Be Satisfied

Many days are filled with hustle and bustle.
Often I am driven to distraction with the many things that need doing.
I have found one truth that has stood the test of a few years now though.
When I take time each morning to spend time with God;
    there I find satisfaction for my soul.
There is still the same amount of stuff to get done in a day;
    but it is a joy to do it.....because my base need is satisfied.
Connection with my Father!
When I'm filled with His love and joy;
  I can't help but have it pour out into every other part of my life.



Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
 that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Psalm 60:14

Thank you Daddy that You satisfy me each morning with your unfailing love,
and for the grace you give so that I can live a joyful and full life!
May what you give to me overflow and be poured out into the lives of
those I spend time with each day, that they may be drawn closer to
You when they spend time with me.

Life's not Fair!

Okay, I am not ranting today, in case the title may make it seem that way!
I am reading The True Measure of a Woman, by Lisa Bevere;
 and I wanted to share some beautiful nuggets of wisdom I read just this morning.

• life is not fair, but God is just.
• those who trust can be trusted.
• people who do not love will fear.
• time will reveal the true nature or character of a person.
• it is not how many talents you possess; it is what you do with those talents.
• all of us vary in our talents and abilities.
• God wills the distribution of them.
• He deals with us as individuals.
• to each He fives at least one talent.
• we will doubt God's goodness in areas where we are not sure of His character.
• Our faith is meant to be used.
• He is the way, the truth and the life.
• He longs for us to simply seek Him.
• He is Father, your Father.
• He is good and perfect, caring and just.

These were just some tidbits that really spoke volumes to me today.
What measure are you using to determine your value?
I want to do all I can with what God has entrusted to me!
I want to hear:

His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; 
  you have been faithful over a few things, 
I will make you ruler over many things. 
  Enter into the joy of your lord.
Matthew 25:23

I understand that life is not fair, but You Daddy are just!  Thank you for the talents that you have given to me, please help me to be a good steward that uses them wisely.  That at the end of the day You can say "well done" to me.  Please add to my faith and help me overcome any unbelief.  Please help me also not to only be a hearer of Your Word, but also a doer!

Just a beautiful verse for today!

But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
  let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
  that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;
  you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
Psalm 5:11-12

Mercy

I am excited, it's a new day....I feel encouraged and energized!
Taking steps in the the right direction can be so challenging.
This time I am taking advice that I've heard over and over again;
enlist the help of buddies....have a support system.
Friends to pray for me, I can be accountable to and love me along the way.
God can work when our issues are brought out into the light!

 Yet I still dare to hope
      when I remember this:
 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
      His mercies never cease.
 Great is his faithfulness;
      his mercies begin afresh each morning.
Lamentations 3:21-23

Thank you Daddy for faithful and loving friends, Your hands and feet in my life.
And thank you that Your mercies are new each day.

Do the Hard Things

Sometimes I get very overwhelmed with the things that need to be done,
especially the Hard Things....things I don't really want to do, but know I need to.
I really feel God calling me to stop looking at the big and overwhelming picture of life.
He has that covered!
I also feel God calling me to stop looking to people and things to meet my needs.
He has that covered too!
I feel Him calling me to take things one day at a time.
His grace is enough!
Some things I need to do are going to be hard, but the victory that lies on the
other side will be worth this time of sacrifice and momentary dicomfort.
I will trust in Him!

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. 
Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 
  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 

Thank you Daddy that Your Word says that You will meet me where I am at. As I draw near to You, you will draw near to me. You hear my prayers, You give me grace and strength for any and every situation and circumstance I encounter.

Realistic Expectations

Well, I've gotten a good dose of time to reflect on my expectations.
It all started with a conversation with a friend and our struggles with this issue.
And it ended last night. It was our 10th Anniversary.
I planned to make a nice dinner, set a nice table and enjoy a lovely meal ending with a delightful dessert accompanied by some sparkling apple juice so that our boys could celebrate with us.
Did I say I planned? .....oh yes, I sure did.....
Well it ended up being hurt feelings, cereal for supper and us not talking...awesome!
I'm sharing this not to complain, not to bad-mouth my husband....but to process what God would have wanted me to do with this situation.  What could I have done differently?

I really think I need to spend less time:
 - fantasizing over how I think conversations will go.
 -  hoping others will receive things the way I hope they will.
  - wondering why? Why things don't turn out the way I hoped...

I need to spend more time:
 - blessing people, just to bless them.
 - remembering that when I'm apart from my hubby,
    I have no idea what struggles he has encountered.
 - giving the benefit of the doubt.....
 - asking God to enter into my time with others!
Trusting God to work it out!

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 
 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 
Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, 
 for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord. 
Romans 12:17-19

The end of all things is near.
  Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 
 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 
1Peter 4:7-9 

Daddy, I thank you that You love me.....even when I struggle to know if I am doing things right, and when I mess it up royally.  Please help me to love others the way You love me, to give the benefit of the doubt, and not to waste my time fantasizing and worrying about the "what-ifs".

Confessions of a Praise Junky

Yes I will admit it.....I am a praise junky!
Just ask Shauna.  After spending a weekend scrapbooking with me, she is a reliable witness.
I don't know why, but I love when someone loves something I love, something I've made,
or something I've done.  You may be just like me, or you may think I'm off my rocker! Hahaha!
I realized that I also love hearing that something I have written or said has in some way
blessed someone else.

            (So, thank you to everyone who has ever left a comment on this blog.)

I haven't decided if this is a problem or not;
   I mean we all love to feel loved and appreciated to some degree.
The other thing is that I want to be a person who walks in humility and love toward others.
To flip the coin though; I love to praise others!
There is nothing more fulfilling to me, than to see someone else's face light up
when they receive encouragement.
And, I love praising God for all the good things He does for me each and every day!
I guess like anything else there needs to be BALANCE.

The LORD is my strength and song,
 And He has become my salvation;
This is my God, and I will praise Him;
 My father's God, and I will extol Him.
Exodus 15:2

Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name;
   Make known His deeds among the peoples. 
Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
   Speak of all His wonders.
 Glory in His holy name;
    Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad. 
1Chronicles 16:8-10

Thank you Daddy for all You do for me. Your blessing are exceedingly, abundantly far greater than I can ask or imagine.  I praise You for Your are good, and You are God.
It is right to give You thanks and praise.

Beauty in the Morning

This morning I had the most amazing walk, I love spring!
I listened to the chickadees chirping their "cheeseburger" song.
I don't mean the Veggi-tales one...Hahaha.
(my son went to a nature pre-school and that was what he was taught....listen carefully next time....it really sounds like they are saying cheeseburger)
The sky was full of brilliant shades of purple and pink brightening up the clouds.
And the icing on the cake for me was seeing a robin, it's funny how I miss them.
It is like longing for a visit from a relative you haven't seen in far too long.
He swooped down past me so close, as if to say, "I'm home!"
What came to my mind amidst all this beauty was how much I long to be with God.
We are only here on this earth for a short time, and we are wired with a longing for things eternal!

Psalm 63

O God, you are my God,
 earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
 my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land 
 where there is no water.


I have seen you in the sanctuary
 and beheld your power and your glory.
Because your love is better than life,
 my lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
 with singing lips my mouth will praise you.


On my bed I remember you;
 I think of you through the watches of the night.
Because you are my help,
 I sing in the shadow of your wings.
My soul clings to you;
 your right hand upholds me.


They who seek my life will be destroyed;
 they will go down to the depths of the earth.
They will be given over to the sword
 and become food for jackals.


But the king will rejoice in God;
 all who swear by God's name will praise him,
 while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

 

Thank you Daddy that You have set eternity in the hearts of men (and Your daughters too!). 
Thank you for all the beauties in a spring morning that bring my mind back to You, and the fact that You are Indescribable!