December 18 2014

December 18 2014 Greetings My Friend That was a lot for me. I just worked straight for 50 minutes and now I am breathing heavy like I ran a marathon, it feels good though. Once more I am back to working longer stretches of time and getting more done in my day to day life. It encourages me to keep exercising so when I do go down I know I can bounce back in a few days. My daily Bible reading was not in my inbox this morning and for a moment I was upset. I like my routine and my routine was broken. After thinking for a bit I realized that I can do my routine only it might be in a different order and that is okay too. I know as an older person that I may get too accustomed to a certain way to do things and it can throw life in a tail spin if I am too stuck in routines. I am happy for moments when I am challenged to rethink how I do things. Sometimes the upset is good for me, it makes me think of another way, shows me that life can still be lived even if it is in a different order. Doing these mix in routines is really good for me. Routines do help me get things done so they are not all bad. It gets bad though when I become a slave to it or as it is called today obsessive compulsive. I am also able to realize that life is not about the routines I put in place but my life needs to continually go to God in all things. At this point I may send up a prayer and ask God to guide my steps and in short order I find I am content with a rearranged schedule. I made meatloaf yesterday with the idea that it would last a few days. Junior liked it so much that there is only one piece left. Today I am making a pot of chili and we have stuffed cabbage casserole for the next several days. It works out in the end and I am flattered he liked the meatloaf so much. We went through the change in routine on Sunday evening. A lady was talking to me and she and her family are in distress. We usually go straight home after Sunday evening services and potluck. This past week we did not we went to her house. We missed some of the Sunday evening programs we like but in the end I am grateful for a chance to reach out to people in need more so. I am learning that it is important to listen to the small still voice in my heart more so these days. I believe it is the Holy Spirit guiding me and when I listen and do as I am led I find a peace with life. I learn that God isn’t asking me to be “on” 24/7 but to prepare by quiet time with Him in prayer and in the Word. The more I am in quiet time the more I am able to discern God’s will from the will of the world for my life. Sometimes loving is not giving into dysfunction but allowing a person to face the decisions they have made. It is hard at times because I want to rescue people but truth be told that rescuing may not be healthy. The Holy Spirit teaches me to sometimes walk away or say “no.” Growing in God’s love is awesome, it takes some discipline to obey but in the end it is worth it to me. May God bless you and keep you, make His face shine on you. Love Janet