Getting ready

I love the story "How the Grinch stole Christmas" by Dr. Seuss.

It's the story of the Grinch, that lives on snowy Mount Crumpit, just north of Whoville, home of the merry and warm-hearted Whos. His only companion is his faithful dog, Max. From his perch high atop Mount Crumpit, the Grinch can hear the noisy Christmas festivities that take place in Whoville. Envious of the Whos' happiness, he makes plans to descend on the town and, by means of burglary, deprive them of their Christmas presents and decorations and thus "prevent Christmas from coming". However, he learns in the end that despite his success in stealing all the Christmas presents and decorations from the Whos, Christmas comes just the same.

The point of this post? Christmas will come, there is nothing we can do to stop it, but there is something we can do to be ready. I don't mean buying presents, decorating the house, or even listening to Christmas carols, I mean having our hearts ready to receive the ultimate gift ever given.

The gift of Jesus sent from heaven above.

Blessings 

Who I am

This is a gentle reminder ~

I am accepted...
John 1:12 I am God's child.
John 15:15 As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1 I have been justified.
1 Corinthians 6:17 I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.
1 Corinthians 12:27 I am a member of Christ's body.
Ephesians 1:3-8 I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.
Colossians 1:13-14 I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.
Colossians 2:9-10 I am complete in Christ.
Hebrews 4:14-16 I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.

I am secure...
Romans 8:1-2 I am free from condemnation.
Romans 8:28 I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.
Romans 8:31-39 I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.
Colossians 3:1-4 I am hidden with Christ in God.
Philippians 1:6 I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me.
Philippians 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven.
2 Timothy 1:7 I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.
1 John 5:18 I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

I am significant...
John 15:5 I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life.
John 15:16 I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.
1 Corinthians 3:16 I am God's temple.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 I am a minister of reconciliation for God.
Ephesians 2:6 I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.
Ephesians 2:10 I am God's workmanship.
Ephesians 3:12 I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

when I struggle with who I am.

Blessings

Ordinary Miracle

One of my favorite things is an extraordinary, everyday miracle.

I'm not speaking of Miracles of Biblical Proportion; rather the simple things that mean little to anyone else and the world to you, and that most people would scoff at and roll their eyes for my diminishing the word "miracle" to something so, w-e-l-l ....ordinary.

Perfect timing is an example. Sometimes perfect timing is just what you need to get over a hump or to increase your faith or to be encouraged. Perfect timing can be disguised as a song on the radio or a timely newspaper article or in words of wisdom from a friend. Perfect timing can be when a certain someone decides to send a special delivery.

Sometimes it's what we don't say that often hurts the most; sometimes we hold back when we know there's something that needs saying, encouragement that will make a difference in the life of someone we love.

Don't let that be the case today, this week or even next month. With Christmas just around the corner, you're likely going to spend time with family or friends and I hope you'll speak life into them.

YOUR TURN:  Are you a celebrator of Everyday, Ordinary Miracles? Would you be willing to share a story with me? And would you accept my challenge to speak life, love affirmation, truth or forgiveness to someone who needs a touch of your grace?

Blessings

About him

I’ve been here for the most part of the day trying my darndest to think of a post to write.

I am stumped.

So for today I am going to write about how thankful I am for my husband.

I know that many women have married great men, and that we know that NONE of us is perfect in every way anyway - we can't be until we are in His presence, but I'm so thankful for Wayne.

He isn't perfect. Neither am I.

But he IS:
A great provider.
A lot of fun.
Some one who loves me, no matter what.
Patient.
Considerate, not just to me, but to everyone.
Smart, as in intelligent.
A good sport.
Generous.
Forgives and forgets.
Joyful.
Has a L O N G fuse, and never runs out of patience with me.
A really good man.
Loves God.
Is faithful.

None of those are in any particular order, and I am too tired to write witty, long or romantic things about him. .. .. .. .. ... .. .but I'm just so thankful for him!

Thanks God, for creating Wayne for me!!!

Blessings

it's your choice

sometimes establishing your boundaries can be the very foundation needed for all of the decisions you will make. it can be one of the most powerful and empowering part of any process because you are in control.

with my people-pleasing personality i really struggle with having anyone mad at me. i tend to let their decisions/frustrations/happiness sway me to doing things that i am not particularly wanting to do just to keep the peace. i need to learn to keep my feelings about the feelings of others in check. in fact it’s pivotal.

sometimes the simplest way is to just be honest.. .. .. mmhmhmm .. .. where did I get that from.

the reality of life is that things change and adapting to any change can bring a certain level of stress.

however ~  ~ ~
i am not responsible for {fill-in-the-blank family member/friend’s} happiness.
if ______ is mad, that is his/her feeling, and it doesn’t have to affect me.
i cannot make ___________ happy.
it’s okay that i am happy and he/she is not.
good boundaries mean that i don’t let his/her attitude ruin my choices.
good boundaries also mean that my feelings matter just as much as his/hers, and i might need to call him/her on it.

if we aren’t careful to be intentional, the joy of living can quickly be replaced with hard feelings, anger, and disappointment. more than anything, sometimes extending grace to ourselves and others is the simplest way to allow us to experience the best life possible. after all, life isn't about pleasing everybody.

Blessings

be-YOU-tiful

Something inside me still feels a little hollow. Just a wee bit off. A little lacking. The mystery of wanting to be filled but not knowing how or what could fill the deep soul can be troublesome. A search that can seem both futile and shattering at times. Empty is a heavy load to bear. So, I reasoned I needed something else to do. Something where I could use my gifts and talents.

When you try and try, always feeling like the answer is just around the corner, and then it isn’t, it can rip your heart wide open. It can make you feel unsatisfied and frustrated with everything. So you fake a smile and keep putting one foot in front of the other. But eventually you stop peeking around the next corner hoping the answer is there.

The truth is, I’m tired. Or perhaps more honestly it’s that I’m uninterested, and self-centered, and I forget what it feels like to enjoy my life. I thought I was back on the mountain top - only to find that I am still stuck in the valley. And now, I’m floundering. I’m overwhelmed with what are my responsibilities, and everything else that contributes to making a good home.

And then, at some point I realized that I heard Jesus whisper this to my heart…
Your work is not your worth.

I’ve been focusing too much on the 'what I do' ~ or lack there of ~ not the 'who I am' to determine my worth.

 

Do Less Be More

It’s a phrase that’s over-used and under performed but I can’t think of any other words that make better sense.

Lately, I’ve been wondering a lot about what exactly I want out of these run-of-the-mill days I lead. What is it, that I expect?  Is it unrealistic to want to spend my days focusing on enjoying my family, making a home, reading in the evenings, baking up a storm, getting out into the community, having tea with my friends, and living? Truly living a life fully alive for the glory of God.

Tell me then, “what does that look like.. .. .. .. .. exactly”?

Blessings

Let me be the one

This is my favourite new song.

Thoughts?

Blessings

Some days

I’ve leaned that;

Some days you will try your best and it will not feel like enough.

Some days the words you want to heal will hurt instead.

Some days you will question everything you do and why you do it.

This doesn’t mean you’re a failure.

Or you should quit.

Or God is mad at you.

It just means this…

All of your days you will be human.

All of your days you will grow but not reach perfection.

All of your days there will be grace enough for you.

Keep going.

Keep trying.

Keep moving forward.

I know it’s hard on some days. But you are more than those days.

And at the end of all your days you will hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

That will make it all worthwhile.

So close your eyes and remember you are loved.

Today. Tomorrow. Forever.

Blessings

Stop Over Analyzing

Which phrase grabs you most?

Why?

Blessings

The Good, The Bad and The Hope

Sharing your life online is a lot of work. Every blog post involves so much work, from brainstorming, writing, taking photos, answering comments and emails, not to mention the introspection and emotional work involved in sharing yourself. It's been hard. But it can also be very therapeutic. Writing things out and reading them in black & white has helped me to see things a little bit clearer.

I haven’t mentioned on here lately about my health. You’ll recall this post. And while it’s good to have answers - I am no nearer to an acceptance or better yet an acknowledgement of my limitations. I keep pretending that if I work harder, keep trying, do more, I’ll just get better. 

It’s been a rough couple of days.

Who am I kidding?

It’s been a rough couple of months.

I try to do enough to keep things from sinking. But I just wonder if I’m doing anything well. I don’t think I am – doing anything well.  If I keep pushing myself to accomplish everything on my to-do list; surely that would fix everything.

Except that I know it wouldn’t.

Because the chaos isn’t from my circumstances. It’s inside me.

I might feel like I’m not doing anything well, but it doesn’t make it true. The fact that I have weaknesses doesn’t make everything about me weak. I have plenty of strengths.

The Devil loves to make us focus on the little that’s wrong so we miss the big picture of all that’s right.

One minute I’m determined to trust God. In the next, I feel myself slipping. The “why” questions tumble in so hard. My heart hurts. My eyes leak. And in those raw moments I just feel a little mad and a lot confused.

Ever been there?

I don’t want to oversimplify what to do in these times. We have to position ourselves to go where truth is - and keep talking to God. He can handle our honesty and will respond.

In the midst of whatever you’re facing, try to find simple things for which to praise God. I don’t mean thank Him for the hard stuff. I mean thank Him for the other simple, good things still in the midst.

It’s okay to feel a little mad and a lot confused. Our God is big enough to handle our honest feelings. But don’t let your feelings lead you away from God or away from His truth. Press into Him. Praise Him. And put yourself in the company of truth.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 {New International Version (NIV)} But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
 
As you stay with God in these ways, may you become ready to receive His answer when it comes.

Blessings

Git 'er Dun!

I’ve blogged before about how far behind I am these days, with the laundry, the cleaning, the dishes and the dreaded bookwork. Truth to tell it’s been a hard way to live, since I am usually a very organized person. 

We own and operate a farming business - and while I am not an accountant it has been one of my responsibilities to write all the cheques and then input all the info into an Excel program keeping track of all the Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable.

With the deadline looming

I knew I needed to get started. It seems that almost another whole year has slipped by without getting this done. Which is dumb, when I stop to think about it because this is actually one of the jobs that I like to do.

I never realized that I am such a procrastinator or that I am so easily distracted. It seems that once I sit at my desk, I find myself reading articles, surfing Wikipedia, playing games, watching you tube videos, blogging and everything else but what I should be doing.

On Monday I decided to git ‘er dun; {to quote Larry the cable guy} and so I sat all day and worked at the books. Yesterday again was another bookwork day and .. .well. .. . my mother would be so proud.. .. .. I am done!!! Well not quite. Since the year is not officially over I’ll still have to finish off November and enter Decembers’ info. But other than that, I am done! Ahhahh, what a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. I’m hoping that after sitting for so long and suffering from a sore back, numb fingers and a pain in my rear ~ that I’ll take a little time each month and stay on top of it.

Maybe I should give myself an incentive ~ one for each month ~ dangle the proverbial carrot in front of me ~ giving me the push that I seem to need to

Hmhmm ~ I like that!

 It’s proven that incentives are one of the most important parts of motivation. Just something simple . .. .. … a way to reward myself at the end of each month.

Blessings

Kickin' up dust

These dang laminate wood floors, they hide nothing. Pretty when given attention, which I haven’t done in since . … . .. .. hmhmmhm. With my foot I make an arc in the dust. Eyeing the dining room furniture says the same story. We could probably play tic tac toe on every surface. Around the corner, laundry piles are patiently waiting for their turn in the washer while clean clothes await the lift up the stairs to be put away. Books are piled beside my bed waiting for a brief moment to capture and lure me away to another era. Behind me, dirty breakfast dishes sit homeless because I still need to wash, dry and put them away in the cupboards.

I sighed a bit dejected and shake my head.

“I need a maid,” I say to myself. 

By my own admission there’s no justifying a maid. Not when I’m only working part-time, and whose three kids have moved out more than two years ago now. With it only being me and the farmer - there really is no excuse. I seem to have more on my to-do list than I’m willing to give time to. Unfortunately, housekeeping gets put on the back burner, so much it seems that its fallen off the stove top entirely. Maybe I’ve allowed myself to much freedom in what I should accomplish in a day.. .. ….

Farmer comes home and he doesn’t see the dust on the floor, the dishes piled by the sink, the laundry not finished, he’s only worried if dinner is ready. Nightfall settles in and I’m tired.
 
It’s times like this when I wish there a little fairy

that would come in and wave her magic wand and poof, the dishes, the laundry, the dusting, the sweeping, the daily to-do’s are crossed off the list - giving me a chance to breathe.   You can tell by the state of my home that I’m sitting down more these days than I used to, and housework is definitely at the bottom of the totem pole.

For over 25 years, I’ve been writing my thoughts, ideas, desires and prayer concerns in journals, I’ve always felt a pull towards words.  I like this quote from Eric Liddell from the movie Chariots of Fire “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure”.  That’s sort of how feel with writing. I’d like to think God is smiling when I share my thoughts, opinions and viewpoints.

It can be the same for you too. Maybe it’s something like writing or painting or scrapbooking. Or raising babies or volunteering at your kid’s school. We’ve all been given different gifts, desires and abilities. It’s what you do with it that truly matters. It’s your decision ~ but trust me it is worth it.

Blessings

The Nerve

I’ve found that people will either cower away from hard situations or charge forward with courage. As for the cowardly lion in the classical movie, The Wizard of OZ, he did both. Of all the OZ characters, I think I best identify with him.

Like the lion, I believe I could do anything if I only had the nerve. The trouble is that in scary situations the only “nerve” I seem to have is a nervous stomach. Sure, I’ve faced some pretty hard hairy circumstances in my life and I’ve discovered that I’m more courageous than I ever thought possible.

It’s all about choice!
 Either I could allow my anxiety to prevent me from doing or I could face the problem with courage. How does one find courage when they’re trembling in fear? Sometimes it comes down to deciding what is more important - the thing we need to do or say or yielding to our fear. Courage is not absence of fear as you might think. Rather, it withstands fear. Being courageous is being brave enough to move through our fears. How? We put our hope in God who will see us through.

I searched my thoughts only to discover that my nervousness is based on pride. What will they think of me? I nervously wondered. Knowing my own limitations created doubt in my mind, which in turn could have caused me to back away. Instead, I decided to move forward in faith as I considered what was more important.

That’s the incredible truth about courage. It transforms the ordinary into something extraordinary.

When you feel fearful, what’s at the source? Are you focusing on yourself? Sometimes by taking our eyes off ourselves helps us to see past our fears to the needs of others.

Where has God placed you right now? In an ungodly workplace? A bad relationship with a friend? Living beside unfriendly neighbours? Caring for aging parents?

Whatever your situation, you have a decision to make. Will you cower away or charge forth in faith? While you may face scary risks, think of the difference you could make ~ if you simply choose to be courageous!

Whatever God is calling you to do this is His promise; “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 {NIV}

The possibilities are endless if you only have the nerve.

Blessings

Feeling behind?

We live our lives in measurable minutes, looking to the clock, the paycheck, the success of others. I got a job. I’m winning! She got the job. I lose. I got the good metabolism. I’m winning! I’ve got health issues. I lose. I have food, a home, clothes: I win! I worry, I pout, I covet: I lose.

And the cycle circles frantic on the level of our soul. We only let it go on because we don’t realize it’s happening.

It’s become normal, familiar, and automatic. For some, the motivation is to win. For others, it is simply not to lose. I know it’s simplified here, but isn’t it true? Perhaps the reason we feel behind is because we’re chasing the wrong goal.

We are tricked into believing that the only relief from feeling behind is to catch up. We can’t but we try, and in our rush to get there we drop all the things we hold dear in order to lighten the load. Art is the first to go. Then patience, faith, and peace are tossed into a heap on the grass beside the track. But instead of a lightness, there more of a heaviness instead.

Show me where it says you are supposed to do it all. Point to the truth words that say you are expected to catch up. I want to see. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 11:28-30 {New International Version (NIV)} “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Release every detail of the job to him, from the equipment to the schedule. Tell him, cry if you must, close your eyes and believe. Unclench those hands. Feel the wheel begin to slow beneath you. Dare yourself to let it be true for you.

What if there is no behind? What if there is only right now, this moment? Would anything be different?

Blessings

Organized

I don’t remember how it came up.  What could we have been discussing that would have led to this inane topic? I’m not sure, but I do know that my friend and I had a funny conversation about DVDs recently.

Somehow, we ended up talking about how we organize our DVDs. I organize mine alphabetically, with movies in the same series placed together.

My friend, on the other hand, organizes hers by colour. But she also keeps movies in a series together.

When we talked about it, I had to laugh. Both of us assumed our method of organization was “normal,” and we’d never questioned why we did it that way or if there could be a better way. We just do it.

I’m not sure the way you organize videos says anything about you at all. And I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way to do it. And yes, I realize that analyzing this tiny issue in the first place is a sign that I’m a little odd.

But it makes me wonder.

Do you organize parts of your house or office in a particular way – maybe without even thinking about it or realizing that nobody else does it that way?

When I sit at my desk in the corner of the kitchen, I have my stuff in the places that make the most sense to me. Pens to right, bill basket to the left, pictures of my kids are definitely in more than one place. The phone sits in the only spot in can which frustrates me cause I’m a left hand answerer and it’s on the right ~ oh well… .. .. . My desk is quite messy - which actually doesn’t bother me most of the time but then every once in a while - BANG - I organize it. We removed the top two doors years before in the attempt that I would keep my desk in somewhat of a less disarray - but it seems to no avail. My desk tends to look the same whether I am caught up or not.

What about people who organize their kitchen in the same way. My kitchen, on the other hand, doesn’t make sense to anyone. Every time someone new is in my kitchen, looking for a cup, I’m asked why I put the cups in the centre right cupboard rather than the cabinet closest to the sink. There’s really no good reason. And yet, it’s how I like it and I will probably never change it.

The shelves of my pantry are organized by food type. Pasta goes with crackers on one shelf, baking items on another, canned soups have there own little section. Some of the other shelves in my pantry, though? Total chaos. And don’t even get me started on my fridge.

Why do we pick and choose which parts of our homes, our office, our lives to organize? Why is one area so much more important than others?

I mean, I really can’t handle it if someone puts my calculator on the wrong shelf or doesn’t put the cheese in the designated cheese area in the fridge. And my filing cabinet?? Well, it’s a disaster just waiting to explode. Wanna know how far behind I am in doing the bookwork???

go ahead

guess

I dare you!!!

nope wrong ~ wanna try that again?

11 months. eleven. if you do the math you’ll realize that that means I haven’t even started 2012.

I used to be so organized.

It seems the further behind I fall the more overwhelmed I feel. Knowing that the December 31 deadline is looming I know I have to buckle down and get finished started within the next 60 days.

What parts of your home and life do you organize in a particular way? What parts do you let go?

Blessings

Badge of Busy

When people ask you how you are, do you reflexively respond with ‘busy’?

We tend to wear “busy” as if it is a badge of honour. We talk about “busy” as though it’s something to be proud of. We let “busy” fill the void. We allow “busy” to get in the way of living.

Somewhere along the way, we start believing that if we’re not busy, and I mean, VERY busy, that something is wrong. We feel guilt when we’re not getting things done. We look at those around us who are doing big things and fall into a state of mind that tells us we can’t possibly keep up, but that if we just stay busy, if we keep hustling, we’re doing something right.

Without thinking, we let busy get in the way of some of the best things in life.

Sometimes being busy makes us feel important. It puffs us up that there are so many things for us to do, so many people that need us, so many to-do’s to check off.

For me this week has been just that - busy; with work, with family events, with trying to keep ahead of cleaning, dishes, laundry, with running errands, with. .. . .. ... . the list goes on.

But
 when you’re busy, you miss out on amazing opportunities.
when you’re busy, you can pretty much say so long to spontaneity.
when you’re busy, it wanes our ability to form strong relationships.

It’s good to remember that when we’re feeling puffed up by the neediness of all our to-do’s; that there are very polite and very possibly needy people right nearby who are probably waiting for us to take a breath.

When we’re occupying all of our time with getting “stuff” done, we’re not making room to let anyone in.

So busyness isn’t a badge of honour, it’s a liability.

I’m trying to take my own advice to heart. Because a life constantly filled with “busy” isn’t one really being lived.

So here’s to taking tomorrow and scheduling time to not be busy.

To enjoying a cup of tea with friends. Talking time for a walk. Watching a movie for a few hours without feeling guilty. Spending time savouring dinner with my loved ones.

Writing. Playing. Learning. Loving. Living. Laughing. and Letting go.

Blessings