Blog Theme

I have recently joined a new Facebook group; it is about moms who blog about their lives. I look at their blogs and realize I have a lot to learn. I really hope to use this Facebook group as a resource to make my blog look better. So for starters I had to pick a theme, which was the easy part. The theme was being a new mom and expressing my thoughts on what God has been teaching me during this season of life. But the next part was a little harder. How was I to decorate my blog to show my theme? As some of you saw previously, I had a picture by Norman Rockwell; this was because
I thought he was an amazing painter.The picture I had was of a grandma and a little boy praying. This represented to me the importance of family and prayer, which I believe is what God was showing me what He wants me to learn. But I felt like I needed more than just that. That's when zebras popped into my head.
For quite sometime, I have been loving anything zebra. Why you ask? Well a few years ago, my mother mentioned this ladies ministry that was happening in California that she really liked. A friend of hers started this ministry based off of the idea of a herd of zebras. Apparently, a zebra is very vulnerable when it is alone. But when they are in a herd, God made their stripes to blend together to make them look like a larger animal than what they are. This in return frightens their predator, and they are left alone. It is like this with women in the church. We are vulnerable as individuals with our emotions, our fears, our need to control; this is where Satan likes to attack us. 1 Peter 5:8 states,

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour".

We are designed as women to need each other. As Christians we also need those relationships to build each other up, through God's Word and what it says about who He is. Through this Zebra Ministry, women join together once a month focusing on a scripture verse describing one of the attributes of God. They are then challenged to meditate on that scripture and pray over it that month, so that when they return the following month they would share with the other ladies what God taught them. During this time they pick a name out of a hat of person who they are to meet with that month in order to keep each other accountable and to also encourage each other. It is such an awesome ministry! So every time I see a zebra or zebra print it makes me think about the relationships I have with other women and how I can encourage them. http://www.zebraministries.com/

So what does that have to do with me being a mom? When I found out I was having a little girl, I knew exactly what theme I wanted for the nursery, zebras, black, white and pink. One day I want to be able, in detail, to tell my little girl why I picked the zebra theme for her nursery. I have written it in her journal, and even as I change her diaper and she's looking at her hanging zebra, I tell her, "We need to stick together". We do have to stick together. God has put this little girl in my life to teach her about who He is in order to build her up, but also to train her in order for her "to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11). It always gets me excited when I am in her room and look at the theme and realize the huge responsibility I have to teach her. I need to teach her that we serve a God who loves us to the point of showing us who we are apart from Him. We fall short of the glory of God because we have all sinned (Romans 3:23); but even in our defiance and pride, He demonstrated His love towards us by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for us even when we don't deserve it (Romans 5:8). All my little one (and each and every one of us) needs to do is accept that she is a sinner apart from God and that it has to do with nothing she can ever do but simply just believe. It is by His grace and love that she can accept His gift of salvation. I just can't wait for the day for the day when I will be able to share that with her because of the zebras.