What Do You Strive For?

Today marks the end of the Stuck study.  Unfortunately, Caleb is not well enough to be around other kids, so I will miss the last class.  I hate that I will miss it, but grateful to have been a part of the study.  I love this study.  I love everything about it.  What I love most about it is that it is totally me; every part of it.  I have lived my life chasing the wind.  Chasing things that are visible, which only brings temporary joy.  I have put all my time and energy striving for things that did not matter; therefore, sacrificing the things that did.  When I strive for those kinds of things, nothing is ever good enough.  Once I reach that level, I start reaching for the next.  There's never an end.  This study has taught me many things, but the most important thing is that I need to die to myself, and on a daily basis.  I need to put aside my selfish hopes and desires, and start living for what God has planned for my life.  His plan is far greater than what I had planned.  A couple of months ago, we had a guest speaker at MOPS.  She passed out a sheet of paper that had sayings on it.  On the bottom it says, "put God first...everything else is just stuff."  I still have that piece of paper hanging on our organizer.  I look at it almost everyday.  It is a good reminder that the material stuff I strive for is just "stuff".  It will all waste away.  I want to store away treasures in heaven, not treasures in this life.

 In Him we have everything.  In Him we are complete.  Our capacity to experience Him is increasing through His removal of debris and clutter from our hearts.  As our yearning for Him increases, other desires are gradually lessening.  It is impossible for us to have a need that He cannot meet.  The world is still at His beck and call, though it appears otherwise.  Do not be fooled by appearances.  Things that are visible are brief and fleeting, while things that are invisible are everlasting.
Ephesians 3:20; 2 Corinthians 4:18

A Balancing Act

In a marriage, it is all about team work.  In our marriage, there always seems to be a shift in roles.  Sometimes I am the worrier, other times it is Jeremy.  This morning Jeremy called, worrying about our upcoming trip to Pigeon Forge.  Thanks be to God that He provided me with peace, not only to reassure Jeremy, but to also encourage him.  We need to balance each other out, so that both of us are not on the same end of the spectrum, tipping the scale.

He has promised to meet all our needs according to His glorious riches.  Our deepest, most constant need is for His peace.  He has planted peace in the garden of our hearts, where He lives, but there are weeds growing there too; pride, worry, selfishness, unbelief.  He is the gardener, working to rid our hearts of those weeds.  He also sends trials into our lives.  When we trust Him in the midst of trouble, peace flourishes and weeds die away.  Thank Him for troublesome situations; the peace they can produce far outweigh the trials we endure.
Philippians 4:19; 2 Corinthians 4:17

A Tough Job

Being a parent is tough.  I constantly second guess everything when it comes to my kids:  the way I discipline, what I am feeding them, how I am spending time with them, and so much more.  I am afraid that one mistake on my part will veer them down the wrong path when they grow up.  Yesterday Alexa comes home from school with her progress report.  She made straight A's, as usual, and received academic awards.  Chandler, on the other hand, comes home from preschool and tells me he moved his worm yet again.  This is about the 5th time he has moved his worm during the month of March.  Now, Jeremy and I always knew Chandler was going to be our class clown.  We just did not expect it to start in preschool!  But here I am, worried about how I am going to deal with him and school.  Anxiety consumes me, as I struggle with how to discipline him in a way that will not affect him in a negative way.  I call people for parenting advice, but as I read today's devotional, I am reminded that I need to communicate with God because only He knows Chandler's heart, and how to deal with him.

He is calling us to a life of constant communion with Him.  Basic training includes learning to live above our circumstances, even while interacting on that cluttered plane of life.  We yearn for a simplified lifestyle so that our communication with Him can be uninterrupted.  But He challenges us to relinquish the fantasy of an uncluttered world.  Accept each day just as it comes, and find Him in the midst of it all.  Talk with Him about every aspect of our day, including our feelings.  Our ultimate goal is not to control or fix everything around us.  Keep in touch with Him, even if things remain undone at the end of the day.  Do not let our to-do list become an idol directing our lives.  Keep close to Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:17; Proverbs 3:6

How easy it would be if Chandler was like Alexa.  However, He has a purpose for Chandler and a different purpose for Alexa.  So instead of comparing, I need to ask God to reveal to me His plans for them.  I need to raise my children up the way God intends.  I need to seek Him for wisdom and strength.

Currently I am struggling with my eating habit.  I fear that my mind is going back to my old way of thinking; I can eat whatever I want because I am working out.  Lately I have consumed more calories than necessary.  I am living to eat, not eating to live.  Even though I am on top of my exercises, I am not doing so well on the eating part.  I need to get my head in the game or else I will be back on the yo-yo.

In Conclusion

Today's devotional sums up the past 30 days.  Trusting God, seeking Him through trials and tribulations, receiving His peace, casting all of our fears and anxieties on Him, and receiving all the blessings He wants to bestow on us.  He works in mysterious ways, but His ways are good and beneficial to us.

Taste and see that He is good.  The more intimately we experience Him, the more convinced we become of His goodness.  He is the living one who sees us and longs to participate in our lives.  He is training us to find Him in each moment and to be a channel of His loving presence.  Sometimes His blessings come to us in mysterious ways:  through pain and trouble.  At such times we can know His goodness only through our trust in Him.  Understanding will fail us, but trust will keep us close to Him.  Thank Him for the gift of His peace.  He knows this is our deepest need:  to calm our fears and clear our minds.  Listen to Him.  Tune out other voices so that we can hear Him more clearly.  Draw near to Him; receive His peace.

Psalm 34:8; Genesis 16:13-14; John 20:19; Colossians 3:15  

Trust Is Where the Heart Is

I love sitting out on my back patio on a beautiful day.  Hearing the birds chirp, watching my kids play, taking in the beautiful scenery of God's work...it all brings me so much peace.  It is times like these that I feel the closest to God.  Just being still, taking it all in.  These are the moments when I do not have a care in the world, fully trusting God.  Trust is dependent on my heart, not on my circumstances.  Whether I am in a valley, or on a mountain top, I need to trust God and know that He has me right where He wants me to be.  He never allows things to come my way for nothing.  In everything, He has a purpose.

He takes care of us.  Trust Him at all times.  Trust Him in all of our circumstances.  Trust Him with all of our hearts.  When we are weary and everything seems to be going wrong, we can still utter these four words:  "I trust you, Jesus."  We can release matters into His control.  Everyday provides opportunities for us to learn His ways and grow closer to Him.  Search for Him as for hidden treasure.  He will be found by us.
Proverbs 3:5; Deuteronomy 33:27; Jeremiah 29:13-14

The Budget Planner

Recently, Jeremy booked a family trip to a resort in Pigeon Forge, TN for spring break.  Even though I am looking forward to getting away, I am also very nervous at the same time.  I am a planner, my husband is spontaneous.  I am a saver, my husband is a spender.  Opposites really do attract...ha!  This trip was not in our budget, and even though we will be okay, I still do not like the idea of spending money without there being a planning process.  It makes my mind travel to the future; travel to the next couple of weeks, reworking the budget to fit our bills and spending money for the trip.  However, I am reminded through today's devotional that I am relying too much on our spreadsheet.  I need to let that go, rely on God (because He is our provision), and make memories with our kids.  They are only little for so long, and I want them to grow up knowing with full confidence that we love them, and that we were willing to sacrifice whatever it was to make their childhood the best that it could be.

Stop trying to work things out before their times have come.  Accept the limitations of living one day at a time.  When something comes to our attention, ask Him whether or not it is part of today's agenda.  If it isn't, release it into His care and go on about today's duties.  When we follow this practice, there will be a beautiful simplicity about our life:  a time for everything, and everything in its time.  A life lived close to Him is not complicated or cluttered.  When we focus on His presence, many things that once troubled us will lose their power over us.  Remember that He has overcome the world, and so that in Him we may have peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1; John 16:33

In other news, I gained two pounds this week.  I don't know if it is muscle, or the chinese food I had last night, but I did lose 1% of body fat and a half an inch on both my waist and chest.  Even though I am discouraged, I will not let this stop me.  I should expects ups and downs during this journey.  Whatever doesn't kill me will make me stronger, right?!

Giver, Not a Taker

When I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I thought life would be peaches and cream.  I assumed that the grass was greener on the other side, the Christian side.  Boy was I wrong.  Living a life for God is harder than living a life for the flesh.  I have to die to myself daily, in order to let Christ live through me.  Even though I mess up everyday of my life, God is merciful.  He redeems me and gives me a clean slate every morning.  Life has been harsh, and Jeremy and I have walked through many valleys, but God has never forsaken us.  He has worked everything out for our good.  He has blessed us beyond what we can imagine.  He is a God who gives.  As Jeremiah 29:11 states, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

He is a God who gives and gives and gives.  When He died for us on the cross, He held nothing back.  Giving is inherent in His nature, so He searches for people who are able to receive in full measure.  To increase our intimacy with Him, the two traits we need are receptivity and attentiveness.  Receptivity is opening up our innermost being to be filled with His abundant riches.  Attentiveness is directing our gaze to Him, searching for Him in all our moments.  Through such attentiveness we receive His perfect peace.
Philippians 2:17; Mark 10:15; Isaiah 26:3

Tomorrow is STATday!  Cannot wait to see what my measurements are for this week.  My trouble area is my mid-section, but it's changing with T25.  For spring break we are going to Pigeon Forge, TN to a resort with an indoor/outdoor water park.  I have a week to get my body bathing suit ready; one piece that is!

In the Wee Hours

On Monday, I just could not get up when my alarm went off at 5.  So I decided to turn it off and sleep in, which resulted in a frantic morning and finding Caleb eating cookies in his bed, while I snuck in a quick workout.  So I welcome the quiet that this early morning brings.  The calmness, the peace, the slowness.  I have really enjoyed waking up early and spending quiet time with the Lord in this state.  It allows me to not rush, not be interrupted and to fully listen.  This is a great way for me to start out my day.  It allows me to push aside my selfish desires, and replace them with God's plans for me. 

Be still in His presence even though countless tasks clamor for our attention.  Nothing is as important as spending time with Him.  While we wait in His presence, He does His best work within us, transforming us by the renewing of our minds.  If we skimp on this time with Him, we may plunge headlong into the wrong activities, missing the richness of what He has planned for us.  Do not seek Him primarily for what He can give us.  He is infinitely greater than any gift He might impart to us.  He is deeply grieved when His blessings become idols in our hearts.  Anything can be an idol if it distracts us from Him as our first love.  Enjoy the greatest gift of all:  Christ in us, the hope of glory!
Romans 12:2; Revelation 2:4; Colossians 1:27

Even all good things can be bad if we do not check our motives.  I need to always be sure that I am seeking the Lord with pure motives.  To love Him because He is worthy.  To follow Him because He is good.  Years of obedience and loyalty, gaining nothing in return, is not wasted.  He is our return.  Anything beyond that is a bonus, not an expectation.

The Perfect Storm

What does it mean to wait on the Lord?  In my case, it means to put all my trust on Him.  To stand still and not move until He directs me to.  To fully depend on Him, knowing that He is working in the background.  To know with confidence that the Lord has a plan, even when it seems like there is no way to recover.  The Lord has put Jeremy and I through many trials.  In some, it felt like God was silent, as if He did not even care.  I always wondered during a storm how it was going to bring glory to God.  Nothing about it looked like it was going to have a good outcome.  But of course, God uses all things for the good of those who love Him.  God has used our trials to strengthen our faith.  As our preacher said last Sunday, we are either coming out of a storm, in a storm or going into a storm.  But knowing that I can fully trust the Lord during a storm brings comfort.  The waves do not seem so big after all.

Waiting on Him means directing our attention to Him in hopeful anticipation of what He will do.  It entails trusting Him with every fiber of our being instead of trying to figure things out for ourselves.  He created us to stay conscious of Him as we go about our daily duties.  He has promised many blessings to those who wait on Him:  renewed strength, living above one's circumstances, resurgence of hope, awareness of His continual presence.  Waiting on Him enables us to glorify Him by living in deep dependence on Him, ready to do His will.  In His presence is fullness of joy.
Lamentations 3:24-26; Isaiah 40:31; Psalm 16:11

Constant State of Thankfulness

Currently I am studying Stuck by Jennie Allen.  I love this study.  The thing that I love most about this study is that it touches every area in my life that I struggle with; anger, fear, sadness, discontent.  Today's devotional touches on thankfulness; being thankful to the Lord for whatever season of life you are in.  For me, I have to constantly be in gratitude to God because if I am not, my life is either full of bitterness or pride, depending on if God has me in the valley or on the mountain top.  Without gratitude in my heart, it is all about me, not about Him.  I take for granted, and even overlook, the blessings of God and take all the credit.  Or when life is not going my way, I throw a pity party for myself and expect everyone to attend.  But if I live in constant thankfulness, no matter the circumstance, it does not matter.  God gives me what I need, so there is no need to be discontent, angry, scared or even sad.  He is enough.

Let thankfulness temper all our thoughts.  A thankful mind-set keeps us in touch with Him.  He hates it when His children grumble, casually despising His sovereignty.  Thankfulness is a safeguard against this deadly sin.  Furthermore, a grateful attitude becomes a grid through which you perceive life.  Gratitude enables us to see the light of His presence shining on all of our circumstances.  Cultivate a thankful heart, for this glorifies Him and fills us with joy.
1 Corinthians 10:10; Hebrews 12:28-29