Thought for the Day Especially for Stressed Out Moms

For you moms who are already stressed out this morning:

1Peter 5:6-7  

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, 

that He may exalt you at the proper time, 

casting all your aanxiety on Him, 

because He cares for you.

I saw this at a gift shop recently and thought it would be encouraging to moms as well.   I especially like the last line:  Being a mom is no big thing...it's a zillion little things.

FAITH: Hearts of Wisdom

She opens her mouth in wisdom,

And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

Proverbs 31: 26

Everyone needs wisdom and sometimes moms at home need an extra helping. So many questions can run through a mom's head in any given day...

• How do I manage my time?
  
• How do I discipline each child (usually differently depending on their temperaments)?
  
• How can I be a good steward of our finances?
  
• What do I cook tonight that's healthy and that everyone will enjoy?
  
• How can I encourage my husband and children?
  
• How can I be a good influence on my neighbor?

Thankfully, we don't have to fret over the answers. I find that after I have spent some time reading and studying the Word of God with prayer, no matter how busy I know my day will be, the answer presents itself. From something as simple as how much to spend for groceries to major decisions like which insurance company to use, the Lord is faithful to direct me if I seek Him first and ask for guidance. It's encouraging to me to see Him faithful and always ready to answer when called upon in the myriad of everyday choices at home. When the checkbook balance is getting low and I find exactly what we need within the budget range, I can almost hear Him remind me of His provision for the birds of the air (Matthew 6:26) and how much more He cares for me.

FINANCES: Why eBay?

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.

Colossians 3:23

We are definitely a Mac (Macintosh) family. It's the only type of computer everyone uses although we did have a brief spell with a PC for a few months that was gifted to us. When we bought our first one several years ago, while my husband would be at work, it used to sit all day with only some word processing and photos on it. As much as computers cost that was driving me crazy so I started thinking about how I could use it to make money. I decided to learn how to sell on eBay and Amazon.com as well. The summer I turned 50 I read several library books about the subject (I'm a big reader) and practiced with things we had around the house that we weren't using or didn't need anymore. In 2008 I opened an eBay store and it's been going pretty well ever since. An hour or two a day, several times a week keeps it running. It's fun to wake up in the morning and see I made a few sales overnight while I was sleeping. I sometimes teach others how easy it is but there's definitely a learning curve. Everyone has to have their own system and strategy. I am thankful to have this source of income that we generally use for family activities (eating out, movies), birthday, graduation and wedding gifts, mission trip donations, etc. Plus, combined with teaching piano, it's a great tax write-off for much of our housing expenses. Try it, you'll really enjoy it.