It's hard to believe that nearly three weeks have passed since I last blogged yet in the days that have passed, life has been full to overflowing.
It's been a busy morning thus far...
I reluctantly sent Kyle off to work...
The cats have been nourished...
Zeke has been let out to run & play (after being couped up for several days)...
Chickens have been fed...
With fresh water to hydrate their growing bodies...
Harrington & his "brood" have a filled pool to splash & play in...
Shoes have been straightened...
Yesterday's dishes put away...
All before 7:00 a.m....
These sweet daisies sit at my kitchen sink...
Picked from along the roadside from MaKayla & Mal on their way home yesterday...
Thoughtful & warming to my heart...♥
Egg cartons are collecting from sweet friends...
Our favorite rooster that was supposed to be a hen...
(We are finding several of those...)
Back to Harrington (Harriet if "it" is a girl...) for a moment...
This is the goose that came to us lame at this size...
He/she is now this size...
He/she (we have no idea what gender "it" is) "hissed" at me for the first time this morning which will be much to MaKayla's dismay when I relay the news to her. For the real inside scoop, the friends that she works for have a goose that MaKayla isn't fond of is scared of. It chases her & hisses at her & totally unnerves her so from the very get-go when we started discussing the idea of chickens, she made it very plain, "Chickens & ducks are perfectly fine but we ARE NOT getting a goose... End of story." At least her story. :) For we now have a goose & she is the one that nurtured & helped to bring strength & healing to his/her legs. It seems to get a little more temperamental with each day that passes so...
Today marks the first day in several that the girls & I are able to be home with no major agenda besides getting the yard mowed & catching up on a few things that need attention around here. Last week was Vacation Bible School at our church which brought five days of up & out of the house a little after seven. It was a great week full of singing, dancing, teaching, helping prepare, serve & clean up meals, spending time in fellowship with cherished friends in Christ, participating in skits, chasing after kids, corralling bodies full of energy (if only I could have bottled some of that up...) & loving, nurturing & investing in precious little lives.
I would humbly & honestly admit that I wasn't "eager" for the week but God truly blessed my heart beyond measure in those five days of serving. On top of that, the reality of seeing MaKayla & Mal share, extend & implement their gifts in such a setting was a rich gift that I will tuck away & reflect on for a very long time.
You see, God had been faithfully preparing my heart for such a week...
And although I couldn't at all understand the refining, pruning & sifting He was allowing over the past three to four weeks, I now see that He had much work to do in me through that difficult month.
It. Was. Tough.
Putting it lightly, I wanted to give up...
My family wanted to send me away (I wasn't pleasant to live with...)
(Don't ask them, they might share the gory details...)
Instead of the days of VBS being a dread, it turned out to be a beautiful blessing...
God had layers of stripping to do in order for my heart to serve in away that honored Him & now being on the other side of it, the pain & struggle was so worth it.
As I sat one morning a few weeks back desperate for wisdom, with my Bible open, my journal close & my pen in hand, He so lovingly whispered this verse to my aching heart...
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
and do lose heart when He rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines those He loves,
and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son."
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by His father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
~Hebrews 12:1-13
I needed discipline & God was faithful...
It promises to be a beautiful day in the country...
No matter where you are or what you're doing, may your day be filled with joy, peace & the love of Jesus...
Warm hugs from our home to yours...♥
