Reset!

My cell phone drives me nuts every single day. Each morning I wake to discover that at some point in the night it has reset to a default setting and gone off Wi-Fi and the blue tooth turns off and more often than not the data is off.  This is a frustrating thing that can quickly become a source of a bad attitude for the rest of the day - or until I go to the settings and do what needs to be done to get connected properly and to get information flowing.  You can probably see where I'm going here.  

Surrendering to God is not a once and you're done kind of thing.  It's just not.  Every time we wake up from our rest, be it morning, noon or night - we have reverted to our default setting (without ever meaning to...).  And guess what?  Lately I've noticed that my phone has developed a mind of its own and it goes back to the default setting randomly throughout the day.  Some days it reverts to the default while I'm still actively using an application.  It slows down, won't go online and deliver that instant gratification that I am so addicted to, it won't send a text, receive a text - simply stated, it just doesn't serve the purpose for which it was created.  And you know, when my attitude reverts to its default setting - my human nature - I don't serve the purpose for which I was created either.

I’ll bet that you've heard or read many times how important it is to make time early in your day to spend time with God, praying, listening, surrendering...  that is our reset. Resetting our day and our attitude is as simple as a whisper of surrender to God.  It doesn't take a lot of time.  It’s not complicated. It’s not difficult.  It’s a decision.  Just do it.  Even if you have to do it a lot.  Just do it!  You won't regret it.  Promise.

Grace poured out and overflowing

I love the example that our pastor once used to describe how grace works in our lives.  He placed a small empty bowl inside of a larger empty bowl.  Then he took a pitcher full of water and poured it into the smaller bowl until it overflowed into the larger bowl.  The water eventually filled both bowls to overflowing.

The smaller bowl symbolizes me, and the larger bowl symbolizes those around me; my family, friends, community…  The water symbolizes grace, poured out for us, into us, around us.  If the water is allowed to fill the smaller bowl it will inevitably overflow into the larger bowl and so on.  This is how grace works.

When I open myself to accept God’s grace, I am emptied more and more of myself and filled with more and more of Him and his grace.  When I am filled, then the overflow can reach others in my life.  Until then, I am simply trying to give to others what I do not possess for myself.  We can only bless others out of the overflow - it is God working through us - it is not our own power, our own grace. Grace doesn't originate with us - we are only instruments that grace can pass through for our benefit and others.  If we are open to grace, it fills us up and overflows as intended, but if we are closed to receiving grace, trying to "do it all" in our own power, it may be poured over us, around us and we may be standing or swimming in grace but we won't be affected by it until we open ourselves up to it and allow it to work in us and through us.  

There's a supernatural power at work when we cooperate with grace flowing through us, it's a strange phenomenon that the more we surrender, the more God can use us.

Faith like potatoes? Or Faith like planners?

Listen, this won’t make sense unless you have a rather strange way of viewing stuff like I do.  If they can name a movie Faith Like Potatoes and somehow have it make sense then maybe I can do it too.

While on my walk today, pondering the never ending struggles of creating and maintaining the perfect planner and daily rhythm, it occurred to me it’s a bit like living a Christian life. Well, not really, but stay with me.  

I have spent a lot of time over the years, and through many seasons of life, trying very hard to create a plan and rhythm in our home.  Sometimes it worked pretty well and many other times it failed miserably, oh so miserably.  Even in this later season of life, I still yearn for a more stable rhythm.  I seek and thrive on consistency and predictability.

When my days don’t go as planned, it is easy to get frustrated and irritable and beat myself up for my inability to stick to it.  Much like when I don’t act very much like a Christian should, I can be pretty disappointed in myself.  When that happens, do I simply throw the towel in and say I’m never going to try to plan for my time, my work?  Do I stop trying to live a life of faith, give up trying to love and serve others and God?  No, of course not.  I recognize and acknowledge my failings, and carry on.

I am a better version of myself when I can accept that I do my best, knowing that I will sometimes fall short of the goal, and hope that I am learning and growing in the process.

Thank God there is always grace...

Enough to make my head pound

Oh yes it is.  9:00 PM and it's past my bedtime.  If you ask me why I'm still in a vertical position, I would not have a good answer for you other than my kids were out to dinner together and I usually tuck the youngest in before bed.  But I think she may tuck me in tonight.

I checked on the She Speaks Conference.  $675!?  Seriously?  Wow, I won't be able to squeeze that figure into our budget any time soon.  It doesn't even include the hotel.  I'm sure it's worth the cost; I just can't swing it at this point.  I guess I'll dive back into the work I was doing with The Right to Write, and maybe some of the others sitting on my desk, beckoning me to take the time to show up at the page.

Too tired to make much sense right now, but I did at least show up at the page :-)

Good night.

Hats, hats and more hats

So many hats and only one head to wear them.  That's what I'm thinking today.  

There are so many hats I want to wear;

Faithful servant #1 priority, of course!

Godly -

wife

mother

grandmother

daughter

sister

aunt

friend

neighbor

gardener

writer

hostess

encourager

reader

home manager

herbalist

cook

blogger

nature lover

bird watcher

walker

helper

wedding planner

teacher

student

historian

organizer

steward

witness

speaker

vacationer

photographer

graphic designer

artist

prayer warrior

promise-keeper

health conscience woman

peace-maker

baker

creative

.......

I (somewhat) recently shared with a friend that I get the sense that to do some of these things well it needs to be "the thing" that I'm doing in my life at that point.  There are, of course, some things on this list that I strive to be at all times.  But others have had a season (or seasons) of being more or less in focus.  That is often not because I lose interest but there simply are too many things I'm interested in to be able to spend time and effort (sometimes money) to fit them into already demanding schedules and exhausting days.  

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These past few months, the "hat" I'm focusing on is getting my physical body to a leaner, stronger, healthier state.  It is a journey to be sure.  I've made progress, and I believe the reason I have made progress is because it's the first (other than a brief period about twelve years ago) time I made the choice to make it a serious focus.  I got tired of wishing for it and decided to start working for it.  I had the added benefit of having a daughter with a lot of experience and life lessons about health, nutrition and exercise under her belt from her own struggles. So I hired her as my personal trainer (she is a NASM CPT) and I started doing the "hard things" I was never willing to do before.  I continued to use my FitBit, because it really does motivate you to go the extra mile (or 100 steps).  I got serious about using MyFitnessPal and I made it known what I was doing.  And... wait for it... I made the decision that I was worth the time and effort that it would take to make the changes I wanted and needed to make.  I decided I am worth the investment and I fenced and protected the time and resources I needed to 1) take a daily walk at a local park 2) learn how to feed my body properly 3) purchase the healthier foods and supplements (plus clothes and shoes) I needed to make it happen 4) train with my daughter - strength training - yes, lifting :-)  

And it's working.  I have lost a little over 30 lbs - sometimes losing as little as .4 lbs per week.  I don't allow frustration with slow loss to discourage me.  It is steady and it continues, week after week after week.  I feel better.  Oh my goodness, do I feel better.  I doubt I ever really understood what that extra weight was doing to my poor frame.  I want to grow very old with my sweet husband and I pray that we will have loads and loads of grandchildren to enjoy and spoil.  That picture is much more likely and even more pleasant if I take care of my body properly.  

Our culture is inundated with opinions and quick-fixes for our problem with obesity, but none of it will work until we decide it's time to do something about it and become willing to do what we have to do to change it.

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So, some hats really need to be "fixed" on our noggin, and this one certainly is one of those.  The question becomes, how do I try to wear so many hats at the same time?  Were you hoping I had an answer to that question?  Well, I really don't, but I think part of the answer includes - balance.  

Our whole life really is just one big classroom, don't you agree?  We usually are not given the opportunity to study one lesson at a time; it's more likely that the professor gives lessons in many areas at the same time and lets us figure out what's first?  What is the priority?  What can give? How can we be successful in so many lessons?  

Like I said, so many hats and not enough heads :-)

"I" for intentional

This idea is popping up every where I turn.  I am no stranger to the concept. In fact, I often talk about it with my kids and with myself. 

I have become confident that when a theme is placed in my path from various sources and in various ways it's time for me to take a closer look. I'll be pondering this today, this week, and I hope to come back here and share some thoughts about my experience with being "intentional".

I have no excuses