Being Honest With Yourself

He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Messiah." 

                                                                                                                                   John 1:20

Sometimes we can get stuck simply because we choose to keep ourselves all bottled up and not talk about the things that bother us.

Sometimes we can get stuck because we're not honest about ourselves.

I have to let you know that I am not the Messiah. 

Just kidding. I mean I'm not kidding about not being the Messiah... Oh never mind.

This morning, I went for a walk with my dog and noticed that many of my neighbors are gathered outside, enjoying themselves on this amazingly beautiful day. They were chatting, laughing, jogging, paddleboarding, boating and swimming. And I was trying to pull my dog along quickly so I could get back to my computer.

What is wrong with me?

It was then that I decided two things:

First, I decided to enjoy myself and take a vacation next week, so that means I won't be writing or blogging.

Second, I decided to let you in on something many of you already know. I'm a Type A personality.

      There I confessed it.

I have to say that I genuinely hate that term. People have called me that before and I cringed and then resented them for it.
                                                                                  Type A just sounds so....

Anyway, I looked it up on Google to see what the definition actually is and I came upon a website offering a Type A personality test. So I took it. Taking it was very enlightening because as I answered the questions I didn't really feel like I was Type A. Unfortunately, at the end of the test, if you want a clear result and not a murky generality, you have to pay
$ 6.95.

I'm also a sucker.

Not only did I pay for the test, I shelled out $ 17.95 for one month of unlimited tests. There are 161 tests on this site ranging from personality, worklife, whatever. I LOVE TESTS!

And....I'm not a Type A! I lean a little that way, but am actually as chill as I thought I was, except in the area of drive.
                                                             I am extremely driven.

So...if you want to have fun for $ 6.95 or $ 17.95, check out this site: www.queendom.com. I'm going to have fun on my non-Type A vacation so I'll see you in August.
                                                                                                         
                                                                                                           God is faithful and wonderful!
 

Friday Follow Ups # 4 - May

Yahoo, the weekend is finally here!

In March, I posted about my children having to take standardized tests for the school year. I know many of your kids are studying for those tests right now. It was my first year homeschooling and I was terribly stressed out.

                                You can read about that here: Testing 1-2-3

If you're in that place and are trying to keep your kids from feeling the same way, I've got a handy little piece of news...

      Their intelligence didn't come from you.

That's what God spoke into my spirit when I was overly worried. Their intelligence doesn't come from you, it's from me.

When I heard that, a huge burden lifted off of me. God is the giver of all things. He's the one who bestows gifts and purpose and smarts. Testing is just a measurement to help us figure out where our child falls on the spectrum. It's a shame that it causes so much chaos, all for the sake of comparing our kids with others.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;

   establish the work of our hands for us,

   yes, establish the work of our hands.

        Psalm 90:17

Taking the burden off of my kids helped greatly and they performed better than I ever expected. We prayed together about it and when all was said and done, Katya, a 9th grader, tested at grade 18 (?) Dania, an 11th grader tested at freshmen college level and Samih, a 5th grader tested as a 7th grader.

   But only in the areas of their strengths - comprehension, reading, writing, etc.

They were a little behind the curve in math, except for Katya. That makes sense because it's their least favorite subject (and mine too).

Everything blooms in it's own time.

    The most important thing we can teach our kids, is how to love God and trust him to get us through the real tests of life.

So relax. Chill. Be still...

    and know that He is God.  Psalm 46:10

May you be blessed with grace and peace this weekend.   Erika