I lost our copy of our 2009 federal taxes. We need it. By next week. And I can not find it.

A little plastic thingy on the fridge falls off every time Abby walks by it and slides her little hands along the front.

The big pine tree in our yard sheds needles everywhere and they stick to our shoes and find their way into the house, up the steps, and in the carpet.

Annalise cries when it is time to write more than a one word sentence.

The bathroom tub needs the drain cleaned.

Grocery shopping with 3 kids is not a picnic.

I could go on and on and on. So could you.

Life is full of little annoying, very unfun things that drive us crazy.

What do we do with those things when we are supposed to be enjoying the journey?

I heard a song on the radio the other day. It is a new song by Francesca Battistelli called, "This is the Stuff."

It is an amazing song because it is so real.



We can make lists all day long of all the things we are thankful for, lists of the wonderful, happy moments but it doesn't negate the fact that bothersome, unfair, frustrating things happen.

Again, what do we do with those things?

We certainly don't want to make blog posts with lists of negative things! Of course not!

In fact, I LOVE Ann Voskamp's new book and the idea of recording the little and precious things of your day so that you can fully live in the moment, right where God has you.

But this song encourages us to acknowledge the annoying moments. The bothersome events and unfair happenings. Acknowledge them and let God USE them. Let God help us see with an eternal perspective. To see that He is working not just in the now but in the eternity of our hearts and of those around us.

Allow Him to use the frustrating, annoying moments to teach us patience. To grow maturity in our hearts. To refine us into His likeness.

So, that in the middle of our little messes, we don't forget how big we are blessed. Blessed with a God who redeems the difficult slices in our days and uses them for something good. Something bigger than this moment. Something eternal.

A small challenge: record the not-so-nice parts of your days. Make a list of things that get under your skin or have been getting to you lately. What is God teaching you? What do those things say about your heart? Now, give that list to God and ask Him what He wants to do in you through those situations.

I promise that if you offer your list to God, He will USE it for His glory!



You can learn more about Jenilee on her Meet Me page or find her tweeting about her day on twitter.

I feel like I should start this post out with "Hi, my name is..."

So. I will!

Hi, to all of you Seeds of Faith women! My name is Jenilee and I blog at The Goodwin Family blog.


I am so thankful to be a new part of the Seeds of Faith Team. What an exciting blogging adventure for me and I look forward to getting to know many of you!

I'm going to be blogging here at Seeds of Faith each month and my topic will be learning to enjoy the journey of life. The hard moments, the messy moments, the busy moments, the sweet moments. They all can be enjoyed and used by God to grow us, shape us and help us become the women that He created us to be.

So... Enjoy the Journey... what does that mean?

One of my life verses is found in Nehemiah 8:10, "Go and enjoy... for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

But, in my 9 years of marriage and 7 years of being a mom, I have had moments that I just haven't enjoyed or seasons of life that were hard and challenging. And now, as I look back at each of those situations, I realize that I have grown as I've allowed God to teach me in the moment. As God teaches me, I'm learning to fully enjoy this journey of life because those moments are the tools God uses to make us more like Him.


As I was thinking about this idea of "Enjoy the Journey", I thought of a conversation I had with my sister over the Christmas holiday.

She is a first time mommy to a precious 8 week old little girl named, Sloan.

We were talking about being a mom, and Holly said, "But, I just don't always feel animated or excited about being a mom. You are always doing crafts and activities with the girls. I don't know how I'll do that. I feel bad about feeling this way!"

My response?

"I don't always feel animated or excited about it either! That is SO normal!"

Oh, haven't we all felt that way?

Here, her sweet baby is starting to smile and coo but my sister is sleep deprived, nursing every 2-3 hours, changing diapers, washing clothes and adjusting to being home from work... everything is new and the days of having a new baby are hard!

I know she "enjoys" having a baby but that doesn't take away from the fact that it is a big job!

What an encouragement it was for her to know that it is okay and another mom has been there.

I told her, "You don't always feel like being animated or talking in a sing-songy voice or coloring a picture but you do it anyway. And, once you do it, you are so glad that you did. The reward of being involved in their lives by joining in on the things they love is priceless."

Sitting and doing a craft or playing baby dolls or having a pretend tea party isn't exactly on my list of favorite things to do but my girls adore when I join in their play. It makes their afternoon which in turn, makes mine.

I have to say that winning a game of family hide-and-seek the other night was quite fun and I definitely enjoyed myself - once I made myself get up and play! Getting up to play helped me enjoy the journey, even if I did feel slightly funny laying under the covers of my 7 year old's top bunk bed.

In the coming years, I'm excited to watch my sister grow as a mom as she learns to enjoy the journey of motherhood.

I can enjoy watching her because I am walking a similar journey. Still learning to enjoy small moments that aren't always enjoyable. Allowing God to teach me and grow me in those difficult mommy moments because I know that I will not only see rewards in my kids but also in my relationship with my heavenly Father.

This week, enjoy the journey!
God Bless,


You can learn more about Jenilee on her Meet Me page or find her tweeting about her day on twitter.