Today has been an eventful day…and…a day long-awaited. It’s been a three-month long wait, as a matter of fact. What have we been waiting for you ask? We have been wrestling with a company regarding new windows in our house. I won’t go into the boring and frustrating details, but suffice it to say, it has not been a fun time. So here we are today with heavy rain, and they are installing the windows. Not fun for them or for us. But, bless the guys’ hearts, they got things rolling right away and the first window to go in was the guest bedroom. It looked fabulous with the panes in the windows! Next on their list was the bathroom. Fabulous also!
In life, we all know that things don’t always go how we wish they would. It is just the way life goes. That has been the case for me more times than I can say. As for our houses, we have usually bought a type of home that requires work, and because of that, we can get the home for a reasonable price. Then, we work on some remodeling . In those circumstances, you put a lot of trust in the inspectors who are supposed to tell you areas of concern, right?
The next window to go in was our bedroom and the guys find some concerns. I had just asked them if they wanted a cup of coffee to warm up, and he said, “You might not want to give us coffee after we tell you what we found.” I said, “Ok. Just lay it on us.” I handed them their coffee cups. Our windows all the way around the house, were built with vents with a door at each end of all the windows for air circulation. They were cool looking and kind of fun, but I wondered about the leaking. But, we were assured the rot the inspector found was at the window sill only with the front windows and we would just have to replace the sill and base. What they found was rot that went all the way down the walls of both ends of our master bedroom window. They now tell us that this window can’t be installed until we fix the wall. It could mean a whole wall rebuild, or just a section. They have to tear into the wall inside and outside to see how much damage there is. This is the second window that we had big issues with. Our son Aaron fixed the other one. But he won’t have the time to fix this when he comes down this weekend with everything else. So, we will have to pay extra for them to do the work to fix the wall.
With this news, I wanted to cry, or scream, or something. The Captain and I had to take a ride. A mocha
was in order! I am driving along and having quite the conversation with God. I’m saying, “I mean seriously? We just tithed and now this??? That is what happens when we are faithful? What?!?!???” As soon as the I said those words, a thought came to mind. That thought was, “Yes you were faithful. But do you think the devil is going to roll out the red carpet for you because you have been faithful to ME? I don’t think so. Just the opposite. He wants to make you discouraged and wish you hadn’t done that. Then next time, you won’t, or you will fear doing it.”
Oh yah…that’s right…the devil. He does love to discourage and yank our chain. He does it all the time and I should recognize that by now. I know how he works and he always tries to play around in finances. He knows that hits our vulnerable spot. So as I drove home, I asked God to help us figure this out. I asked Him to protects us from the worse case scenario. Of course, I want to confront the inspector, however, I don’t think that will happen. So, I have to let that go also. No sense in fighting something all the time. I just have to turn the whole thing over. The devil would like to keep us stirred up. I’m not giving in to that.
We can really get ourselves tied in knots about life can’t we? It doesn’t take much. We are happy with the way things are going, but as soon as something trips us up, away goes our joy. So I decided that my Gratitude Jar needs some hearts.
- We had great guys to work with today.
- They were really kind and efficient.
- They were careful with our home.
- Cleaned up after themselves.
- Explained the issues before us in clear terms, as well as what choices we would have.
- I’m grateful that they could also do the work, since they have seen the problem.
- We have another day to get the rest of the it done.
All in all, no matter what happens, God is good. I have been asked if I have regrets about moving here since there has been so many challenges that have happened with our move to Bel Aire. My answer is no. I think satan would LIKE me to think along those lines. But I love this house. I love this yard. I love the quiet. I love being close to the ocean. I am proud of what we have accomplished to make this our haven. I’m thankful for a lower mortgage. I am thankful for the work we have been able to do. I am thankful for my son who could do some of the work. In our case, any of the houses we have lived in have brought their own set of circumstances. Good things are always worth the fight. I don’t live in regrets. It is not a heathy place to be.
My house may be more of a mess than I thought for Thanksgiving, but we will have the windows complete, sound proofing as a bonus, and no more leaks. It is my family coming to join us and they will understand. I just have to roll with it. I haven’t always been good with rolling with it, but I tell ya, God is sure giving me opportunities to learn it. Can’t say it’s fun. At. All. But I also know for certain that there is a purpose in everything we go through. Everything. I surrender this too.
With my gratitude back in check, I look forward to good food and fellowship this Thanksgiving amongst a less than perfect home. (I am learning to roll with that too.) I wish for each and every one of you to have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends. I hope that in whatever circumstances you find yourself, you will find a reason to be thankful.
Walking the journey with you…
You may be thinking, “I sure wish I had the TIME to sit and think about those things!” Well, you may have had to fall back in time, but we each still have the same amount of time we are given. It is in how we spend that time. Yes, I am retired and that makes a difference. However, I am also busy even though I’m retired. So I still have to schedule my time or I get can caught up in other things I enjoy and not make time for time with the Lord, or time needed with family. The other day, I just went out on the front porch and had my mocha where the sun was shining. It was so nice. I pulled weeds from my garden of succulent plants, and sat and enjoyed what I observed going on around me. I heard the train going through. I heard the deer and then saw the deer as its head poked out of the bushes and then ran away. I could hear the birds sing in the trees…yes it was only for maybe 15 minutes, but it WAS 15 minutes of wonderful. We all need it. We just don’t make the time for those little things to happen.
So take a few moments out on the porch tonight with your coffee or tea or whatever, and take a deep breath. Or build a fire and enjoy watching it together. Whatever it is, bring that feeling of contentment in to your heart to live with you. Imagine your chair and you are looking out, just like my friend asked, and what do you see? What is your tomorrow going to look like because you changed something in your today?
That is the key…keep moving ahead. Let me use the window above to illustrate a point. This window above reminds me that I can choose how I look at it. I can choose to see only the wall behind it. OR, I can choose to add something enjoyable to the view by adding the figurine on the shelf, and/or put in a photo that will give me a total different view through my window. I decided that I am going to choose to look through my window and see the view going forward instead. That means I looked forward to a
friend who is came to visit. I planned for a fun few days with her to bring her joy. We had a total blast! I did the very things that bring me, and that of my friend, joy. We did some shopping and I found a couple of good finds for the house. I had an early morning delicious chocolate croissant at a bakery in Seabrook. I enjoyed a wonderful lunch and conversation by the ocean with her. I took pictures. I drove The Captain; even down on the beach. Today, after all that is over, I continue to work on it. I will persevere, and it may take me a few days, but I will move forward.
Why? Because God knows the end from the beginning. To stay in the dumps means I don’t trust God enough to turn this around, or to use it for my good. Did I pray about it? Not like I should have. I know we will have troubles. I am no different from anyone else in the trouble department. However, I CAN choose to have a different view. I know what that means. I also know that God wants me to trust Him with everything. Not pieces of me, or certain places of my heart. He wants me to trust Him with it ALL.
So I will keep designing my life to have meaning by enjoying the things each day that bring me joy! I will put some hot water into my sweet tea-pot that is one of my finds, and enjoy some chamomile tea, and start my gratitude hearts dropping in my jar. (It had kind of went on the back burner the last month or so.) I do that because I know by experience, that is what works for me. I also know that taking those steps changes my focus from me to Him, and that is what will honor God the most.
This was challenged this week as it become very apparent that my sweet vintage range is not going to be something that I can keep. (I am going to sell it though, if anyone is interested.) So begins our search for a range. We have looked at so many, trying to find information and make a decision about what would be best for my kind of cooking. It can be overwhelming. Of course, money is an issue also. I’m trying to be gracious about what I get and the money that is spent. I am also having to get a fridge and so in order to do both, I may have to spend less on my range. I could feel my attitude tanking a bit after going around to see so many different ranges that I would love to have. My attitude surfaces: “I mean, how many times do I have to compromise?” And THEN… the Holy Spirit taps my shoulder and reminds me of what He HAS done:
I once again heard a song this last week called, “Leave It There”. Boy! That is so fitting for me this week. Take all my burdens to the Lord and leave it there. So, once again, God knows what the desires of my heart are… He cares… and He will do what is best for me.
Well, yesterday, I experienced that feeling all over again! I was privileged to receive an advanced read for the book, “Maybe It’s You” by Candace Calvert, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. As soon as I figured out the technical side of downloading it, I started reading. No housework catch up, a few hours break to hurry up and make something for hubby to eat, and back at it again. All. night. long. Laying in bed this time with no covers over my head, but the room is dark and only lit by my Kindle, but the feeling is the same. I felt just like a kid with a great book that I just had to finish… in the dark… but this time, on a device that would have shocked my parents. I think secretly, they liked that I read so much.
love, truth spoken out of the mouth of a babe, doing what is right even when you know it will cost you, and how grace makes way for forgiveness. Absolutely loved this story. I have been following Candace’s books for years and like all others, this one really spoke to me. God allows u-turns and second chances. What is in our past doesn’t have to determine our future. God will see to that if we allow Him. Candace weaves the story like no other and her personality comes out in her characters. You will find yourself laughing out loud, and then crying along with the characters…yep tears in the dark lit by Kindle light. So… you just have to read until 5 a.m. to find out what happens…just like when I was a kid reading under the covers. AND…you know what? Washington State is mentioned. Tickled me pink!!!!
I was thinking this week of how often we want something to be different, and it doesn’t matter if it is in our home, in our hearts, in our minds, or in our family and friends. We want change. We often wish something was different that what it is. If this or that would change, I could be happy.
As I sat in the chapel and listened to friends and family share what they loved about my cousin, it wasn’t about what she looked like, where she lived, or what she owned, it was about HER. What they noticed about her life. It was about her love of life in spite of the hardships, it was her baking of cookies and cakes, her love of flowers and gardening, her hospitality in her simple home, her gentle ways, neighbors and family around, and always seeming to have enough for the extra people to join her around her table. I personally remember her always making sure everyone was well cared for when we visited. Perfect hostess. Loved…because she loved well. Never a fancy life, but certainly a well-lived life.
about? Or will we complain because it is less than what we would like it to be, or expected it to be? Last Sunday in a message by Pastor Doug Cotton, he shared about faith having a voice. That makes perfect sense to me! There is a moment when God speaks. We have that same moment to be used of God or He will find someone else who will do it. Pastor also talked about the verse where God talks about “faith that comes through hearing”…you are hearing right now as you read this. It is why I continue to blog. I want to share some ideas that may encourage you to step out. I want to do that often enough that it might make a difference for you, and build your faith that you can do it. We all have that window of time when God is speaking to us. Satan wants to confuse you about where it is coming from, but don’t you allow it! Your window of time is when God speaks. Say, “Yes Lord, I am willing. Guide my steps.” He will. Walk through that door He placed before you and keep your gaze straight ahead.
What about you? Is there something bugging you that you need to take action on? Is your legacy building a life well-lived? I know I want my life to reflect those ideals. I want to be used of God. I want my home to reflect what God has blessed us with, and part of that is a feeling of warmth and love to every guest who enters our home. I want to be gracious in hospitality. I want my home to be a place of refuge to dial down and feel comfortable from the time someone walks through my door to the time they depart. That does my heart good. 🙂
your branches have been pruned back so far your are they losing your grip on your life right now? Maybe the fog has rolled in and you can see clearly what’s ahead.
As I navigate through the “falling off” in my move further from my kids, grandson, and family and church family, He is drawing me closer to Him. He has given me NEW things. He has given me a new environment. He has also set me apart, to have fewer distractions. He will do that sometimes to finally get our attention. However, I believe that He has new endeavors for me to involve myself. He may be leading me to the point where He wants to do NEW things through me. Now THAT isn’t a new thing…He always wants to do new things through me. I know He works through those who are willing to be used. Now that is exciting! It’s scary at times. It’s lonely at times. But He is never separated from me, unless I separate myself from Him. He speaks through His Word, through people around me, and He may speak to another person’s heart to invite me to be involved in a “new thing”. I just need to be willing to be obedient when He gives me something to do.
In photography editing, you can have something called a filter or preset that is used to enhance your photo. One click or maybe two, and supposedly, your picture is better. Click and done. Boom! But God isn’t a one-click-and-done kind of God. He wants to keep molding us until we go home to heaven. He adds light where it may be dark. He will give contrast in order to enhance what we see. He will give clarity so we can see clearly what He desires us to see. He can blur some of the hurtful things so they aren’t so much a part of our picture. However, I would like to suggest that you don’t set your life and thinking on a preset. You would be limiting what God wants to do in you by a click-and-done fix. Give Him full access. Let Him give you the settings. The view through His viewfinder is SO much better. He has a mega zoom lens and can see the end from the beginning. He wants a life for you better that anything you can imagine.
enough to recognize His voice, so that, we can respond to Him and what He may be doing in our lives or wants us to do in the lives of those around us. We need to recognize His voice in His Word. As Pastor Doug said today, “We need to listen and act on His behalf. We need to steward the Word of God. The closer you listen, the closer to God you get.”
Challenge up!!! Unlock the door of your time schedule, to open the door to some great communications. I have found that the more time I spend with God, the more time I WANT to spend with Him. Get into some quiet time with God, so that, you can hear His voice loud and clear! However, then… the BIG step is, obeying what you hear God speaking! You will know through various ways that you are on the right track. What are a few? Here are a few I heard from today’s message:
Dreams DO come true!!! Today, I wanted share with the you the importance of not giving up on a dream. We all have them whether we verbalize them or not. For myself, I speak them out whenever possible, but I also write them down. I have a book that I keep with my current year’s goals and dreams tucked away in it. Do you know that I was told in my prayer time going into this year? I was told that we would have a great year. But, it would also be a year of change. A great year? What does that mean? What does it look like? I didn’t get specifics. I just had to trust what He said was true.
All while these challenges and changes were happening this year, I felt God telling us to be faithful. New things were coming, but we must be faithful with our current situation. So we have. We have managed to do some of the things we wanted and most of the things we felt God calling us to do. We have made decisions together and asked God to lead us in those decisions. It hasn’t been easy. In fact, it has been really hard at times. Timing…there is that THING that we have to keep turning over to God. I am getting better at that, but I haven’t arrived. I am so grateful God is patient about that. We keep moving forward. We prayed that we would be faithful to accept and live in God’s timing. When it didn’t happen, maybe we just had to accept it won’t happen. When we get to that point of turning it over, then it allows God to work.
that we in turn can bless others that He brings our way. Yes. I believe that everything I have or will have comes from the Lord. I believe that with my whole heart. So every time I get in my car, I thank Him for it. What a wonderful way to be reminded of what God can do. I kept believing no matter what the circumstances looked like. He completely provided for our present circumstances. Everything that we are doing in our home as well. But we are to do something with it…use it for His glory. All of it. We are willing to do that. We are extending our gratitude by tithing what He has given us. I believe He likes to see us turning our life over to Him…in everything. I want my home to feel welcoming and a safe haven. I believe that is what God wants for our home, but He wants that in our lives as well.
Here I am finally back at my computer! I have missed you all and my writing. But my house has been in a constant state of change now for almost ten months and I am certainly ready for it to settle down. But that isn’t going to happen for a while. So… what do you do when life doesn’t go as you planned? Let’s chat about that for a few minutes.
So enter stage left…flooring. What we wanted will take at least two weeks to get in, and he can’t come back for that, so we have to change our thinking. We found some flooring at a great price, less than $1.00 a sq ft! So that was a big savings! Not the flooring I really wanted, but it was WAY less and it was available for purchase. Also, my son can install it while he is here. Next, we look for flooring in our kitchen and dining room. I wanted wood floors but wasn’t sure how practical it would be for us. With that in mind, I was going to get vinyl that looked like wood plank. Well, that can’t happen either because of the special order details. *Sigh*It takes at least two weeks to get it. So…I have to change to something that I didn’t plan on getting. However, they have the amount we need, so we changed mid-stream, and are getting what is available and will match the flooring we got on sale pretty close. Are you getting the picture? We can plan for what we want, but it doesn’t always work out that way. For us, money is a factor, and having someone who can do the work is another BIG factor. We have decided we have to be flexible and change mid-stream if we want to accomplish our home renovations, and have someone to do the installation. As it turns out, this is a nice alternative that is a wood product.
It is the really same in other areas of my life too. I don’t wait to tell people what they mean to me. There may be changes in my tomorrow which make that impossible. Do you have situations in your life where it hasn’t gone as planned and you have to adjust your approach and come back in for a better landing? Practice makes perfect is a saying we are all familiar with. I don’t agree. There isn’t a “perfect”. But, the willingness to keep practicing makes something closer to it, a lot easier to achieve. I know it isn’t easy, believe me. Everyday brings another opportunity for me to practice it. But overall, I am willing to pull up my landing gear and go for another approach. He allows U-Turns. He does. I love that about Him! He knows the end from the beginning. Phew!!! Aren’t you glad?
Journeys of My Heart 