My wonderful husband installed my new front door over the weekend. I absolutely LOVE it. It took much longer to install than we had thought it would, but it totally changes the way my house looks and adds an entirely new feel to it. Now I really want to get all of the work done on the inside that we plan to do. The new door makes the rest of it look drab and dirty. Looks like I am finally going to have to sand and finish the stairs that I had him pull the carpet off of. They have been sitting bare, waiting, longing for me to work on them. I guess that I had better get busy with them!
Baby A is teething again. This will be tooth number4. She is just growing and growing! She is 8 months old now and so curious and into everything! She now chases my hubby and I around the house and boy is she quick! Still not walking on her own, but she acts like she will be soon!
K has decided to try out for basketball and choir next year in high school. I hope to get her some voice lessons as she has a beautiful voice. She wants to be on Gospel Dream, the Christian version of American Idol. Her fall back plan is to be an otolyrangologist. She wants to be able to help children with ear problems like she had when she was younger that led to a 50% hearing loss in one ear and requires her to wear ear plugs any time her ear could come in contact with water, incuding in the shower. She can't dive off a diving board or swim under water.
So there is today's musings, and here is this weeks scripture card:
I have been trying to listen to what God is telling me more and less on what I want to do or say or feel. I want to let him lead and for me to follow so that I can be in His will. as Hebrews 13:20-21 says, "may the God of peace... equip (me) with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in (me) what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ..." God gives us what we need to be in his will, all we have to do is accept the gift that was upon that cross. Next, once we have been equipped, we have to "not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed through the renewing of (our) mind..." (Romans 12:2). I can't try to do it my way, or the way of the world. that is not God's will. He has set me apart (Levitcus 20:24) from the world, I am supposed to be different. This is a hard one for me, and is the reason I often do not allow God's light and truth to guide me. I don't always want to look different, I often want to fit in with the crowd. However, this is where He needs us to look different the most.
In a crowd, do you notice the persons who look similiar? Will you remember that person an hour later? or a day? or a week? Probably not. So if we look like everyone else, and talk like everyone else, and act like everyone else, what will the world see in us? Will the world see us? If the world sees no different then why would they want what we have? I know before I was saved by God's grace I often wondered why a person would want to follow all of the rules that I thought a Christian had to follow. It made no sense to me. Mostly it made no sense because I had not seen a Christian that acted like he or she was set apart. I did not see the joy they felt, the peace that surrounded them, the happiness that God's love brought to their lives. The Christians I saw were not trying to be different, they also were not following God's light and truth.
So here is my challenge to you. This week, set aside some time at the beginning of every day to listen to God. You can read your Bible, listen to music, pray, or just sit quietly. I like to sit on my back porch and watch the sun rise, to literally look for God's light. Listening is the easy part though; the hard part is to do what He says. I have a hard time sharing my faith with people that I know are angry at God, or just totally don't believe He exists. However, lately God has been using me to talk to someone who feels God has forgotten her. It isn't easy to bring up the subject with her. Nor is it easy to keep inviting her to church or share God's message with her. However I keep doing it, because I am allowing Him to guide me. So when you hear God directing your path, or you feel a nudge to do something, DO IT! Let him guide your actions this week and see just how much He can do through you. Remember, he doesn't need you to listen, or do even follow through. He could have used anyone to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, but look at how much Moses grew as a person for finally letting God guide him! Imagine what God can work in us if we just allow him to guide our actions as well.
That is it for this Monday' musings. If you decide to take part in the challenge this week, take a moment and let me know. I would love to read your stories and to see how God is working in your lives also!
