"Life is just so DAILY."
(Mary Engelbreit)
What is one of those daily feelings that often rushes to the forefront of your mind?
For me it would be irritability.
(Definition of Irritability: quick excitability to annoyance, impatience, or anger.)
Sounds true to the real, daily me.
(Antonyms to Irritability: forbearance. long-suffering. patience. tolerance. understanding. amiability. good-humoredness. good-temperedness. serenity. tranquility. gentleness. kindliness. mildness.)
Hmm.
How I would long for those words instead to dominate my thoughts!
But in the present, when stress or pressure hits?
Irritability seems to be the most honest description.
Irritability seems to be the most honest description.
By myself, I can feel peaceful, put together.
But add in the persistent nagging or repetitiveness or time crunch of life, and my demeanor automatically switches to the angry, impatient, annoyed. (Sound lovely and attractive to you?!)
What are your "defaults" when the calm has flown out the window?
Sometimes the ugly feelings can rapidly turn into resentment or deep discouragement that those very feelings define me.
This daily repetition can overwhelm us with the sameness of it all...
How can we push through the sea of routine looming in our future?
In the midst of the day to day routine:
God's promises can be our ANCHOR.
"All things hold together in Him" (Colossians 1:17), even when all else falls apart or overwhelms with the daily monotony of the season of life you are wading through. He sustains.
Phew. Like a breath of fresh air. A solid rock we can lean back on.
His promises.
Even when WE are faithless, HE is faithful (2 Timothy 2:13).
Even when we are impatient, easily aggravated, ready to give up and throw in that towel, our Faithful God is never this way. Ever.
Hard to believe, with all our "filthy rags" we have to offer (Isaiah 64:6).
Somehow the imperfection within ourselves, His children, never sways His love and devotion and presence and our lives.
...When I look at my three young children, I have an inner, motherly love for them, but not a perfect love. I can focus on their weaknesses that bring stress to me, on the challenges they present to me, on the repetitiveness of the care they require of me.
However, when the kids are restful, quiet, peacefully sleeping, my personal love bucket overflows. When the pace slows and life stands still for that slight moment, the gift is easily appreciated.
...I wonder what God thinks on us when we are restful in His leading, quiet in His presence, peaceful in Him. When all the striving and imperfection and weakness gets a rest and intimacy with our God is almost tangible... all is well. He must smile.
Yet that is only a fraction of our lives: The other portions consist of wayward walking and unhelpful worrying and unintended distraction.
But through it all, He is faithful, He loves. Through it all: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8)
As for our perfect Father?
"He is our God. The End. Period." (Jessi Oldham)
As for me as a mother?
I am a momma. Imperfect. But with hope. And grace. The End. Period.
My desire and yearning?
Last week was Mother's Day, and that afternoon I journaled about my continued hopes for my heart's attitude and outlook:
I am so very far from perfect and so very unlikely to hold these attitudes as a constant, but the desire is stirring...
I wonder, is this repetitive questioning for God to show us evidence of His presence presence what He desires for us, or does God grow impatient with our continued request for more sight of Him?
I am tending to believe that since He did, in fact, design for His creation to have DAILY NEED for His presence, then DAILY we will be drawing near to Him and asking for His provision: Needing the DAILY truth of His strength and promise.
Not doubting Him or testing Him, but needing Him dearly. His gifts of grace, mercy, strengthening, endurance, patience, love. On and on.
"Love and grace make life worth living."
But add in the persistent nagging or repetitiveness or time crunch of life, and my demeanor automatically switches to the angry, impatient, annoyed. (Sound lovely and attractive to you?!)
What are your "defaults" when the calm has flown out the window?
Sometimes the ugly feelings can rapidly turn into resentment or deep discouragement that those very feelings define me.
This daily repetition can overwhelm us with the sameness of it all...
How can we push through the sea of routine looming in our future?
"And the meals she always had to keep figuring out, and the laundry that toppled over, and the floors that kept growing mess.
The way her mind and heart would wander, crumble at the edges,
and she would reach for steadying in her Maker.
The way she'd get lost- and remember to breathe...
The way her mind and heart would wander, crumble at the edges,
and she would reach for steadying in her Maker.
The way she'd get lost- and remember to breathe...
A calling, that which keeps calling you and you never stop listening for, that is what a calling is,
the way He keeps speaking, 'This is the way, walk in it'...
the way He keeps speaking, 'This is the way, walk in it'...
One always gets to decide what is mindless work
and what is soulful work.
She would decide. She decided for art, to make her life art.
She would make it all art- it all would be art, worship, a gift back.
It all would be preach Gospel...
and what is soulful work.
She would decide. She decided for art, to make her life art.
She would make it all art- it all would be art, worship, a gift back.
It all would be preach Gospel...
Just keep the focus simply on Christ- Walk Forward.
Keep company with Christ. Love always. Bend low."
Keep company with Christ. Love always. Bend low."
(Ann Voskamp)
In the midst of the day to day routine:
God's promises can be our ANCHOR.
"All things hold together in Him" (Colossians 1:17), even when all else falls apart or overwhelms with the daily monotony of the season of life you are wading through. He sustains.
Phew. Like a breath of fresh air. A solid rock we can lean back on.
His promises.
Even when WE are faithless, HE is faithful (2 Timothy 2:13).
Even when we are impatient, easily aggravated, ready to give up and throw in that towel, our Faithful God is never this way. Ever.
Hard to believe, with all our "filthy rags" we have to offer (Isaiah 64:6).
Somehow the imperfection within ourselves, His children, never sways His love and devotion and presence and our lives.
...When I look at my three young children, I have an inner, motherly love for them, but not a perfect love. I can focus on their weaknesses that bring stress to me, on the challenges they present to me, on the repetitiveness of the care they require of me.
However, when the kids are restful, quiet, peacefully sleeping, my personal love bucket overflows. When the pace slows and life stands still for that slight moment, the gift is easily appreciated.
...I wonder what God thinks on us when we are restful in His leading, quiet in His presence, peaceful in Him. When all the striving and imperfection and weakness gets a rest and intimacy with our God is almost tangible... all is well. He must smile.
Yet that is only a fraction of our lives: The other portions consist of wayward walking and unhelpful worrying and unintended distraction.
But through it all, He is faithful, He loves. Through it all: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8)
As for our perfect Father?
"He is our God. The End. Period." (Jessi Oldham)
As for me as a mother?
I am a momma. Imperfect. But with hope. And grace. The End. Period.
My desire and yearning?
Last week was Mother's Day, and that afternoon I journaled about my continued hopes for my heart's attitude and outlook:
- Living in Sacrifice as a Choice.
- Growing in Selfless Patience.
- Balancing Times of Serving vs. Times of Rest.
- Get Down to Pray.
- Never Cease in Giving Glory.
I am so very far from perfect and so very unlikely to hold these attitudes as a constant, but the desire is stirring...
During our ladies' Sunday school class this morning, these thoughts mulled within me:
Day after Day after Day, God is faithful to us.
He was faithful in leading Moses as Moses guided the Israelites through their years of slavery and their years of journeying through the desert...
Yet, even after all these 'signs', Moses continued to passionately ask for reminders of God's glory. (Exodus 33:18)
He was faithful in leading Moses as Moses guided the Israelites through their years of slavery and their years of journeying through the desert...
Yet, even after all these 'signs', Moses continued to passionately ask for reminders of God's glory. (Exodus 33:18)
We will never "arrive" in our faith.
We need constant reminders of His faithfulness and His answered prayers: His glory.
We need constant reminders of His faithfulness and His answered prayers: His glory.
I wonder, is this repetitive questioning for God to show us evidence of His presence presence what He desires for us, or does God grow impatient with our continued request for more sight of Him? I am tending to believe that since He did, in fact, design for His creation to have DAILY NEED for His presence, then DAILY we will be drawing near to Him and asking for His provision: Needing the DAILY truth of His strength and promise.
Not doubting Him or testing Him, but needing Him dearly. His gifts of grace, mercy, strengthening, endurance, patience, love. On and on.
"Love and grace make life worth living."
(Sheila Walsh, "The Shelter of God's Promises")
So daily sink in your feet deep into His promises. Learn these promises from His Word alongside me. Trust they are true. That they can be your anchor and foundation. Daily.
Remember: "We are travelers in this world (this journey)
headed back to our true home with God." (that perfect Garden).
(Sheila Walsh, "The Shelter of God's Promises")
Blessings,
Elizabeth
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