Building a home after his own heart

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Perspective.

It's amazing to me how my perspective can change in a second.

A situation that at one time may have seemed super annoying and inconvenient, suddenly becomes something I wouldn't change for the world. Sometimes I get so caught up in my own life and "problems", I forget the struggles of others. Looking through someone else's eyes usually makes my petty problem seem like nothing and alot of times the problems are actually blessings. So much of the time we have so many complaints about our job, our spouse, our house, our clothes... all things that are a blessing to have in the first place. I shouldn't complain about my home, I should be grateful that I have one. I shouldn't complain about my job, I should look around and notice that they're becoming scarcer and I am blessed. Someone else might rush at the opportunity to serve in the situation that I may be currently whining about.

I'm slowly learning to not get annoyed by the sock that's been left on the floor, but to be thankful that I have the one who dropped it. Because when it's all said and done, I have a husband with a heart of gold who never intentionally did anything to hurt me and in the end, I think I can pick up a million socks and the frustration would never even come close to the love I have for him and the gratitude I feel in my heart for his presence in my life. And if that's my only complaint, I'd say I'm a pretty lucky lady. :)

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Three things.

Every year that goes by I hope for more and more clarity in life... the answers to so many questions that I've been waiting to discover. Three things I've found to be true: 1. The only thing that is certain is Jesus Christ... 2. I will never know every answer to every question in this life... 3. No matter how strongly I feel at a certain time about an opinion I have, I will always try to be open minded and realize that I can and probably will eventually change my mind.

Three things I've been trying to learn with little success is: 1. Humility... 2. Trying to resist the urge to judge... 3. Not letting selfish gain and the opinion of others drive my decisions, but love for God and concern for others. Yes, once I learn these things my life will be perfect! What a journey. I've discovered that even my dream of saving the world reeks of selfishness... in the dark corners of my heart is the desire to be praised, looked up to, honored when my life passes on. Why are we so worried about what others think?

Some verses that have humbled me recently:

11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11,12)

1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 5"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6: 1-8)


11Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? (James 4: 11,12)

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

I'll be in the garden.


In an effort to support local farmers and just eat healthier... me and Jim made a little trip to the farmer's market. We came across a man selling tomato plants and decided we would also like to start vegetable gardening. So we purchased four different kinds of tomatoes. This became an obsession. By the end of the day, Jim and I had purchased yellow squash, zucchini, cucumber, sweet potatoes, green bell peppers, jalapenos, cilantro, strawberries, GRAPES??? I hope that at least one is "fruitful".

Joel decided the water looked tasty.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Joel: our pride and joy.

I know it might sound ridiculous to say that raising our little puppy has somewhat prepared me for children (though I am currently not expecting), but I do believe it has... at least it's brought me to the realization that I will never be able to fathom the amount of love I will have for my kids. Me and Jim grew up loving dogs... and especially have fallen for Joel. He has grown up so much in the last 6 weeks. I am convinced that God cares for animals as another beautiful part of his incredibly creation. It still amazes me to know that he cares for the lilies in the field and feeds the birds of the air... and loves and provides for me as well! I wish there was more I could do for animals that are still homeless and are written off as "dangerous" when they have never had the opportunity to be trained and loved. In conclusion: I am convinced that dogs go to heaven!!!


Friday, May 7, 2010

Happy.

I am so blessed to have a loving husband, a wonderful family, a cute little puppy, a sweet little home, a voice to praise God, the opportunity to work with my husband and spend lots of time outdoors. I wouldn't have it any other way! I could have finished college... I could have gone to a music conservatory... I could have become a music teacher... there were endless possibilities, some seeming obvious. But that wasn't God's path for me. I am so content to be right here, right now, with Jim... this is home.

I have finally accepted the fact that I should not let others dictate whether or not my situation and the choices I've made can actually allow me to be happy. I AM happy. Jesus could have come as a lawyer, he could have come as a doctor... instead he was a lowly carpenter, lived on the streets, even his friends abandoned him when he needed them the most and he found his identity in his Father and focused on the path he was given. We need to be cautious to not measure success through wordly eye glasses, realizing that my path has been set before me by God and you may just be called to something different. We need to encourage each other to focus on the ultimate goal and not get wrapped up in careers, money, earthly possessions... focus on building strong relationships in Christ and helping each other, helping others, praying for each other, praying for others.

Stop judging and start serving.