consider when I am able to quit work or when hubby finds a better job. So we just kept praying waiting for God to say go.

Then we heard about FaithBridge and their Encounter class. We figured it couldn't help to go to that class and just get more information. The class wasn't a commitment to begin Fostering, it was simply informational. So we signed up.

Then, the day of the class, hubby got sick. Really sick. We were not going to be able to go, so I called the office to cancel our reservation. The lady who answered was so kind and helpful! She asked if I had any questions I wanted to ask her since we weren't going to be able to go to the class. (Of course I did!!) She stayed on the phone with me for over half an hour! I know God knew we would not be able to go to the class, and He provided a way for us to get just a little more information on that piece of the puzzle He may have for us. As I look back at other times in my life when I was unsure but I trused God and plowed through, I can see evidence of His work all over it. It's hard to see it when you are in the middle of it, but hind sight is, as they say, 20/20. One day, I know I will look back on our foster care/adoption journey and see His work all over it. I believe this lady will be part of that.

Though we didn't get to go to the class and we haven't taken any other steps towards fostering yet, that kind lady's helpfulness gave us full confidence that we had at least found the organization that would help us find our place in this calling. Can't wait to see what God has in store for our little family.

If you are considering or even wondering about foster care, check them out. They have developed a foster care model that will enable more families to help because they have put support methods in place so that foster families are not alone in the journey. It is brilliant, Biblical and necessary. So many kids need love and support and through FaithBridge and Christ-centered families like yours and (hopefully) mine, we can change their world!