Lots of Things

One afternoon last week, my neighbor came over for a haircut. While I was cutting her hair, my older son came into the kitchen to look for a snack. As he was looking he asked me what we were having for dinner.  I answered, “Oh, lots of things”, trying to make it sound exciting.  Then he curiously asked, “What kind of things?” To which I replied, “Mashed potatoes (from the night before), taquitos (frozen), a big loaf of French bread, chicken soup (which I had also made the night before), and a few other menu items I can’t even remember.” My neighbor then corrected me, “Oh, leftovers.” I quickly shushed her and told her not to tell my son, but, loud enough for him to hear too. We all started laughing at how I was trying to make leftovers sound so good, as in “lots of things”.  I had been on my feet all day, beautifying some lovely ladies, so I hadn’t really thought of dinner until that moment, and “lots of things” just popped into my head. Later that night, we had another good laugh as I lay out a multicultural smorgasbord for my sons to enjoy.  It was really a strange looking dinner…and that’s ok.  The lesson I came away with, is that I need to let go of perfect, do what I can, and have fun doing it. When Jesus comes back I will be perfected, but until then, He and my family would rather me be lighthearted and serving with a joyful attitude.

²² A cheerful disposition is good for your health;
gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.  Proverbs 17:22, the Message

Carefree

Claiming Simplicity

           At the beginning of summer I set out on a quest to find simplicity. I knew that I needed to begin my search in the Bible. I went online to Christianbook.com. to find a study to help me on this quest. I was longing for a life of quiet simplicity, a break from the rushed busyness of the everyday norm.  I came across a lovely study by Cynthia Heald, called “Becoming a Woman of Simplicity”.  I ordered it for my own personal inspiration, but over the summer I became convinced that other women could benefit from the blessings in this little book too. I decided to offer it as a study for our women’s group at church this fall. The response was overwhelming! Who knew so many women were craving the same simplicity in their lives.

        Since beginning this study I have come to the conclusion that simplicity really begins with God. We are the ones who complicate things. As we “keep company with Him”, He begins to change our priorities; He orders our days, He shows us what to say “yes” to and what to say “no” to. As we walk in “rhythm” with Jesus and take on His plans for our lives, everything falls into place. Everything seems easier.  He's just waiting for us to ask what His plans are for our day, week.. Then when He shows us,  we just need to follow His lead. Jesus calls to us, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest”.

                                                           An invitation

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
Matthew 11:28-30, The Message

Ever Faithful... and the Rain Came

Ever Faithful

Fall is here! I am so excited! Living in California means that an Autumn day often times looks just like a Summer day. But, this morning while I was making school lunches, I looked out the kitchen window and noticed the leaves in the trees were rustling and there were some clouds mixed in with the sunshine. Then I noticed that the patio was getting darker in spots as some sprinkles of rain fell on it.  Yippee! I yelled to my family and ran to look out the front door. I knew that if there was rain and sunshine there was bound to be a rainbow. Sure enough it was right outside my front door. I called to my husband to come and look with me. As we stood there I noticed that it was actually a double rainbow. I was reminded of how ever faithful our God is. He pours out a double blessing on our lives as we look to Him and follow Him. His promise has remained since before time even began. What a wonderful way to start the morning, being reminded of God’s faithfulness to me!

 "I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth." Genesis 9:13, NLT

Consider the Lilies

 Jesus tells us to, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin.” KJV, Matthew 6:28

What a beautiful lesson God is showing us here. The lilies represent resting in God’s presence, showing that He is the one who takes care of them and provides all the sunshine and rainfall they will need to make them bloom. The contrast is us laboring and toiling, working so hard on our own effort. We literally spin with no direction until we are so tired and dizzy; we just fall down from exhaustion. Jesus wants us to come to Him, rest in Him, and trust in Him completely.  Further on down in verse 6:33 Jesus tells us to,  “ seek first Hi s kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”    My hope is to someday  rest like the lilies, seeking Him first, trusting Him to care for me perfectly. 

 I thank you for joining me on my first blog ever. My desire is to give you glimpses of God through the teachings of scripture and also from the lessons I learn (sometimes the hard way).  My hope is that you can glean something from my stories along the way. Some stories are full of joy, some of sorrow, others of mishaps and also a few of mistakes. I don’t claim to be an expert in any particular area. I’m just a woman who loves the Lord and seek to follow Him with my life.  I am blessed with the privilege of sharing God’s Word in the women’s ministry at my home church, but I wanted to reach out and share God’s heart with even more women.

     I know that we all come from different situations in life, but I am sure that in one way or another our lives and experiences overlap in some way.