Refreshing.
Exhilirating.
Renewing.
Just what I needed to start my new day.
I have come to the conclusion that unless I put "BLOG" on my "TO-DO" list, I just don't set aside the time to sit & write awhile. I am praying about designating a window of time every day to think, reflect & share but with the fullness of life in our home right now, I will wait patiently for the Lord to show me what His will is.
With everyone beyond tired the other night, we found ourselves in bed much earlier than normal. As is my nature, I carried along my Bible, journal & current studies/reads that I am enveloped in. Kyle & I chatted a bit & as he dozed off to sleep, I began to study. Awhile later he said, "Are you not tired?" Oh, I was, but to be honest, I don't want to miss a moment of the miracle of life around our home. I save my study time for when Kyle has left for work & before the girls arise, while they are gone fulfilling commitments or after everyone is in bed. When I am engaged in any project whether it is something I am creating or a study of God's Word, I can get quite cranky if I must get pulled away therefore it's best to do those things when everyone else is occupied. :) Kyle doesn't necessarily agree as he says I need to TAKE time for things I want & need to do... So after much discussion, we agree to disagree... ♥
The older I get, the more I LOVE to study. I think homeschooling the girls has done that to me. Growing up, I was a terrible student. I didn't study. I paid no attention to assignments or grades. I did just what was needed in order to "make it through". As the girls have grown throughout the years, the Lord has changed my desire from making sure they succeed & excel to cultivating their hearts. Instilling in them a LOVE for learning. Making sure their minds & their hearts are connected in that learning process. That learning & education aren't just things to get done... Things to muddle through... Things to accomplish... Yet it's a journey to enjoy. And through that process, the Lord has instilled in me a desire & a longing to learn of Him. To be taugh things I didn't know or have things I did know take on new meaning & perspective. Sometimes we can get so stale in our doctrines, beliefs & convictions that we are deaf-earred, blind-eyed, calloused-heart to the "new" that God desires to teach us. When that happens, we miss so much...
So as I continue on in the three studies I am enveloped in, I am grateful for what God is bringing ALIVE in my heart...
*who I see God as...
*what God expects/desires of me as a bride to Kyle...
*what LIVING the Fruit of the Spirit looks like...
*how God desires me to "see" difficult situations in life...
*the view He longs for me to have in the hard of life...
*what He desires me to do with what He is pouring in to me...
*to evaluate how His character is being displayed in my day-to-day life...
*to examine my life continuously, being mindful of what is present that shouldn't be...
Most of these things seem like elementary concepts yet God desires to constantly be turning the soil of our hearts so that new seed can be sown. So that new growth can spring forth. So that abundant fruit can be grown. So that His harvest will be plentiful.
The last three weeks have been overwhelming trying to "get on top of it all" yet His grace has been so satisfyingly sufficient.
It's pushing forward.
Persevering.
Leaning on His strength rather than my own.
In the midst of it all, He has shown me through His Spirit & through His Word that as we willingly receive that which He has entrusted to us, being good stewards & faithful grounds keepers, He will supply the ability & strength to accomplish that which He believes we can do. We base so much of what we accomplish on what we feel we are capable of rather than just focusing on that which He has placed into our care. Being diligent to put our hands to the plow knowing... He will NEVER ask more of us than His grace is sufficient to supply.
It's been a great learning season for me.
Not just in knowledge...
But in fully trusting God to give me the strength & ability.
As everyone left last night from our in-home Bible Study, Kyle & I just looked at each other & acknowledged how good & awesome God is. How faithful & provisional... How amazing & wonderful...
It's a joy to serve Him...
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Caring for a rehabilitating puppy...
Bow shoots with Dad...
Perfectly BBQ'd grilled chicken...(by Kyle of course ♥)
What our living room floor typically looks like...
Sillyness between Grandma Sharon & Tuck...
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The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
Proverbs 4:18
