Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.
This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.
Happy End of School Year…
I have learned so much the last few years and this year especially… As Mom’s Our heart is to protect our children and Our hearts are to love well. We cannot put our guards down, we must listen to our gut and let God guide our steps. Even if we put our children in a Chirstian School environment. Paul’s warning about preparing for the evil day reveals that everyone will face such times. So just as we put on our seatbelt to survive that one terrible collision that we know could happen since it happens to others, we need to put on the armor of God. Too many of God’s children have been seriously impacted or even destroy for us to ignore these warnings. In wrestling with the spiritual hosts of wickedness and with the devil seeking whom he may devour, it is folly to simply enjoy the sunshine and warmth of today and be unprepared for the evil day that God assures us will surely come.
In the realm of educational leadership, the character and integrity of school leaders play a crucial role in shaping the environment and the educational outcomes of the institutions they govern. When examining leadership within Christian schools, the alignment of values becomes even more critical, as these institutions not only aim to provide academic knowledge but also seek to impart religious and moral teachings. However, challenges can
arise when leaders exhibit narcissistic traits, which can significantly impact the school’s ethos and effectiveness.
Narcissistic leadership in a Christian school setting can manifest as a leader’s excessive focus on self, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy for others. This can be particularly contradictory in a Christian context, where values like humility, service, and compassion are central. Such leaders might prioritize their personal vision or recognition over the collective needs of the school, potentially leading to decisions that favor their interests and neglect the broader educational or spiritual objectives. This misalignment can create a dissonant environment, where the foundational principles of the institution are compromised, affecting both staff morale and student development Jesus warned us that “false Christs and false prophets” will come and will attempt to deceive even God’s elect (Matthew 24:23-27; see also 2 Peter 3:3 and Jude 17-18). The best way to guard yourself against falsehood and false teachers is to know the truth. To spot a counterfeit, study the real thing. Any believer who “correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) and who makes a careful study of the Bible can identify false doctrine. For example, a believer who has read the activities of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in Matthew 3:16-17 will immediately question any doctrine that denies the Trinity. Therefore, step one is to study the Bible and judge all teaching by what the Scripture says.
Some of us simply refuse to judge situations because we are afraid of conflict and therefore aren’t willing to stand up for anything. This is often simply evidence of unresolved sinful tendencies in our own lives that we are harboring, rather than solving. We would rather keep everyone happy (mostly ourselves) and live in ignorant sinful “bliss”.
Ephesians 5:11 “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
You can go from criticized to celebrated in one lifetime, but there is a messy middle. I’m speaking to the messy middle. The messy middle will make you feel like you’re crazy. That messy middle makes you feel like you made the wrong decision. That messy middle will make you feel like you should turn back. That messy middle will make you feel like you should listen to their criticisms. That messy middle will make you feel like they’re valid, and you’re not valid.
Instead of standing up for the Lord and His Word, too often we give in to “go along to get along” mentality. All of us must admit that times of conflict and confrontation are not at always enjoyable. Yet, when we compromise the truth or remain silent on biblical issues, are we doing anyone a favor?
If we compromise God’s truth or we suddenly become the Lord’s silent partner on biblical issues, who will give an account for those who are lost by our lack of courage? The Bible teaches both parties will give an account on the day of Judgment. The Bible pleads with you to stand up for the truth of God’s word and be a person of courage!
Keep Going when you don’t feel like you want to take another step… Keep Going when you don’t want to get out of bed… Keep going when life keeps throwing curveballs.
It has been so long since i have made a post and I will be transparent… Life has been a rollercoaster. I have walked in some dark times and had some days that I truly did not know how I was going to make it through. I had to learn to have realistic expectations of others because not everyone will do for you as you will do for them. I truly learned what relationships were blessing and which ones were making me into a person that I did not recognize in the mirror. But with the Grace of God, I would wake up the next day… and then the next! Without a shadow of a doubt, I know he has not left me and is walking along side of me… Sometimes carrying me when I cannot get up on my own. I don’t say any of this for sympathy, If I can help one mom not feel that she is alone then it is worth it.
That is something that I often have to tell myself often. There are so many stages of being a mom. So many emotions of happiness, joy and love that is unexplainable. There are also so many emotions of “what am I doing?”, “am I failing?”, “how did time pass so quickly?” Some days I am like “dang I am rocking this mom thing” and then quickly humbled and feel like ” Where did I go wrong?”
I am not sure if it is social media that we hear about so many events that we did not have as easy of access to before… Or the world is just going crazy. I know personally that it has been so hard being a parent in the last couple of years. Waking up to hear of so much sadness in this world, so much death, so many unknowns and uncertainty in day-to-day life. I have heard the words mental illness more in the last couple of years then I have in my whole life. Is that the problem? or is it because we have more pressures day to day than ever? Is it that we all want this picture-perfect life that we see posted on Instagram and when we don’t have it we feel as we failed? or is it just an excuse to do whatever we want? It could be a little of all of that to be honest. Living by Faith and not by sight has a whole new meaning for me.
Last year I lost my cousin because he took his own life. He was (is) so loved and it breaks my heart so much that he had so much pain that he was so good at hiding. I felt like I was in a fog from the moment I received that call. That same week we had to make a decision to pull my oldest son and move him to a different school. Knowing that was the right decision to make, it was hard and is still hard as a mom. I just felt in that moment that even if I did not know what the other side of it looked like it was something that had to be done. We never really know if 1 decision can mess our Child’s future in some way. In the mist of it… God showed us he was with us, and it ended up being a blessing. Long story short, he needed a major surgery that we would have not known was needed (or we would not have known in the time that was so crucial to have it done in). God was in EVERY detail. But for a 15/16-year-old that is still hard to understand and process. Watching your kid hurt mentally and physically is so painful. I would not wish that on my worst enemy. Now we are walking through his senior year and finding all the positives we can and still struggling at times with mourning what we thought it would be. He is still recovering from shoulder surgery and praying he can have his senior baseball season. His dream has always been to play college ball, he has given up so much because the love of the game and with this setback he gets so discouraged that it might not be attainable. I just pray and will keep praying Jeremiah 29:11 over him and the situation.
I entered a new season of motherhood this Fall. My oldest moved away to college. As I am so happy for her and love to see her venture to her new season of her life. I have days that I am totally fine and some days that I am literally crippled in fear because the thoughts that try to hold me captive. Getting online and seeing missing young women because of sex trafficking, college shootings and waking up in the middle of the night with nightmares that she was in an accident. I know that God is working on me in so many ways because I have to truly TRUST. We have our babies in our care for so many years and then in a blink of an eye we are supposed to let them fly. Which is normal, I know that in my head, my heart is taking a bit longer to align and understand the assignment. I have so many verses that I have to go to daily, one of my favorite ones is Isaiah 41:10.
Every challenge and Season can be a blessing, if you learn from it. I have learned that I am stronger than I could ever have imagined, I have learned that as much as I love my job and kids, my identity is not in my job or as a mom. Nothing is permanent and perfect and that is ok… Sometimes a detour is for a better destination. If life gets hard, take it day by day… if that is too hard… take it hour by hour and it is even ok to take it minute by minute. Just remember, KEEP GOING!
Always know that I am here for you… You are not alone!
It has been a while since I have been able to blog. Honestly, I think I have been going through the motions. Some days feel perfectly normal and some days I am so speechless. But I heard something the other day and it hit me. I was listening to Rachel Hollis’s pod cast and she said ” I am still here.. I will keep showing up”. That is my new mindset…
If you know me, you would know that I am bit of a control freak.. It is something that I try to let go of and it creeps back in. I was reminded that right now, I am not in control. I like a plan.. and right now I am having to “wing it”. It hit me really hard over the weekend. I have been to work and baseball since all of this has started. But, I decided to go into Sams Club ( the kids kept reminding me we needed groceries ). As much as I have not been in “fear” over Covid-19 and I thought I was handling things pretty well. Something about being around others made me realize that my mind was fighting a battle. One that I did not even realize. I left there crying to be honest. This is not the world that I expected to raise my children in. Oh , I was so ANGRY! I was so FEARFUL! I went through all emotions … pretty much all at once.
I sat in the quiet and prayed. I was reminded that I do have control. I have control over how I will react to things. I have control over my tongue and my words. I have control over my mind and my thoughts. I have control over if I will pick being positive over finding things that aren’t going the way I think they should go. Then I saw this picture and it was what my heart needed a reminder of. Our kids will be OK… No , none of this going on around us makes sense. No, None of us expected this year to turn our lives upside down in some areas. But, in some areas I have to say it has been a blessing. I know there is a teachable moment for me in this season and I just want to hold tighter to God’s word and be receptive to what I am supposed to get out of this season. Growing is uncomfortable, this season is uncomfortable. But, I will take it as I am learning and growing.
This morning I was thinking of the highs and lows of this last week. There is so much to write but I will try and keep it brief. Last week began with my daughter getting in a wreck, my son hurting his shoulder ( during baseball season), work being a world wind, one of my boys really needing extra attention for a math test , baseball games, softball games and we were going to end the week with a volleyball tournament in Houston. You know just a regular week for this crazy Mama…. I felt Myself getting so overwhelmed that my body was full of tension. So to be honest, I was not really in the loop about the COVID-19. You see it is hard to know what is going on around you when you are so focused on “your own issues”. Yep! Full confession. I started getting messages about the tournament possibly being canceled. Then I did what I really should not have done… I went on Facebook ( insert face palm) .
Since last week I have witnessed people in panic. Some of the same people posting the “Lets pray” or the same ones posting ” the government is doing it all wrong post”. If we love and honor God’s word we would just pray, honor and trust whom he has put in authority. Do I agree with everything that is happening around us? No! But, at the end of the day, I am not an expert and it really doesn’t matter. But what I do know is what the word of God says!
Romans 13:1-7 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Yes, this is a situation that none of us has ever had to deal with in our life time. I get it! I am a working mom that our household income is strictly driven off of the economy. I have employees that I am responsible for to make sure they get a paycheck. So this new “normal” can be scary.. If…I let it. But, You can’t have Faith and Fear! I am choosing to have Faith in the one that has NEVER failed me. Has life always been perfect.. No. But, have I always been taking care of, YES!
For the Moms that are now having to transition into the roles of teachers.. It is OK that we get frustrated and maybe a little overwhelmed. But lets not stay there. This is not like a hurricane or snow break. We are not stuck in the house with no power..( praise GOD) . Worse case is that they realize they are smarter than us after all. lol . This is just a season! So I rather make the best of it. Will it be all organized with the color charts?? NOPE! But, the work will get done. They will be alright and we will survive. I won’t make them feel as if they are a burden. We have to remember these are the kids that we have prayed for. I don’t understand why it is so painful for some Moms to be “stuck at home” with their kids. It is OK wanting a break but, we should not dread having to be with our children. If they are little monsters.. Remember , you are the ones that created them, so find away to deal with them .
This weekend EVERYTHING was canceled. I Can’t lie, it was so nice. We hung out, watched movies, cooked, baked and baked some more. We woke up Saturday and cleaned the house with No fighting.. I know right! I felt like I was in a twilight movie. I think the pressure was off… We didn’t “have” to be anywhere. As much as I enjoy all the kids activities and can’t wait to see them on the field and the court again. It really showed me that we don’t “have to always be busy”. It is something that we put on ourselves. I did attempt to go shopping on Saturday. Not that I was doing it out of fear of no food with the panic. Just because we are not use to being home and we really did not have food. I went with the expectation that it would be busy and I was right! But, just by me setting my mind before hand helped shift from what could have been aggravation to GRACE. Things were out and that just means I really did not need it that day and also I was happy that the stores are making record sales production. Sunday we decided that we wanted to cook something we had been saying we were going to cook, but never had the time to. So I went to a smaller grocery store in the next town from us. There were NO lines, everything that was on my list the day before was there, and did I mention NO lines.. Another little nugget from God for me was that they had more nuggets and blessings to follow.. I was not anxious . I did not think 1 time of the wreck. William made a 91 on the test I had been stressing for him over. I did not think 1 time of virtual school or work! I am normally an over thinker but that was lifted and released. Friday when it was all coming in like lighting I made a decision that I would choose joy and faith in ALL things.
Lastly, because this was way longer than I wanted.. Like we were told when we were younger. “If you didn’t hear it with your own ears, or see it with your own eyes”.. DON’T BELIEVE IT.. and for the love of all things don’t share it! There is so many pieces that are being taking out of context and is spreading the fear out there. Don’t be that person. Sharing it all on social media will not find a cure! Also, a little work add on… Mortgage Rates are not ZERO.. sorry to break the news. We all need to step back and stay in our own lane per say. If you are not a doctor.. then don’t try to give medical advice! If you are not in finance.. don’t give financial advice! If you need information about anything that you hear, find a professional and get it from them not Facebook. Let’s just take this time that we have to slow down and do just that.. SLOW DOWN! Please be in prayer for all the seniors and families. I know this is time that is being robbed from you in an aspect. I will continue to pray Jeremiah 29:11 over each one of you. Pray for all the medical professionals and for the health of all of us. At the end of this. I rather it be all for nothing; than to have acted as it was nothing and live to regret it. If anyone needs prayers please reach out to me!
“Stop Comparing Your Behind-The- Scenes to Someone’s Highlight Reel”
This picture of my 4 beautiful kids for the “first” day of school happened on the 2nd day of school. It was one of my less than proud moments of a Mom to date. I set my expectations way up there and then were surprised when it didn’t go as planned. So shame on me for that one. It went a little like this……
The boys go to a different school than my daughter. She had been in school almost 2 weeks before them. Her first day of school went pretty easy. We went have breakfast, she let me take pictures and then off to school she went. Well, when it came to the day the boys started school I had it all planned in my head and was ready to start checking things off my list. I got up early for my bible study ( I should have processed that a little more that morning), I made breakfast, had the coffee waiting on them for when they came downstairs and the cute little signs with their grades ready to be picture perfect.
So I got them all up and that is when the fun started. I had asked them all the night before to make sure their uniforms were ready and all their school things were together. Before I know it, we are running out of time and things were missing. I was going around fussing Anyone and Everyone.. innocent or guilty. We spent almost a hour looking for a belt that my son had days before. Finally, I was so frustrated that I loaded them all up and decided that he would have to face his consequences for not following the school dress code. I could not have the others late because of his actions. I allowed this to mess my whole day up. I was aggravated and kept thinking about that picture I didn’t get.
The next morning still on the picture kick. Looking back now I can laugh but I was seriously a crazy person… I got them up earlier and made sure he had that belt that appeared. I forced them to smile and a few threats went along with that. As I was taking the pictures something in my spirit asked me’ why are you doing this”. I thought to myself that I needed a first day of school picture and they could at least do that for me without complaining. But then I just stopped myself and told them to load up. I didn’t get a good picture and at that moment it was OK…
Yes, I was mad that he was irresponsible and at the fact that if they would just have let me take the picture without the complaints it would have been done quicker . But after thinking , praying and praying more. I was so convicted. It really hit me that I was frustrated because first my morning did not play out as planned.. (well when you have 4 kids that is to be expected). Especially the first day of school! Frustration comes from unrealistic expectations. Another reason I was so convicted was because I was letting the enemy get in my head and put shame. ” What kind of Mom am I if my kid doesn’t have his stuff together ?.. especially the first day of school”. As those thoughts came into my head instead of resisting and speaking truth to myself . I did the complete opposite. I yelled, punished and fussed more at him. Then , the most conviction came from that perfect picture that I had to have. Well our life is not perfect so why do we feel the need to make it that way on a picture? Sometimes our eyes are closed to things, we are tired, we don’t have it all together and that is OK! If it is the memories that we truly want to capture, then we should create bad memories to capture them. I am so thankful for a loving God that gives me so much grace and is so sweet in correcting me when I am wrong.
Deuteronomy 4:9
Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.
Looking at these pictures I am so thankful that I’m not where I was and praying that God continues to do a work on me. If I could tell my Younger self anything. It would be.” Time is short, don’t worry about the less than important stuff” . Emma is my oldest and Jacob is my 2nd born. They were born 17 months apart and were such sweet friends for a while …. then they went through a stage that they fought all of the time. Praise God ! that most of that is behind us. Now when I see this comparison, my mind wants to go straight to “how many mistakes I’ve made in the time between the two pictures.” That is the Enemy that wants me to think that. The word that God gave me was “life lessons”. I have had plenty of life lessons in a matter of 9 /10 or so years.
Emma was my first born. So I did what any mom did. I dressed her so cute , played learning games (that way she was so smart), and pretty much was raising her in an image that I thought God wanted for her. Without realizing I was passing my chains of perfection , self doubt and a “fixer”. I was turning my child into EVERYTHING that I struggled with the most. I was setting unrealistic expectations that she could have never necessarily met (what I do to myself ) . As she was in school she would get sick before a test , she signed up for everything to please people but didn’t realize what her likes or dislikes were. She thought I measured my love by what she accomplished.
Jacob is a sweet heart that has a huge heart for kids and the greatest love for baseball. He also has a HUGE expectation issue. He is so afraid to “hurt” my feeling or let anyone down. I remember him being in 2nd grade and wanting to please people and the teacher so bad. She told me, “Jacob was putting too much pressure on himself and he needed to see that if he got a name pull that the world would go on”. He hasn’t grown out of it , but it has gotten better. Baseball is definitely a battle in progress. When he wants something, there is no stopping him. He will work until he figures it out and excels in it. If he doesn’t want it, than it’s the opposite 🤦🏻♀️
We have been though many battles and test that I will share at another time. Just a little bit of information/ guidance. When I decided to change… My reactions / less of a reaction of the situations were the moments that we had the most breakthrough/bonding moments. Perfection is unrealistic expectations that can not be met. This is something that I had to see my kids walk through in order to change my own heart. We are all a work in progress.
The verse I would like you to pray and dig in more with me is
2 Corinthians 12:9VerseConcepts
And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness ” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me”
Hello! I am Heather “Paige” Moody.
I am a mother of 4 very active kids that have been/ are being raised in the Real Estate /mortgage world. I have always said that their first baby blanket was a file folder. I love to be able to teach that going the extra mile for others is such a blessing to us as well as the other person. Most importantly that no matter what the obstacle is that we must work hard and give it our all in all that we do. Our family lives at a field or a gym for most of the year. Between baseball, cheer, volleyball, football and anything they can possibly sign up for.
When I am not working ( or should I say.. not behind my desk) or attending an event for one of the kids . I really enjoy bible studies , reading and listening to podcast. My children go to 2 different schools and I am so blessed to be part of two Mom’s in Prayer groups. It is a National Organization that Moms can get together to pray for our children and our school.
Women’s Ministry has always been a calling of mine that I never felt that I was equipped for. But, God Equips the Called. So I am stepping out of faith and starting this blog. God has really spoken to my heart and I know that I want/need to do more. So I have prayed and was lead to do a blog. I feel that as Mothers and Women of God we need to stop judging and start be honest and transparent to ourselves and other Women. Let’s be totally honest… No one has it all together! I get that all the time, “How do you do it”? or ” when I see your social media post, you have it all together”. Well of course it looks like I do, but pictures can be deceiving. I can’t wait to see where this journey leads . Thank You for taking time to read and I really hope that we can be a community that comes together and shows support and love!
SOUTHERN MOM'S NOT- SO-SECRET BLOG 