Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

and we are off…

on another cutler family roadtrip {minus the littles}.  we are off to cleveland to meet with my kidney specialist.  i’ve been having just a few little teeny tiny issues that i want checked out.  and i may have canceled my post-surgery appointment and never rescheduled.  i know, i know.  prayers would totally be appreciated for travel safety 🙂  thanks

kindness matters {especially to your littles}

oh kindness, so powerful yet so underused. in today’s society, it’s so easy to come in contact with someone who is unkind. the person at the mall you hold the door open for, who walks right past you without saying thank you. the person you accidentally pulled out in front of who gives you an unkind gesture. and at Christmas time, what should be the most loving time of the year, people completely lose all sense of kindness.

kindness is honestly one of the greatest gifts you can give someone. as Christians, kindness is something He expects from us. it allows Christ’s love to shine through us. He doesn’t want us to be unkind, we are to be different.

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32

as parents, kindness is so so super important. kindness is basically love in action. and one of the greatest expressions of genuine love is showing kindness to our children. it’s easy to think that because we are the parents, because we are so much more mature and have sacrificed so much for them, we can treat them however we want. but love reminds us that our sacrifices certainly don’t give us a license to be uncaring or harsh.

your littles are more sensitive to you than anyone else on earth. when you treat them unkindly, resist them or ignore them they will likely struggle inside and not respond well to you. but when you create an environment of tender love and kindness, they become more open to sharing their heart with you and listening to the words you say and the lessons you share.

we need to learn to be gentle, sensitive and tenderhearted. when we start being tenderhearted, it’s easy to be kind. having a heart that is easily touched and sensitive doesn’t mean your weak, although that’s what the world would say. if we are sensitive to those around us, we start seeing their needs instead of our own. have a loving, tenderhearted, compassionate attitude and let it shine for everyone to see.

Do to others as you would have them do to you
Luke 6:31

love leads you to look for opportunities to show kindness to your littles. this doesn’t mean doing everything
for them. it doesn’t mean buying them everything under the sun.  it just means loving them, isn’t that easy?  when they talk, listen.  when they cry, hug them.  when they laugh, laugh with them.  when they have a bad day, cook them their fav meal.  when they make a mistake, love them.  when you’re shopping, buy them a treat.  let them pick a show to watch, a game to play or a song to listen to.   

kindness is also finding a balance between loving them well and teaching them to love others. part of them becoming an effective adult is learning as a child to have a servants heart (aka…kindness in action). that’s a heart they should see reflected in us as parents.  if they watch us being kind to others, they will reflect that as adults. acts of kindness don’t have to be be huge, expensive, flashy ordeals. smile at someone, hold the door for them, give them the 30 cents they are searching for to pay for their McDonald’s order, help them carry their bags to the car, hug them when you can see they need one, take time to talk to them and pray with them and for them.

you can change lives with your actions. you can change lives by your words.  you can change lives with your kindness. you can change lives by allowing Christ’s love to shine through you. you might be the one voice in their life at the moment that they need to hear. your encouragement might be the one thing that keeps them going. maybe you are the one who is to help them see Jesus.

your actions, words, prayers and love matter. your kindness matters.  in your home and outside of it.  it matters to those who receive it and it matters to Him. you might not be able to help everyone, but you can help someone.

this little blog…

just some info about this fav, super special little bloggie of mine…

i started this little blog in 2006 (wow, it’s been 7 years). it was started as an outlet, a way to share my scrapbook pages and a way to keep in touch with family.  but then something happened.  as time went on, more and more people started reading.

a few months back, i glanced at my site meter.  i saw something that was beyond anything i could have imagined.  i have readers from russia, canada, china, united kingdom, germany, philippines, france and malaysia.  and i realized, in that moment, that this blog was my Ministry.  God has done something i never, in a million years, would have imagined this country girl from a tiny town in central pennsylvania doing.  i have actually “went into the world” from my living room.

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
Mark 16:15

every day i write blog posts to inspire others and make them smile; to share hope, grace and truth; to share my own mistakes and sins; to share my heart; and to share Jesus and His amazing love with others around the world.

i absolutely want my blog to be a happy, positive place.  a place where you know, even on your worst day, you can leave it with a smile on your face and feel refreshed.  a place where the heart of Jesus shines through.

my blog is not a place to gossip, air my dirty laundry or share all my secrets with the world.  and it really hurts my heart that some might see my Ministry as that.  it’s not here to promote drama of any type.  if you have a question about something you read here, i would absolutely love to answer it and talk to you about it.  but please, don’t question others about it.