His Way Or My Way?

Yes, I'll have to admit it, I have my own plan. Well, I try not to be selfish about it. I'm just trying to help God out. He's rather busy, after all. ;o) I have a dream in mind of how I'd like things to turn out. I like my plan. I think it's pretty good. There's only one problem. It's MY plan. My plan is NOT God's plan.

When I make my plan, it usually is made with my own comfort in mind. I don't like to be uncomfortable. I want what I want, when I want it, how I want it. Can you hear me singing, "Don't care how, I want it now!" like spoiled Veruca in "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory"?

What? Me? Likened to that ... that spoiled, manipulative, demanding girl. I'm horrified by her when I watch the movie. (gulp) Do I sometimes sound just like her when I pray for MY way, or when I tell God how *I* think things should turn out? Is God just as horrified when I bring my "demands" to him?! (GULP)

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV) "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD."9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

I KNOW that God's ways are better than mine! I have NO doubt of it. I can mess things up incredibly, even with good intentions. I have to admit though, I'd like to try being "Bruce Almighty" for a day. There would be alot more lightening strikes if I was in charge. :o) I know you're all glad that I'm not running the world, so am I! My head knows that God's way are MUCH better than mine, but my selfish side still wants MY way. How do I reconcile that?

I choose to die to my own desires. I choose to DIE to me, so I may live in Christ. I become a useful vesself for HIS purposes. I make a choice, knowing that HIS way is THE BEST way. My way will not produce the life and the testimony that God wants. My way is not planned out to impact all God has planned for HIS purposes. I am looking for comfort. God is looking for character. He wants to develop character in me that will be beneficial to His kingdom. Character developement is painful. When God is pruning me, I have a new empathy for my children, as I try to work on their character developement. Ouch! It hurts.

As much as I want my own comfort, I truely want more for Christ's purposes in my life to be fulfilled. That requires dying to my own desires, my own plans, and submitting myself to His ways. I am reminded of the example of a cross stitch piece in the making. The back of it looks like such a mess, no order, just a big mix up of many colors. My life often looks the the backside of a cross stitch piece! It doesn't make sense, it doesn't look like it's working out well.But, when you see the front, you get the whole picture, the completed project. And, the completed project is beautiful! It has a purpose. Each one of those strings has been planned meticulously and placed just so in order to create something beautiful. I can rest assured that God truely is working all things together for good!

I have to share my favorite verse (again) : Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

God knows every detail of my life. He knows what tomorrow holds. He knows every intricate detail. Can I trust Him? ABSOLUTELY!!

This song was played at church on Sunday. I hope you enjoy it. I make it my prayer tonight.

Trials

Who wants them? None of us! Who gets them? ALL of us! How are you coping with your trials?
I'm going through some trials of my own right now. I don't like trials. I'm tired of trials. I feel like I've already had my fair share. Can you relate? But, they're part of life. We'll never be free of them in this life. God's been teaching me alot in the midst of them. I'll share a bit with you. Please share with me what God is teaching you as well.
Here's a quote from a book I read recently. The book is called, "Sandpebbles" by Patricia Hickman.
" 'It's hard to imagine that God gives us pain as a gift. Doesn't seem the least bit fathomable at first. But, it's like getting a new pair of glasses. You see life a little more clearly. Certainly you feel a lot closer to heaven,' she said."
Isn't it amazing the way God speaks to us? God has spoken to me so many times in just the past week. I enjoy it often, and yet each time it happens, I'm amazed. The God of the universe loves me, individually and personally! I get overwhelmed at times just trying to meet the needs of four children, I know I miss details. But, God doesn't! He has SOOO many children, and He sees and cares about EVERY detail of our lives. WOW! He sees every tear, knows every struggle, and meets every need, no matter how large or small.
That little above quote was yet another way God spoke to me in the past week. Pain is God's GIFT to me. Gift?! Which of us as parents wants to give our children pain?! And yet, we let our children suffer pain in order to learn lessons, don't we? Not because we don't love them, but because we DO!
I've been focusing on the following verses lately:

II Corinthians 12:7-10 (The Message) " Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become."

Oh how very powerful these words are! I'm still working at grasping them. But, I think they are sinking in. When I feel weakest, I'm truely strong, because I give up all self effort, and lean on the Lord. Then, I am truely strong, because I'm tapping into THE power source!
In Acts 13 when the church at Antioch needed direction, do you know what they did? They worshipped the Lord, fasted, and waited for guidance. Wow! Simple, but profound. When I need guidance, I tend to want to read every book on the subject, talk to people who have experience, etc. I have grown in that area, and I am much more dependent on the Lord than I used to be. But, I still need to grow more. Only God Himself can intervene in our situations. Other can offer suggestions, pray and even offer some practical help at times, but ONLY God can intervene and work in whatever we are going through. We don't need to read every book on the subject of our trials, we don't need to talk about it more and more, we don't need to __________ (fill in the blank with whatever you do to fix it yourself!), we need to press in close and worship and fast and LISTEN for GOD'S guidance.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking getting support. Not at all! I'm so blessed to have family and friends who are there for me during trials. I couldn't make it without them. God placed us among the body of Christ for support and encouragement. But, again, only God knows every detail and can DO SOMETHING about our situations.
We can even rejoice in our trials. I rejoice in the fact that God is my anchor, my very present help in times of trouble. My heart breaks for those who don't have the Lord. No wonder so many turn to addictions of many kinds. We all need hope! One of my favorites verses is Jeremiah 29:11. You'll see it to the right at the top of my blog. Whatever trials we are facing, we can be assured that they are to prosper us and give us hope and a future. The trials I have been through in the past have grown me tremendously! I have been able to bless others who are now in the midst of those same trials.
Don't waste your trials. As you struggle through them, and God gives you insights, share them! There are others who need to hear the lessons you have learned. God is using your life to bless others. EVERY one of us has a purpose. I have been so blessed to hear others share with me thier life stories, the trials they have come through and the lessons they have learned. I am willing to share mine so that others can be encouraged as well. Rejoicing always, Sheree

Shopping With Children, You Have To Read This!

This is the funniest thing I've seen on ebay! I'm having trouble when posting the link, so take a moment to search for 955thefish.com. When you locate it, on the right hand side of the page you'll see "Website of the Day" and click on it. Go down the list until you see "Funny Ebay Auction". It's worth the little trouble of finding it, trust me!

Read it and see if you can relate. It sure brought back memories of the lectures and escapades I had when my kids were all little. If you have younger children and haven't experienced this type of pleasure yet, start practicing the rules of shopping now. It's never too soon. And, prepare yourself for adventures. Let me know what you think!

Beautiful Fall Days

Yesterday was such a gorgeous day that after church we stopped to have a picnic. Then we decided to go to the nature center and walk the the surrounding trails. It was a spur of the moment picnic, so we picked up fast food. I cook from scratch and am not a fast food fan, but the kids enjoyed it. Have you seen the two headed turtle in the news? Pretty cool, huh?

Bet you didn't know I had my own, did ya?! :o)

Anyone have a good exterminator?

Beautiful Fall Leaves

Stairway to Heaven (or pretty close!)

Yes, we climbed it. Yes, I pulled a muscle. Yes, I'm limping today. Hoping I'll have angel escorts when it my time to head to heaven, cuz I don't think I'll be tackling those stairs again for a while! :o) You can see for miles from the top, which we didn't *quite* make it to as the younger two are afraid of heights!

Andrew and Sarah in their "backyard". That's what we've always called the zoo and nature centers as we spend so much time there. Get out and enjoy the fall weather while you can. Before you know it, dare I say it, winter will be upon us! And ... you know what that means.

A Quote

I read this quote today in a cookbook and it made me think of my last post. Thought I'd add it here.

My Father's way may twist and turn
My heart may throb and ache,
But in my soul I'm glad I know
He maketh no mistake. (Overton)