God's Got This!!

"Don't panic. I'm with you. There's no need to fear for I'm your God. I'll give you strength. I'll help you. I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. Count on it: Everyone who had it in for you will end up out in the cold - real losers. Those who worked against you will end up empty-handed - nothing to show for their lives. When you go out looking for your old adversaries you won't find them - Not a trace of your old enemies, not even a memory. That's right. Because I, your God, have a firm grip on you and I'm not letting go. I'm telling you, 'Don't panic. I'm right here to help you.'" ~ Isaiah 41:10-13 (The Message) 

Isaiah 41:10 is one of my favorite verses. Yesterday while dealing with some frustration over a situation I saw where I had this reference written down. I decided to look at it in multiple translations because... well... that's just interesting with the app. The Message put it in a way that helped me stay focused on how worth it it is to continue to do the right thing and keep the right attitude when the actions of others make it difficult. Whether someone cuts you off in traffic, tries to harm your family, or lies, cheats, and scams you for everything you're worth, staying true to God can never be wrong. As a good friend once said about a difficult situation... God's Got This!!!

Let It Go

My brother is a minimalist and will likely someday join the Tiny House Movement. While he was in town for Christmas he rubbed off on me a bit. No, I'm not going as extreme as him. We won't be selling our 4 bedroom/3  bath house in a quaint, family neighborhood for a 400 sq ft home. But when mom bought him some new Under Armour shoes for Christmas and he was excited that his one new pair of shoes would replace his running AND workout shoes, thereby allowing him to cut down from two pairs of sneakers to one, that really spoke to me. My family has entirely too much stuff. Yes, we do have two babies, and babies come with a lot of stuff. There's a high chair, bouncer, swing, bed for each, toys, educational supplies, etc., etc., etc. That stuff will stay. But I have a nice walk-in closet but still have to store about 5 or 6 large Rubbermaid boxes filled with off-season clothes. Our garage is so full of stuff we don't even park a car in it. And we currently have 2 storage units full of junk plus some stuff stored up at my parents' town. 

What does all this mean? You get to follow our journey to rid ourselves of junk. I have student loans and a business loan totaling a huge amount of debt. My husband has vehicle and recreational vehicle loans. We seriously need to rid ourselves of it, too. My plan? Sell a bunch of "junk" and start paying off that debt so we can relax a little more in life. If we learn tips and tricks, we'll share. If we learn what not to do, we'll share. If you have advice, please share!! Hopefully together we can minimalize our lives compared to what they are now. 

Just Roll With It

They were young... 22 years old. He was her high school sweetheart, they married shortly after she graduated, and they had their whole lives ahead of them. He was just finishing up his service in the military, and they were ready to start a family and conquer the world together. In just an instant, though, their whole life was changed. A severe car wreck left her injured and him near death. He pulled through, but days turned into weeks of recovery. Weeks turned into months, and now months have turned into a year and a half. This horrific accident left him with traumatic brain injury, among his long list of injuries, and his brain now functions like a child. Her hero, her protector, her big strong military man... and now she has to feed him, bathe him, dress him, and raise him.

As she is a dear friend of mine, I will not mention her name without first asking her permission. But this incredible young woman did not give in to the cards she had been dealt. She fought, and she continues to fight... HARD. She cheers on her husband for every advancement he makes, activities he performs that you and I take for granted. She stands by his side through it all, and she still has a love for him that can be seen from miles away. Her faith in God is strong, and her message is even stronger. She doesn't preach. She doesn't have to. This woman epitomizes Christian living, and she is the closest thing you will meet to the woman described in Proverbs 31. She is the perfect example of what we should all strive to be.

In this situation, many people would give up. Her attitude and outlook on her situation have pulled her through. She holds close Isaiah 41:10, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Think about today's motivational saying: "Although fate presents the circumstances, how you react depends on your character." What circumstances have you been presented recently? Or maybe there is something from your past that you are still struggling to conquer. Is there someone who is doing you wrong? Perhaps you are watching someone you love being mistreated. Or maybe you have been dealt circumstances similar to the girl in this post, and you're struggling with pulling yourself through. Life can be hard. We all have ups and downs. Facing life's difficulties with a positive attitude, strong character, and unwavering faith in God, though, will help you truly enjoy life... even with all it's pitfalls. And only then will you be able to CONQUER LIFE!!

Crafts (Organizing): Kitchen Storage Boxes

This is another project that I did using unfinished craft wood from Hobby Lobby, but if I did it again I would have my husband make the boxes. These were quick and easy creations, but they far beat the cardboard boxes that each of these items are packaged in at the store. I painted them to match my accent colors, added a little ribbon, and cut three layers of letters out of cardstock with my Cricut. Stacking three layers on top of each other gave them a more 3-D look.

Love and Marriage... Love and Marriage... They Go Together Like a Horse and Carriage

Ok... so the title is a little cheesy. That song popped in my head as I was logging in to blogger, though, so it became the title.

(NOTE: I wrote this about a year and a half ago. I decided to repost it today.)

This morning I was searching for a good devotional. I'm a tech girl. I don't know much about computers, but I use them for everything. I love having so much as my fingertips. I remembered a few years ago before my husband and I started dating when I was in a bad relationship and needed a good dose of God. I got online and began searching. I found a site with a devotional that hit me where it hurt. I've never forgotten that devotional. It was just what I needed at the time.

Fast forward to today, and I decided to attempt to find that same site. I googled "morning devotional," and it was the top choice on the results list.... www.crosswalk.com. I checked out the list of devotionals available, and the words "Girlfriends in God" caught my eye. Perfect! A devotional for women.

When I clicked on the link, today's devotional was titled "Can You Love Your Husband and Brad Pitt, Too?" Sounds good. Let's see.

They started off by mentioning Proverbs 4:23 that says, "Above all else guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Hmmm.... Are they going to tell me to be stubborn in love, because I don't need any help with that. I can definitely be the stubborn one. I read on.

Matthew 5:27-28... "You have heard it said, Do not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

I have probably read that verse a thousand times since I got married. I believe it with all my heart. I see these forwards that get passed around through e-mail with pictures of naked or nearly naked, gorgeous people. Typically it's women, and they get passed to men. My husband has one friend who has a tendency to send them to him frequently. One day he was in the shower and his phone went off. He asked me to check and see who it was. I opened it, and it was a slideshow of young, skinny, naked women in the most obscene positions. I couldn't understand why someone would send that to a married, Christian man. With my husband's permission I deleted it.

I feared I was being irrational, but I also knew that there was no way I would want to look at a man like that. My husband is the only man for me, and I would feel like I was committing adultery if I looked at pics of naked men spread eagle.

I continued to read, and it made me feel confident and strong. It IS wrong! It's not simply innocent looking. God tells us that, and this devotional was backing it up. Say what you may about how it's no big deal as long as you don't touch. Society says it's ok, so it must be ok, right? God puts it plain and simple in black and white. It is NOT ok. He goes on to tell us, "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away." Matthew 5:29

I don't think he is literally saying to stick a fork in your eye and pull it out of the socket. (Ouch! That hurts me to even type!) But he is saying cut all ties that cause you to sin in this manner. If there is an old flame on facebook that you can't help but check out their page every once in a while to "see how they're doing," although you know deep down it's because you really want to feel a connection to them again or they still hold a place in your heart, don't look at their page anymore. If you can't control that, add them to your block list so you cannot view their page. If you still find ways around it, delete your facebook account. If there is a co-worker of the opposite sex who you look forward to seeing every day, get transferred to a different department or change jobs. If there is a person at the gym that you can't help but glance at every few minutes, go at a different time or find a new place to workout.

Nearly all affairs begin with what society would consider innocent, but God knows better. That's why he gives us these instructions. Work to keep your marriage happy, and you will find it makes all areas of your life better. Then you will be well on your way to conquering life!

If you would like to read the Girlfriends in God devotional, you can check it out here:
http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/girlfriends/

I don't think this is a direct link for the Feb. 1, 2012, entry, so you may need to find that date if you are looking at it after today. And, guys, just because it's called Girlfriends in God doesn't mean you can't read it. It applies to you just the same. Simply change the gender of each pronoun as you read, and it will fit you perfectly, too.

Blessings in Disguise

I was thinking this morning of someone close to me and an experience he had several years ago that he deemed horrible at the time. This horrible experience led him to a depression, and it took a few years to recover. This is what I concluded...

Sometimes things happen in life that we perceive as horrible. People say "Look at the bright side" or "It's not as bad as you think" or "Maybe it's just a blessing in disguise" to try to cheer us up. But in our mind there is no bright side. Sometimes it may even be so bad that people can only offer condolences because even they do not see a positive side to it. Later, and sometimes it's much later, God reveals a door to us that was opened as a result of this horrible experience. Then, and only then, do we realize this "horrible" experience wasn't so horrible after all. In fact, it was a blessing that led us to the wonderful life we now lead.

Look More at Yourself

"Let the refining and improving of your own life keep you so busy that you have little time to criticize others." ~H. Jackson Brown Jr.

You look at that person who did you wrong in the past, the one who is doing you wrong now, the one who continually causes problems in your life, and you criticize. You see someone who does something differently than you would, someone who has different beliefs than you do, someone who lives a different life with different priorities, and you criticize. How easy it is for us to criticize others. It occurs every day when that person on their cell phone swerves into your lane... you criticize their driving; when the single mother puts her own desires ahead of what's best for her child... you criticize her parenting; when the person from a different political party or religion speaks... you criticize their opinions; and even when the obese individual walks in the room... you criticize their weight. Next time you catch yourself criticizing another person, immediately turn that focus onto yourself... not for criticizing, but for improvement. Focus your attention on what you can do better, and you will find there is no time to point the finger at others.