Shut up and listen!

Today's scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6

Thought for the day: "God is big enough to handle our honest feelings."

Ok...so today...was pretty much a crappy day. Well, not the whole day....just until about lunchtime. I go to start my car this morning...and my doors are frozen shut. Wouldn't open for nothin'. Both my son and I beat on them and tried about anything to get them open. Nope. Didn't happen. I had to call my work to have someone come get us and take us to school and work.

Then it was crazy busy at work. And I just felt so rushed and busy that I kept messing things up. I was getting so frustrated at myself!!!!  

Then I had lunch with one of my besties. Not only does she always make me laugh, which we did uncontrollably, but she always has some good, logical advice for me. Now..don't get me wrong...I don't always want to hear it. But she tells me to shut up and listen anyway. Sometimes I need to hear that.

I know that I can go to my besties and tell them anything. But I often forget that I can do that with God as well. He's always there. He always loves me, no matter what I do...or don't do. He wants to listen to me...whether I'm having a good day or a bad day. He wants to hear about my successes and my failures. He wants me to be honest with Him. No matter what my feelings are at the time.

Those who know me, can attest to this. I'm a fixer. If there is a problem with one of my friends, my hubby, my kids....I want to fix it. I want to make it all better. I do that with my problems too. I constantly try to find a solution. I have a really hard time letting things go and letting things work out the way that God wants them too. And when I pray...I pray for God to fix the problem the way I want Him to fix it. It's hard for me to grasp the concept that God already knows what is going to happen and that I just need to trust in Him and follow His path.

Which all sounds easy to do. But another part of my problem is that I have a hard time hearing God. I struggle with recognizing what is His will and what is my own. I'm hoping to learn this as I attend my small group. 

I loved the scripture today.


5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take.


So...that's what I'm going to try and do. Trust God and let him show me what His will is for me. 

I think I can, I think I can....


⁵ 

Yay! Day 2!

Today's scripture: 1 Timothy 4:15 (And yes, I read the whole chapter. You can pretty much expect that from here on out.)

In my devotional, the thought for the day is this: "Just because something is hard doesn't mean it's impossible."

That really resonates with me. I sometimes see things that just seem so difficult that it is hard for me to find a way to figure out a way to get any progress made at all. I just feel so overwhelmed that I'm not even sure where to start. So honestly, most of the time, if it's feasible, I'll ignore it for as long as I can. Cause if I ignore it, it will go away, right? NOT!!!! LOL! Now, I'm not the kind of girl who runs away from a challenge. I enjoy a challenge. I like being able to find a solution to a rather difficult situation. Sounds kinda contradictory huh? Yeah...what can I say. I think I just like to have things orderly and have a plan. It's getting to that plan that is the difficult part for me. 

I really liked one of the thoughts the author had, "Imperfect changes are slow steps of progress wrapped in grace...imperfect progress." How perfect!! I'm hoping to remember this thought as I face the overwhelming things that come my way. Maybe...by remembering this...I won't feel as overwhelmed or ignore it!

As for the scripture...I love how encouraging it is. The verse that stuck out to me the most wasn't the one that they listed but it was 1 Timothy 4:12:

¹² Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.

While I like how it says that we need to be an example to all believers, I think that we need to be more of an example to the non-believers. Show them the light of God that lives within each of us. 

I feel like I kinda rambled tonight. Sorry if I lost ya.

Thanks for listening....well...reading. :)

In the beginning...

For a while now, I've been struggling with my journey in Christ. I believe in God, have faith in what He can do, wholeheartedly believe in the power of prayer and can see Him moving in other people's lives. Shoot...I can even see Him moving in my life. However, I know that I am not as close to Him as I would like to be. I've tried reading the Bible...I've tried reading devotionals...but I just never seem to follow through. I get confused, frustrated and honestly...just flat out bored. I start out like a champ...but within 2 weeks...I'm over it. 

I've decided that it's time to change that. I'm going to use this blog as a way to hold myself accountable. If you're reading this, I encourage you to hold me accountable as well. 

I've decided to attend a small group that has started at my church (Ravenna Church of the Nazarene - if you don't have church home or are looking for a new one...come see us! Shameless plug, I know!) called Experiencing God. I'm really looking forward to this series because it's supposed to teach me different ways to get closer to God. 

I'm also starting a devotional. My pastor and his wife gave me a book to use. It's titled "Unglued Devotional: 60 Days of Imperfect Progress" by Lysa Terkeurst. http://lysaterkeurst.com/unglued/

So basically here is the purpose of this blog: To read a devotion every day, the scripture that goes along with it and then write what I got out of it in here. So yep...post something everyday. I've even going to make sure that I put a link on my Facebook page. I plan on being completely honest and even blunt. Feel free to comment as I welcome any comments that will help me grow and learn. 

Well...here we go! 

Day 1: Scripture - Isaiah 41:13 (I actually read the whole chapter...it's hard to get the context by just one verse.)

Today, the author talks about becoming unglued. Being on an emotional roller coaster where she is nice and happy one day...then completely swinging in the other direction and being frustrated, angry and out of control the next day.

Hmmm...sure sounds like she's talking about me! I can totally relate to this. (I'm sure my hubby and kids would agree!) While I think I've gotten better over the past couple years, I can feel myself slipping again. Stress from work, outside organizations I'm involved in, and the general busyness of life has really started to take it's toll on me and I do feel like I'm losing that self control a little more each day. 

It's not fair to my family, my co-workers, my friends...or for that matter...me. 

So...what I got from the scripture was that God is with me all the time. He is there to make a way for me, to support me, to take care of me and to protect me. I  just need to not doubt Him. As my friend April says...God's not up there wringing his hands with worry. He knows exactly what's going on and I need to trust in Him and stop trying to control everything in my life. Honestly, when I try to get control everything...that's when I feel even more out of control. 

Here's my prayer for today:

Heavenly Father, please help me see the areas in which you are working in my life. Help me develop a passion for reading your Word and a desire to learn more about You. I love You and thank You for all that You have given me. Amen.

So there's day 1. Hmm...it wasn't that hard. Let's try this again tomorrow. Same bat-time, same bat-station. :)