Saturday, September 17, 2011

Saturdays were MADE for the Sabbath!


What a day to do NOTHING. Well, we did plenty...of nothing. God is so good to give us the rest we need when we don't realize we need it. I had a full day planned of yard work, trail riding and errands...but when the rain was hitting the roof at 6 am, I decided not to do any of it. I read a great book, cuddled with my family and thanked God for the blessing of life, and salvation, and everything else.

I finally reached the point where I realized things are staying different, and it's a good different. As much as I miss the days when just walking through the DOOR made my kids day perfect, when I could just kiss them and tickle them and all their worries flew out the window- I know those days are gone. I am just not enough anymore, and that is a good thing.

I was reading in 1 Chronicles and God just kept reminding me that EVERYTHING belongs to Him anyways. Oh, that my children could learn that now...rather than tumble around with it when they are adults like I am. Every wonderful and beautiful thing they are given belongs to God, was given by God, and ultimately- He is the one to be praised. Check out what King David said in regards to their "offerings" to God:
"“Praise be to you, LORD,
the God of our father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours...
Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.
“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand."
1 Chronicles 29:10-14

Amen to that! When we feel loved, lonely, strong, weak, beautiful, hideous, full of joy and laughter or with tears of despair in our eyes- Praise Him! Praise Him simply because you draw breath, because He loves you so much. What a comfort those words were to my pathetic self-centered heart. I don't NEED to make all things ok, God has got it covered. He is using everything that touches us- good and bad- to turn our eyes towards Him, and give us a heart of thankfulness like David's.

One of the quotes I put in the birthday scrapbook for my girl was told to me years ago, and I had forgotten it until last week when I started putting the book together.
"Hold all things lightly, and nothing tightly."
It seems silly, but it reminded me that standing- open handed before my Jesus is just about my favorite place in the world. I wish I could remember that ALL the time!

(Spent my night at home alone printing old photos to scrapbook, and thought you would like them too! I had forgotten how little Kirby was!)

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