As well known as she may be, my little nugget never fails to make my day a little bit brighter! I was home and babysitting her one Saturday morning when I was awaken by my adorable three year old. She had on her new Matilda Jane Clothing dress and was giddy as could be. I knew it was time for a girls day. We suited up in our "cooold owsideee!!!!" clothes and boots, grabbed the camera, and were off into Narnia (which is what we call the backyard).
This picture brings me such joy. Mary Alan is always being silly and making us laugh. I guess it's her age but I am so enjoying it and really don't want her to grow up anymore!
Oh so flexible! She's always throwing her legs up into a heel stretch or sprawling them onto the ground in a split. She loves showing off her tricks!
MA and Remington have a love/hate relationship.. especially when she is in a sassy mood. Remmy has become a part of the family now that Annabeth is home. All I'm going to say about that is on a Saturday morning, sometimes waking up to Rem and Sam jumping on the bed like some sort of a tag team isn't always the best way to wake up....
My sassy little nugget.
So, while in Auburn for the Auburn v. Florida Atlantic game, we accidentally left one of Mary Alan's boots when she was getting into the car! We then purchased these boots only to have one fall under the bleachers at the HA powderpuff game. So now, she has one boot from each set. They coincidentally make a pair so she'll goofingly wear them together sometimes!
In Galatians 5:22, the fruit of the spirit are listed: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Each of these has a very significant meaning that The Lord has implied for a specific purpose for us to abide by.
LOVE- he says to love as he has loved us. A love that is literally willing to die for one another. The best example is one I heard several years ago.. loving someone so much that when they are standing in line for the electric chair, the friend takes their place and dies for them because this is how The Lord has loved us.
JOY- It's better than happiness. It isn't even ours! It is freely given to us and then it becomes ours!
PEACE- A peace that passes all understanding.. a knowing that our eternity is heaven.. and not being shaken.
PATIENCE- This is probably my biggest struggle. My friend explained it to me as we were standing in the line to call our families at camp. I was standing there tapping my foot and getting antsy about waiting, and she wasn't like that at all. She was laughing and not worried at all about having to wait the two seconds to get the phone. I asked her how she did it and she looked at me with the most gracious eyes and said, "Well, I know that I will eventually get to talk on the phone, and even if it doesn't happen right away, I know that sooner or later I will get to! So until then, I'm just going to do me and not worry about it!" That conversation is what gives me patience because she helped me understand it. (Happy Birthday Madeline!)
KINDNESS- Being kind is being able to feel for someone and sympathize with them. This is a quality that is hard to adapt, but so rewarding because, even though feeling the pain of someone and sharing that with them may be hard, good times come and feeling those make it all worth it in the end!
GOODNESS- This doesn't mean that the things we don't do are who we are because that makes us "good". Let's be defined by what we actually do! What is right and pure for Christ's sake.
FAITHFULNESS- Faith is being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see. Having faith that Jesus is coming back and that he is always here for us no matter how alone we feel. Knowing that in the hardest times, there is someone to lean on even if there is nothing to physically lean on.
GENTLENESS- A gentle answer turns away wrath and why would we want to be angry with someone? Imagine talking to someone at night, and being so angry with that person and your last words to them being, "I hate you. You're so mean and don't talk to me." and then just say that person doesn't wake up the next day? So speak gently to one another and don't say anything you wouldn't want to be said to you.
SELF-CONTROL- Self-control isn't just not giving in to desires, it's willingly abstaining from those desires. Controlling the body by force of will. This is where willpower comes into play. For example, not eating the huge slice of cake because you know its bad for you and you would rather put good foods into your body; not restraining yourself from it because you can't have it even though it is all you can think about. Shift your focus from the circumstance and up to Heaven. Look to God for a Heavenly perspective.
Abide in The Lord and remain in Him and He will remain in you! He rewards those who do what he says. He says to produce much fruit and these are those fruits. It is hard, but in every situation, stop and think which fruits you are producing! The road is narrow and the gate is small- but it leads to LIFE!
