remind me

So it has been a while since my last post - life has been incredibly busy lately. I have missed this as it is my favorite/only outlet for all of the thoughts that are often jumbled up inside my head. I hate pulling the busyness card because it will inevitably sound like the worst excuse known to man, but it is the truth.  I have no other reason, no other excuse to offer other than busyness.  It is during these times when I forget things and must be reminded of those ideas that are of vital importance to my life.

1.  I have to remember who God is and just how big He is.  In the busyness, I get caught up in my own petty problems and forget that He is Almighty God.  I like the idea that He wants to be my friend, but I love that He is my fortress, my strong tower, and the place from which I gain strength.  You know that I LOVE Nehemiah, and I often go there when I am discouraged or grumpy from being discouraged.  So I thought I would share Nehemiah 4:14-16 with you again.

"When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: 'Do not be afraid of them(those people who were trying to discourage them from building the wall); remember the Lord who is great and awesome and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.'"

2.  This verse also reminds me of who I am - not some weak, little pipsqueak!  I, we are called to be warriors - to fight.  The war belongs to God, but we are certainly soldiers in the battles.  I have two verses for you on this one.  Galatians 4:6 says that,

"Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!'"

And 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us about this Spirit.  

"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, and love, and discipline."

I don't know about you, but I just love the idea that God sends His Spirit into our hearts.  Through Christ, we have access to God and His abundance - grace, mercy, comfort, strength, power, the list could go on forever.  There are days, and today is one of those when I have to pray, as Nehemiah did, "O God, strengthen my hands."

3.  Nehemiah 4 also reminds me why - why I get up every day and go to work, why I work with children.  We are fighting those battles for them, for those people God has entrusted to us.  I fight for the 20+ darlings that climb the stairs to Extended Care every day.  I fight for the 100+ boys and girls that darken the doors of the CrossPointe Kids building.  I fight for the ladies that work with me every day, and most importantly I fight for George, Joyce, Candace, Brittany, Jonathan, Madison, Wyatt, Daisy Claire, Papaw, David, Brittany, Aunt Debbie, Ben, Mallorie, the boys, and many other family members.

Maybe you are like me and need someone to say, "Remind me, who do you fight for?"

stop and smell the coffee!

Well hello friends!  I hope you don't mind, I kind of like addressing this post as if we are all old friends simply picking up where we last left off.  The Christmas season is upon us, and I am so very excited!  It's my favorite time of year, and bonus - it actually has felt like winter here in South MS for more than a few hours straight this year.  Most of the time we have this slightly bipolar weather pattern that can fluctuate between summer and freezing in the same day five minutes!

So this particular season has been extremely hectic and so very busy for us - at this moment I am quite frustrated at this fact.  I am very careful in what I commit to because I like to give 100% to very few things rather than 25% to several things.  I am not sure if that makes sense to anyone but my me and my parents because they are the ones who taught that to me.  I would really like to scream right now, but I can't because I have to work!  So after work and after small group and after I buy coffee creamer, if you see me screaming outside my apartment don't be alarmed.  I will be okay after I scream!

I feel like the first two paragraphs are completely at opposite ends of the spectrum, and that is exactly what is the problem.  I love this time of year - it is the perfect time to stop, smell the coffee(with your creamer), and enjoy the days, but its like I don't have time to go to the bathroom much less smell the coffee before I attach the I.V. filled with it to my arm!

Okay, I know that was a tish dramatic but you get the point.  I am tired of being busy, and I really feel like that's not God's best for us.  He created rest for a reason, and I truly believe that busyness can be a tactic of the Devil.  Busyness is usually a bunch of less important things meant to distract you from what is really important and what your ultimate goal is.  For example, this week is supposed to be a fun week for my kids celebrating the birth of Jesus and preparing for Christmas holidays; instead, I am exhausted from busyness, my nerves are frayed, and I am frustrated.

So I go back to a couple of my favorite verses that get me through life.

"Cease striving, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the Earth." - Psalm 46:10 

  When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people: “Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.” - Nehemiah 4:14

The entire Psalm 46 is an "I got this" psalm for me, and Nehemiah is just wonderful!  

Okay, now I feel better.  I do apologize that you readers have to see the inner workings of my catharsis, but this blog does help me process things and deal.  So I hope you have an outlet for your frustrations, and I pray that we all can stop and enjoy the season!