My Thoughts Today

Have you ever stopped to think about what you, in this very moment, desire most? I could make a small list of things I desire: 

-To be debt free

-That Drew would have a teaching job for the fall

-To own a lovely house

-To have a new car

What is the deepest desire of your heart though? Of course it's easiest to think of worldly things you desire, at least it was for me. But that's because as humans we long for perfection and we're not living a "perfect life" until we are debt free, have jobs, own a house, drive a nice car, etc. As humans we try to seek fulfillment of this longing for perfection in earthly pleasures or achievements. It's our human nature. But if we're not careful, this often causes us to create idols. When we desire things before Christ, that is an idol that is standing in the way of drawing closer to Him. 

"You shall have no other gods before me." 

-Exodus 20:3

Jesus Christ is the only thing that can fulfill our human longing for perfection because we are made perfect in Him. We need to seek Him to find our fulfillment and feel completely satisfied. 

Lord, I want You and You alone to be the deepest desire of my heart because You fulfill my yearning for perfection.

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

-Psalm 37:4

These are just some of my thoughts after doing my devotions today that I felt led to share. Let me know if you have any thoughts.

Life's Trials

As I sit here on my soft couch and feel the warm sun beat through the window on my back, I sip my homemade smoothie of fresh berries and yogurt as I ponder life. I feel like as we grow older and wiser we feel like the trials in our life should become lighter than in the past. But why do we think this way? After all, the trials in our life are often tests that the Lord uses to grow us and shape us. Why would they become less severe as we get older? There are always areas in one's life that the Lord has not touched or shaped yet. He grows us in one area of our life only to move on to another area to grow that one as well. That's how our God works. He wants to mold you and shape you into the best person you can be.
The days ahead may call for greater endurance and more faith than you've ever needed before, but God only gives us as much as we can handle. Thinking about this may seem scary, but how precious are the lessons learned through such experiences! It is hard to fully anticipate these things with joy, but throughout time I have found myself gaining an appreciation for them. These experiences are what mold me and shape me into who God has created me to be.
My encouragement to everyone is to apply your hearts to learn wisdom, and seek the Lord above all else. I hope everyone has a lovely weekend.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him. -James 1:5

A Look Into Our Fall

God has really been stretching me and my husband lately. All of the plans we had for ourselves for the fall, were not the plans the Lord had for us. We had a really busy summer with our apartment management job, and we both feel that the season of being an apartment manager is coming to a close. The Lord has made it clear though that we are not finished there, so we will patiently wait on Him.

Andrew spent the summer washing and staining decks for his uncle's company, Deck Works, and doing maintenance in our apartment building. He spent the evenings after a long days work in the sun and heat, applying to schools around the city and suburbs to be a teacher for any open position in the fall. I spent the summer nannying little Leo and up-keeping our apartment building and doing apartment management duties. We both spent the summer waiting for Andrew to get a job so we could look at apartments to rent in whatever area he got placed. I waited to find another job for the fall (aside from watching Leo two days a week) in whatever area we moved to… We are still waiting.

The Lord clearly has a different plan for us this fall. Andrew is still applying like mad to schools that have last minute openings or long term sub positions. He is also set to be a sub in 6 or 8 different districts around the cities and suburbs. I am continuing to watch Leo two days a week and work the other days at Salon Centric in Richfield. We are both still managing the apartment too. Thankfully that has died down quite a bit for the fall. We currently have no openings and there hasn't been a huge need for maintenance (thank you Jesus).

We are just waiting on the Lord in this season of our lives, and will continue to wait on Him for whatever he has planned for us in the future. Part of me feels unsettled and part of me wants to skip ahead to the day where we (Lord willing) have a house, job security, and maybe a baby on the way. But, another part of me feels contentment and such peace in this season, and I know that is coming from the Lord. I don't feel the financial stress like I know I usually would with Andrew's job uncertainty, and life as it is now is sort of an adventure. We never know what's going to happen next and that's very exciting in a way.

I just pray that the Lord continues to give us patience during this season. We have a lot to be thankful for:

each other

two functional cars

a place to live rent free

food in our cupboards

supportive family and friends

clothes in our closet

new grace and mercies every day

a faithful God

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. -Proverbs 3:5-6

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. -Jeremiah 29:11