Even In the Midst of Mundane

 Look closely, you can see the yogurt smears on the table and bench...

When your words came, I ate them; 

they were my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name, LORD God Almighty. 

Jeremiah 15:16 niv

•

Life is good.

Nothing "bad" is happening.

No emergencies.

It is just rollin' along.

But when my focus gets off,

it can seem so bad.... so very, very bad.

The scene after the FULL pitcher of lemonade fell out of the fridge....

Messes happen all day long.

I live with imperfect people

(Shhhh... don't tell them I said that....)

I'm far from perfect myself.

(Ahem, again, don't tell them that, but, 

I'm sure they have come to realize that along the way.)

I focus on the mess,

the imperfections,

the less-thans.

And then I start thinking life is bad,

really bad.

When it is good,

really good.

Ruthie is finding her style... who needs pants, right? :-)

Once again, I have been feeling

dry, 

disconnected,

lost.

He has showed me what He wants me to focus on.

Choosing thankfulness,

trusting Him,

talking to Him, instead of myself.

I am realizing that I thought

that just because I wanted these things 

to be a part of my life,

they would just happen --

like God would just wave a wand 

and zap! I'd be grateful! 

It just doesn't happen that way. 

I have to practice gratefulness.

I have to learn to trust Him.

I have to remember to talk to Him.

I have to repent.

I have to practice.

•

Teach me your decrees, O Lord;
      I will keep them to the end.
Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions;
      I will put them into practice with all my heart.
Make me walk along the path of your commands,
      for that is where my happiness is found.

Psalm 119:33-35 nlt

•

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine 

and puts them into practice 

is like a wise man who built his house on the rock."

Matthew 7:24 niv

•

But he who merely hears and does not practice doing 

My words is like a man who built a house 

on the ground without a foundation, 

against which the torrent burst, 

and immediately it collapsed and fell, 

and the breaking and ruin of that house was great.

Luke 6:39 amp

•

Practice and cultivate and meditate upon these duties; 

throw yourself wholly into them [as your ministry], 

so that your progress may be evident to everybody.    Look well to yourself [to your own personality] 
and to [your] teaching; persevere in these things [hold to them], 
for by so doing you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

1 Timothy 4:14-16 amp