He Really Does Speak

I've never been one to "hear" from God and couldn't tell you what God "said" to me or is trying to "speak" to me. I'm not good at hearing Him whisper or even roar...maybe I'm Spiritually deaf...or maybe I just don't stop long enough to listen and be still. Or maybe I am spiritually deaf because of the latter.

It's been a roller-coaster few weeks in our house lately and for the most part, it's easy for me to trust. When it comes to taking spiritual gifts tests, mine always comes back high in "faith". If God says He has a plan, than I believe it. If He says He'll meet our needs, I don't usually doubt it. It's easy for me not to worry because I have faith that God is in it and has gone before whatever it is.

This morning I let myself doubt and let myself get worried...but thankfully I was smart enough to stop and pull out my journal in attempt to process and pray. As I sat down to journal a verse came to mind.

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."
-Jeremiah 33:3

As I read down a little farther I noticed another verse:

"Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security." -Jeremiah 33:6

Was this God reassuring me? What is it Him reminding me of His promises? It sure fit with what was on my mind and heart today...As I finished journaling/praying another verse came to mind:

"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You." -Isaiah 26:3

Yet again, what I needed....peace.

I know He's "spoken" to me before but not like this. Maybe I should stop and be still more often!

The Seven Experiment: Media

This week entailed a quasi-fast from media. I told myself I could check Facebook once a day, but not when my kids were awake, and not on my phone. I also told myself that I wouldn't use my phone for anything but necessary texts...that meant no Instagram, no Zulily, no Pinterest, etc. I could've fasted from FB all together, but I didn't.

This week confirmed what I already knew to be true: I waste way too much time looking at my phone. When my kids are crazy or I'm feeling overwhelmed, I choose to ignore real life and turn my attention to my phone instead. My phone allows me to escape reality and delve into a world of way too much unnecessary information. My phone causes me not to be present with my kids, my husband, my friends, my life. When I am bored, I look at FB and IG. When I'm feeling lonely or bored, I send random texts in hopes of "engaging" with someone.

I could've chosen to fast from TV this week but the reality is that we don't watch much of it anyway and sometimes we all just need to veg. My kids watch maybe an hour a day and it mostly serves as background noise while they play. My husband and I watch maybe 2-3 hours a week total and it's the way to unwind and spend time together at the end of a long day. I'm okay with our consumption of TV. We don't have cable so we get to monitor what the kids are watching via Netflix, PBS kids, or Hulu.

Something I realized this week is that what I enjoy most about social media are the pictures. I really don't care what you ate for dinner, who you're mad at, what your co-worker said, etc. I didn't miss the drama, the passive-agressive attacks at whoever hurt you or made you mad. Since when did it become okay to act like 13 year old girls when we are indeed grown-ups? Since when did it become okay to air your dirty laundry to the world? I didn't miss the ads, the deals of the day, the recipe of the day, etc.

What I did miss was seeing my friend's cute kids, seeing pictures of adventures and milestones. I guess what I enjoy most about social media is the sense of connections (even if it is a bit false). It's so fun to celebrate major events or laugh at something funny your kid said or did. I guess it may time to sort through the lists of ads and outside sources that show up in my feed. Time to pair down that list of "friends" who don't build me up or don't encourage me to be a better person.

After this week, I do hope to be more intentional about steering clear of my phone when others are around...especially my kids. I don't want to ignore my kids. I don't want to avoid confrontation or discipline by burrying my head in my phone. Rather than ignore reality and not be present, I need to keep my phone plugged in to it's charger, in the other room, away from my family...someplace I'm not tempted to zone out and avoid them. It sounds horrible as I type this, but it is sadly so true. Rather than cope with life and frustration or boredom, I turn to my phone to entertain me or distract me. Guilty. This Mama has a long way to go when it comes to being present and dealing with reality.

The Seven Experiment: Posessions

"Show me how you spend your money, I'll show you what you really love."

"If we mistakenly spend the majority of this short life on earth earning more, buying bigger, possessing nicer, and chasing better, then at the end we have this: a mostly wasted life."

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

During our week of focusing on possessions, I had decided to pick one room a day and get rid of at least 7-10 items from that room. I wasn't quite as calculated as I had hoped, but I definitely got rid of LOTS of stuff. 1/2 of our garage is now FULL of things to sell at a yard-sale. It is full of stuff that we don't need, don't use, don't want, etc. As I sorted through various rooms in our house I realized how much useless stuff we have....how many things we moved into this house 4 years ago and have never even touched or used. It made me kinda sick to think about our excess.

Is it wrong to have posessions and things? NO. Is it wrong to waste money and not live within our means? YES. If we had to move and down-size today, we would still have plenty of stuff to get rid of. In reality, we could live without so much and need so little to live from day-to-day.

I am guilty. If the top statement is true, than I really love Amazon.com, OldNavy.com, Ralphs, and Target. I think I need certain things when in reality, I have plenty already. I go in for 1 thing and come out with 12 things I didn't need and that weren't on my list. YUCK! I am in impulse buyer...especially if it something under $20. No good at all.

I need to shift my focus to things that have eternal value and let go of those that don't. I want my treasure to be in things that are worthwhile...things that truly matter.

Five Minute Friday: Because

BECAUSE I said so. BECAUSE I don't want to. BECAUSE I said no. BECAUSE I'm a grown up. BECAUSE life's not fair. BECAUSE....

It seems like the word "because" is a word that justifies. If we use the word "because" it means that whatever follows it is justified and fair game to say. "Because" is an excuse word around our house and in my  mind, I use it often to justify less than stellar behavior or thoughts or attitudes.

But really, the best use of the word I can think of is, "BECAUSE God is love". 1 John 4:7-10 says, "My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God."

Because God is love, it shouldn't matter if I said so or not. Because God is love, I should be compelled to do good...even if I don't want to. Because God is love, I should take the time to explain why the answer is no. Because God is love, I shouldn't expect life to be fair...after all, it wasn't fair that HE had to die for me...but He did. Because God is love, I ought to love others.

BECAUSE shouldn't be a justifying word or an excuse word, it should be a compelling word, a cause and effect-type word. Because God is love, we should be driven to show the world His love. I should be driven to show my kids His love. I should be compelled to show my husband that same love.

Five Minute Friday: Hold

At summer camp we used to sing a song that said, "Hold fast! (hold fast) Hold Fast! (hold fast) to the hope we confess without wavering (no wavering), without wavering (no wavering). For He who promised is faithful and true (2 scoops, shooby doo)." It was a silly song with all the extra (echoing) throughout but the truth remains to this day. We must HOLD FAST to the hope confess without wavering for He did promise and He is faithful and true to His Word.

I'm reminded of this truth this week as some of our best friends have been experiencing some very uncertain and scary unknowns when it comes to physical health. The doctors don't have answers yet and they are left waiting...living at the hospital until test results come back and conclusions are met. What is one to do in a time like that? What is one to do when your world has been turned upside down and everything that was once certain is now unknown? All you can do is HOLD ON...hold on to each other, hold on to the promises you know to be true from God's Word, and hold on to the hope and reassurance that in it all, God is faithful and will keep His promises.

This truth of holding fast has been woven into our lives over the past few months. We are on month 5 of no job for my better half and yet, we HOLD ON. We hold on to the fact that God has a plan for us. We hold on to the reassurance that He has provided for us and will continue to do so. We hold on to hope...hope in the future, hope in a great job, hope in what comes next. We truly believe that God is faithful so we HOLD ON and wait.

When it seems like there's nothing left or we are at the end of our rope, all we can do is HOLD FAST and HOLD ON for dear life, trusting in the One who is WAY bigger than us and who knows best!

Five Minute Friday: Ready

Each morning, my alarm goes off at 6:45. I'm never ready. I hit snooze and then it goes off again 9 minutes later. Usually the snooze option is utilized at least twice each morning, sometimes 3 times. Eventually though, reality sinks in and I know that I must get up and get moving if I am going to get everyone fed, dressed and ready to be out the door by 7:55.

Once I'm ready, then I move onto my kids. I get breakfast going and then keep bugging them to eat and not talk, play, etc. Then it's on to nagging my daughter to "get dressed", "find your shoes", "bring me your brush", "go pick out a bow", etc. Miraculously, we make it out the door each morning and everyone manages to be ready for the day!

It seems an alarm is my cue to be ready throughout the day. When we run, we follow a plan that entails an alarm beeping and telling us "time to run" or "time to walk" or "5 minute cool-down". Man how I dread and loathe that alarm that tells me to be ready to run...especially when it's a longer distance than we've previously run.

I feel as though recently, God has used a book to be an "alarm" of sorts to ready me for the changes He wants to bring about in my life. It hasn't been an audible alarm but a nudging, a stirring, a drive of sorts to get me to move and be ready to grow and change the way we've been doing things. So, alarm or not...I am ready. I'm ready to grow, to change, to move forward, to do life differently from here on out.

The SEVEN Experiment: Clothes

This week begins week 3 of The SEVEN Experiment and the focus this week is on clothes. I haven't gotten to the Biblestudy part of it but have already begun looking at what I have and am sick at how much excess is in my closet and my drawers. The past few weeks have been filled with purging and it makes me pretty sad how wasteful I am and how much I have that I don't use and don't even need. 

In this picture are the clothes I am getting RID of! I've gone through my closet and drawers and have pulled out the things I no longer wear and the things that no longer fit and the things I no longer even like! This pile of clothes does not include 2 big bags of clothes that I already gave away to a friend of mine. This get-rid-of pile is bigger than some people's entire wardrobe. YUCK!

 

I originally hadn't planned on going through my shoes, but once I started putting things away I realized how many pairs of shoes, sandals, boots, etc. that I NEVER wear and haven't worn in years. Why in the world do I hold on to these things that I don't love and don't use? The sad  part is that my closet is still FULL of shoes! 

The boxes below are the boxes that hold all of the clothes and shoes that I cleared out. The picture doesn't do them justice but they are BIG! What in the world?!

 This week for our Biblestudy I am choosing to only wear 7 things for the week. I have 2 tanktops, 1 t-shirt, a running outfit (counting as 1), a cardigan, a pair of black pants for work and a pair of jean shorts. (originally I chose a pair of jeans but quickly changed my  mind when the temps were over 100 this morning) I chose 3 pairs of shoes...1 for work, 1 for running, and 1 for everywhere else.

 It's only day 1 of our week of focusing on excess in the area of clothing and already I am feeling convicted. I am very curious as to what God has in store for me this week and how He'll teach me. I'm ready to learn!

The SEVEN Experiment: Food

I was gifted an incredible book for my birthday called "The 7 Experiment". In the book, Jen  Hatmaker focuses on 7 areas in her life where she felt like she was living in excess. Each month for 7 months she focused on a different area and fasted or gave up things in order to make room for God. I loved the book and couldn't help but share with others and as a result, I've somehow found myself "leading" a group of 15 women through the workbook that goes along with the book.

We are one week 2 of the Biblestudy and God is speaking big time! This week we've been focusing on food and the goal was to live without something for the week. This week I chose to eat only black beans, rice, chicken, fruits & veggies and drink only water. The 1st few days were pretty tough and I found myself missing my morning coffee or grab-n-go snacks but 5 days in I'm feeling pretty good. God has taught me a lot this week about what it really means to be a temple of the Holy Spirit.

I grew up knowing and hearing that our bodies are a temple of a Holy Spirit but the only time I ever really heard it discussed was when people would talk about tattoos or piercings. Before Jesus died, there was an actual physical temple with rules and regulations...it was the Holiest of Holies...but after He died, the curtain was torn in two and we became His temple. Me, my body, is His temple. That means my body is Holy and sacred and the dwelling place of the Spirit. I try to run and get exercise so I can be healthy and run races where I get to take home fun medals...but never with the intention of strengthening my body so I would be better fit to be a temple of the Holy Spirit. I eat mindlessly, grabbing whatever is fast or convenient or whatever will satisfy my sweet tooth. What I put into my body matters just as much as anything else.

I had never really connected God and food other than to pray before a meal and thank Him for it. This week my eyes have been open to what I put into my body. Am I filling my body with things that are nutritious and beneficial for health? Am I filling my body with toxic substances that do more harm than good in the long run? And what about my kids and what I give them to eat? I'm pretty sure chicken nuggets, corn dogs, hot dogs, quesadillas, burritos, & mac n cheese do not constitute "health" choices for my kids!

So now I am left to ponder and pray about what changes need to be made when it comes to the food that I choose to eat and the food I choose to feed my family. Will I drink coffee & soda again after this week? Probably. Will I eat junk again? Yes....but in moderation. It's time I put more effort and work into cooking and preparing healthy choices for all of us in order to properly care for the body God has given me!

And this is only the beginning of this experiment...next week I get to see if I can live life wearing only 7 things for the week...I'm ready to be stretched and I'm ready to see God move!!!