Circumstances vs. Reality

In the last couple of weeks, the Lord has been so gracious to give me two very encouraging words. He's pretty great like that. :) However, one day this week, my circumstances didn't line up with those words and it left me very discouraged. (By discouraged, I mean a bundle of weepy mess in the passenger seat of my sister's car) So, after a couple of tissues and an awesome talk with her, I came home to spend some time with Jesus. During our time together, I felt like He wanted me to turn my focus away from my circumstances and point it toward His Word...specifically scriptures about His Word. Check out what I found...

The Word of the Lord is proven...Psalm 18:30
The Word is settled in heaven...Psalm 119:89
The entirety of His Word is truth...Psalm 119:160
Every Word of God is pure...Proverbs 30:5
The Word of God stands forever...Isaiah 40:8
The Word that goes forth from His mouth will not return to Him void...Isaiah 55:11
His Word is the joy and rejoicing of my heart...Jeremiah 15:16
The Word that He speaks will be done...Ezekiel 12:28
His Word will never pass away...Mark 13:31
His Word is spirit and life to me...John 6:63
The Word of the Lord endures forever...1Peter 1:25

Sometimes circumstances can seem so overwhelming but in light of God's Word, they don't stand a chance. You see, God's Word is our reality despite what is going on in our lives and we can be confident that He will fulfill the promises that He makes to us.

So, no more weepy mess...just a woman who knows that her God is good and that His Word endures forever. :)

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Matt 4:4

Mommy for the Weekend

I just got through babysitting my boss's kids for the weekend....that's right, a whole weekend. A couple of months ago, when she asked if I would be willing to do that, I simply said yes as if taking care of a 3 year old and a 1 year old for a whole weekend was something that I do on a regular basis..it's not. Let's just say that God taught me quite a bit this weekend. :)

Last Wednesday, I went over to her house for a 30 minute crash course on how to be a mommy. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that their bedtime was 8pm and that they didn't wake up until 8am. She said that they would take about a 3 hour nap during the day as well. I actually thought to myself, "Hey! I might get some time to myself this weekend!" You know, to spend time with Lord, catch up on some reading, paint my toe nails, etc. Well, after a day full of dirty diapers, preparing 3 meals, playing trains, playing cars, more dirty diapers, wiping half the bottle of lotion off of a naked 3 year old (long story), loading and unloading them in and out of the car for church, totally missing the sermon because I was too busy watching to see if their number was going to flash across the screen from the nursery, washing dishes, doing a load of laundry, preparing snacks, need I say more?!?!....well, after a day like that I was exhausted and all I wanted to do was sit and stare at the wall. Really.

Don't get me wrong, I actually did have a lot of fun with these kids this weekend. They are so adorable and I really enjoyed my time with them. The point that I am trying to make is that I was completely naive about what it is like to be a mom. Simply put, your time is not your own. I walked away from this weekend cherishing the time that God has given me as a single woman. I understand that even as a single woman, my time is not my own because it belongs to God, but if I wanted to spend a whole Sunday reading and spending time with Him, I could easily set aside a day to do that. I was lucky to get 15 minutes in this weekend without my eyes crossing from being completely zapped of all my energy. (Now, I realize that God gives extra grace to mommies and I would imagine that if I did this more than just two days, I would probably get better at it) :)

So, my encouragement to you is to never take for granted the time that God has given you as a single woman. Cherish it. Value it. Spend it wisely. This is my new motto!

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. " Eph 5:15-16