Turning to God During Times of Change

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy page. Thank you.

Our household has been going through a lot of changes over the past two years. Originally, what was going to be a brief stay by my mom has turned into a permanent one. We discovered that her health no longer allowed her to live in my childhood home. We are now trying to empty the house and sell it. Add in the crazy events of 2020, my husband losing his job, a refrigerator that took forever to be replaced, and more, and I often find myself questioning why. A lot.

I have been turning to God – trying to walk with Him and hand my problems over to Him. But it is not easy. I like control. I do not like change, and that is what the past two years have been – each and every moment. Nothing but change after change. How can I be a wife, homeschool mom, daughter, and more amidst all this change? I feel my life falling apart. 

In some ways, 2020 was a blessing for our family. It kept my mom home. I did not have to worry about her driving. We did not have to make the decision who would stay home with my mom too often as there was no place to really go as a family. With my husband being home, we were able to help and support each other as a family. But I still question why and what I am going to do each day. 

While relaxing before bedtime one evening, I picked up the Spring 2021 issue of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine and flipped through it to look at the ads. I was looking for a few ideas to spark my inspiration for our next homeschool year. And as I work for The Old Schoolhouse®, I also like to see support the companies that advertise with them. What caught my attention was one article in particular and not an ad. 

I stopped to read "Ten Ways to Homeschool Through Trials" by Kerry Tittle. I found myself struggling to push through all the tasks I must complete, so reading an article that laid out ten points to remember during trials was something I felt would be most helpful. What I didn't realize was that I would be humbled and reminded that there are trials of varying degrees. Kerry Tittle faced a huge change in her life – much more dramatic than that of our own family, but she has given me inspiration. The article reminded me to "count it all joy" and praise God even in the trials. She is right – there is a bigger picture – and, as my husband has reminded me, perhaps He placed my mom in our house for a reason only He understands. 

I hope – I pray – every day that I am strong enough with God's help to live in the midst of trials. I want to demonstrate grace, patience, and love to our children. Sometimes God knows just how to reach us. That evening it was through an excellent article in the Spring 2021 issue of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine.

We Are Thankful

Even in the midst of stress and turmoil, it is still easy to find things to be thankful for in our lives. The sun continues to rise, and the rain continues to fall. As our son has been studying, the earth continues to rotate, the days pass by—and so do the months and seasons. Sometimes, it is easy to dwell upon the things that are going wrong. I know I often fall into the pessimist camp, looking at the glass as half empty, but during those moments, I remind myself of everything for which I am thankful.

I Am Thankful 

I am thankful for my family. Without my loving husband and three children, I do not think I would be the strong woman of faith that I am today. I have been blessed with a husband who has stood by me through some dark times and helped me see how much God loves me for who I am. My oldest child – my step-son – made me a mom. He has proven to be such a loving older brother to his two younger siblings.

I am thankful for the ability to homeschool. We are blessed with so many wonderful opportunities to educate our children. I am thankful that I am able to create lifelong learners in them. From reading excellent books with them to doing fun projects together, we get to spend our days learning about the world around us.

My Children Are Thankful 

Our oldest son shared with me the following: "I am thankful to have been given life by God. I am thankful I was born with food always ready for me to eat, a home I could come home to every day, and clothes appropriate for whatever weather conditions. I am thankful for the loving family I have and the friends that I have made."

Our youngest son is thankful for houses, food, and the Internet. The house provide safety from the rain and food prevents us from starving. He says he is thankful for the Internet so he can play games. 

Our daughter is thankful for her mommy and daddy. She is also thankful for water on the Earth. She is thankful for toys so that she and her brother stay occupied so they don't argue. She said, "I am thankful that God made me so I can play." 

My Husband Is Thankful

My husband is thankful for God's faithfulness, salvation, grace, and mercy; his wife's love and endurance, his family's love and loyalty to each other, and our church family's steadfastness. He has been attending our church's monthly men's breakfasts and comes home thrilled at how God is edifying those attending with sharing of the Word, prayer, and fellowship. Finally, my husband is especially thankful for author Dr. Michael Heiser, whose works (The Unseen Realm, Reversing Hermon, Angels, and Demons) over the last few years have bolstered his faith.

Thankful Last Words  

As I was finishing up this post, our furnace was being cleaned. This was an annual check-up which turned into a bit of a nightmare. We will need to have the entire furnace replaced for quite a heavy penny because there are cracks. So, while it is hard to be remain ever thankful (we have had problems with our refrigerator (in fact, we still need to get it replaced), our dishwasher has been broken for over six years, and we have some plumbing problems that we are living with), I still have faith and hope in our Lord. I am thankful for our family and for all God has given our family. Even with all these problems, they will not be problems forever. For that I am very thankful. 

Holidays – Thanksgiving

Holidays mean so many different things for each individual. Everyone has one or another holiday they prefer over others depending upon which they celebrate in their family. For some, Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday. It conjures up images of families gathered around a large table eating dinner, watching (or playing) football, and relaxing with a cup of coffee and a slice of pumpkin pie.

Memories 

Over the course of my life, Thanksgiving has created many varied memories – from traveling three hours to my uncle's on Thanksgiving day itself or spending time with cousins when I was unmarried to enjoying dinner at our own house to spending it with my husband's family. I even have one memory of working during the early hours of Thanksgiving morning at the zoo helping my fellow Education staff care for our reptiles, amphibians, and insects in our education collection. (That is a fun memory I will always cherish.)

Favorite Foods 

For picky eaters, like myself, Thanksgiving dinner may evoke anxiety and fear. For the longest time, my mom (and later I) would bring something for me to eat in case the typical fare was not something I wanted. To this day, I am still not a huge fan of turkey (but I do love mashed potatoes and gravy!).

Over the years, I have discovered more dishes that I enjoy and found that there are even some that I like which my husband (who is considerably less picky than me) does not like. And of course, if you have children, you know how difficult it can be to find something they might enjoy. Or you find one Thanksgiving they eat everything on their plate and the next one you are bringing a can of Chef Boyardee for them for their Thanksgiving dinner.

Family Fun 

When my mom and I joined our cousins, Thanksgiving meant time to spend together in the kitchen and around the dining room table sharing stories and memories. On a few occasions, we might have played a game but mostly we talked and chatted.

As a parent of small children, Thanksgiving has, at times, been less about socializing with adults and more about keeping the kids entertained or at least not breaking anything. For the last two years, our son has entertained us with a game he created – Toss Pal – using paper (or plastic) cups and teams that attempt to toss their cup onto or into the cup in the middle. He was so excited about playing it this year – especially since Dad bought him his own set of special plastic cups.

The Spirit of Thanksgiving 

With all the food and family fun, it is sometimes easy to overlook that the point of Thanksgiving is giving thanks. Being thankful and showing gratitude for the people in our life is so important on this day and the other 364 days of the year. So let us remember: "Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever" (Psalm 107: 1)

How do you spend Thanksgiving? Is it a quiet meal at home? 

Is it in service to others? 

Looking for more Thanksgiving-related posts? Please check out the following:

I joined up with Timberdoodle to share this Holiday post!

Book Club: Reviewing Daily Encouragement for the Smart Stepfamily

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in return for my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own. For more information please see my Terms of Use and Disclosure Policy. Thank you.

Are you part of a blended family? A stepfamily? I am the proud mom to a stepson and two biological children, so reading Daily Encouragement for the Smart Stepfamily by Ron L. Deal with Dianne Neal Matthews was a pleasure. This book is part of the Smart Stepfamily Series from Bethany House and provides a dose of "wisdom and inspiration for blended families" for each day of the year.

In the Introduction, readers are given the advice to "Start where you are. Look up today's date and start reading." That is just what I did the day the book arrived. I do not feel starting approximately 1/3 of the way in the book was a hindrance. Due to the well-written nature of the book, one can pick it up and start on the date they purchased it. Deal and Matthews also suggest in the introduction that couples read each day's encouragement together, if possible, and share some of the entries with their children.

Among the many topics discussed in Daily Encouragement for the Smart Stepfamily are:

• Parenting and stepparenting 
• Bonding with both biological and stepchildren 
• Co-parenting with exes 
• Building a strong relationship with God
• Grief in the stepfamily 
• Special readings for holidays like Valentine's Day, Easter, and Thanksgiving 
• Advice for all types of blended families
• Practical advice for families 

Each day's Daily Encouragement takes only about one minute to read and includes a prayer. This is perfect for busy families who might feel themselves being pulled in multiple directions by their many responsibilities.

I think one of my favorite doses of encouragement is July 6 – "Unlearn and Learn." It applies to spouses and children – "so stop assuming and start listening." We all have moments where we need to rethink what we know and relearn how to be a good spouse and parent. The other piece of advice I am taking away from my first reading of the book is to "choose to be in the present moment." This is great advice for any parent.

Our family might not fit the typical stepfamily description in that we are not co-parenting with anyone because my stepson's mother is deceased. At first, I thought that maybe Daily Encouragement for the Smart Stepfamily might not speak to me as a stepmom due to our family circumstances but this was not the case. In fact, I feel it will provide useful information for not just stepparents but also parents of any stripe.

I recommend Daily Encouragement for the Smart Stepfamily for stepfamilies of all types – those who are new to the world of stepfamilies and those who have been 'blended' for years. With the encouragement, words, advice, and prayers, it is something that parents can read year after year.