Today, I want to check in.  I told you back at the beginning of the year that my focus would be on the word Return.  Returning to my First Love.  Returning to the basics in our family and marriage.  Returning to commitments that I made and need to fulfill.

And now, I must be honest, I am returning to why I started this blog in the first place.

When I had the idea of Mommy Head Adventures, it was to share my story.  To share with the world what it was like to be a minister’s wife, to be in ministry.  To share my adventures with two special needs kids (now one speech delayed and one special needs, but who is counting… oh yeah, me!).

I love doing reviews and giveaways, and that was a part of the original vision.  But I really wanted to be focused on those first two things.

But I am scared to return to that.

Scared you will quit reading.  Scared that I will bore you all.  Scared to bare it all.

But this is my year.  My year to return to what I know to be truth.  Return to what it all started as.  Return to what I was originally thinking.

So there you have it.  I am rethinking some things.  I am revamping and reworking.  And I have a question:

Will you come with me?  Will you join me in returning?

Psalm 116:7

Return, O my soul, to your rest;

For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

My focus for this year will be on the word, Return.

The other day when I was pondering what the Lord would like for me to focus on, I felt Return resonate in my soul.

Return to Love.

Return to Peace.

Return to Me!

And that is exactly what I plan to do.  Return.

What word are you focusing on this year?

What an incredible weekend here in sunny California.  Had a great time yesterday speaking to parents at the Acquire the Fire event.  I may have to share more about that later.  But today, I just want to take a moment and share what is on my heart with you:

Ephesians 1: 3-6 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”

Jesus, thank you for chosing me and for empowering me through your love and grace to be holy and without blame.  Thank you for your adoption of me, for accepting and may you always receive the glory!

Before you go, be sure to enter to win a Trunki suitcase from Melissa and Doug and a copy of the Precious Moments Christmas Storybook.

photo source

As I was driving home this evening, I spent some time reflecting over what the Lord did in me this past weekend at a women’s conference I went to.  I wish I had taken the time to do this sooner!  I would have been a more positive person these past 2 or so days…

Anyway, I was thinking about how great it was to have a renewed sense of passion for a vision that was given to me during Daddy Head and my first year of marriage.  I really should take the time to write about that here, but that will have to come a different day.

I was driving down the road thinking about the steps I need to take to get the ball rolling when this hit me:

My child, don’t you realize how much I truly love you?  If you did, your continued struggles would be nothing in comparison.

Whoa!  What a reminder of what I heard a few weeks back as I was lying in my bed trying to sleep:

When you get a revelation of who you are because of who I am, your struggle with insecurity will be over.

The thing is, because of some deep insecurity issues, I often feel I have to prove my love to God.  It is almost as if I forget the sacrifice that was so freely given for me.  I strive and strive to just get better, and yet, the love is already there,

Does this mean I keep on living in sin?  No!  I am to turn from my sin and submit to my Lord.  Yes, I will make mistakes, but it is what I do when I fail that makes all the difference.

It is kind of like when I was a kid and my mom told me not to touch the hot stove,  She told me it would hurt, but I did it anyway.  It hurt and I had to suffer the consequences of that touch.

It is so much like our lives.  We have the warning and yet we so often touch the stove {sin} and expect a different result.  The nice thing is, we can run into the arms of our Savior for a healing touch and allow him to cover our wound with burn cream.

Or we can run and hide, pretending nothing happened.  The only problem is, this allows the wound to become infected and can progress to spiritual death.  We have to get our sin wound treated with the sacrifice of our Savior.  He must become our Lord and we must become His servants!

What will you do?  Will you run into His arms or will you allow your sin wound to become infected?  The choice is truly yours…