One of my favorite things to do in the blogger world is steal post ideas from my fellow bloggers. Emily over at "The Thought Spot ..." has the coolest blog I've ever seen, and I'm stealing her "Thankful Joy" post so that I can share what I'm thankful for too. Yay! So here goes ...
I'm incredibly thankful for ....
#1 - The Holy Spirit's work in my life every single day!
#2 - My wonderful, loving, beautiful, godly husband, Darrell :)
#3 - Lessons - God is teaching me so much about being thankful and practicing His presence ... and after my devotions last night, I think He's gonna start a new lesson about being zealous in my relationship with Him and finding new ways to serve Him (taken from Romans 12:11). I'm so thankful that God continues to teach us when we devote ourselves to seeking Him!
#4 - My friends - even though I rarely get to see them anymore, I have some pretty awesome friends who continue to be my friend, allow us to pick up where we leave off, and love me always. I have so many great friends, but the friends I'm specifically talking about are Emily, Maggie, Hannah, Sara-Ruth, Shelley, and Tiffany. I am so thankful for lasting, godly friendships.
#5 - Youth ministry - My husband and I work as youth pastors at our little church in Danville, and we are absolutely in love with our kids! Teenagers (and now, college-age folks!) are amazing!!!
#6 - God's provision - He works in my life everyday, provides for the needs of my husband and me, blesses us everyday in small, if not big ways.
#7 - A trip to Nashville to see Emily soon! I am sooooo excited to see Emily next month! I never get to see her or talk to her anymore ... so I can't wait!!!! :)
#8 - Joy
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Dear Rick and Patti
Rick and Patti are my Bible study leaders, and they are amazing people of God. I recently wrote them this email .... and once I got done writing it, I thought how well it tells about what God has been teaching me lately and how I am growing in the Lord ... so I wanted to share this encouragement with all of you. :)
Dear, Rick and Patti,
Thank you so much for teaching us so much about thankfulness. Thank you for being a true example of thankfulness and sharing testimonies about how thankfulness has changed your perspective. Thank you for promoting an attitude of thankfulness week after week at Bible study. You guys are an amazing encouragement to me! I am so thankful for you both and for our 20somethings group. God is so good!
I have been learning so much about thankfulness AND practicing the presence of God over the past couple of months. For so long, I was so discontent with my job. I just felt like what I did meant nothing, and I had so much downtime that I was losing my mind. I was so physically and emotionally drained. And it was all because I was NOT practicing thankfulness. ... Well, I have been learning and living thankfulness, and wow! Thankfulness really does change everything! I really enjoy my job now. I feel purpose in it. I find joy in so many little things throughout the day. I am using my downtime more wisely. And I am sooo thankful for my job AND my season of life! And ya know what? I just got a 4.2% raise, and I found out that I have 2 personal days paid! I considered it a HUGE blessing, and through it, I believe God was telling me, "Hey, if you just chill out, I'll take care of you ... I wanna bless you and teach you at the same time!" And wow, does He take care of me! I am so grateful for His grace and love and the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. God is so incredibly good! I haven't been this content and excited since I was in high school.
Psalm 37:3 really is the key to life!
Trust in the Lord.
Do good.
Dwell in the land.
Befriend faithfulness.
(And I don't think God will mind if I add ...)
Be thankful.
Wow! And really ... add verses 4 and 5 .....
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desire of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, and He will act.
'Cause that's what trusting, doing good, enduring, faithfulness, and thankfulness do ... they are God's desire for us, which becomes OUR true desire which results in God acting in our lives! And hey, doesn't that sound like abundant life?? :D
Thank you, Jesus! And thank you, Rick and Patti, for being faithful, thankful, and a wonderful example of Jesus in my life.
Love you guys,
Mical :)
Dear, Rick and Patti,
Thank you so much for teaching us so much about thankfulness. Thank you for being a true example of thankfulness and sharing testimonies about how thankfulness has changed your perspective. Thank you for promoting an attitude of thankfulness week after week at Bible study. You guys are an amazing encouragement to me! I am so thankful for you both and for our 20somethings group. God is so good!
I have been learning so much about thankfulness AND practicing the presence of God over the past couple of months. For so long, I was so discontent with my job. I just felt like what I did meant nothing, and I had so much downtime that I was losing my mind. I was so physically and emotionally drained. And it was all because I was NOT practicing thankfulness. ... Well, I have been learning and living thankfulness, and wow! Thankfulness really does change everything! I really enjoy my job now. I feel purpose in it. I find joy in so many little things throughout the day. I am using my downtime more wisely. And I am sooo thankful for my job AND my season of life! And ya know what? I just got a 4.2% raise, and I found out that I have 2 personal days paid! I considered it a HUGE blessing, and through it, I believe God was telling me, "Hey, if you just chill out, I'll take care of you ... I wanna bless you and teach you at the same time!" And wow, does He take care of me! I am so grateful for His grace and love and the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. God is so incredibly good! I haven't been this content and excited since I was in high school.
Psalm 37:3 really is the key to life!
Trust in the Lord.
Do good.
Dwell in the land.
Befriend faithfulness.
(And I don't think God will mind if I add ...)
Be thankful.
Wow! And really ... add verses 4 and 5 .....
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desire of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, and He will act.
'Cause that's what trusting, doing good, enduring, faithfulness, and thankfulness do ... they are God's desire for us, which becomes OUR true desire which results in God acting in our lives! And hey, doesn't that sound like abundant life?? :D
Thank you, Jesus! And thank you, Rick and Patti, for being faithful, thankful, and a wonderful example of Jesus in my life.
Love you guys,
Mical :)
Friday, September 27, 2013
An Empowering, Supportive Wife
So I'm reading this book called Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers. Ladies, if you haven't read anything by Rivers, I suggest you find something by her. I DON'T like to read, but every book I've picked up by her, I've really liked! Anyways ... I'm not quite halfway through Her Mother's Hope, and I've been frustrated with the main character, Marta, for the past 60 pages or so. It's difficult to let you know all the details without writing forever and giving away the story. But I think Marta has stubborn and bitter and selfish tendencies, and she makes me think about the way I wanna support my husband. I don't think Marta has done a good job of supporting her husband throughout the course of this book. Maybe she'll get better; I still have a lot to read. And I understand Marta's worries about finances and whether or not her husband will find a job in the new places and the many changes happening to her and her family. But this book has stirred up some questions ....
We may have certain dreams, but what about the dream of being loved by a good man and raising a family together? When you get married, shouldn't your dreams be your husband's dreams and your husband's dreams be your dreams? It's a partnership, isn't it? Why is Marta so opposed to everything Niclas wants? I understand having your own hopes and dreams, but what about supporting your husband? What about putting his needs before your own?
I don't know if I'm anywhere close to doing these things for my Darrell, but I want to ... and I try. I want to be a wife who loves and supports and trusts my husband. I want to believe in my husband and believe in his dreams. I want his dreams to be my dreams. I want to be uplifting to my husband and give him courage, not tear him down and nag him with my worries. I think it's okay to have separate dreams from your husband because God has given each of us a specific calling on this planet. But when you become one with your husband, sometimes you have to sacrifice or tweak your dreams. Sometimes you don't. But either way, to some extent, your dreams should become your husband's dreams, and his dreams should become your dreams. I don't know how to explain what I'm feeling other than to say ... you must work together in your dreams, support one another, help each other in any way you can. Be unselfish. Be ready and willing to tweak and give things up and compromise (the good kind of compromise). I just so badly wanna be selfless and supportive.
God, I pray for the strength to be the kind of wife who encourages and empowers my husband. Please help me be a wife who loves selflessly and unconditionally. Help me be a wife who looks to fulfill my husband's needs first. Teach me to always listen to You and trust You first so that I can listen to and trust my husband. Give me courage to always trust You and face change with an eternal perspective no matter what comes our way. Please be glorified in our lives and in our marriage. Thank you for Your grace and mercy and strength for each day. I love you, Lord.
We may have certain dreams, but what about the dream of being loved by a good man and raising a family together? When you get married, shouldn't your dreams be your husband's dreams and your husband's dreams be your dreams? It's a partnership, isn't it? Why is Marta so opposed to everything Niclas wants? I understand having your own hopes and dreams, but what about supporting your husband? What about putting his needs before your own?
I don't know if I'm anywhere close to doing these things for my Darrell, but I want to ... and I try. I want to be a wife who loves and supports and trusts my husband. I want to believe in my husband and believe in his dreams. I want his dreams to be my dreams. I want to be uplifting to my husband and give him courage, not tear him down and nag him with my worries. I think it's okay to have separate dreams from your husband because God has given each of us a specific calling on this planet. But when you become one with your husband, sometimes you have to sacrifice or tweak your dreams. Sometimes you don't. But either way, to some extent, your dreams should become your husband's dreams, and his dreams should become your dreams. I don't know how to explain what I'm feeling other than to say ... you must work together in your dreams, support one another, help each other in any way you can. Be unselfish. Be ready and willing to tweak and give things up and compromise (the good kind of compromise). I just so badly wanna be selfless and supportive.
God, I pray for the strength to be the kind of wife who encourages and empowers my husband. Please help me be a wife who loves selflessly and unconditionally. Help me be a wife who looks to fulfill my husband's needs first. Teach me to always listen to You and trust You first so that I can listen to and trust my husband. Give me courage to always trust You and face change with an eternal perspective no matter what comes our way. Please be glorified in our lives and in our marriage. Thank you for Your grace and mercy and strength for each day. I love you, Lord.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Currently ... (Stolen from Emily)
I'm stealing this idea from Emily's blog over at "The Thought Spot ..." ...........
Currently, I am ...
~ Watching ...
Lost.
Yes, everyone has already told me I should stop now before it's too late. Haha! I hear the ending is pretty lame ... but I'm too hooked to quit. So I guess I'll be disappointed like everyone else; I'll be bummed I didn't stop when everyone told me to; and then I'll move on to Downton Abbey.
Justice League.
I think Darrell has given up trying to watch this WITH me, which is okay. But we started watching it together ... but when we watched it late at night, I just couldn't keep my eyes open. (I can't do that with any show late at night though!) So I think he moved on without me.
~ Reading ...
My ESV Bible.
Almost everyday. :) The past couple of weeks were a real struggle, but before and after that ... almost everyday. Yay! Been lovin' me some Psalm 37:3!
When Perfect Isn't Enough by Nancy Kennedy.
It's a book/devotional that I've been working through for quite some time. It's all about the Proverbs 31 woman. Lots of human, even more great questions to ponder and Scripture to soak up and think about. My journal is full of thoughts about the Proverbs 31 woman. It's so great!
Boundaries by Cloud/Townsend.
Not sure I can count this as what I'm currently reading 'cause I don't know when I last read part of it. But I started reading it several weeks ago, didn't even make it through the first chapter, and it's been sitting on the top shelf of my bookcase ready to read ever since.
Freedom Writers Diary.
Again, I probably can't count this one either. I started reading this the day of my big Praxis exam but haven't read any of it since ... and that was over a month ago.
I may be the worst reader ever!
~ Eating ...
Junk food.
Yeah. I've been really struggling to eat well for several months now. It's so easy to get in a rut. And when your husband thinks you're the "sexiest woman in the world," it's easy to say, "I'm good enough for my husband, so that's good enough for me." But I do want to be healthier and have more energy and lose a little weight ... so I am still trying to do better.
Trader Joe's/Organic and All-Natural Foods.
I will say I have been doing our grocery shopping at Trader Joe's and the organic/all-natural sections of Meijer for the past 6 months ... so I'm making progress. And boy, do I love Trader Joe's!
~ Drinking ...
Sweet tea!
Yep, I'm addicted. Overall, I am drinking less sweet tea than I used to ... but I'm not sure I'll ever give it up.
Water.
I am working at drinking more water than anything else!
~ Learning ...
Psalm 37:3.
"Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and befriend faithfulness." I am learning more and more to trust God completely, even when I don't understand or like what's going on. I am learning that God is more concerned with our faithfulness than our happiness or success or even fulfilling His calling for our lives ... because that IS His ultimate calling for our lives - to be faithful no matter where we're at or what we're doing.
Thankfulness.
I am learning to replace bad attitudes and discontentment and not being a teacher with thankfulness. I am learning to praise and thank God instead of complaining.
This was fun! You should do it too! I'll ask what Emily asked ...
What are YOU doing CURRENTLY??? :)
Currently, I am ...
~ Watching ...
Lost.
Yes, everyone has already told me I should stop now before it's too late. Haha! I hear the ending is pretty lame ... but I'm too hooked to quit. So I guess I'll be disappointed like everyone else; I'll be bummed I didn't stop when everyone told me to; and then I'll move on to Downton Abbey.
Justice League.
I think Darrell has given up trying to watch this WITH me, which is okay. But we started watching it together ... but when we watched it late at night, I just couldn't keep my eyes open. (I can't do that with any show late at night though!) So I think he moved on without me.
~ Reading ...
My ESV Bible.
Almost everyday. :) The past couple of weeks were a real struggle, but before and after that ... almost everyday. Yay! Been lovin' me some Psalm 37:3!
When Perfect Isn't Enough by Nancy Kennedy.
It's a book/devotional that I've been working through for quite some time. It's all about the Proverbs 31 woman. Lots of human, even more great questions to ponder and Scripture to soak up and think about. My journal is full of thoughts about the Proverbs 31 woman. It's so great!
Boundaries by Cloud/Townsend.
Not sure I can count this as what I'm currently reading 'cause I don't know when I last read part of it. But I started reading it several weeks ago, didn't even make it through the first chapter, and it's been sitting on the top shelf of my bookcase ready to read ever since.
Freedom Writers Diary.
Again, I probably can't count this one either. I started reading this the day of my big Praxis exam but haven't read any of it since ... and that was over a month ago.
I may be the worst reader ever!
~ Eating ...
Junk food.
Yeah. I've been really struggling to eat well for several months now. It's so easy to get in a rut. And when your husband thinks you're the "sexiest woman in the world," it's easy to say, "I'm good enough for my husband, so that's good enough for me." But I do want to be healthier and have more energy and lose a little weight ... so I am still trying to do better.
Trader Joe's/Organic and All-Natural Foods.
I will say I have been doing our grocery shopping at Trader Joe's and the organic/all-natural sections of Meijer for the past 6 months ... so I'm making progress. And boy, do I love Trader Joe's!
~ Drinking ...
Sweet tea!
Yep, I'm addicted. Overall, I am drinking less sweet tea than I used to ... but I'm not sure I'll ever give it up.
Water.
I am working at drinking more water than anything else!
~ Learning ...
Psalm 37:3.
"Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and befriend faithfulness." I am learning more and more to trust God completely, even when I don't understand or like what's going on. I am learning that God is more concerned with our faithfulness than our happiness or success or even fulfilling His calling for our lives ... because that IS His ultimate calling for our lives - to be faithful no matter where we're at or what we're doing.
Thankfulness.
I am learning to replace bad attitudes and discontentment and not being a teacher with thankfulness. I am learning to praise and thank God instead of complaining.
This was fun! You should do it too! I'll ask what Emily asked ...
What are YOU doing CURRENTLY??? :)
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Something I'm Learning ... and Learning ... and Learning :)
I totally understand the struggle in figuring out God's will. I've been trying to figure it out since I graduated from high school. Honestly, it's been incredibly discouraging at times ... but ya know, I'm learning that ultimately, God just wants our faithfulness. He wants us to be faithful where He's got us, even when we don't understand it, even when we don't like it, even when we ache for something more or something different.
Psalm 37:3 is my life verse ... "Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and befriend faithfulness." It's the key to life! Really, it is! God has a plan for our lives, yes. But really ... He just wants us to trust Him no matter where we are or what we're doing, do good to the people around us and in this crazy world, be all in (dwell in the land) where He's got us (or at the very least, endure where we are! haha!), and be faithful to Him, to our spouses, to our friends and families, and to the people and tasks He's called us to now.
This has been such a hard lesson for me to learn ... and I'm not done learning it! ... Sheesh, I'm crying as I'm typing this because God has just been so at work in me about this lately. I am so thankful! God is just so faithful ... and He NEVER leaves me. I am just so thankful. I have been learning this lesson even more so lately because God has not allowed me to pass my Praxis exam to become a teacher for several years now. I've nearly given up more than once. But I recently tried again ... and I passed (one of the two tests at least)!!! And I am taking steps toward becoming a teacher once again. But for a long time, I struggled with some bitterness, some frustration, and just some flat out discouragement because I couldn't have my dream job. I could never have what I believe God had promised me. But what I've found is that, over the past several years, God has been growing me! He has been growing me in HIS dream job for me (simply to be faithful no matter where I'm at or what I'm doing), and He has been growing me in trusting Him more.
I have my moments, but I can honestly and wholeheartedly say that no matter what happens with this Praxis exam, I'm cool. I'm not worried. Even if I don't get hired as a teacher right away ... or ever. Even if we can't afford the Transition to Teaching program that I have to finish before I can truly solidify a job. Even if I get pregnant and don't teach because I'm staying home with our baby (haha! Don't think about that one too hard ... I'm just saying ... it could happen. ;)). Even if I have to work in a job I'm not very excited about (I'm learning another lesson concerning this too - thankfulness!) No matter what. I'm good with whatever God wants to do. And I feel such peace. That is HUGE for me. Peace comes from trusting God. I have grown in my trust of God. And I think, in the end, that's the greatest lesson you can learn on this planet ... to trust God with all your heart. ... Things are gonna change. Finances are gonna be tight. You're gonna get pregnant when you least expect it (or at the very least, you aren't gonna have a clue how to raise the kid even if you knew he was coming!). You're gonna say something stupid to make your husband feel bad. He's gonna say something stupid to you too. You're gonna be selfish. You're gonna be dissatisfied with your job or your flabby belly or your attitude or your season of life. Your loved one is going to die. Things are gonna change. You're gonna like some of it, hate some of it, be unsure of some of it, love some of it .... But in the end, this life is crazy! And the greatest thing we can do is TRUST IN JESUS!
Every time I hear that phrase "Trust in Jesus," I think of the Third Day song ... here are the lyrics to the chorus ...
What I've done is ...
Trust in Jesus.
My great Deliverer,
My strong Defender,
The Son of God.
I trust in Jesus,
Blessed Redeemer,
My Lord forever.
The Holy One, the Holy One.
My advice? Pursue your dreams, and be faithful. I am learning that God's purpose and provision are perfect, and I just need to trust Him in it all. And believe me! It is a constant lesson! But God is so patient with me.
Psalm 37:3 ... I know you wanna read this precious verse again! So here it is ...
PSALM 37:3
TRUST IN THE LORD, AND DO GOOD; DWELL IN THE LAND, AND BEFRIEND FAITHFULNESS.
Psalm 37:3 is my life verse ... "Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and befriend faithfulness." It's the key to life! Really, it is! God has a plan for our lives, yes. But really ... He just wants us to trust Him no matter where we are or what we're doing, do good to the people around us and in this crazy world, be all in (dwell in the land) where He's got us (or at the very least, endure where we are! haha!), and be faithful to Him, to our spouses, to our friends and families, and to the people and tasks He's called us to now.
This has been such a hard lesson for me to learn ... and I'm not done learning it! ... Sheesh, I'm crying as I'm typing this because God has just been so at work in me about this lately. I am so thankful! God is just so faithful ... and He NEVER leaves me. I am just so thankful. I have been learning this lesson even more so lately because God has not allowed me to pass my Praxis exam to become a teacher for several years now. I've nearly given up more than once. But I recently tried again ... and I passed (one of the two tests at least)!!! And I am taking steps toward becoming a teacher once again. But for a long time, I struggled with some bitterness, some frustration, and just some flat out discouragement because I couldn't have my dream job. I could never have what I believe God had promised me. But what I've found is that, over the past several years, God has been growing me! He has been growing me in HIS dream job for me (simply to be faithful no matter where I'm at or what I'm doing), and He has been growing me in trusting Him more.
I have my moments, but I can honestly and wholeheartedly say that no matter what happens with this Praxis exam, I'm cool. I'm not worried. Even if I don't get hired as a teacher right away ... or ever. Even if we can't afford the Transition to Teaching program that I have to finish before I can truly solidify a job. Even if I get pregnant and don't teach because I'm staying home with our baby (haha! Don't think about that one too hard ... I'm just saying ... it could happen. ;)). Even if I have to work in a job I'm not very excited about (I'm learning another lesson concerning this too - thankfulness!) No matter what. I'm good with whatever God wants to do. And I feel such peace. That is HUGE for me. Peace comes from trusting God. I have grown in my trust of God. And I think, in the end, that's the greatest lesson you can learn on this planet ... to trust God with all your heart. ... Things are gonna change. Finances are gonna be tight. You're gonna get pregnant when you least expect it (or at the very least, you aren't gonna have a clue how to raise the kid even if you knew he was coming!). You're gonna say something stupid to make your husband feel bad. He's gonna say something stupid to you too. You're gonna be selfish. You're gonna be dissatisfied with your job or your flabby belly or your attitude or your season of life. Your loved one is going to die. Things are gonna change. You're gonna like some of it, hate some of it, be unsure of some of it, love some of it .... But in the end, this life is crazy! And the greatest thing we can do is TRUST IN JESUS!
Every time I hear that phrase "Trust in Jesus," I think of the Third Day song ... here are the lyrics to the chorus ...
What I've done is ...
Trust in Jesus.
My great Deliverer,
My strong Defender,
The Son of God.
I trust in Jesus,
Blessed Redeemer,
My Lord forever.
The Holy One, the Holy One.
My advice? Pursue your dreams, and be faithful. I am learning that God's purpose and provision are perfect, and I just need to trust Him in it all. And believe me! It is a constant lesson! But God is so patient with me.
Psalm 37:3 ... I know you wanna read this precious verse again! So here it is ...
PSALM 37:3
TRUST IN THE LORD, AND DO GOOD; DWELL IN THE LAND, AND BEFRIEND FAITHFULNESS.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
I Will Trust in Him
Do you ever think about how fast life is going? Do you ever wonder what you could accomplish if you had all the time in the world, if you didn't get so distracted with silly things, if you were completely unselfish? Do you ever wish you were a more disciplined person?
Over the past few months, I have been in a yearning mood. I might be the most blessed person I know ... I'm not bragging; I'm just being thankful. But at the same time, I want more. Not more stuff. Just ... I want to live more abundantly ... really LIVE to the fullest. I want to be healthy and active ... heck, I'd settle for fitting back into my size 14 jeans again. Dang! Haha! I wanna be a prayer warrior. I wanna grow in my spiritual gifts. I don't know if I have ALL of these, but I sure do have the potential for 'em: administration, encouragement, faith, helps, giving, and hospitality. I wanna serve my husband with all my heart and stay on top of things around the house ... pray for him, say encouraging things to him, pack his lunches, fix his breakfasts, make sure he never runs out of clean underwear, play video games with him, rub his back ... ya know, things that he really appreciates. I wanna be more intentional in all of my relationships ... stay in better touch with my friends, pray more for my friends and my SoZo kids and my family, go to the SoZo-ers' sporting events and music performances, write letters of encouragement to people, smile, and live in thankfulness so that others (and myself) will be uplifted. I wanna go on more walks and look up at the sky and soak up the sun. I wanna cherish my quiet times with the Lord and grow in trust. I wanna trust in the Lord and do good and dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. I wanna honor Jesus, think on His thoughts, thank and praise Him, and just LIVE for Him every second of every day. I want my fulfillment to come from Him alone.
But I think, instead, I condemn myself. I beat myself into the ground day after day because I'm not perfect ... because I am not disciplined ... because I burned a piece of flipping toast! Why do I freak out and hate myself when I burn a piece of garlic bread for my husband's dinner? Why do I cry myself to sleep when I say something that hurts my husband's feelings? And then wake up grouchy the next morning because I feel like the most selfish person on the planet? The list could go on and on, but these are the kinds of things I beat myself up about. Ridiculous, I know. But I don't know how to stop. I've asked God to show me what grace really means. And if I can accept God's grace .... well, maybe that's just it. Maybe I DON'T accept God's grace. Hmm ... maybe I just accepted God's grace for my salvation. Maybe I thought it was a one time thing, and now I'm on my own. Deep down, I know that God's mercies are new everyday ... but how do I move that from my head to my heart? It was for freedom that Christ set you free (Galatians 5:1)! Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)! ... I know all those by heart ... but they're not really in my heart, are they? Not if I beat myself silly every day of my life.
And I've often wondered this ... is it pride, or is it insecurity? Am I that stinkin' vain? Do I think I'm such big stuff that I could even have a chance at being perfect? Or am I just that insecure? Do I think that little of myself that I have to be perfect to be worth anything? ... I honestly don't know. I don't like the sound of either one of those though.
So I will keep praying. I will keep praying for an eternal perspective ... to see myself with God's eyes. 'Cause I know God loves me. I know He cares about my little life and thinks it's big! I know He has mighty plans for me. I know that He's not done with me yet (Philippians 1:6). I know that He will never leave me or forsake me (Hebrews 13:6). I know that He is my strength and my portion (Psalm 73:26). Yep, I know all those too. But again with the "knowing." I know it in my head but not in my heart. I suppose that will be my new prayer ... that God's Truth will saturate not just my mind but my heart as well. God is faithful. He will help me overcome these struggles. And make me stronger in the process. I will trust in Him.
Over the past few months, I have been in a yearning mood. I might be the most blessed person I know ... I'm not bragging; I'm just being thankful. But at the same time, I want more. Not more stuff. Just ... I want to live more abundantly ... really LIVE to the fullest. I want to be healthy and active ... heck, I'd settle for fitting back into my size 14 jeans again. Dang! Haha! I wanna be a prayer warrior. I wanna grow in my spiritual gifts. I don't know if I have ALL of these, but I sure do have the potential for 'em: administration, encouragement, faith, helps, giving, and hospitality. I wanna serve my husband with all my heart and stay on top of things around the house ... pray for him, say encouraging things to him, pack his lunches, fix his breakfasts, make sure he never runs out of clean underwear, play video games with him, rub his back ... ya know, things that he really appreciates. I wanna be more intentional in all of my relationships ... stay in better touch with my friends, pray more for my friends and my SoZo kids and my family, go to the SoZo-ers' sporting events and music performances, write letters of encouragement to people, smile, and live in thankfulness so that others (and myself) will be uplifted. I wanna go on more walks and look up at the sky and soak up the sun. I wanna cherish my quiet times with the Lord and grow in trust. I wanna trust in the Lord and do good and dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. I wanna honor Jesus, think on His thoughts, thank and praise Him, and just LIVE for Him every second of every day. I want my fulfillment to come from Him alone.
But I think, instead, I condemn myself. I beat myself into the ground day after day because I'm not perfect ... because I am not disciplined ... because I burned a piece of flipping toast! Why do I freak out and hate myself when I burn a piece of garlic bread for my husband's dinner? Why do I cry myself to sleep when I say something that hurts my husband's feelings? And then wake up grouchy the next morning because I feel like the most selfish person on the planet? The list could go on and on, but these are the kinds of things I beat myself up about. Ridiculous, I know. But I don't know how to stop. I've asked God to show me what grace really means. And if I can accept God's grace .... well, maybe that's just it. Maybe I DON'T accept God's grace. Hmm ... maybe I just accepted God's grace for my salvation. Maybe I thought it was a one time thing, and now I'm on my own. Deep down, I know that God's mercies are new everyday ... but how do I move that from my head to my heart? It was for freedom that Christ set you free (Galatians 5:1)! Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)! ... I know all those by heart ... but they're not really in my heart, are they? Not if I beat myself silly every day of my life.
And I've often wondered this ... is it pride, or is it insecurity? Am I that stinkin' vain? Do I think I'm such big stuff that I could even have a chance at being perfect? Or am I just that insecure? Do I think that little of myself that I have to be perfect to be worth anything? ... I honestly don't know. I don't like the sound of either one of those though.
So I will keep praying. I will keep praying for an eternal perspective ... to see myself with God's eyes. 'Cause I know God loves me. I know He cares about my little life and thinks it's big! I know He has mighty plans for me. I know that He's not done with me yet (Philippians 1:6). I know that He will never leave me or forsake me (Hebrews 13:6). I know that He is my strength and my portion (Psalm 73:26). Yep, I know all those too. But again with the "knowing." I know it in my head but not in my heart. I suppose that will be my new prayer ... that God's Truth will saturate not just my mind but my heart as well. God is faithful. He will help me overcome these struggles. And make me stronger in the process. I will trust in Him.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Imperfect Progress
Hello! ... It's hard to believe it's been nearly 11 months since my last post. My life has changed so much since May 2012. My last post was just a few days before my beautiful, amazing husband proposed to me. Yep, he proposed on May 21st last year. We were married on September 15th. And we just moved into our new and awesome apartment on March 30th ... just 3 days ago.
So much has happened. It's simply amazing how God works in our lives each day ... and the seasons He brings us in and out of. The seasons of life are always changing, aren't they? In one way or another. Relationships ... jobs ... lessons we're learning ... home addresses ... attitudes ... eating habits ... friendships ... perspectives ... dreams ... goals. If it's not one thing, it's many things. If it's not many things, it's one thing. Something is always changing in our lives. And change is good. I know that's hard to believe at times, but change really is good. Changes in life's relationships and circumstances and seasons are so incredibly important because they help us become the person we wanna be, the person we're supposed to be, and the person God called us to be.
I so badly want to be ALL that God has called me to be. It is the greatest desire of my heart. I struggle ... daily! ... with the CHANGE that requires. If I wanna be everything God intended me to be, I must change my daily habits and attitudes. While my flesh screams and wails about lazy and selfish pleasures, my heart cries out for godly, productive, and eternal joys. ... I wanna do better. I wanna honor God with my mind, with the condition of my heart, with my relationships, with the way I take care of my body, with finances, with my Christian walk. I fail so often, and I get caught up in my failures probably even more often. ... I don't wanna focus on my failures anymore. I wanna focus on baby steps. Better yet, I wanna steal Lysa TerKeurst's phrase and make it my own: I wanna live each day with IMPERFECT PROGRESS. As long as I'm moving forward, I am making progress. No matter how slow ... no matter how much I struggle in opposition ... no matter how many times I "fail." I don't have to be perfect.
Mical, did you hear that?
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT!!!!!
I've spent my whole life striving. The definition of striving is "struggling in opposition." Striving is a good thing ... really it is. Life is hard. We must constantly fight against the flesh. That is a good thing to do ... a MUST! But striving isn't always good the way I do it. I don't always struggle in opposition with God. Often, I struggle in opposition with myself. Me. How can I overcome this? How can I make myself better? How can I be closer to perfect? ... And that's just NOT what God wants us to do with ourselves. He wants the focus off ourselves and on Him. He desires progress, not perfection. He hopes that we thrive instead of strive. And that's what I want too! I wanna love God with all my heart, mind, and strength. I want to love my husband with selfless love and be his helper. I want to encourage the world. I want to treat my body as a temple and get healthy. I wanna crave God's Word and be a prayer warrior. ... I DON'T wanna be perfect. I wanna be who GOD wants me to be and do what GOD wants me to do. And all God desires is a pure heart and imperfect progress.
So much has happened. It's simply amazing how God works in our lives each day ... and the seasons He brings us in and out of. The seasons of life are always changing, aren't they? In one way or another. Relationships ... jobs ... lessons we're learning ... home addresses ... attitudes ... eating habits ... friendships ... perspectives ... dreams ... goals. If it's not one thing, it's many things. If it's not many things, it's one thing. Something is always changing in our lives. And change is good. I know that's hard to believe at times, but change really is good. Changes in life's relationships and circumstances and seasons are so incredibly important because they help us become the person we wanna be, the person we're supposed to be, and the person God called us to be.
I so badly want to be ALL that God has called me to be. It is the greatest desire of my heart. I struggle ... daily! ... with the CHANGE that requires. If I wanna be everything God intended me to be, I must change my daily habits and attitudes. While my flesh screams and wails about lazy and selfish pleasures, my heart cries out for godly, productive, and eternal joys. ... I wanna do better. I wanna honor God with my mind, with the condition of my heart, with my relationships, with the way I take care of my body, with finances, with my Christian walk. I fail so often, and I get caught up in my failures probably even more often. ... I don't wanna focus on my failures anymore. I wanna focus on baby steps. Better yet, I wanna steal Lysa TerKeurst's phrase and make it my own: I wanna live each day with IMPERFECT PROGRESS. As long as I'm moving forward, I am making progress. No matter how slow ... no matter how much I struggle in opposition ... no matter how many times I "fail." I don't have to be perfect.
Mical, did you hear that?
YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT!!!!!
I've spent my whole life striving. The definition of striving is "struggling in opposition." Striving is a good thing ... really it is. Life is hard. We must constantly fight against the flesh. That is a good thing to do ... a MUST! But striving isn't always good the way I do it. I don't always struggle in opposition with God. Often, I struggle in opposition with myself. Me. How can I overcome this? How can I make myself better? How can I be closer to perfect? ... And that's just NOT what God wants us to do with ourselves. He wants the focus off ourselves and on Him. He desires progress, not perfection. He hopes that we thrive instead of strive. And that's what I want too! I wanna love God with all my heart, mind, and strength. I want to love my husband with selfless love and be his helper. I want to encourage the world. I want to treat my body as a temple and get healthy. I wanna crave God's Word and be a prayer warrior. ... I DON'T wanna be perfect. I wanna be who GOD wants me to be and do what GOD wants me to do. And all God desires is a pure heart and imperfect progress.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
I'll Follow
"You lead, I'll follow, Your hands hold my tomorrow,
Your grip, Your grace, You know the way,
You guide me tenderly,
When you lead, I'll follow,
Just light the way and I'll go,
Cause I know what you got for me is more than I can see,
So lead me on, on, on and on,
Just lead me on, on, on and on."
For some reason, every time I hear these words, I get all choked up. They are the chorus to one of my all-time favorite songs ... "You Lead" by Jamie Grace. Seriously. What is the deal? Pretty much every single time I hear this song ... as soon as the chorus comes on, I can't sing it 'cause I'm too busy almost crying. ... These words are just so powerful to me. They are such a precious promise to me and for me ... and you too. When we give up control of our lives and our future and our everyday circumstances and let God do the leading, He holds us steady. His grace is more than enough to get us through anything. He KNOWS the way ... He MADE the way, for crying out loud! So He WILL guide us in that way. Isn't that incredible to think about??? :) So when we follow wholeheartedly ... when we accept and trust that God knows what He's got in store for us and believe that it is sooooo much better than anything we could ever come up with, then He holds us tight and leads us where we should go. Everyday. In every situation.
That is powerful stuff, people! What an incredible promise from the God of the Universe, who cares about each and every one of us enough to have a plan for us and then guide us through that plan! He doesn't just create us and then leave us. He is ALIVE and ACTIVE in our lives! All we have to do is have a relationship with Him and allow Him to LEAD us in the way we should go. ... So cool. It is a promise. And it is my prayer for my life ...
God, when you lead, I'll follow.
I'll follow.
I'LL FOLLOW!
So lead me on and on, on and on.
Your grip, Your grace, You know the way,
You guide me tenderly,
When you lead, I'll follow,
Just light the way and I'll go,
Cause I know what you got for me is more than I can see,
So lead me on, on, on and on,
Just lead me on, on, on and on."
For some reason, every time I hear these words, I get all choked up. They are the chorus to one of my all-time favorite songs ... "You Lead" by Jamie Grace. Seriously. What is the deal? Pretty much every single time I hear this song ... as soon as the chorus comes on, I can't sing it 'cause I'm too busy almost crying. ... These words are just so powerful to me. They are such a precious promise to me and for me ... and you too. When we give up control of our lives and our future and our everyday circumstances and let God do the leading, He holds us steady. His grace is more than enough to get us through anything. He KNOWS the way ... He MADE the way, for crying out loud! So He WILL guide us in that way. Isn't that incredible to think about??? :) So when we follow wholeheartedly ... when we accept and trust that God knows what He's got in store for us and believe that it is sooooo much better than anything we could ever come up with, then He holds us tight and leads us where we should go. Everyday. In every situation.
That is powerful stuff, people! What an incredible promise from the God of the Universe, who cares about each and every one of us enough to have a plan for us and then guide us through that plan! He doesn't just create us and then leave us. He is ALIVE and ACTIVE in our lives! All we have to do is have a relationship with Him and allow Him to LEAD us in the way we should go. ... So cool. It is a promise. And it is my prayer for my life ...
God, when you lead, I'll follow.
I'll follow.
I'LL FOLLOW!
So lead me on and on, on and on.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
CHOSEN
1 Peter 2:9-10
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but no you have received mercy."
God chose me, has given me an eternal inheritance, set me apart for His own purposes, and adopted me as His child SO THAT I can proclaim His excellencies, SO THAT I can live for HIS GLORY. And as a bonus, He has poured His mercy all over my life. How incredible! Today, that word “CHOSEN” is MY word. That word CHOSEN is for me! God CHOSE me! He picked me out at the foundation of the world … to love Him, honor Him, serve Him … be all for Him. That is so beyond any gift I could ever imagine, beyond any gift I could ever be given. Thank you, Jesus!
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but no you have received mercy."
God chose me, has given me an eternal inheritance, set me apart for His own purposes, and adopted me as His child SO THAT I can proclaim His excellencies, SO THAT I can live for HIS GLORY. And as a bonus, He has poured His mercy all over my life. How incredible! Today, that word “CHOSEN” is MY word. That word CHOSEN is for me! God CHOSE me! He picked me out at the foundation of the world … to love Him, honor Him, serve Him … be all for Him. That is so beyond any gift I could ever imagine, beyond any gift I could ever be given. Thank you, Jesus!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
A Resolution
I think the best thing I can do – today – to help me really glean all I can from this season of life is to commit the end of every single day to going deeper in the Lord. I MUST make the time at the end of EVERY day … even when I’m tired, even when I’ve been out dancing or out with Darrell or with SoZo … no matter what I’ve done with my evening … I MUST keep my time with the Lord sacred. If I can be faithful in that one thing, my entire life will continue to be transformed. As I press into Jesus more, my perspective will be completely changed and molded into what He wants it to be … just like my So Long, Insecurity devotional talked about - Hebrews 12:1-2 … God perfects our way of thinking as we fix our eyes on Jesus more and more over time. … Yeah! That’s what I want! I want my mind to be renewed, perfected, and honoring to Jesus. So I MUST stay plugged into the Source, reading my Bible, talking to God, digging deeper every single day. I will continue to do this everyday.
Friday, March 16, 2012
The Demon in the Gloves
We have an unusual, frustrating, comical, and yet very real problem at The Porch: there is a demon who lives in the right hand of every dishwashing glove my mom has ever bought. Yep, you heard me right ... a demon.We do a lot of dishes at The Porch ... I mean A LOT of dishes. When you own a restaurant, you're gonna have to do dishes ... it's just part of the job - a big part. Well, you gotta have gloves for all those dishes so that your hands don't get pruney, old-looking, dry, and hard as time goes by. My mom, being the wonderfully compassionate and gifted boss that she is, always makes sure that we have dishwashing gloves in stock. And somehow, even in the midst of a demon, she never gives up buying her employees gloves. And if you only knew how many pairs of gloves we've really gone through 'cause I know they're not all in this picture. Without fail, the right-handed glove of every pair my mom has ever bought has gotten a hole in it from something ... a glass gets broken in the sink, a fork or a knife is hiding under the soap suds ... heck! Just yesterday, a piece of plastic sliced through my right-handed glove. The possibilities are endless! Sheesh. But to no end, it's always the right-handed glove that gets a hole in it! I don't think we've ever thrown away a left-handed glove before.
And tell me ... what is more annoying than going to wash the dishes by hand just to find that your hand is getting wet, smelly, and itchy inside that daggone right-handed glove (that you just bought, by the way!)?? As if doing the dishes wasn't trying enough, right? Hahahaha! That's why I'm convinced it's a demon! Only demons are THAT persistent and THAT stinkin' annoying! ...... So if you have a demon in your LEFT-handed dishwashing gloves, never fear! We have the answer for you at The Porch ... 2411 E. Main Street in Danville! Perhaps if we stand together, we can defeat the demon in the gloves!!!! Don't lose heart! The dishes must be done!
Snuffer
So awhile ago, I was reading through Exodus, and I stumbled across a super fun word. Like all the books of the Bible, Exodus is a pretty cool book ... but somewhere in the middle, and for several chapters afterward, it gets a bit dry. It talks about the tabernacle and how tall and wide and such it was supposed to be ... about the high priests and what color their robes should be and what fabric they should be made out of ... and on and on. Not sure why God wanted that in there, but I'm sure He has His reasons. ... Well, anyways ... I was reading through Exodus, and honestly? Was bored out of my mind ... and then I stumbled across the word "snuffer." Yes, I am not joking! SNUFFER! Isn't that an awesome word?? ... Well, I didn't have a clue what it was. I tried reading the same verse in the New Living Translation to see if another word was used, a word I actually knew. Nope. There it was again ... snuffer. Later that week, I told my mom about the word, snuffer, and she asked, "Well, don't you know what that is?" And I said no. So she walks into the next room (we were at The Porch at the time), grabs something off the shelf, and brings it in to show me. It was a SNUFFER!!! Come to find out ... snuffers are tools used to put out candles (shown in the picture above). You cover the lit candle wick with the bell-looking end of this little do-dad, and it puts out the fire. Cool, huh? Ha! Well, of course, I laughed out loud to find out what a snuffer actually is ... and I laughed even harder that my mom not only had one handy, but she sells 'em at The Porch! ... So if you're looking for a snuffer (and you know you are!!! Who wouldn't be looking for a snuffer? Seriously!), we have not one, but TWO, in stock at The Porch! Just sayin' ...Exodus 25:38 - "Its snuffers and their trays shall be of pure gold."
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