Tag: women

Barefoot Devotions, The How To Series

How To Overcome Discouragement & Disappointment

Hannah B.

In our lives, we are bound to walk through trials from circumstances and experience rivals that provoke us and lead to disappointment and discouragement.  If we do not deal with these emotions in a Christ-like manner, then our emotions have the potential to spread deeper into our soul causing more destruction. The story of Hannah is one of my favorite stories in the Bible because through her actions we can see a proper course of action that defeated her problems and her emotions.

1 Samuel 1-8, NIV

1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

3 Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. 4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. 6 Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.

 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 8 Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”

In this passage, we can see that Hannah lived in a dysfunctional family and was greatly grieved by her barrenness.  Not only was she in a situation that brought on great embarrassment for her husband but Peninnah provoked her until she wept and would not eat.

Although Hannah was greatly loved by her husband, she could not be consoled by him.  When our heart burns with such a relentless longing for something in our lives or we are having to live out circumstances that cause disappointment or great weeping, we do not see anything or anyone except for this one thing we are seeking.  The saddest part is when that we are overcome by our emotions and we miss the plan Jesus has in store for us because our eyes are set elsewhere.  When this happens, we allow the root of bitterness to sink into our heart and grow roots that lead to resentment, hate, and negative attitudes.  As this root begins to grow, we question God’s sovereignty and love for us when we are experiencing trials, relationship problems, and a longing for something that hasn’t been given to us yet.  Emotions are powerful and unless we learn to control them, they will control us.

1 Samuel 10-18, NIV

10 In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly.11 And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

12 As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”

15 “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”

17 Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” 18 She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

Hannah’s prayer to us demonstrates the necessity of being raw and honest with God about the way we are feeling – the ugly, the bad, and the mad.  She poured everything that was inside of her out before the LORD.  When we take our emotions and thoughts before God, He will show us His view on our problems and how to correctly proceed in our actions.  We see that after Hannah was weeping greatly before the LORD, she left her problems there, resumed her life, and her face was no longer downcast.

We can see the drastic change of Hannah’s attitude due to her praying and the importance of taking everything to God in prayer especially when the first sign of disappointment sets in. By following the steps below we can learn how to handle these situations:

  1. Honestly pray to God and bring your problem before Him.
  2. LEAVE your problems with God. Walk away and live your life for Him.
  3. Know that God is Sovereign and His will for your life is perfect.
  4. Praise and Worship Him through the trials.
  5. Receive encouragement and support from Christ-minded friends and mentors.

 

Hannah eventually receives her son from God who is named Samuel. He was the last judge of Israel and the first priest and prophet to serve during the time of a king.  Samuel’s characteristics were the best examples of what a good judge should be, and he governed the people by God’s word and not by his own will.  He was pivotal in Israel’s history since he was the first to anoint the king and usher in the Davidic line.

We can trust Jesus with the desires and longings of our hearts and all of our hurts and disappointments. God’s timing is perfectly purposeful.

 

Personal Reflection

What do you do when you don’t receive the desire that causes a deep longing within?

How can you learn to take everything to the LORD in prayer?

Do you have a hard time leaving your problems after you have talked to  God about them?

If so, what steps will you take to overcome carrying your burdens yourself?

 

With all my love and encouragement,

Hannah Boyd

Barefoot Devotions

The Proverbs 31 Struggle| Mom Guilt

Hannah B.
Mom Guilt | The two well-known words that mean you have felt shame, guilt, and inadequacy in your role of being a mom.  In these modern times of Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram, we often find ourselves feeling like we are failing our family.

Let’s throw in our friendships that we are striving to keep alive, our full-time jobs, and all the laundry and house cleaning that falls on our to-do lists.  We barely have time for ourselves, sleep, and somehow manage to wake up the next morning to start it all over again.

I was never good at juggling and I certainly didn’t want to be a juggler when I grew up.  Why? Because with my coordination, all of the balls thrown in the air are bound to come tumbling around me and even hitting me on the head.

Are you struggling to be a Proverbs 31 woman?

Then there is the famous Proverbs 31 woman and you know that you are not that woman and fall short every day.  We can barely make due with everything that surrounds us.  As you read the passage, you feel overwhelmed and like a failure on an entirely different level because you can’t sew, garden, and obviously forgot to make sure your family’s winter clothes were mended.

Are we failing our family because we are not baking them tasty treats they can brag about, having a gourmet meal prepared without delay at dinner time, making sure the pantry is stocked with your kid’s favorite snacks, and they have clean clothes for the next day?

Oh, don’t forget the perfect color-coded calendar that has every activity and chore listed!

Perhaps we are failing them by struggling to survive to do all the unnecessary expectations that society has placed on us, as a mom and neglecting the care of your soul?

Let’s put aside Proverbs 31 and forget that woman for a moment, let’s look at the story of Mary and Martha!

Luke 10:38-42 NIV| As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Jesus said, “Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.”  Instead of being distracted by the distractions that needed to be done, she chose to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to what he said. 

Pic1

 

The beginning of a Proverbs 31 woman begins with a Mary heart.  When you place God first, you will be clothed in strength, dignity, love, contentment, and compassion.  You will walk in peace and think about the good things of Christ.

[bctt tweet=”The beginning of a Proverbs 31 woman begins with a Mary heart.  When you place God first, you will be clothed in strength, dignity, love, contentment, and compassion.  You will walk in peace and think about the good things of Christ.” username=”BarefootHannahB”]

 

How To Find Your Inner Mary

In order to find balance in your life and not lose yourself,  you must sit at the feet of Jesus and rest.  Ideally, you want to do this before your family rises so that you can have your alone time reading the Word of God, praying, and listening to Him.  When you allow yourself time to do this, everything else will fall into place – even having the characteristics of a Proverbs 31 woman! Your distractions will become less like distractions and you will be joyful in providing and caring for your household.  Each day you will be renewed and as you spend time with God, these things will be added to you.

There are going to be unavoidable events that happen, you’re going to oversleep, you’re going to forget to pack your kid’s lunch, and let the bread run out before you make it to the store.  It’s okay because even on the days you fall short, praise God for His grace because it’s there!

So, don’t get caught up in being a Proverbs 31 woman, start with a Mary heart, and embrace the adventure of becoming a Proverbs 31 woman.

Xoxo,

Hannah B.

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Barefoot Devotions

Waffle Brain

barinmysoul

I’m beginning to think that I need to get my husband’s full undivided attention from now on before I talk to him.. otherwise I’m going to hear, “Huh?  What?  I’m sorry?” This will avoid me from having to repeat myself a gazillion times because he says he didn’t hear me but really I think it’s because he wasn’t listening.  Pretty sure he was in a different mental waffle box.. KWIM?  Men are like Waffles Women are like spaghetti.

Have you read this book?  If not, I highly recommend it.

Book

It taught me so much about the differences between the way Men’s brains work and Women’s brains. Sometimes I forget what I’ve learned and well, tend to want to rip my hair out. I mean, who really likes repeating themselves over and over every time they talk?

After further prayer and meditation on this subject, I was feeling pretty convicted.  I could really stand to offer more grace when it comes to things like this.  God offers me plenty of grace that’s for sure.  So as frustrating as it is to feel like I’m talking to a brick wall, I have to keep in mind that the process in which men think is a slight bit different than that of women.  And this may not entirely apply to every single human being but for the majority of us,  men tend to think about one thing at a time and ladies if your like me, tend to weave our thoughts like well, spaghetti noodles.  I can literally think about what I need to make for dinner while I’m working and carrying on a conversation at the same time.

So with that being said, I could save myself a lot of huffing and puffing and eye rolling and sarcasm which leads to an argument and then Ugh, an apology,  if I will learn to just offer grace and find another way to communicate with my husband from the beginning.  So here goes nothing… stay tuned, I’ll let ya know how I turn out.

Valerie