~My Sweet Life~

Worry is Sin

God has sure been speaking a lot to me about worry. (Not surprising since I've spent a lot most of my time doing just that ever since my son joined the Coast Guard back in October!)

God has also been reminding me of this verse:

"...for the joy of the Lord is your strength." ~Nehemiah 8:10

No wonder I have felt so weak and scared! My primary focus has been on my son leaving home and how much it hurts.

I can't even believe that, yet again, I have fallen into this pit. Worry IS a pit.  It is a most powerful tool the enemy uses to keep us ineffective as Christians. It steals our joy, which tarnishes our testimony. And let's face it, worry is VERY self-centered.

"...do not fret—it leads only to evil." ~Psalm 37:8

When all my thoughts are consumed with worry, first and foremost, I neglect my relationship with Jesus. I withdraw. I am not attentive to my family. And, as I have realized today, being consumed with worry blinds me to the needs of those around me. Honestly, when I am so wrapped up in my fears and feeling sorry for myself, I am less likely to intercede for those who so desperately need my prayers. This is what hurts me the most. I'm too preoccupied to see what God has put before me...who He would have me demonstrate His love to. I don't have to look far to see:

~a close friend experiencing complications from a recent mastectomy

~another friend recently diagnosed with breast cancer

~a family still mourning the loss of someone dear to them as they face their first Christmas without him

~a friend contemplating divorce

~a friend struggling with depression

Worry not only says to God "I don't trust you", as far as I'm concerned, it also says "I'm too busy with my own concerns to pray for yours." OUCH. That sounds so harsh, but I have to say that is where I feel I have been for the past couple of months. I must be alert to the enemy at all times. When I begin to worry about Taylor, or anyone or anything, I must act quickly to combat it and recognize it as one of the enemy's schemes to keep me: from having joy, from being an effective testimony for Christ, and to stop me from praying.

Prayer is a powerful thing, so the enemy knows exactly what he's doing by keeping us so focused on our SELVES that we forget to intercede for others! We must stay focused on Christ and His power!

...So this seems like a good time to reconnect with the Gratitude Community over at Ann's blog and continue naming {at least} 1000 gifts I have received from God :) 

These things bring me joy because they are undeserved blessings from God. And after all, the joy of the Lord IS my strength! 

36. Taylor's graduation from Coast Guard basic training :)

37. Clear roads and good weather for Taylor's road trip to cooking school in California

38. a quiet dinner with my best girlfriends

39. sitting in a dark room with only the Christmas tree lights on

40. redemption

41. Psalm 37:4

42. the "goodbye" card Mac made for Taylor (that brought him to tears)

43. the Holy Spirit's conviction

44. being married to a man I REALLY love...who REALLY loves me.

45. good food shared with family

46. text messaging :)

47. reassuring words from my Daddy

 

Kicking Self-Pity Out The Door

I'll be honest. Last week was long and hard. It didn't start well. It didn't end well. It seemed with every passing day I found one more reason to feel sorry for myself. What a pitiful way to live--especially the week before Thanksgiving! (And what a poor witness that is for my Savior!)

I'm so glad it's Monday again and time to join The Gratitude Community in sharing the many gifts God has given me. I'm continuing my journey to name {at least} 1000 gifts I've received from Him. This is exactly how I need to spend my morning--focusing on God's goodness instead in spite of my selfishness. Here are just some of the truly countless ways I've been blessed since I began my list last Monday:

21. Watching Eddie's hand rest on my friend Kim--his wife--while she talked with me the day after her mastectomy.

22. Good hair days

23. My church

24. Hearing Mac use a new word correctly.

25. My Mom's "I love you" 's

26. Mac and Sarah sharing a laugh

27. A hot shower

28. Finding God faithful

29. Sun and 60 degree temperatures in November

30. Finding comfort, hope, and strength in the Word of God 

31. Seeing a great movie with my parents

32. A hug from a friend

33. A comfortable home

34. Clothes to wash

35. Leftovers

"It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your  steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night." ~Psalm 92:1-2

{At Least} One Thousand Gifts from Him

I was incredibly inspired by a blog I found recently called A Holy Experience.  A couple of years ago, the writer of the blog, Ann Voskamp, started writing down gifts that God had given her. She set a goal of 1000 gifts, but has since documented well over that amount. She encourages her readers to join her by linking their own gratitude lists to her blog every Monday morning. Since I have dealt with worry quite a bit lately, I decided this would be good for me. You know, to re-focus my thoughts.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." ~Philippians 4:8

So here goes! I am today, officially joining Ann on this journey. I, too, want to be thankful every single day, regardless of how I am feeling. I want to see God's hand...be more aware of the gifts He gives me...every single day.

Won't you join me? Whether you blog or not. I plan to keep a small notebook handy to jot down the gifts I find throughout the week and then I will share my list here every Monday, linked to Ann's. I'm excited!

1. Wet kisses from Mac
2. Laughing with my husband
3. The inspiring example of a close friend fighting cancer with courage and grace
4. My daughter's desire to be in church and to get more involved
5. Having a good conversation with my ex-husband
6. Getting an encouraging letter from my son while he's in boot camp
7. A sermon that challenges me
8. Answered prayer
9. {sometimes} Unanswered prayer
10. Mac memorizing Philippians 4:19 in Sunday School
11. A friend who loves me enough to hold me accountable
12. Losing 8 lbs
13. Friends that tell me something they appreciate about my husband
14. Hot coffee by a warm fire in my favorite chair
15. Watching the tree branches being blown by a gentle wind
16. Agreeing to disagree with my husband without being angry :)
17. Friends who trust me enough to share their most personal prayer requests
18. Knowing God is very real and experiencing Him in some way every day
19. My son's teenage friends coming to me for advice and prayer
20. Red and orange leaves covering the trees

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."~1 Thessalonians 5:18

For Today~October 27

Inspired by The Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window... rain and gray skies

I am thinking... a nap would be wonderful!

I am thankful for... the trials that God has allowed me to experience (with Him by my side) so that I can encourage others walking the same road

I am wearing... jeans, red t-shirt, sneakers

I am remembering... how nice it was to sit at the dinner table with friends recently and just BE.

I am going... to pray for the marriages of some dear friends today.

I am reading... The Power of a Praying Wife

I am hoping... to get my first letter from Taylor this week

On my mind...I feel so helpless with so many people around me hurting...I want to shout from the rooftops about everything that God has done for me and tell my friends to trust Him to do the same for them.

Noticing that... my kitchen has STILL not fully recovered from our dinner party 3 nights ago!

Pondering these words... "What if your husband's faults are God's tools to shape YOU?" ~Gary Thomas, Sacred Influence

From the kitchen... leftover chicken and rice casserole

Around the house... signs that an active little boy lives here :)

One of my favorite things...watching branches of leaves on the trees blow in the wind...calms me :)

A picture to share...

Mac at our church's Fall Fun Fest this past weekend.

For Today...October 20

Inspired by The Simple Woman's Daybook...

Outside my window...bright, warm sunshine!

I am thinking...I hope Taylor is doing well...hope I get his mailing address soon!

I am thankful for...the prayers and encouragement of friends and family...the phone call I just now received from a mother whose son also just left for the Coast Guard basic training.

I am wearing...red t-shirt, navy sweatpants and sneakers.

I am remembering...how sweet Mac was last night...telling his sister what a good job she had done on their video game and saying ma'am everytime he spoke to me :)

I am going...to finally get serious about losing weight!

I am reading...back through my old prayer journals and being very encouraged to see how God has taken care of all my concerns.

I am hoping...that Taylor is seeking God daily for his source of strength.

On my mind...what will I fix for dinner tonight?

Noticing that...it's time to turn our irrigation system off!

Pondering these words..."I love you"--especially when received unexpectedly and via text message from Stephen or Emily :)

From the kitchen...homemade vegetable soup calling my name!

Around the house...pumpkin and apple scented candles flickering and filling my home with wonderful smells!

One of my favorite things...knowing that God is present and at work in my everyday circumstances.

A picture to share: LOVE finding stuff like this around the house...and wondering what thoughts were going through his head while playing here. Makes my heart happy!

 

Why I LOVE My Prayer Journal

So yesterday I shared how much I love my journal and what all I like to write in it. Today, I really want to share just one little example as to WHY my journal means so much to me!

And I have to first reiterate--because I don't think I could say it enough--it BLOWS my mind how God actually takes the time to communicate with me-- teaching me, reassuring me, confirming things with me. I mean, He's GOD, for goodness sake! And I am just this "speck" in the universe!! I don't know of anything that humbles and excites me like recognizing when God impresses something on my heart AND then confirms it externally through my circumstances. Because I have become more aware of it, He is so much more real to me today than He was even a year ago. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt (and can PROVE!) that God is at work in my life every single day. It's not just something I wish for or hope for or listen to others talk about...I EXPERIENCE it for myself! I don't know about you, but I think that is an amazing privilege!

So the other night, I was looking over recent journal entries when a passage of scripture caught my eye. On October 5, I wrote out Psalm 121:8 "...the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore" which I found in a devotion from "God Calling". After looking up that verse and reading the entire chapter, I made myself a note to pray through Psalm 121 for Taylor as he was preparing to leave for basic training with the Coast Guard. I was nervous about him leaving home and I knew he was too, so I felt like this particular passage was perfect to pray. It was such a comfort to me, I knew God had led me to it!

I jumped ahead a few pages in my journal and noticed that on October 9, I thanked God for the late night text message I received from my son Taylor the night before. (At 11:00 he had texted me and asked that I come to his room so he could share something he read in his bible that he specifically told me was a comfort to him!) Can you guess where this is going? Yes, indeed, he had opened his bible to Psalm 121 and read it out loud to me. Is that cool??

My point is this...until I went back and looked through my journal notes, I had not made the connection. And you should know that I discovered this on a day when my heart was hurting because my son was gone. I kept praying, asking God to comfort me. That was all I could think of to pray, was "Comfort me". So when I realized the SAME passage I had made a note of in my journal was the SAME passage He led Taylor to in his bible, it felt like a warm, reassuring hug from my Savior. :)

Trust me, this is only one small example of literally hundreds I could share of God showing Himself faithful to me. And it illustrates so well why I believe it is important to slow down and take the time to pray and to even journal things we feel God laying on our hearts. I don't think we realize how many of the thoughts we have are actually "nudges" or promptings from the Holy Spirit to pray about those things.

I told my sister recently--and I know I've shared on this blog--that sometimes when I pray, I literally get goosebumps. It's like this confident feeling that what I am praying is not only pleasing to God, but also something that He has every intention of answering. Have you ever experienced that? I recently read this quote from Charles Spurgeon which helped me better understand why I sometimes get those "goosebumps":

"Only the prayer that comes from God can go to God. We must shoot the Lord's arrow back to Him. The desire that He writes on our hearts will move His heart and bring down a blessing."

~from Morning and Evening, October 8 evening devotion (which was the same night Taylor told me about Psalm 121 comforting him!)

I hope you will consider journaling your prayers and other things God puts on your heart if you don't already. It is so encouraging--especially on days when your faith is weak--to be able to flip through the pages and trace the fingerprints of God in your life.

My Prayer Journal

For at least the last 3 years, I have journaled my early morning prayers. I'm not sure how I got started doing that, but it is so much a part of me now, I cannot imagine going even one single day without doing it. There's something very exciting about documenting the prayers I pray for myself and others and then being able to look back and see how God showed Himself faithful through it all.

Up until a couple of months ago, each journal entry would have the date (duh!), a quote I especially liked from the particular devotion I read that morning, a list of things I thank God for, a confession, and a list of people with the prayers I prayed for them. I was happy with that, but I also kept a couple of other journals--one where I documented answers to prayer and one where I tried to write down things I felt God putting on my heart.

Then I met fellow blogger--and Christ follower--Sandy, whose blog I came across a few months ago and have been enjoying ever since. I knew she and I had a lot in common when I read the article she wrote about one of her favorite things--her notebook. She shared how she breaks her journal down into different sections for things like scripture she's trying to memorize, answered prayers, keeping track of quiet times, etc. I immediately loved the idea! I decided it was time for me to put all my notes together instead of trying to keep up more than a couple of different journals.

If you are someone who likes to journal, I recommend you try this too. Just as my notebook looks a little different from Sandy's, you may find that different categories work better for you. For instance, I LOVE  making daily to do lists and so I have incorporated a section just for that in my notebook. In fact, the sections in my notebook are: Daily To Do Lists, Quiet Time Notes, Answered Prayers, How God Speaks to Me, and Scripture (that I want to memorize). It started out differently, but after I used it for a few days, I figured out what "categories" worked best for me.

Here's why I'm sharing this with you...I cannot tell you how much encouragement I get from this journal of mine. I already mentioned that it is totally cool to be able to look back and see how God has answered prayers, but I have discovered something else that's exciting. In that section "God Speaks", I make notes when I feel God impressing something on me. If I stumble across a devotion or a sermon or even an email from someone that confirms what He puts on my heart, I photocopy it and stick it in that section as well.

Oh my goodness! When you actually take the time to do that, it is amazing to see in black and white, right in front of you, how often God speaks. Now I realize this is not something a lot of people would enjoy doing, but as I said, if you like to journal, and pray often, and want to be more aware of God at work in and around you, you should totally try this!! My eyes have been opened even more to the faithfulness of God as I look back and trace His footprints all through my day...every day! How encouraging is that??

"Lord, heighten my spiritual sense to see that which is not visible, hear that which is not audible, sense that which is not tangible, believe that which is unbelievable...Teach me to sort through the noises of this world to hear and discern Your powerful, wonderful, pure, precious voice."

~Priscilla Shirer, Discerning the Voice of God

One Prayer Request

There was a GREAT question posted for discussion yesterday over at The Internet Cafe, so I thought I would participate and encourage YOU to think about your own answer!

If God told you that He would answer any one prayer request today, what would it be? Why, this request? 

If I thought about it long and hard enough, I could probably come up with some other answers, but I thought to be honest, I should share the first answer that popped into my mind.

If God promised to answer only one prayer request for me today, it would involve my 3 children. I would pray that each one of them would grow in their love for and devotion to Him every day, serving Him boldly, faithfully all the days of their lives.

I have a lot of concerns in my life that I pray about, but if I had to narrow it down to just one that could surely be answered TODAY, that would be it! Why? Because my greatest wish for my children is that they each develop intimate relationships with Christ, experience His power and faithfulness for themselves, and share His love with others. Always.

How would you answer that question? I would love to hear!

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." ~3 John 1:4

 
  

Welcoming Fall (on a budget!)

Today I am cleaning, decluttering, and decorating my home...getting ready for a party AND celebrating the new season by adding just a few "touches of Fall" here and there. This is my favorite time of year! And since I sometimes get in the habit of focusing on negatives in regard to my home, I wanted to be intentional today about appreciating the little things I do like :)

This would be a good time to share a praise... I didn't really have money to spend this year on decorations for Fall. I went to Hobby Lobby one day and pouted because I saw so many cute things I wanted and left there feeling sad. I prayed and asked God to help me make my home more cozy for Fall and the next thing I knew, my Aunt offered to let me use some of the extra stuff she wasn't using this year. That was an answer to prayer!

Although, as I have been "nesting" today, I've learned you really don't have to spend much money at all to welcome the season into your home. All I did in that photo above was add a wonderful Fall-scented candle (by Febreze) and a floral "pick" to the top of this chest in my foyer. Instant coziness! 

Talk about easy! All I did here was add a few branches of berries to my breakfast room chandelier for some Fall color.

Here's a good fix for a "bare" bookcase shelf. All I had on it was this "Hope" sign. It was just begging for some more decoration! I set a fake pumpkin and a small garland of berries in front of it for just the right amount of "punch"--for me anyway!

  I like having stuff on top of my kitchen cabinets to fill that "void" in front of a bare wall. The tray was already up there, lonely! (I think it came from Pier One). Again, I just set a branch of berries in front of it and added a small fall arrangement and a fake gourd. I was very happy with the way it turned out. It's nice to have pretty little spots like that to glance at while working in the kitchen! This was Mac's contribution to our Fall decorating. These cute little scarecrows are only a dollar or two, and they add a bit of fun to your potted plants.

Even though I was fortunate enough to have my Aunt let me use some of her things, you can see that it doesn't take much--money OR decoration--to add just a few touches of Fall here and there.  I still want to buy some mums for my front porch and figure out a pretty centerpiece for my dining table.

What do you like to use to decorate your home for Fall?

Celebrating the Small Things

Before I get busy this week, I want to pause and reflect on some "small" things that have brought a smile to my face. I don't want to take a single blessed moment for granted.

~Last night my teenager asked ME to watch a movie with him. :) We stayed up late and popped popcorn and laughed together--a lot. It was so much fun. The icing on the cake was when his girlfriend called and he didn't engage in a long conversation with her! He told her he was watching a movie with his mom.

~When we have company over--like yesterday--my husband likes to do most of the shopping, preparation, and cooking. For awhile I was offended by this and took it personally. (like he was stepping in because I didn't do a good enough job). I now see it through different (grateful) eyes. He gets an opportunity to do something he loves AND it just makes things easier on ME! I get to enjoy my guests and not stress over every little thing! ;)

~God's faithfulness. I prayed yesterday about something that was very troubling to me. As I prayed, things seemed to get worse instead of better. I got discouraged, but I was determined to hold onto God in spite of how things looked. I kept praying, keeping my eyes on Him and not my circumstances, and He answered me. That's not really a small thing, but just something really special that I can't stop thinking about today!

I'd love to know what you are grateful for today--big or small! (And for more encouragement, please visit Chatting at the Sky's "Unwrapping Tuesday"

"I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders." ~Psalm 9:1