“As we trade the 'many things' that make us anxious, he gives us the 'one thing' that calms our hearts. Himself.” [pg. 46] So here's my battle plan against worry: Living in the moment. And I do have to continually relearn that ability, but I do it. Perhaps living in the moment sounds frivolous, selfish, or maybe even indulgent? But it works for me, and it goes like this: Wherever or whenever you are ~ are you focused in that moment? Are you focused on that person? Are you focused on that event? Are you focused on that hobby? Are you focused on that joy? I know that was redundant, but you really want to think about that question. Because life is too stinkin' short to become just the bowl that holds all your worries. To be those days that exhaust you so desperately that you don't even remember that day's events (even the good ones) when your weary head hits that pillow. Our life is filled with challenges, we all get that, but it's also full of people we love, and places that shout out the glory of God, and events that leave us inspired and full of awe, and so much other great stuff. Here's an example of living in that moment: Recently, I spent time with our smallest grandchildren doing a birdhouse project. Our granddaughter was so full of joy as she painted her birdhouse that her swipes of paint, huge glops of vibrant sunset colors, nearly flew off her brush. Each daring stroke added another warm moment from her memory of beach sunsets. As the birdhouse became more and more sunset-ty her joy overtook her and she added a song to accompany each enthusiastic swipe. I asked her, "Did you learn that song school?" "No," she replied, smiling at me. "I'm just happy." She was swept away in her little birdhouse painting. She was remembering her time at the beach the summer before. She was thinking about how her sunset birdhouse would look when she hung it in a tree at mommy and daddy's house. She was happy. Truly happy and lost in that moment. This chapter is SO filled with wisdom about conquering worry. Maybe my solution won't work for you, but Joanna has many points that can help guide you into a place of victory over worry. God has designed us for joy. Live in the moment. Ask him for it. Allow it to happen. And smile. (: ~ Andi
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A Mary Heart ... Joanna Weaver Wk 2: "Lord, Don't you care?" Blog 2: Wonderings Pages: 13-292/16/2017 “I need to know,” we tell ourselves. “No,” God answers softly, “you need to trust.” [pg. 26] Has there been a time when your life didn't make sense? A time when your love for God still could not explain the injustice going on around you? You desperately needed to know. That time came for me during my moms last months of her battle with Alzheimer’s. My mom was the kind of woman we talked about last week. The over-achiever. Doing for church. Doing for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. Doing for friends and neighbors. Doing for her parents. Her life was all about giving to others. Why had this happened to her? For me, the pain of not knowing why was relentless. Months after mom's death, during one of my therapeutic scrubbings of the kitchen floor, I heard a man on the radio say, God knows everything about you, everything about how you feel. It was like a light went on. Well, I thought, why not just say it? If he knew anyway, wouldn't it be better just to get it out? Without thinking I looked up from that filthy floor and glared into heaven. My words so loud it hurt my throat. The pain and anger so great. I yelled at him, "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!” Immediately, I was frozen with fear. What had I done? My anger was serious! Now, had I lost my salvation?’ I was barely breathing, waiting to be struck down. Or maybe I would just drop dead? But nothing. The longest second ever finally passed, then, a voice. I heard him talk to me, not just in love, but direction. Gently he said, “Now we can move forward.” Are you kidding? No lightning strike? No damnation to hell? Had he waited all these months for me to yell at him? To let the anger and hate go? Yes. And from that moment on I was moving forward. Joanna writes, “… God isn’t threatened by our doubts and questions, or fears or even our frustration. He wants us to trust his love enough to tell him what we are thinking and feeling.” [pg. 27] I never did understand why mom had to die that way. I don't understand even now. But I do know that he was there for her. She is with him now. And all my other little 'wonderings' will be gone someday. ~ Andi A Mary Heart ... Joanna Weaver Wk 1: A Tale of Two Sisters Blog 1: A Happy Sunflower? Pages: 1 - 122/9/2017 “You've known the Lord your whole life, and yet you haven't found the peace and fulfillment you've always longed for. So you've stepped up the pace, hoping that in offering more service, somehow you will merit more love. You volunteer for everything: you sing in the choir, you teach Sunday school, you host Backyard Bible Club, you visit the nursing home weekly. And yet you find yourself staring into the night and wondering if this is all there is.” [Pg 10-11] Welcome to Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. This book isn't new, yet Joanna's message is for us today as much as it was for the women of 2001. Why? Because the pace of life has not slowed down. In fact, today the hours go by now at a meteoric pace. Do you wonder: How can I slow down and get a breath? How can I find time for God, and what happened to balance in my life? These questions are at the core of our reading. So let’s begin. I have occasionally resembled this sad little sunflower above... wanting to shine, but just miserable inside. It happens when I'm over achieving (because I have given myself tons to do) but yet feeling under-satisfied - sad and exhausted. I'm without God. This happens when I forget about the impact he has in my life, something that can be called apathy. It’s a lack of interest or concern in something, and for me, sometimes that's how I treat my devotional life. I forget how good it feels when I set aside time for God. I want to feel that way all the time, to have peace and calm ~ to be happy again; but, I plow on anyway, ignoring that call to come. When I'm that busy and overwhelmed (a time when I need him the most) how does that make any sense? There’s only one thing that can release us from discouragement and fatigue. There is a way to become a happy sunflower again. And it’s called: time. A small gift out of our day, just 10 minutes can reap such healing, freedom, and relief that you will be encouraged to give more remembering how wonderful it feels to be in his healing presence again. As we move into Joanna’s book the little truths about busyness, responsibility, and balance will start to add up. These lessons can change our life. If you are stuck in the darkness of needing God ~ Go now! Sit down for those minutes in a quiet place and talk to him in your heart. Cry out. Yell. Beg. Don't settle for being sad! You’re better than that. ~ Andi |
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