My God My Everything

Today my heart and mind are dealing with a recurring issue that has plagued our family for many years. I have often wondered by God has not removed the issue because I believe that it would be better for all involved if He did. It has been the source of much frustration and has revealed things like pride, judgement and outright rebellion in our hearts. So why wouldn’t God want to remove it? God’s message to me today: My Grace Is Sufficient I was reading a book called Gracelaced today and read the following: “Look past the thorn to how Christ is enough in the midst of it. His grace…

I’m enjoying working from home so much more than I ever expected and I’m starting to loosen up a bit….or so I thought. Actually what I’ve done is shift my perfectionism from my work office to my home. I’ve been striving to keep my home perfectly clean, the laundry done, the yard mowed and trimmed and tried to become the perfect homemaker. It’s exhausting! God’s message today for me: Persistence rather than perfection My devotional today read: “Much frustration and failure result from seeking perfection in this life. There is nothing perfect in this life. There is nothing perfect in this world except Me. That is why closeness to Me…

As Tracy and I were preparing for our new normal of me working from home we were both a little apprehensive of what that might look like. We both had our routines which would have to be altered. He usually arrived home earlier than I did and would have a few hours to himself after a long day at work. I would have time in the morning to myself because I started work later than he did. We had heard plenty of stories of spouses that struggled with adjusting to more time together now that many were working from home or had even retired and we didn’t want to resent…

Growing up we had a list of chores that were to be completed before we could have free time and the expectation was that you should be able to accomplish all your tasks before noon. This created a habit that I have carried with me most of my life and has also lead to high expectations for myself and others. The mentality has been, make a to do list and finish it by noon or you are slacking. So many times I have rushed to finish by the dreaded noon whistle and either felt relief as if I had just finished a major race or felt discouragement for not completing…

Tracy started playing a game with Roscoe where he will hold a golf ball in one hand and move it around behind his back then hold out his hands for Roscoe to choose which hand is hiding the ball. Roscoe will look at each hand and then place his paw on the hand he thinks has the ball. Whether he finds the ball or not his tail waves in excitement to be spending time with Tracy. He chooses joy whether he finds the ball or not. God’s message to me today: Choose Joy in every situation Throughout the day we have many choices to make and each one carries a…

As life continues to shift gears and go in a new direction one of the many things that I need to learn is my next message from God. God’s message for me today: Live In Receptive Mode For quite some time I have went through my days on a precise routine almost robotic at times. I’ve lived a very predictable schedule and now that has all changed and I’m learning that each day is different. Routines are out the window and in order to adapt I need to learn to live in receptive mode. Receptive means to be willing to consider or accept new suggestions and ideas. For a routine…

With all the changes in our world this year we might find ourselves asking, “What now? What am I suppose to do now in these new circumstances?” This isn’t where or what I planned for. It was in those thoughts that I received may message today. God’s message to me: I have good intentions for you. “I have good intentions for you. They may be radically different from what you hoped for or expected, but they are nonetheless good. So look for My light in all your circumstances. I Am abundantly present in your moments. Your assignment is to be open to Me and My way with you” “Sometimes this…

A few weeks ago I was talking with a friend who shared about some requests they had made of God. They had just purchased a new home and were beginning to get settled in when the water heater went out. This was an unexpected expense and they did not have room in their budget to replace it so they prayed for God to provide. Later her husband was at a casino with some friends and he ended up winning enough to pay for a new water heater. At first I thought that was a strange place to be seeking God’s provision, but the Lord can provide anyway and anywhere He…

You know how God sees us as He created us to be, not as we currently are? That was the perfect scene this morning. I was tired from a restless night of trying to sleep when the dogs woke up at promptly 5:30 am and wanted to go out. Tracy was sound asleep and so I got up with a very grouchy attitude. Roscoe was full of energy and eager to get outside and sniff around the campground. As he pulled and pulled to keep going further my patience did not cooperate and with an angry attitude I penned him back up as soon as he finished eating. While at…

Tracy and I have decided to stay in this home rather than sell it and remodel another one. So we have decided to invest in some landscaping and since I have a little more time on my hands I’ve taken on the task. I’ve also acquired a few more house plants and at this point most are still alive. In the front yard I recently spent a day creating a new flower garden around a freshly planted tree that I hope will grow into a large shade tree in the years to come. There’s just something about playing in the dirt, planting something and watching it grow. I’ve discovered it…