A Moment with M.O.M.- Thinning my life is a good thing

Hello Friends!

This last week has been busy here in the Wood family. We have Ezekiel healing and getting eager to be out of his wheel chair. It is hard to be an active 11 year old boy and not be able to run and do all the things you are use to doing. We have used this time to do extra school work, learn some new board games, read and work on some heart issues that were laying deep down in there! Being a mommy to such a variety of God’s people really keeps me on my toes. There is never a dull moment!

We have created a “new” idea for some of our friends/customers that get milk from us. The need for raw milk continues to grow as families seek direction for health in their homes. We desire more than anything to be a blessing to the body. I received a call from one woman who was just making sure that she had all the facts right. She said, “My husband just doesn’t understand why you would help us like this. He is a cut throat business man.” I was able to share with her that as a Body we are to help one another. God can repay us more than man ever can!  This “new” adventure led us to MO as we continue to seek a milking Jersey that is friendly with children and raised in a way that we see as responsible. What a search with lots of twists to the journey. Lord willing, we can go pick her up today and I will be able to post photos soon!

Joe and I continue to be blessed by each family that God brings our way. There are several things that we have been approached with in the last few weeks that we are giving much prayer too.  I was sharing the following with my mother in a phone conversation and thought it might be of encouragement to others too.

Me: “Mom, I was praying as I made breakfast today about the families the Lord has brought into our life. There are women who seem to be in the same season of life as I am and yet those are not the families the Lord is giving the most contact with. I would love to have friendship visits with them and cherish each time we do. However, it is the young momma that the Lord brings to my door on a daily basis. As I was asking God about this the idea came to me that in the Scriptures it talks about the “older women” teaching, living and working with “younger women” Not the “older women” with the “older women” I started thinking that as precious as those friendship visits are they are often the “play time” in life. Each one of the young families that have come our way are 100% precious!! I couldn’t ask for a better group of young women to share my life with. Just this last weekend, I had a young mom of six sit in my home for over an hour with notebook in hand asking practical questions that she could take back to her own home. The next day, I had a sweet mom of two (two and one year of age) asking some “how to” questions. Each one with open hearts to take what I said to the Lord in prayer and then discuss it with their husbands to see how God might have them use it in their own homes. I was blessed!”

Mom: “You know that is where God wants us. Helping and sharing our lives with others. You’re right fellowship is good and we enjoy the fellowship we have with others who are in the same season as ourselves. However, if we stay there we will be led to gossip, strife and other sins because we won’t be doing as we are commanded to do: teaching the younger women.”

Me: “That’s what I am thinking and praying about. I will still treasure these fellowship visits with women that are in the same season of life as I am but I know I can’t just stay there. I am here to work for my Lord. I do that by pouring myself into my husband, children and then all the sweet young mommas that God leads our way. Mom, I have another matter of prayer. I have been asked by a hs magazine to write some e-books for their reader base. They contacted me months ago and I thought it was something I would do but then they needed to put those plans on the back burner so I didn’t give it anymore thought. I just received another note from them saying they are ready to proceed with this project and would like me to be the one writing for them. Joe had given me his blessing, I had thought it would be a good way to share with others and yet somehow I am still uncertain. I’m just not sure I can do it. On top of all my daily duties as wife and mom to ten children on a busy farm I also do the blog and the bible study as a way of serving. I am also putting our adventures of living off the gird in book form.  This writing project for the hs magazine would be for pay so it could bless my family. I just don’t know, by all appearances it looks like a good thing to do. I could really use some prayer.”

Mom: “Jeanette, when you plant carrots you just make a row and plant them all don’t you?”

Me: “Yes.”

Mom: “Then you wait for them to come in. All of the carrots that sprout are good but still you must evaluate them and thin them out. If you don’t none of the carrots will grow to their full potential. Your life is the same way. You need to evaluate all that is growing. It is all good but there are still things that need to be thinned or none of it will grow to it’s potential.”

Me: “Oh, mom! That is exactly right. I have so many good and wonderful things going on in my life but I must evaluate them and thin things out. There are good things that need to be pulled so that the other good things can grow to be great things! I need prayer for wisdom that I only pull what He says and nothing by my own wisdom”

My conversation with mom went on. I am so blessed by her friendship, love and wisdom! I would ask all of you to lift us in prayer anytime the Lord brings us to mind. Your prayers are precious! My Joe is home today. It is Elisha’s 17th Birthday. We had home made waffles with fresh strawberries, whip cream, and butter. It was quite a treat. I best run for now dear friends the family is waiting for me to join them in the next room.

With much love,

Mrs. Joseph Wood