Category: Diary entries

When God \”interrupts\” my life with a calling in another direction, how will I respond?

I don\’t want to be a Jonah. I don\’t want to be swallowed by a big fish, and I don\’t want to be called out by God for caring more for a plant (or a tv show, or a computer game, or… anything!) than I care for people.

So many times in my life I\’ve been \”too busy\” to respond to God. Even worse, there have been times when I simply ignored the nudging of the Holy Spirit sending me into the path of another sojourner needing encouragement.

May 2013 be the year that \”interruptions\” become welcome opportunities to be involved in what God is doing on earth. May my world expand to include those He brings into my life. May I be found faithful.

It\’s all about HIM.

As a young mother, I made up a song that I sang to my children as we rocked each night before bed. It was a simple little ditty, but one they seemed very much to enjoy. This morning, I was singing that very same ditty to my littlest grandson as he sat on my knee. All I have to do is change one word–to their name–and the song is universal.

What is really cool is how much my kids and my grandkids seem to enjoy this simple song. And what is extremely rewarding is hearing my little grandson whisper (as has every other child who sat on my lap), \”Sing it again.\” It may not be in perfect pitch, and it may seem silly to others; but it is my song of love, and every child needs to hear their name mentioned right behind the word \”love.\”

I don\’t know where I fit anymore.

Jenn has been out of work for nearly a year now. With three boys to care for, this has been very difficult for her. And when you count \”deadbeat\” dads who don\’t support their children, or only throw a little money in the pot so they don\’t end up in jail, it just adds to the stress.

She went on a job interview a few days ago. It appears very promising. Please help us pray that job down for her. I have stormed the gates for several days now. I won\’t quit. It\’s actually a perfect job for her. It\’s also important to get her out there in the working world, not just for financial purposes, but for the importance of her self-belief. I KNOW she can do this job. I believe God to give her the opportunity. Please pray with me.

Even though I started off the weekend feeling bad from a cold, I got a few things done today. Let\’s see…. I cleaned the kitchen, washed a couple loads of clothes, straightened the dining room and living room, cleaned out a closet. All the time feeling like I was functioning inside a barrel.

Ugh.

Good morning! Well, we made it safely through the night. I waited up for Jenni and the little boys to get home, and then we all turned in about 1:30am. It\’s going to be a beautiful day today. Heading out to worship in a while and then home to a nice, quiet afternoon. At some point, I have to take down the Christmas decorations. Does anybody else groan over doing that? I really enjoy seeing them up each year, but taking them down is such a chore.

A BIG shout-out must go to my precious daughter, Jenni, for getting our decorations up this year. If she hadn\’t done that, I\’m not sure they would have been put up at all. December is a very busy month at the ministry where I work, and I didn\’t get a real break until about December 23 to do much of anything else. I\’m pretty sure that I\’m not going to get her to take them all down, though, so I guess I\’ll be doing that today and/or tomorrow.

Time to get ready for church now.

The new year began with a time of fellowship and prayer with our church family. A sweet time.

Driving back into our neighborhood, we were greeted with the sounds of gunfire. It\’s our area\’s version of fireworks. It scared our dog so bad he ran under the table and hid. The only way he would go out was for me to stand right beside him in the yard. I have to tell you, it was a teeny bit unnerving. And just seconds ago, the sounds were not only very loud, but very close. I honestly feel the urge to cut off all our lights and sit on the floor.

I used to write my thoughts in a diary. In the last few years I\’ve not done a good job of that. But since I\’m on the computer every day, I will make an attempt to write my thoughts for each day here on the blog site.

So what will this year bring? It\’s going to be interesting to see. Stay tuned.

This morning as we were preparing for church, Jenni was lying on the bed with Andre, and she had him all wrapped up in her arms.

\”I love this little boy so much,\” she said.

Without hesitation, Andre asked her, \”If you love me so much, why don\’t you come to church with me?\”

Guess who was in the pew with her family this morning?

I just can\’t sleep tonight. So much going on these days, you\’d think I\’d be exhausted. But what I do is start thinking about the next batch of things to get done and then I\’m awake.

Other things, too. Things I\’ve told other family members not to dwell on and fret over, because the chances of some of the stuff happening is only 50/50 at best; yet here I sit, unable to sleep for the very same reason. I should learn to practice what I preach.

Vacation Bible School this week, Sunday through Thursday. So I\’m leaving work, heading over to the church and setting up for that. Then home and get ready to do it all over again tomorrow. The being able to sleep part would help immensely at this point.

At work, I\’m trying to cram two weeks\’ worth of work into this week, as I\’ll be at youth camp next week. So many things to be sure I get done. AND I have to work Sunday for about three hours. Then I have to pack for camp.

Well, everyone\’s life is busy.

I plan to spend some time in August saying \”NO\” and doing as little as possible.

From there I plan to begin downsizing my responsibilities. My job takes a little more time than my old job, with having to work the occasional weekend as well as working a little later in the day. I love the job, so I don\’t mind the hours, but I\’m finding at my age that I just can\’t do as much as well as I\’d prefer. Sometimes I forget the simplest things, and it\’s just because there is so much to try and remember.

So I have to begin saying, \”sorry, I just can\’t do it,\” and letting someone else have the privilege–or it just doesn\’t get done. If it\’s important enough, hopefully someone will accept the challenge. If not, it just won\’t get done, I guess. I simply must slow down.

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On another note, Dave is preaching through the book of Nehemiah right now. I\’ve just finished reading the book, and I can understand why he likes this story. Nehemiah was quite an admirable person. A man who trusted God, wanted to honor God, and who wasn\’t afraid to stand up for the right things. Even with all the lists of names, which are so easy to get bogged down in, it\’s a great story of a man who truly loved God. Those names were important to God, just as mine is. That\’s a comforting thought.

Guess I\’ll go try to sleep again. I have to be up in two hours to get ready for work.

It\’s all about HIM…