When Kids Speak...

Aww I just found an old journal that I use to write in every day. I pulled out a few entries, this was when I was 12...

God,
Please help me to become a good housewife and mother and wife when I grow up if it be your will for me to be married! Help me in my cooking this summer. I love you. ~Jessica 6/20/01

Jesus,
Please help me to pray more often. I praise you for what you are! I love you! Help me to be orderly and neat and to love you with all my heart. Please give me advise on the backyard Bible club. Please give me peace about it one way or another! I love you! ~Jessica 6/23/01

Dear God,
Thanks for all. I love you so much!!! Please help me to be a witness for you this day as I walk in my every day life. We are planning to do a lot of cleaning again today. That will be fun! I love you and praise you and thank you for giving me another day to live for you and witness for you. Please help me to be a good witness! Help me! Talk to you later in the day! ~Jessica 6/27/01

Lord keep me from making the mistakes I'm most prone to when temptation comes. I confess that what I think is necessary, smart, or personally beneficial is so often only the beautiful wrapping on sin. So please, keep me far from evil! Keep me safe from the pain and grief that sin brings. For the dangers that I can't see, or the ones that I think I can risk because of my experience (pride and carelessness), put up a supernatural barrier. Protect me, Father, by your power! I love you! ~Jessica 7/1/01

Lord help me to find out if Katie's saved Lord, she didn't give me a real answer, help me! ~Jessica 7/8/01

I've been trying not to think about Missouri, but pray about it. We are going to Missouri Friday to look around and for Dad to see about the bank. I love you so much Lord! Lead me in the way that is right! Help me, tell me the answer. Help me not to get too excited before I know the answer. 1st of September is when the job starts, whether it's Daddy's job or not I don't know, but I only want your guidance, tell me Lord! I love you and I'll be praying! ~ Jessica P.S. Thanks for helping me with my report!! 8/2/01

Dear Father,
I love you! Thanks for helping me love you more, Lord, I'm waiting for Daniel Josiah (((this is the name my mother had picked out for her next son, except she never had one))), he hasn't come yet. I love you, help me have patience. ~Jessica 9/1/01

Jesus,
Thanks for lifting my burdens, I feel so much peace!! Please, I beg for a Jabez appointment tomorrow. ~Jessica 9/31/01

Dear Lord,
Yesterday I got up at 5:00 so today I didn't but I did do my math before we left on the field trip with the Schmidts with your help. Misty came over today, we talked, but not very much because they were only here about 45 minutes I think. Please help me help her grow in you! I love you and praise you for letting her be my friend. Please help me to grow also and help my SPARKS, I love each one, they are so darling! Most of the time. Help me Lord to witness to Reagan, she is so darling! Love you so much and I've been looking for a Jabez appointment! ~Jessica P.S. Sorry for the bad handwriting, help my future husband to live a good and pleasing life to you also! 10/3/01

Dear Daddy,
Thanks so much for giving me everything that you did. Please help me to keep praying, and reading my Bible and studying it and having so much peace like I have had these last few days. Help me to do better on not irritating people and arguing though. Lord you have done so much for me and these last few days you have blessed me enormously. I just hope and pray that I will always have this kind of peace. Help me be diligent to study God's Word, pray, keep right with you, and do my school work! I love you! See you in heaven! Love, Jessica. 3/6/02

I'm in a hurry

We have a million things to do every day, we got work, school, homework, appointments, plans, schedules, shopping, church, practice, oh yeah, gotta eat too...sometimes that optional. We are all going different directions, always in a hurry, rush it, there is so much to do! Fast food not fast enough, 1 hour photo develop just ain't worth the time. Why does that girl keep asking me to talk to her, she knows I'm slam packed?? Wait, when do I have time to sleep? How could I have forgotten to feed my dog AGAIN? And what do we do in our free time? Ipods, cell phones, TV, computer, radio, there is never a noiseless moment, GOOD GRIEF!!! No wonder there are no real families left in our country!!!

I'm in a hurry to get things done
Oh I rush and rush until life's no fun
All I really got to do is live and die
But I'm in a hurry and don't know why

Can't be late, I leave in plenty of time
Shakin' hands with the clock
I can't stop
I'm on a roll and I'm ready to rock

Don't know why I have to drive so fast
My car has nothing to prove
It's not new
But it'll do zero to sixty in five point two

Oh, I hear a voice
That says I'm running behind
Better pick up my pace
It's a race and there ain't no room for someone in second place

I'm in a hurry to get things done
Oh I rush and rush until life's no fun
All I really got to do is live and die
But I'm in a hurry and don't know why
--Alabama--

Got to keep doing, keep going, push push push push...until guess what? You break. Then you turn to the Lord (hopefully) and wonder where He has been. He ain't gone no where friend. Back on your rollercoaster and the race is on again. Run run run, til you're completely out of gas and back and square 1 and the cycle continues. And we wonder why we're so stressed? haha. What ever happened to life?

STOP

How can you hear His voice with so much noise? How can you say you are following God when you cannot even see him for all the activities? How can you say He is your best friend when you don't put time into talking to Him? It's so ironic, why do you want God to save time for you if you don't save time for Him?

Slow down. Find your peace with God and keep it, that relationship needs maintenance. Turn off the radio, off the noise, off the commotion, maybe even off the lights and get real with God. Or go take a walk in the starlight, that always does the trick for me, but watch out for panthers! :P You need time to think, you need time to talk to other people about the important things, you need time to play with your children, your siblings, to give your Mom or Dad a much needed break...a foot massage or nice walk and talk. Go take the weekend off, go to the lake, pick up a line go fishin, leave that radio off for goodness sake!!! Speak sweet, find out how other people are feeling. Spend it with your family, with your friends, show them you love them. Grab a pizza, pick up that Bible, bring a notebook you just might want to write somethin down! Hug a friend, smile at a stranger, talk to your family, PRAY with your family. Snuggle up and watch a movie with hot chocolate and popcorn, pull out a good family book and read out loud in the living room, or just sit around and talk! Do we even know how to talk to our family anymore? Have a nice long bubble bath, or milk bath even better! Play with the kids in your life, rock the baby to sleep you might decide you don't want to put her down. Pull out that favorite pie recipe, surprise somebody. Smile, laugh, sing. Enjoy life, it's only so long. Live as if today is a gift, and you've got eternity to think about what you did with it. Somehow the important things become more clear.

1 year old?!!

McCabe is a year old TODAY!!! Happy birthday sweety! My how time flies, I am shocked. :D

To See You Smile