For God and Husband (or Wife)

You know what I am thinking about alot today?  Going back to basics. 

What are the things that absolutely must be in place to keep things running smoothly in life?

Dishes?   Laundry?   Doctor Appointments? 

Yes, any of those things can be necessary to home efficiency and health.  However, if you are married, there are even two more primary relationship basics that I am thinking need to have priority over any of the three (although the dishes and laundry certainly can't wait too long, LOL!)

1) How is your relationship with the Lord?  2)  How is your relationship with your husband?

As I have been personally seeking how to make all the business of life fall into place and to grow closer to the Lord, I realized that God hasn't changed or moved.  If I am not feeling close to Him, then, as in human relationships, I need to talk with him and listen to Him.

Interestingly, when I began to intentionally take time to pray at the beginning of the day, I began to feel closer to Him (and I certainly pray any time, but intentionally starting the day is a recent thing in my life--not that I've not done it before, but busy-ness got in the way, ya know?)

The same thing works in marriage.  If we feel that we are drifting apart, we can choose to commit to talking...even better: communicating.  Carving out direct time each day to both speak and listen to our spouse.  In that, relationship grows, and we grow closer.

Finally, I am also recognizing that I want to make another commitment....making the choice to pray for my husband intentionally each day.  Wow!  Communicating with God on behalf of my husband...A Definite Win-Win!!

Today, I prayed, really prayed for my husband, and I am so glad I did.  Men carry a lot of weight on their shoulders, and if we wives can help them through practical ways and prayer, it is our privilege to do so.

Have you prayed today?  Have you talked with your spouse today?  Have you prayed for your spouse today?

No matter your answer, no matter if you have been doing so for years or never thought of it, we can both be intentional to do these things today!  Join me?

Rest and Rejuvenation

Do you ever just feel like you want to pause the world for awhile to catch your breath?  I know that my husband and I do.  We would love to be able to pause time to spend even more time together and with the kids, to get caught up on household tasks, and to get caught up on work, and errands! 

While that type of situation isn't likely to happen, (unless we have enough vacation days, but on vacation days, who wants to work?) there is a built in day for relaxation each week.  Do you take advantage of it?

In the past year or so, I and my family members have taken the concept of Sabbath a bit more seriously than we had.  We don't make it specifically a Saturday or a Sunday, but we do try to make it one or the other, simply because they are the ones most likely not to have work scheduled into them.  I suppose that a Sabbath could easily be a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or the two days I left out, without it really changing the importance of setting aside a day for God as well as rest and rejuvenation.  In the Bible, we are told that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath, so I take that to mean that we don't have to be religiously strict about what we do or do not allow ourselves to do on our Sabbath but that it would make sense for it to be refreshing to our spirits and our bodies.

Sometimes, I am tempted to make my Sabbath a day for getting caught up on the things that there didn't seem to be time for during the week, but (since that "pause button" does not exist) I remind myself that God intentionally planned for us to have a day each week that is set-apart for Him and for our good.

Turns out that once I determine that a certain day is my Sabbath, I forget about the chores on which I need to catch up, and I happily choose to relax.  Again, beneficial choices become easier the more and more we practice making them.  Often, this means church, a nap, a movie with the family, and a meal out at a restaurant, but it could mean a walk in nature, praising the Lord in song, Bible reading, and eating a hot dog with your favorite toppings.  I'm pretty sure that it is the concept that God was wanting us to grasp, that life is about Him, and that He grants us peace and rest. 

How about you?  What do you enjoy about the Sabbath, and if you don't take one, why not start today!

Blessings,
Michelle

Seek Ye First...

We all carry a lot on our shoulders each day.  There are always meals to make, clothes to clean, and a myriad of other "to-do" items on our agendas.  So, for Day 2 of 30 days of posting on growing for God, Home, Health, and Work, I want to share about something that I have found to be a great help to me when I feel overwhelmed with house duties, homemaking, homeschooling, and the juggle of it all with work and the need to eat right. 

Wow, just that sentence makes me feel overwhelmed!   

I have decided to take God's Word as truth, and as such, I have found that practicing Matthew 6:33, which tells us to seek God's kingdom first and all these things shall be added unto us, is very helpful to getting the day off to a great start and keeping it going along well. 

What this often looks like in our household is me choosing a Bible verse to share with the kids, saying a prayer for the day, and praying for my husband.  It has also been me crying out to God that I need Him to show me what to do, because I am overwhelmed and don't know where to start.

While I don't always remember to start the day right, or more likely, something calls for my attention before I even get a chance to get out of bed, I have found that the days that I dedicate to God through prayer, and ask for His direction in living, are the days when I am most relaxed, accomplished, and peaceful.

Maybe this is something you already do?  But, if not, I hope it inspires you to give it a try!  God's Word is a great place to learn how to take care of ourselves, our lives, our homes, and our families!

How to Handle the GLITCHES of Life

Today is Day 1 of my 30 days of posts on topics to teach and encourage us as we seek to grow closer to God and to improve our lives in regard to Home, Health, and Work.  So, wouldn't it just figure that on Day 1, I am having internet connectivity issues? 

While I am certainly not delighted at this situation (and am definitely not as focused as I would like to be while blogging at a restaurant with a chatty older man next to me, tons of conversation around me, and three kids who are ready for me to take them home already....did I mention that I lost my original draft of this post because of connectivity issues at this said restaurant, ugh!!!), I am choosing to look at this as an opportunity to post on somethings that I have found helpful to remember and practice when the unexpected occurs. (I will blog on what I had originally thought I would post on today tomorrow, unless something else unexpected occurs :).

Things like the internet modem being outdated and going berserk when I need it most, or getting lost on the way to take my kids to the first day of an activity when we were already running late can make the frustration and stress level go through the roof.  So can losing my keys, misplacing the cell phone, getting low on gas at the wrong time, and any host of other "unexpected glitches." 

Here is my run-down of what keeps me sane during such times (and believe me, I have a LOT of them!)

1) Take a Deep Breath, and Remember to Give the Situation To God and Pray for His Direction

2) Recognize that the Glitch will likely not impact you past the next day or month.  Will it really matter in a year from now?

3) Choose to think of the positives of the situation.  Perhaps, God wanted that traffic jam so that you would not be in front of a drunk driver at a time when he would have swerved into you if you had not been delayed.  When else do you get uninteruppted time alone with your kids in one place together?

The more we accept that things don't always go as we expected or planned, the more we can choose how to react when the glitches occur.  After all, if we give in to the frustration and stress with screaming or complaining, we are hardly making the situation better.  But, by keeping our wits about us, we can pass on to our kids or those around us, the wisdom to take life as it comes and make the best of it.  What does it benefit us to stress over the glitches anyway?

May your day be blessed, and I not loose this before it is posted successfully.  See you tomorrow for Day 2!

30 day challenge for God, House, Health, and Work

Lately, I have been giving a lot of thought to why I feel so overwhelmed sometimes.  Could it be that I am a wife, mom of three, new business entrepreneur, homeschooling mom, church and community volunteer, and homemaker?  Yeah, maybe.  Like many of you, we women wear so many hats that life can become unmanageable if even one thing gets out of line.  For me, this became very apparent in March, April, and again in May when first one of my kids got sick, then I got sick.....rest, oj, doctor's advice, followed by dirty dishes left in the sink, more take-out food containers, sluggishness, a pile of laundry on which to catch up, and paperwork that has been waiting for a chance to see daylight.  Struggle to catch up on things.  Another kids sick, me sick, the dishes..., laundry..., paperwork, etc...!

I don't know about you, but I got to a point of desperation.  Something has got to work; I need a system.  A system to put my life responsibilities in order, a way to make everything run more smoothly, even when the unexpected tries to rear its head.

Well, I have hit on an idea that I am going to try out, and I would like to welcome you to join with me.  For the month of June, I am dedicating 30 days of blog entries to focus on how God, housework, family needs, activities, health, and business can be transformed into stability rather than chaos,

a system for working it all without going crazy, and hope for you and for me so that we can lessen those times of feeling overwhelmed.  Please join me! 

     We'll start together on June 1st!