What grounds you, what is home base in your mind? A place you can pause everything in life just for a moment and just be? Finding what grounds you adds so much to your life because you are refreshed and able to focus on what’s important with a clear mind.
As a society this concept is so obscure ! There are so many things going on in our home and social life we dont’ have time to take the time to be grounded. As a mom, we have little ones needing something from us at any given moment. So the thought of taking a moment to be grounded its almost hilariously ridiculous.
As a mom there are little ones that constantly need me for something. While I cherish my role as their mother, but I do find it hard to find the time to ground myself.
As a child I found it incredibly enjoyable to just hang out in the horse pasture . Interacting with each horse and then engaging in childhood play among them is a cherished child hood memory.
The first time I experienced time stop while among horses was when my Dad built a plywood barn (that literally looked like a shoe box with a door) for my pony to escape during the cold winter months. We filled the little barn with fresh straw. Molly’s short legs were lost in the cloud-like pile of straw that was engulfing her. My dad and I sat in there and watched her chew as she browsed through the fresh straw. I remember finding such peace in that moment . The air was crisp and cold, our breath was visible but it seemed as thought none of cared because time was stopped, we were in the moment and treasuring it.
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I find that when I am with horses time slows down and I am able to connect to myself. I am able enjoy the moment and soak in the peaceful demeanor of the horses.
Horses have a very unique ability to read people. They essentially mirror what they feel from us. This amazing ability has helped ground me so much, balance my emotions and make sense of why what I am doing is or is not working.
So it is no surprise how much I cherish and value my time with my horse, even if its just 5 minutes. As a mom it is so important to be connected and grounded in yourself. Without it life is just harder. Now, As much as I love horses not everyone has horses or some don’t even like horses – and that’s totally okay! We all have different things that ground us. I encourage you to take a moment and look for something that helps ground you,helps you to be in the moment and just “be”. Once you have found what grounds you I would love to hear about it! Comment or email me and lets talk about it!
A lesson I learned about a person’s true value by watching my daughter interact with horses.
If you know me you know I LOVE horses. I find their presence so comforting and their innate knowledge and capability of reading people fascinating. I grew up around horses and enjoyed the simple pleasures that they give. For me, when I am stressed or anxious I find it grounding to go out to the horse pasture and take a moment to relax and connect with The Maker. When I am with horses life slows down, the stressors of life fade for a moment, and I become grounded.
My daughter has inherited my love (maybe obsession ) with horses. She LOVES spending time in the horse pasture. She dances and prances in the horse pasture, going off on some childhood chatter about horses and her passion for them.
A little Hide-n-Seek in the hay bale!
Through the world’s view
Recently, we got two new horses, mother, and daughter. The daughter, Dusty, was injured as a yearling by another horse, years later she has an obvious limp. Because of this injury, she is not rideable. Her previous owner told me that after the injury she’s didn’t know what she could ever be used for, some horses that are not rideable due to injury do not have a happy ending. Dusty, she has the sweetest demeanor, very affectionate and very curious. But what catches everyone’s eye first is her obvious lameness, making people’s perception of her go down. I have heard people describe her as worthless. It’s as if Dusty knows her sore shoulder is her focal point that lures people near, she then disengages from interaction when people asses her injured shoulder, as if she’s saying, “PLEASE! Just see me for me and not my flaw. I can be much more than a sore shoulder and obvious limp.”
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Through a child’s eyes
What I love most about children is their innocence, they see the world as more than a glass half full but bubbling over and flowing out around the glass.. They look at things for all that life is, not what it isn’t. Children tend to see the true beauty of things rather than the sometimes critical ways of adults .
When my daughter enters the pasture she sees Dusty for who she is, her authentic, pure, true value. She doesn’t notice the limp or how Dusty compensates for her sore shoulder. Dusty drawers closer as my daughter tells her how she’s the best horse ever, how much she loves her and how good she is . “Mommy, Dusty is so beautiful, she’s my favorite”.
Dusty follows my girl around, apparent that she values time with her because she doesn’t see what everyone else sees. My girl sees her for who she is. Dusty basks in this attention knowing that it is pure and wholly meant. Dusty enjoys spending time with My daughter as much as she loves engaging in childlike play and laughter.
Finding True Value
As I was standing in the pasture witnessing this interaction I was taken back. Our Creature sees us as flawless. He sees our worth, our true value beyond what people see. The devil wants us to believe that we are less than, he wants to lower our value. But the Creator of the earth and humans sees us as perfect. He is eager to engage with us and show us our true value, our worth. He sees us beyond our flaws and loves us unrelentingly. Ahhh, how freeing is that?! We are loved and valued no matter how we feel or what people say. Our Creator says we are loved, special and absolutely treasured in his eyes. I love this verse,
“For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
Zephiniah 3:17 (NLT)
Watching my daughter and Dusty interact I am reminded of this verse. The LORD of love is living among us and delights in spending time with us. If we are anxious or insecure about our worth, He is with us to calm those fears. He longs to connect with you and me to show us our true value. Because in his eyes we are PRICELESS!
Thank-you for reading, I hope you found this devotional thought a blessing! If you did, please share!
Have you ever wondered, “How does the God of Creation see me?” In His eyes, are you good enough? Does it even matter? Yes, it matters! The answer to this question will define the tone of the relationship between you and God. I want to share with you the answer that I believe to be true. Let’s first start with the story of Gideon.
11 Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.
12 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
13 Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”
14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”
15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
16 And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”
Judges 6:11-16 (NKJV) Bold added for emphasis
I grew up hearing this story and never paid much attention to this segment. Then one day during this last year, I was reading this passage while enjoying my morning coffee. The phrases in bold above stood out to me. I wondered, “Why did Jesus call Gideon a mighty man of valor? Gideon was hiding while threshing wheat and even calls himself the least of the weakest!”
I’ve been told many times that God chooses to work through those who are humble so that God receives the credit for the victory. That makes sense, but while it’s evident that Gideon does meet this “humble beginnings requirement,” that doesn’t answer my question about God’s word choice. He could just as easily have said, “Hey Gideon, congrats man! I’ve chosen you to free My people from the Midianites! Look, I know your low status, but I am going to empower you to do this seemingly impossible thing.” But He doesn’t say that! “You mighty man of valor!”
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Asking the Right Questions
I don’t believe that God was trying to boost Gideon’s ego or instill a false sense of self. By the time I had finished my coffee and was out the door to work, I had come to the conclusion that God said what He did because He sees us differently than how we perceive ourselves. As God told the prophet Samuel,
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have ]refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7 (NKJV)
So my question changed from, “Why did God call Gideon a ‘mighty man of valor’?” to “What did God see in Gideon?” And by extension, “How does God see me?” I was finally led to the answer later that day while flipping through my pocket notebook (old habit from the Army). I have two Scriptures written down that caught my attention. I’ll highlight below the sections that helped me formulate my answer to “How does God see me?”
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:4-7 (NKJV) Bold added for emphasis
12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
Hebrews 10:12-14 (NKJV) Bold added for emphasis
Google Search for “How does God see me?” and before you finish typing you will see that someone else has already asked that question.
How do these passages help us understand how God sees us? These texts originally drew my attention because of the timeline paradox presented. Yes, Christ died as a sacrifice for my sins, Yes, He has raised me into a new life dedicated to loving God. But no, I’m not sitting with God in Heaven right now… not physically, at least. Also, while I strive to live righteously and in-line with God’s Will, I’m far from reaching perfection. But, Hebrews says “He has(past-tense, as in, “it’s done, “completed”) perfected those who are being(present-tense, as in, “still working on it”) sanctified.
We get full credit now, for what we will be once we are reunited with Christ Jesus.
So finally, I came to the conclusion that God sees our full, 100% perfected, potential. And not just “He sees what we may become” kinda potential like a football scout evaluating high school players. Instead, He sees us now, He identifies us now, as that future-self that we cannot even imagine! Just as He called the lowly Gideon a “mighty man of valor” based on the actions that Gideon would soon take in the Lord’s name, God calls you and me “perfect sons and daughters dwelling with Him” even now as we navigate through this sin-filled world still making mistakes.
This is encouraging to me because it reminds me that I serve the God of Love, who is desiring a relationship with me. I’m not bound to a god that is vindictive and looking for my flaws, who I must either appease or face punishment. While I’m focused on improving my relationship with my Heavenly Father, He readily forgives my flaws and counts me as already perfect.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Please comment below and/or send us an email with your thoughts. Share with your friends to help get the dialog going!
Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid of them! The Lord your God will go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6
In my pre-college and college years, I would quietly enjoy reading Bible chapters for my devotional. When I became a mama, I found that my time was filled with the needs of my children (sound familiar?) and I found myself not able to read anything without several interruptions. I learned to treasure finding a passage and meditating on it throughout the day. I call them my power texts. I am so grateful for the quiet time I was able to have in my pre-mama life to highlight treasured verses in my Bible that nourish my soul. My Bible is literally glowing with highlights!
So about this verse! Be strong. Wow, yes Lord, I NEED your strength to get through this day! Be courageous. There are so many times in the mama journey that we need the Lord’s strength to help us nurture and care for the precious babes He blessed us with. But courage, courage to stand up for your kiddos, courage to follow your instincts in a society that tells you to NOT listen to your instincts.
Here’s the part of the verse that I love. The Lord your God will go AHEAD of you. Y’all. I don’t know about you, but motherhood can feel lonely. My husband is in nursing school which means a TON of time away from home, and homework when he is home. I have been feeling alone. But, I love this part of the verse because no matter what I face today, this week, month or year, God is going before me – I am not alone! He’s got my back, and not just in big issues but the little things. Day to day little things. He is with us – you and me. I love my relationship-seeking, ever-with me God!
Go forward in this day knowing that you are strong and courageous and you have the God of the universe at your side!
