How to Maintain a Clean Kitchen in 6 “Easy” Steps

How to Maintain a Clean Kitchen in 6 “Easy” Steps

This is a link to a post on my new website where I now blog. I just wrote this one today.

New Web Site

I transferred over to a new website.  If you signed up for my email list you are still getting my emailed blog updates that are now coming from my new website.   

You may have come to this page through a link on someone else's website or blog. Please let them know that they have an old link. My new blog is now at

www.rocksolidfamily.com

I'm still working on my new website and slowly learning how to redirect things. 

But since I haven't learned how to do all of that, please click on the link above and it will take you to my new site.  Thanks! 

--Anastacia "Stacie"

Conquering Fears

A few of our children have a fear of animals. Anything furry with four legs causes Elijah to scream terribly. 

One day while we were waiting for Joshua to get done with his work on a nearby farm, the rest of the children and I decided to help by giving hay to the horses.

Hannah was pretty proud that she could climb up to the feed trough with her arms full of hay.

Jonathan declared himself a real cowboy. He also said that he was a real farmer because he was wearing overalls.

 

Then there was Elijah. The closer we got to the barn the more planted his feet became. 

I offered to hold him. He agreed. I put him on my hip and carried him into the barn. 

Then it happened...

A horse looked at him! 

He started hollering and screaming. You'd have thought I was about to feed him to the horse how he was carrying on.

Until his sweet big sister, Ruth, came to his rescue. She offered him her back. He was okay as long as his sister was between him and the horse. 

He would even take hay and throw it into the stall from her back. 

By the end, she had him standing on the ground throwing hay into the stall without anyone even holding his hand. Now that's pretty good!

And what did Elisabeth think of it all?

Well, she didn't seem to mind his hollering. And was pretty happy to watch the others feeding the animals. 



Maybe we'll get Elijah over his fears before Elisabeth is swayed by them.

You know two year olds are not the only ones to be afraid of something.

Even grown ups have fears. 

I am afraid of hurting people. I worry sometimes that if I say or write the wrong thing someone might get upset. I fear conflict.

I fear the time that someone will disagree with me and turn me into the "bad" guy. I've had that happen before. 

Once I was trying to help someone in a Christian chat room many years ago. (This was before Facebook and Twitter.) Chat rooms were an exciting place back then.

A person asked for help and I tried to give them what they needed.
Somehow they turned what I was saying to help them into my not caring. 

Then someone else came into the chat room and backed them. I looked like a terrible person. When I was honestly trying to help.

 The real problem was they didn't want the help. I tried to explain that I was only trying to help. They told me they forgave me. Forgave me for what? I hadn't said or done anything against them. 

That one experience had me so upset that I never went back to that chat room for fear that it would happen again. 

Is that any different than Elijah being afraid of the horse that looked at him? 

I've been working on facing my fears. I have slowly started reaching back out to try to help people. 

Maybe a bit cautiously at first. Like Elijah hiding behind his big sister. But I'm finally sharing that bite of hay. 

I am setting a goal to conquer my fears. I am going to do my best to  help people even when I'm afraid.

How about you? What fears do you have to conquer?

Feel free to share in the comments. I'd love to hear how you are working to conquer your fears.


What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. (Psalms 56:3-4)