Apples of Gold

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. -Matthew 7:7

God knows what you need and when you need it. When we seek with our whole heart, we will surely find it. I have so desperately been seeking a close relationship with the Lord... and women to hold me accountable in my walk with Christ. God has heard my cry and has provided me with so many resources to grow closer to him with women in my life who know the truth and aren't afraid to speak it!

I started a new small group/bible study class today called Apples of Gold. It is basically a 6 week program geared towards nurturing women (young and old) in their walks with Christ and their families. There are 7 young women and 7 older women in our group, and I know God is going to use our life experiences to speak to one another and guide us in our daily walk with him. I cannot wait for the weeks to unfold!

Each week, we will get together and the older women will prepare a meal for the younger women, teaching us how to prepare it as they go. (Lord knows I need some new recipes considering I cook tacos, chili, and spaghetti repeatedly at my house!!) After the meal preparations are done, we will gather for a lesson. Throughout the 6 weeks we will study the topics of kindness, loving your husband, loving your children, submission, purity, and hospitality. I know God has leaps and bounds of information to tell us on these topics and the whole purpose for this class is to learn how God wants us to live. Actually, the premise of this class is based off of Titus 2:3-5 which states, "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to too much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

In my new role as a mother, I know this class has started at just the right time for me. Thank you, Lord! I LOVE being a mom, but struggle not being in the classroom. To tell you the truth, I think my struggle with not being in the classroom has a lot to do with my own insecurities. (Thank you Beth for helping me figure that one out - your book on insecurity is teaching me SO MUCH!) For a long time I let teaching define me. It was WHO I was. I now know (or at least, am learning) that teaching was just something I did for a short time, but it didn't define me. GOD is the only one who can define me. And, he has a perfect plan for my life, which isn't teaching at the moment. At the moment it is being a mom and a wife. That hit me straight in the face today when one of the older women, Pat, was telling her story as we sat around the table this morning at Apples of Gold. She too was a teacher. She too felt having a career defined who she was. She too after having children struggled with the desire to teach. In fact, she went back to work shortly after having her first child. It wasn't until God slapped her upside the head that she realized God needed her focus to be at home with her children, providing for her family in that way instead of in the workforce. .. Could you be talking to me, Lord? Duh!

I am so looking forward to the role God has given me as a wife, a mother, a provider for my home in the most precious way. I know this class is going to teach me so much about being confident in that role and doing it to the best of my abilities to glorify the Lord and his kingdom. Thank you Lord for placing me in this class at this moment in my life (And, thank you Kristy for encouraging me to go!)... Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. -Matthew 7:7

Until next time...