That's called Satisfied

Yesterday I was snuggled up in bed getting ready to read my daily devotions.  I use a bible study app on my phone, I'm trying to read the entire bible in a year so I read a bit everyday and I chose to read it in chronological order so it's kind of interesting to see where I am in the bible that day.  But on this particular day I'm sad to say I was not curious at all, I wasn't really thinking about it I was kind of just going through the motions because I hadn't gone to church *again* and was feeling a bit guilty.  Now I've had plenty of excuses for not going to church for the last few weeks but when it comes down to it I always feel guilty *and I'm not one of those people that think you have to go to church to be a christian you can worship perfectly well in your own home* but Jesus died on the cross for me...would it really kill me to take a few hours out of the day once a week?  No.  No it would not.  So out of guilt I was pulling out my bible in our little home while my husband and dad were working on water pipes under the house, mom was cleaning, normal stuff ya know?  Well as is usually the case when you least expect it God points you in the direction you need to be.  Sometimes it is just so interesting to me the blatant messages you can receive from Christ in totally average ways at an unlikely time.  I wasn't going through a big trial, nothing was really wrong just average everyday stuff, I wasn't searching for answers, nothing I was just trying to ease my own guilt...I was going to fulfill in my mind this little requirement and then go on about my day and forget all about it.  Wrong.  My devotions that morning instructed me to read the book of Haggai *another thing I like about this daily devotions app is all the other parts of the bible I'm reading for the first time*.  I've never even looked at Haggai before, so much of this small book stuck out to me.

"Is it a time for yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"

"Give careful thought to your ways.  You have planted much, but have harvested little.  you eat but never have enough.  You drink, but never have your fill.  You put on clothes, but are not warm.  You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."

"Give careful thought to your ways.  Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored.  you expect much, but see, it turned out to be little.  What you brought home, I blew away.  Why?  Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.  Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth it's crops."

Now Autumn is a month of harvest, plenty, celebrating family, being thankful for what you have, for being satisfied with what the Lord has given you.  What those verses were saying to me on that morning was that I need to learn to be satisfied with what I have, I am to some degree of course but it's definitely something I could do better at.  It also made me think that I need to do better honoring and thanking the Lord all the time.  Not just when I was receive a blessing or when I'm feeling guilty.  Fixing up our homes is important and necessary especially before winter sets in...but making sure that our faith and our relationship with the Lord is equally strong, secure, and weather-ready is even more important.  And our relationship with him requires constant up-keep, adjustments, and fixing on our part.  He wants not just be satisfied with what we have but Thankful for it.  That's what this beautiful season is supposed to high light.  But we can get carried away in other things.  I know I do.  I think it's important not to worry about the future, it's important to live in this moment and this day to love the people that God has placed in your life...you never know when they may not be there.  Life can change so quickly it's comforting to know that God is a constant he is the Alpha and Omega, The beginning and the end, like he says in exodus to Moses "I m that I am".  He's all encompassing.  He should be present in every aspect of our lives.

So after this lovely moment I had on Sunday, I felt the need to do better, to try.  So I made a list of things I'm going to work on this week to be a better christian.  To enjoy this life that I've been blessed with and to put God first.


Remember to pray before my meals *it's something so small but so important and I've gotten out of the habit*
Watch my potty mouth *a ridiculously hard habit to break*
Read my devotions Every day
Remember to keep up with my daily prayer list
Take pride in my home and myself
Enjoy the family that I'm blessed enough to live close to
Actually ask myself WWJD
Remember to be kind and helpful and have a good attitude while doing it
Be good stewards with our finances
Make a list of 5 blessings every day this week *they must be different everyday*
Go to church this week *maybe bible study?*
Find satisfaction in what we have

Now of course I should try and be the best Christian I can be every day but this week I want to Actively try and see if I can tell a difference, or even if those around me  can tell. . Enjoy this song by Jewel called 'Satisfied'

Worries and Things

Money, bills, baby things, credit cards, house repairs, groceries, gas, etc.   The list goes on and on.  Since getting out of the Army my husband has been searching and searching and searching for a job with little to no luck.  He put off going on unemployment for as long as humanly possible I finally had to sit down and tell him it's not charity.  Yes there are a lot of people sucking the life out of our governments resources and cheating the system *really it's disgusting how many people I know who are on food stamps and just use it for BBQs at the lake and house parties*  you are not one of them.  You were in the military for how long?  You were deployed for how long?  They left your medical condition go unchecked until they had to emergency mediflight you out of a war zone?  They've screwed us out of how much time and really how much money?  If anyone deserves to be on unemployment it's someone like you.  And so finally he gave in.  And we've been making it work pretty well for us.  Unemployment benefits have been a huge blessing to us.  Pair that with him signing up for the reserves and getting out our insurance right in time for someone to get pregnant with baby  #1!  We are so blessed, really we can feel and see God's love for us every day.  But we're human being we can't help but let some worry creep in.  Like now that his unemployment is about to run out and there are still no jobs in sight.  He's looking in to filing an extension, but the site is less than helpful and I've found that googling unemployment issues is like being one of those people that googles medical conditions.  You can't be sure anything is true or correct and it's makes you feel paranoid and sicker than before.  On the site it says this

 Who is eligible for federal extension benefits? Federal extension benefits are designed to provide further income support to eligible unemployed workers who have been out of work for a long period of time. The current legislation makes December 23, 2012, the deadline for filing a first federal extension of benefits, once a regular UI claim runs out. The deadline for filing a second, third, or fourth federal extension of benefits, is also December 23, 2012, once the prior level of extension runs out.

...Ok...what is a 'long' period of time?  I have no clue he's been out of work for almost a year.  And now we've got  a baby on the way so we kind of feel like the pressure is ya know...on.  So apparently what happens is if you are in fact eligible for an extension then they will automatically enroll us and do everything we just wait for some stuff in the mail...but if we go more than two weeks from our last check without hearing anything then we have to get in contact with them.  It's hard because we aren't sure of anything.  And that's such a human thing...we Need reassurance we Need to know what is going to happen we Need control but what we really Need is God is this an opportunity from the Lord?  For us to really lean on him in our time of need to show him that we don't let worry fill our every waking moment when we have him?  Maybe.  I don't really know how to be sure of that but I'm definitely going to try and use this as an opportunity to lean completely on him and not on my own understanding.  I'm a firm believer that God has a plan for everyone that he already knows exactly what is going to happen, I believe he has a job or opportunity out there that is perfect for my husband and for our growing family.  But I have to remember it won't come in our time it will come in His time and really that's going to be the perfect time.  So until then we just need to hold on and pray, have faith, and remember that he has a plan for us we're never forgotten or left behind.

I decided to do a little google search on Bible verses about not worrying and found this amazing site!  It has so many beautiful, wonderful, and just plain comforting verses to many for me to put in this blog post but I'm going to include a couple favorites I can't help myself!  And if you're in need of some inspiration I highly recommend clicking the above link and getting some!

Also, if you noticed I sprinkled in some of our blessings to kind of balance out this post lol!

 

 Matthew 6:34  “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Luke 12:25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his  span of life?

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you;my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Proverbs 3:5-6   Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Philippians 4:6-7  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:31  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?