Oh, how pretty snow is! I wasn't expecting it to hit us here! I was on my way home from an early grocery run this morning when flurries started and we have a nice little dusting here. The snow flakes are teeny tiny and it's very VERY slowly building. I expect we'll get less than a half inch, but it's always pretty to watch anyway. :-)
I realized I might need to back up and update our current situation. These older blogs are totally outdated. Chris is now working for Virginia Cooperative Extension and is the Agriculture and Natural Resources extension agent for our county. I used to serve as the Agriculture Development Director for the county, but as of December 31st, I am a full time Stay at Home Mama to our beautiful baby boy Landon.
It was a long and prayerful road that led us to the decision for me to be a full time SAHM. I made a decent salary working for the county, and obviously our biggest concern was financial. After I went through a serious internal battle with the decision, I had decided I needed to get over it and hire a babysitter so I could keep working and we wouldn't have to worry about money. We even went so far as to go meet our sitter and get a schedule worked out with her. She never kept Landon once.
She made a comment to me while meeting with her that basically in my eyes said she thought it would be better for Landon to come stay with her and have more of a full time routine than for me to keep him part time with me... Um, excuse me... but in what twisted world is it better for a child to spend MORE time away from his mother?! Obviously that rubbed me the wrong way! Besides that, we thought she would be fine and would take fine care of Landon. After we met with her, Chris went back to work and I came home with a gut wrenching feeling. I sat on the couch and bawled my eyes out and prayed to God to show me the way. Everywhere I turned I was seeing information about SAHM's and the benefits and people struggling with being working mothers. I felt so convicted to the core that I needed to be home with Landon, but I didn't want my decision to be based solely on my feelings of not "wanting" to leave him. I wanted God to show me that it was in his plan for me to stay home. And show me, he did!
I prayed very solidly and very specifically for God to throw something in my face if it was the wrong decision, and that if me staying home was in his plan for me to help us financially see it work and show us we would be ok. Not only did he not throw anything in our face, he opened up paths that convicted and encouraged me even more! I was obviously overjoyed with the revelation while Chris was still a little hesitant, but making the decision based on faith.
So here we are, entering our journey as a single income home, and relying on our Almighty God to take care of us and show us the way! Any time we enter your mind, we'd love you to say a little prayer for us!
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Thursday, January 23, 2014
My cup runneth over
People tell you lots of things before you become a mother. “Get
sleep while you can… You’ll end up having the epidural, you may as well just go
ahead and get it… You can forget about having a clean house… blah, blah, blah!” They tell you good things too, of
course. “There’s nothing like it, la,
de, dah.” There are plenty of things
they just can’t quite put into words for you though. Each woman has her own unique pregnancy and
birth experience. All I can say as
advice to any expectant mother is, your experience will be your own. It will be the hardest, yet most rewarding
thing you ever do. I know it was for
me.
Birthing Landon was certainly the hardest, most terrible
thing I’ve ever had to do, but it was absolutely, without a doubt the most
blessed and beautiful thing I have ever done.
I not only got to meet my long anticipated, beautifully healthy and
perfect baby boy, but my relationship with Christ and my marriage grew even
stronger through the experience. I don’t
know how people without faith make it through, because God was with me the
entire time. I know this for a
fact. Had I not been fervently praying
through the early and middle stages of labor, there’s no way I would have made
it to the end without an epidural… or passing out, one or the other! I wouldn’t have wanted anyone other than
Chris by my side that day, and I don’t know if I would have made it through the
very long day without him constantly with me.
You think you love your husband a lot, but when you deliver a baby with
him, that love grows by leaps and bounds!
Chris was my strength, my rock, my solid place.
I get emotional even as I type this to remember how special
that time was. While for most of the 19
hour ordeal I was in no shape for conversation or even opening my eyes (I was
in my zone big time!), Chris was as steady as I could have ever asked for. Every time a contraction came, he was my
strength. I grabbed his hands, and tried
to relax as much as possible as I breathed through them and prayed hard… very
hard! Chris never waivered, and was
there for every single contraction. At
one point, he was squeezing my hands harder than I was squeezing his! (Emotions
run high).
I am a very blessed and lucky woman. I have a loving and supportive husband who
was and is with me every step of the way.
I had a fairly easy pregnancy (besides the heart burn that made me feel
like someone constantly had a blow torch in my esophagus, and occasionally made
me believe I was going to hurl up my breakfast before I could finish it). I had absolutely no complications. I felt pretty good after the first trimester.
(I just learned to live with the heartburn.)
I think in some ways the heart burn was a bit of a blessing, because I certainly
couldn’t eat much, and it kept me from gaining too much weight. I gained about 30 pounds when I was pregnant
with Landon; about average I guess.
Not only was my pregnancy manageable, but I was certainly
blessed with a very healthy, easy-going and happy baby. (Every baby has their moments, but Landon
really is a happy baby!) The first week
I was in zombie mode and he slept like a little angel, which allowed me to
catch up as much as possible and for my body to heal. Through that time, Chris fixed me every
meal. Breastfeeding turns you into a
fattening hog! I felt like I could eat a
horse at every meal, and everything I ate tasted like the best thing I ever put
in my mouth! Even stuffing my face every
time I woke up, I dropped every pregnancy pound, plus a few within two weeks.
Breastfeeding does a body good!
Now that Landon is going on four months… I can still stand
by my saying he’s a good and happy baby. On most days, he wakes up with a huge
sweet gummy smile. He talks and laughs
and plays with us, will sit in his high chair in the kitchen while I cook and
clean, and can entertain himself long enough during his awake times that I can
get work done when I need to. And when I’m
not working on anything other than bonding and snuggling my little monkey, he
looks at me with adoration that I’m certain only a mother receives from her
babies. My heart literally feels like it is bursting and overflowing with love
sometimes.
I will never forget when they laid him on my chest at the
hospital all new, soft and warm, and he looked up at me with those big blue
eyes with such a calm and peaceful expression.
Like he just knew he was where he was meant to be. Or the first time he
really smiled, or the first time he uttered a sound, or the first time that
sweet little pudgy hand reached up and touched my face, and the grin that came
along with it as he discovered how to reach and use his hands! Or… the first time he slept through the
night, which was a mixture of joy and fear!
Motherhood has so far been the best thing I have ever
experienced! I know now why people say
they are afraid they won’t have enough love for another child, because you feel
like your heart can’t contain any more.
I am certain, however, that when the day comes (a few years down the
road) and Landon gets a little brother or sister, my heart will just grow a
little bigger to hold all the love that comes alone with another baby. For now, Landon’s free to take up as much
space as he needs. ;-)
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
One thing I know, I find all I need in your uneding love!
It's been a long time since I've written anything on here, but I have a pretty awesome story for this morning...
On my way to work this morning I was listening to K-Love, just like every other morning, but I thought back to a friend I had my freshman year of college. She was one of the first people I met in college because she was one of my suite-mates. I'll spare her name, but she is a great person. She is honest and fun and we had a lot of great talks and a lot of great times together. One thing I regret though, is that I never was bold enough in my faith at that time to really try and convict her or share with her much. I may have a little at a time, but she wasn't really all that open or perceptive to it. She lived her life and I think her heart was far from knowing Jesus. I'm sitting here today, taking partial blame for that, because I didn't really do much to help her to know Jesus.
So... she had commented on one of my pictures on facebook several months ago, which is why I was thinking about her this morning. After my freshman year I moved into an apartment with my sister and I may have seen my friend in passing but we didn't really spend any time together like we used to. So like people naturally do, we grew apart. It's funny though, because some people you grow apart from and the relationship just totally dies, but with her, I had pure joy every time we did meet in passing. I loved her as a friend and she was just a true and honest friend.
Well, on my drive to work this morning thinking about her, I was thinking about the fact that I never really did share much with her about Jesus and pondering on how I could now almost 6 years later when we've grown so far apart. I had several thoughts cross my mind about how perceptive she would be to it. I know how she lived her life back then, but I don't now. We were so drastically different, yet somehow we still were great friends. I was the goody-goody girl and she was not. I was thinking of how she would react if I did try now to lead her to Jesus. One thought I had is something that you hear from a lot of people. A lot of people think or say "you know what I've done. God won't forgive me." I worry that this might be her response to me when I do try and talk to her about it, so I was thinking and praying of a good way to reach her.
I have a short 15 minute commute to work, and about half-way to work, the Lord for it on my heart that I should share something from Luke with her. Where in Luke and why Luke I did not know. But it became very clear within about 5 minutes...
The morning hosts on K-Love brought up the question: "Have you ever failed?" Of course our natural response is, duh, of course I've failed. We are all sinners and we fail every day. It's only by God's grace that we're forgiven. That was the response of everyone on the radio show and of myself. Here's what he shared after that...
He had spoken with a pastor friend from Virginia who had posed that very question to him. "Have you failed?" Of course, like me and the others his response was quite easily "yes". The pastor asked "are you sure about that?" Here's what the pastor had to say... He quoted from... of all books.... Luke!!
He told the story of how Peter betrayed Jesus by denying him. However... in Luke 22: 32 Jesus says "But I have prayed for you, Simon (Peter), that your faith may not fail." Jesus himself prayed that Peter's faith would not fail. Even though Peter denied Christ three times, his faith in Jesus never failed and Jesus forgave Peter. As it says in Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." God worked this situation for good and Peter was forgiven. Peter may have wronged Jesus by denying him, but his faith never failed.
We can look at our life in the same way. We "fail" in our hearts every day by sin. But our faith is renewed by Christ and we are forgiven for all of our sins and failures. No matter how big or how small.
I just thought it was awesome how this story was brought o me this morning. God obviously very clearly sent this message to me this morning. For myself and to share with others!
So, may God bless you today, and may you know that no matter what you do, no matter how big of a "failure" you think you may be... Jesus loves you and he will forgive you for anything and everything you've ever done if you just ask him into your heart and earnestly desire his forgiveness, compassion and love. He is Lord after all, and he's got plenty to go around!
On my way to work this morning I was listening to K-Love, just like every other morning, but I thought back to a friend I had my freshman year of college. She was one of the first people I met in college because she was one of my suite-mates. I'll spare her name, but she is a great person. She is honest and fun and we had a lot of great talks and a lot of great times together. One thing I regret though, is that I never was bold enough in my faith at that time to really try and convict her or share with her much. I may have a little at a time, but she wasn't really all that open or perceptive to it. She lived her life and I think her heart was far from knowing Jesus. I'm sitting here today, taking partial blame for that, because I didn't really do much to help her to know Jesus.
So... she had commented on one of my pictures on facebook several months ago, which is why I was thinking about her this morning. After my freshman year I moved into an apartment with my sister and I may have seen my friend in passing but we didn't really spend any time together like we used to. So like people naturally do, we grew apart. It's funny though, because some people you grow apart from and the relationship just totally dies, but with her, I had pure joy every time we did meet in passing. I loved her as a friend and she was just a true and honest friend.
Well, on my drive to work this morning thinking about her, I was thinking about the fact that I never really did share much with her about Jesus and pondering on how I could now almost 6 years later when we've grown so far apart. I had several thoughts cross my mind about how perceptive she would be to it. I know how she lived her life back then, but I don't now. We were so drastically different, yet somehow we still were great friends. I was the goody-goody girl and she was not. I was thinking of how she would react if I did try now to lead her to Jesus. One thought I had is something that you hear from a lot of people. A lot of people think or say "you know what I've done. God won't forgive me." I worry that this might be her response to me when I do try and talk to her about it, so I was thinking and praying of a good way to reach her.
I have a short 15 minute commute to work, and about half-way to work, the Lord for it on my heart that I should share something from Luke with her. Where in Luke and why Luke I did not know. But it became very clear within about 5 minutes...
The morning hosts on K-Love brought up the question: "Have you ever failed?" Of course our natural response is, duh, of course I've failed. We are all sinners and we fail every day. It's only by God's grace that we're forgiven. That was the response of everyone on the radio show and of myself. Here's what he shared after that...
He had spoken with a pastor friend from Virginia who had posed that very question to him. "Have you failed?" Of course, like me and the others his response was quite easily "yes". The pastor asked "are you sure about that?" Here's what the pastor had to say... He quoted from... of all books.... Luke!!
He told the story of how Peter betrayed Jesus by denying him. However... in Luke 22: 32 Jesus says "But I have prayed for you, Simon (Peter), that your faith may not fail." Jesus himself prayed that Peter's faith would not fail. Even though Peter denied Christ three times, his faith in Jesus never failed and Jesus forgave Peter. As it says in Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." God worked this situation for good and Peter was forgiven. Peter may have wronged Jesus by denying him, but his faith never failed.
We can look at our life in the same way. We "fail" in our hearts every day by sin. But our faith is renewed by Christ and we are forgiven for all of our sins and failures. No matter how big or how small.
I just thought it was awesome how this story was brought o me this morning. God obviously very clearly sent this message to me this morning. For myself and to share with others!
So, may God bless you today, and may you know that no matter what you do, no matter how big of a "failure" you think you may be... Jesus loves you and he will forgive you for anything and everything you've ever done if you just ask him into your heart and earnestly desire his forgiveness, compassion and love. He is Lord after all, and he's got plenty to go around!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Only by God's Grace
I have a pretty awesome story to tell about God's grace...
Several weeks ago, Chris came home with a letter from the school... his intent to return form. He had to get the letter back to them within 3 or 4 weeks to let them know whether to plan on him returning to teach or not. Of course, last year it was a no-brainer... you have to give it a couple good years before you quit it. Well, he really is not happy teaching and I'm not happy with it either because of all the time spent away from home. Or, when he is home, he's still working on school work. So this year, we had some considering to do. It's really been taking away from simple pleasures in life because of his stress with teaching. So, when the letter came, we did a little soul searching... lots of talking and lots of praying. After a considerable amount of time praying about it, I had a total peace in my heart that he should stop teaching. Even if it meant being unemployed for a while, it would be worth it to get our life back. I made sure Chris knew that I stood behind him 100% no matter what he decided.
He called me at work one day during his lunch/planning period and said he thought he decided not to go back to teaching. He was going to return his form letting them know he did not intend to return. We got off the phone and I said a big long prayer for him, because I knew it would be stressing him out. I said a prayer for us in general, because this is sure to be no easy task. What if he's unemployed for longer than we can afford? What if he can't find any work at all, no matter the pay? We can make it on one income for a while, but not too long. We both began to worry a little about it. I kept praying, and Chris did too. We prayed together and separately.
The time came for his final decision and the deadline for the paper to be turned in, so he turned it in with his intent to leave.
A couple of weeks ago we were talking about it. He was expressing his concern and I said "I have totally accepted this as a blessing. We can get back to our normal selves and have a much more enjoyable life. If we have to live on one income for a while we will. We'll pay the bills, and even if we live off of rice and beans for a while, it will be worth it. God will provide us all of our needs, as long as we stay faithful." I was hoping this would make Chris feel better, but he simply said, "I'm just not there yet". He was still struggling with the worry about the finances.
Well, last Sunday night on the 11th, our nightly devotional we read together talked about how we need to be more specific with our prayers. We tend to generalize our prayers too much. So... Monday morning, Chris headed out for work, and as I sat down to eat my oatmeal, I had a long prayer before-hand. I prayed specifically for God to show Chris signs to help build his faith and know that we would be ok. I prayed for him to go into Chris' heart and give him a peace in knowing that everything would work out. I prayed for Chris to be able to accept what decisions we made and to live with the peace and comfort in that decision that I have. Then I turned it and specifically prayed for God to bring a job to Chris. For it to be a job somewhere in our area, local. Where Chris wouldn't have to drive more than 30 minutes or so to work and a job that he could enjoy.
That afternoon, I spoke with a lady I work with and she mentioned a county maintenance position opening. The pay wasn't great, but it's better than nothing, so that night Chris filled out the application. This could be his chance! We got excited about it and made sure the application looked nice. I took that and turned it in on Wednesday morning. Wednesday afternoon, Chris called me at work again...
He asked "how would you feel about me turning in a two weeks notice today?" I thought, "that's a quick turn-around time, God! I didn't know he'd feel that good about it!" This, however, did concern me. I was banking on the rest of the school year to get some of our debts in order before he was possibly unemployed for a questionable amount of time.
Chris said he had this overwhelming feeling come over him. A feeling like he's never had before, that he needed to quit his job now. He needed to put in his two weeks notice and be done with it. It scared me, and at first I told him I wasn't sure. But after we got off the phone, I prayed about it, and felt much better. I prayed specifically for Chris' worries to be gone and here they were lifting right off his shoulders. (Not entirely, but enough so that he had that step of faith to quit now.)
That night Chris worked on his official request for terminating his position. Basically, he wrote up his two weeks notice in a nice letter. One for the school board, one for the principal, and one for the CTE head. We printed those up on nice resume paper and he took the day off Thursday to go turn in all the letters.
Thursday morning, out of the blue, a friend called and says "how bad does Chris want to quit his job?" I think, well, he's turning in his two weeks notice today, but I simply asked "why?" He had a good friend from Helena in Clarksville who he had just spoken with. He just happened to ask him if he was looking for any help, and it just so happened he was looking for someone. Our friend told the man about Chris and put in a good word for him... He was interested and wanted to talk to Chris that day! He said it couldn't wait for tomorrow, he needed to call "today!" So I told Chris about it. Here two different jobs are being thrown at him, right after he has this overwhelming feeling, which I believe was a huge step of faith to quit his job.
It just so happened the man from Helena, which is a company that sells seeds and fertilizers, was going to be traveling to South Boston and wanted to meet with Chris. Of course, Chris fixed up his resume and went to meet with the man. It all just seems too good to be true, and when we talked about whether or not he would accept the position if offered... all I could think is this...
Sometimes we pray for things and they just don't happen. But then sometimes we pray for things, and God can blow us out of the water with his unending love and mercy and grace. I think this is one of those times where God is truly just turning around and specifically answering our prayers. It's amazing!
Chris is supposed to be getting a call today. Our friend said he spoke with the man the day after he met with Chris. He really liked Chris and as far as he was concerned he would offer the position to him. They'd been looking since November and haven't found the right person. He just had to ok it with his manager. So, Chris is holding tightly to his phone today and waiting to hear back. Whether or not they offer him the job, we truly see it as an amazing blessing from God that there is no need to worry. If we just have faith in him when we pray, he's going to answer them, whether it be our way or his.
So, keep praying and pray specifically, and sincerely. God will answer those prayers in his way and in his time!
Several weeks ago, Chris came home with a letter from the school... his intent to return form. He had to get the letter back to them within 3 or 4 weeks to let them know whether to plan on him returning to teach or not. Of course, last year it was a no-brainer... you have to give it a couple good years before you quit it. Well, he really is not happy teaching and I'm not happy with it either because of all the time spent away from home. Or, when he is home, he's still working on school work. So this year, we had some considering to do. It's really been taking away from simple pleasures in life because of his stress with teaching. So, when the letter came, we did a little soul searching... lots of talking and lots of praying. After a considerable amount of time praying about it, I had a total peace in my heart that he should stop teaching. Even if it meant being unemployed for a while, it would be worth it to get our life back. I made sure Chris knew that I stood behind him 100% no matter what he decided.
He called me at work one day during his lunch/planning period and said he thought he decided not to go back to teaching. He was going to return his form letting them know he did not intend to return. We got off the phone and I said a big long prayer for him, because I knew it would be stressing him out. I said a prayer for us in general, because this is sure to be no easy task. What if he's unemployed for longer than we can afford? What if he can't find any work at all, no matter the pay? We can make it on one income for a while, but not too long. We both began to worry a little about it. I kept praying, and Chris did too. We prayed together and separately.
The time came for his final decision and the deadline for the paper to be turned in, so he turned it in with his intent to leave.
A couple of weeks ago we were talking about it. He was expressing his concern and I said "I have totally accepted this as a blessing. We can get back to our normal selves and have a much more enjoyable life. If we have to live on one income for a while we will. We'll pay the bills, and even if we live off of rice and beans for a while, it will be worth it. God will provide us all of our needs, as long as we stay faithful." I was hoping this would make Chris feel better, but he simply said, "I'm just not there yet". He was still struggling with the worry about the finances.
Well, last Sunday night on the 11th, our nightly devotional we read together talked about how we need to be more specific with our prayers. We tend to generalize our prayers too much. So... Monday morning, Chris headed out for work, and as I sat down to eat my oatmeal, I had a long prayer before-hand. I prayed specifically for God to show Chris signs to help build his faith and know that we would be ok. I prayed for him to go into Chris' heart and give him a peace in knowing that everything would work out. I prayed for Chris to be able to accept what decisions we made and to live with the peace and comfort in that decision that I have. Then I turned it and specifically prayed for God to bring a job to Chris. For it to be a job somewhere in our area, local. Where Chris wouldn't have to drive more than 30 minutes or so to work and a job that he could enjoy.
That afternoon, I spoke with a lady I work with and she mentioned a county maintenance position opening. The pay wasn't great, but it's better than nothing, so that night Chris filled out the application. This could be his chance! We got excited about it and made sure the application looked nice. I took that and turned it in on Wednesday morning. Wednesday afternoon, Chris called me at work again...
He asked "how would you feel about me turning in a two weeks notice today?" I thought, "that's a quick turn-around time, God! I didn't know he'd feel that good about it!" This, however, did concern me. I was banking on the rest of the school year to get some of our debts in order before he was possibly unemployed for a questionable amount of time.
Chris said he had this overwhelming feeling come over him. A feeling like he's never had before, that he needed to quit his job now. He needed to put in his two weeks notice and be done with it. It scared me, and at first I told him I wasn't sure. But after we got off the phone, I prayed about it, and felt much better. I prayed specifically for Chris' worries to be gone and here they were lifting right off his shoulders. (Not entirely, but enough so that he had that step of faith to quit now.)
That night Chris worked on his official request for terminating his position. Basically, he wrote up his two weeks notice in a nice letter. One for the school board, one for the principal, and one for the CTE head. We printed those up on nice resume paper and he took the day off Thursday to go turn in all the letters.
Thursday morning, out of the blue, a friend called and says "how bad does Chris want to quit his job?" I think, well, he's turning in his two weeks notice today, but I simply asked "why?" He had a good friend from Helena in Clarksville who he had just spoken with. He just happened to ask him if he was looking for any help, and it just so happened he was looking for someone. Our friend told the man about Chris and put in a good word for him... He was interested and wanted to talk to Chris that day! He said it couldn't wait for tomorrow, he needed to call "today!" So I told Chris about it. Here two different jobs are being thrown at him, right after he has this overwhelming feeling, which I believe was a huge step of faith to quit his job.
It just so happened the man from Helena, which is a company that sells seeds and fertilizers, was going to be traveling to South Boston and wanted to meet with Chris. Of course, Chris fixed up his resume and went to meet with the man. It all just seems too good to be true, and when we talked about whether or not he would accept the position if offered... all I could think is this...
Sometimes we pray for things and they just don't happen. But then sometimes we pray for things, and God can blow us out of the water with his unending love and mercy and grace. I think this is one of those times where God is truly just turning around and specifically answering our prayers. It's amazing!
Chris is supposed to be getting a call today. Our friend said he spoke with the man the day after he met with Chris. He really liked Chris and as far as he was concerned he would offer the position to him. They'd been looking since November and haven't found the right person. He just had to ok it with his manager. So, Chris is holding tightly to his phone today and waiting to hear back. Whether or not they offer him the job, we truly see it as an amazing blessing from God that there is no need to worry. If we just have faith in him when we pray, he's going to answer them, whether it be our way or his.
So, keep praying and pray specifically, and sincerely. God will answer those prayers in his way and in his time!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
God's pretty awesome! :)
So I've been reading "The Resolution for Women"... a take-off from the "Courageous" book and movie. I thought it would a good read to kind of keep me on track, I guess. I loved the book and movie it's based off of, so I figured why not. Well wouldn't ya know that God is totally speaking out to me. I'll admit this, I'm a person that once I get an idea in my head that I like, I really want to fulfill that idea. I know I am very blessed and really couldn't ask for more, but I guess I get caught up sometimes in the things that I'd really like "now" and not a few years from now. I'm not talking materialistically, here... just personal things I guess. With the economy the way it is, it's a little scary to wonder what the future may hold. Chris is going to be leaving his job after this year so we'll be looking for him something new. I'm very happy for that. It's stressful, but it's a good thing. Anywho... so far the book has been pretty much screaming at me to be content. I've been reading it for about a week at a very slow pace so that I can really take in the message from it. Contentment, contentment.... contentment. I've been thinking about it, praying really hard about and for it, and really wanting to settle my life into a life full of contentment. I think we are generally brought up to always expect more and expect better. "Don't settle" those are words I heard often. They're totally needed sometimes, but at other times, you just have to learn to be content.
Well, after about a week of reading very slowly chapter at a time and praying daily about it... here's what my daily devotional reading was about today... ready??................CONTENTMENT!!!
Philippians 4: 6-13
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admireable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
I've sort of struggled for the past week... why can't I always be content? Why do I feel like I need more? Well, taken from my devotional "Our Daily Bread" ... "notice the phrase in verse 12... 'I have learned'. Learning takes time. It is a process marked by trial and error, and by perseverance. Aren't you glad that our teacher, the Lord Jesus, is patient with us?"
Shew... what a relief, huh? As with anything... Jesus is always patient. It takes time for our simple human minds and hearts. Jesus is perfect, but we most definitely are not! He loves us enough to give us the time we need to get everything straight. Halleluia for that!
Well, after about a week of reading very slowly chapter at a time and praying daily about it... here's what my daily devotional reading was about today... ready??................CONTENTMENT!!!
Philippians 4: 6-13
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admireable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
I've sort of struggled for the past week... why can't I always be content? Why do I feel like I need more? Well, taken from my devotional "Our Daily Bread" ... "notice the phrase in verse 12... 'I have learned'. Learning takes time. It is a process marked by trial and error, and by perseverance. Aren't you glad that our teacher, the Lord Jesus, is patient with us?"
Shew... what a relief, huh? As with anything... Jesus is always patient. It takes time for our simple human minds and hearts. Jesus is perfect, but we most definitely are not! He loves us enough to give us the time we need to get everything straight. Halleluia for that!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
The glory of suffering
Romans 8:17
"Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
Let me just say this... I really dislike suffering. I don't like to suffer and its even worse sometimes to see others suffer. It's a sure part of life though. We all suffer at some point. Whether it be in our relationships, our finances, our work, etc. Ok, if we're honest, we really suffer over things that are very unsubstantial. We all have worries, but are we really suffering or are we just being babies about it? What are the things in your life that make you feel like you're suffering? Is it that you had to stay late at work? Did you get behind a bus this morning that made you late? Did the dog jump on you and get muddy paw prints all over your work clothes, making you have to run in and change last minute? Is the line at the gas pump ridiculous or how about the price itself?...OR... Is your kid sick...really sick? Is your marriage failing? Do you have cancer? Did your spouse just die? Are you just lacking that something in your life to make you happy?
I know it's a lot easier said than done, but I'm gonna say it anyway... turn to Jesus! I went through a pretty rotten rut in my life about a 16 months back and every day was a suffering challenge for me. Time.. I had absolutely no time for me, no time to do anything I wanted or needed. No time to sleep... no time to relax... no time to have a life of my own. I gave up my life and was really living a life for someone else. Time became a precious thing and an enemy all the same. I stopped going to church. Hey... I didn't have time for that, remember? I stopped reading my Bible... a time issue! And at one point I even stopped praying. I was so angry with God. Why, if he could do all these wonderful miraculous things, couldn't he just make my life just a little better, easier?!
Then, one day, he did! It wasn't anywhere near the time I wanted him to, but in time, he did. There was the wonderful, miraculous God I used to know! Then, not only did he fill my rut in, where I wasn't living quite so deeply in it, but he started filling that rut full! Instead of living in a rut, I had a daggone heaping mound to live on!
I went through my suffering stage. Who doesn't? Who's to say I won't have another rut some time? But I know God will always see me out of it. He'll always be trying to fill that rut in and give you a heaping mound. It's just a matter of whether or not we're seeing what he's doing in our lives. Are your eyes open to see God's wonderful miraculous signs? Mine weren't for a long time, and that was my fault. Now Christ has opened my eyes and I can see the fullness of his glory!
I suffered, allright. But when I find myself so-called "suffering" through something now, I try really hard to think about Christ. I try to see that mental picture of him bruised, swollen and bloody hanging from the cross. For me! We will never in our lives suffer the way Christ suffered. And he went through all of that suffering for me... for you... for US! ALL of us!! When we go through our sufferings, as hard as it is, we have to have faith and know the suffering will end and Jesus will rise up and bring joy in our hearts again. In suffering, trust and have faith in Him. Only then will you see the real glories of all God has done, all Christ has done! When we share in his sufferings, we also will share in his glory!
God Bless You!
"Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
Let me just say this... I really dislike suffering. I don't like to suffer and its even worse sometimes to see others suffer. It's a sure part of life though. We all suffer at some point. Whether it be in our relationships, our finances, our work, etc. Ok, if we're honest, we really suffer over things that are very unsubstantial. We all have worries, but are we really suffering or are we just being babies about it? What are the things in your life that make you feel like you're suffering? Is it that you had to stay late at work? Did you get behind a bus this morning that made you late? Did the dog jump on you and get muddy paw prints all over your work clothes, making you have to run in and change last minute? Is the line at the gas pump ridiculous or how about the price itself?...OR... Is your kid sick...really sick? Is your marriage failing? Do you have cancer? Did your spouse just die? Are you just lacking that something in your life to make you happy?
I know it's a lot easier said than done, but I'm gonna say it anyway... turn to Jesus! I went through a pretty rotten rut in my life about a 16 months back and every day was a suffering challenge for me. Time.. I had absolutely no time for me, no time to do anything I wanted or needed. No time to sleep... no time to relax... no time to have a life of my own. I gave up my life and was really living a life for someone else. Time became a precious thing and an enemy all the same. I stopped going to church. Hey... I didn't have time for that, remember? I stopped reading my Bible... a time issue! And at one point I even stopped praying. I was so angry with God. Why, if he could do all these wonderful miraculous things, couldn't he just make my life just a little better, easier?!
Then, one day, he did! It wasn't anywhere near the time I wanted him to, but in time, he did. There was the wonderful, miraculous God I used to know! Then, not only did he fill my rut in, where I wasn't living quite so deeply in it, but he started filling that rut full! Instead of living in a rut, I had a daggone heaping mound to live on!
I went through my suffering stage. Who doesn't? Who's to say I won't have another rut some time? But I know God will always see me out of it. He'll always be trying to fill that rut in and give you a heaping mound. It's just a matter of whether or not we're seeing what he's doing in our lives. Are your eyes open to see God's wonderful miraculous signs? Mine weren't for a long time, and that was my fault. Now Christ has opened my eyes and I can see the fullness of his glory!
I suffered, allright. But when I find myself so-called "suffering" through something now, I try really hard to think about Christ. I try to see that mental picture of him bruised, swollen and bloody hanging from the cross. For me! We will never in our lives suffer the way Christ suffered. And he went through all of that suffering for me... for you... for US! ALL of us!! When we go through our sufferings, as hard as it is, we have to have faith and know the suffering will end and Jesus will rise up and bring joy in our hearts again. In suffering, trust and have faith in Him. Only then will you see the real glories of all God has done, all Christ has done! When we share in his sufferings, we also will share in his glory!
God Bless You!
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