Conversation with God

I have a friend who I truly enjoy being with, when I get to see her. I've discovered that I hear from her predominantly when she is in need of something. Friendship-wise, there's not much depth. But when I'm with her, I enjoy her.

Now she's not feeling well...and hasn't been for a little while. I haven't been a great friend. I haven't called to check on her. I KNOW I need to.

Here's my conversation with God this morning about it:

Me: God, I know I need to call her and check on her, but she never calls ME to see how I'm doing. I don't want to call her. I guess I'm a little mad.

God: You need to call her.

Me: But God...she's really dropped off the face of my planet...unless I fit neatly into her plans for that day. My friendship is not a priority to her.

God: You need to call her.

Me: But we obviously don't have the friendship that I thought we did. She doesn't need me. I'm okay with that. OBVIOUSLY she's okay with that!

God: Call her.

Me: Why? I know you have a reason. I know I'm being proud. But WHY? Honestly, it feels better pouting about it...or ignoring her altogether.

God: What if my Son had only loved people who were warm and fuzzy to Him? Or what if He only cared about those that loved Him first?

Me: Point made. I'll call right now.

Join me for coffee.....

Just this morning, I came across this Kettle Club meeting, hosted by Exemplify blog. I love this!



Here is how it works:
• Women who want to make the commitment to spend 5-10 minutes (or more!) of time in the Word before blogging each day, will join up.
• Each month, we will post little devotional questions and encouragement to help hold one another accountable
• The last week of the month we will link up and share what we are learning in our private, devotion time.

Basically, it’s women sharing our hearts of what God is teaching us in our daily time with Him. Don’t you love that?!!

They gave us some discussion questions to choose from while discussing our March time in the Word.

Do you have a certain morning system that accompanies your quiet time?
I do! I try my best to get up between 5:30 and 6:00 am. I usually go to bed way too late to get up closer to 5:30, but I’m always striving to improve in that area. My coffee starts to brew at 5:30, so I just have to grab a nice hot cup…and plant myself on the couch, in the quiet. Currently, I am “Joining the Journey” with my church, as we study the Old Testament in 2009. After my time in the Word, I spend some time in prayer. I am a pray-out-loud-type-of-person. I love to feel that God and I are just chatting. So, needless to say…I struggle with getting frustrated, when someone tries to join me in the room. :)

Another question is:
Share a standout lesson you’ve learned this month and why it has made such an impact on you.
Since I just now discovered this today, I’ll answer only from today’s time.
In Exodus 23, God told the Israelites that He would be preparing and leading the way for them to enter the promised land. He said He would go before them and drive out the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites before them. Verse 29 reads, “But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.”

I have talked about how Bill and I are determined to pay off debt. I have taken on a part time job; we are focused, counting every penny; and we are praying. We have prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed that God would allow us to finish this much quicker. We’ve been praying for 4 years about this. God HAS provided. He HAS been faithful. But we are STILL in this battle.

This passage this morning revealed to me that although God has chosen to not yet wipe out this debt, He is still active. His plan is perfect. He knows what He is doing.

We are to be faithful to walk with Him; do what we know is right…daily; and to seek Him. We WILL “take possession of the land”. God WILL see us through. We need only to trust Him for His perfect timing.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to stop by over at the Exemplify blog and see what other “kettle clubbers” are saying. You just might be inspired!

If you’d like, leave me a comment and share with me what YOU do in your daily time with God. I’d love to know!

Relationships...Connecting...Learning to Love....

I began to think and marvel today at all the different connections of people there are in my life.

Family, immediate and extended.
Close “inner-circle” friends.
General friends.
Acquaintances.
Work peers.
People I want to get to know.

And then today, I began looking at blog comments I am receiving. I KNOW I’m a baby blogger…and I have a very unsophisticated blog (when compared to the “big blog world”). But I am beginning to see how connections with others through blog posts can be tremendously encouraging and maybe even friendships can be formed down the line.

And then I began to think about how I interact with each of these types of people in my life.

Am I being REAL? Am I connecting at the deepest possible level?

Even when the other person really has nothing in common with me, do they feel loved by me? Do I truly seek to KNOW them as well? Am I entering into their world…and taking advantage of whatever opportunity for love and growth the Lord is giving us both?

To be honest, there are people in my life the Lord has placed there…and I’m not sure why. But my hope and prayer is that I love them well and I don’t miss ANYTHING the Lord has in store.

Think about all your many relationships.

Are YOU keeping it real?

Off the hook

I wonder if every other Mom of two toddlers feels crazy. Or is it just me? Seriously.

I turn 40 years old this year (in just a few short months) and I’m still trying to figure out how God has wired me. I guess this side of heaven, I’ll never “arrive” to exactly where I want to be.

I’ll never be 100% organized.

I’ll never be joyful in my attitude all day, everyday.

I’ll never be extraordinarily creative or eloquent.

I’ll probably never be extremely technically-minded.

I’ll probably not for a very long time have the energy at the end of any given day to read more than 5 pages of a book.

I constantly feel frustrated that I’m not “there” yet….wherever THAT is.

I have more “Mommy guilt” every single day than I ever anticipated going into parenthood.

Did they watch too much television today?

Did they read enough?

Did they feel understood and heard by me today?

Did they eat too much sugar?

Why didn’t I do more CREATIVE activities with them?
Did I draw them closer to Jesus today?

Or did I unknowingly cause them to inch away from Him, due to my reactions and my words?

Is it enough that at least I CARE about these things for them? Does that count for something, if I didn’t fully accomplish them today? I sure hope so.

Am I listening to lies I shouldn’t be? Lies that say, “When are you EVER going to get it together?”

Or am I listening to the Holy Spirit say, “I’m here for you and with you…and you don’t HAVE to have it all together. Let’s do this side by side.”

I pray I can get my head and my heart to connect on this issue…and let it all go. I hope I can struggle long and well. I love being a mother. I still can’t believe God has allowed me to take care of these little ones. Now I just need to let Him lead me. I know if I lead myself, I can’t stand up under the load I put on my own shoulders.

So for today, for right now….I will thank Him that I am who I am….I am where I am….And let myself off the hook...and enjoy His blessings.

The boys are back in town!

My sweet little men are all curled up in their own beds right now.

All is back right with the world.

Tomorrow....

Oh, how I miss these little guys!

Thanks Granny Sue and Pappa Jim, for the break. I'm ready for life as usual now. :)

See you tomorrow, my precious ones.....

Can you hear that???

.....silence.

That's what I'm hearing.

An update on the boys with their Granny Sue and Pappa Jim:
They're doing great!!!!

We were told that a two-year-old and a four-year-old would NOT be able to make it very long without Mom and Dad, at their grandparent's house 3 hours away, by themselves. Well guess what? Mine are doing fabulously. I wonder if they even want to come back home!

Today, they are in Hockley, TX, at the Oil Ranch , riding rides, petting animals, eating snow cones, enjoying the beautiful sunshine and their grandparents. I'm so glad they are having a wonderful time.

Me? I'm enjoying the silence. Seriously. It almost makes it hard to accomplish anything. I just want to sit. And listen...to the silence. :)

Have a great day!