Baking Day

Today is my day to be home alone. My son is off working a day earlier than normal, since his grandparents are coming for a short visit tomorrow and will leave Friday morning. I plan to spend the day doing some baking. I plan on making homemade bread, granola and chicken pot pie. I think I also might have enough older bananas that I could make some banana bread as well.

It's overcast and drizzly outside, so figured it was a good day to be inside in my kitchen. I will soon have Christmas music playing, a candle burning, and good smells coming out of the oven. How do you plan to spend today?

"Hey, It's Me."

I was clearing off the answering machine yesterday. I laughed as I listened to three messages that were back to back. All three of them started out with the words, "Hey, it's me." The first message was from me as I called home to let my husband know I was on the way home. The next two messages were from our college bound son. He called twice on Saturday while we were out. Each time he said the same thing as I had said on my message, as a greeting.

It first struck me as I heard the similar tone as we said the words. I chuckled as I heard my son's voice echoing mine. It made me think though. We both announced who we were. Of course it was obvious from our voices, who was who. I also thought further about when all of us pray to our Heavenly Father. We don't have to start by saying, "Dear Lord, it's me Sarah... or it's me, Ben." He knows our voice even before we speak. He knows our needs before we even ask.

I don't know about you, but I am thankful that I have a God that knows all about me before I even ask.

Preparation - Part Two

A few days ago I wrote about preparing for the upcoming holidays. Over the weekend, my husband and I did some further work and planning in this regard. We looked through and figured out who we need gifts for, looked at what we already had, and started making a list of what we need to purchase or make. It was a tedious project, but I now have a clear plan on what needs to get accomplished in the next few weeks. We both know what projects we need to work on making and have a list of what to look for whenever we get the opportunity to be out shopping.

Having a clear list is a blessing to me. It allows me to go into a store and know exactly what I am looking for. I can resist temptation of buying things I don't need, that aren't on my list. But those times when I head to the store without a list, it is so much easier to overspend or indulge in things that I really don't need.

Perhaps we should approach our lives and our walk with the Lord in a similar way. Ask God to show us areas or things that we need to work on, to become a better Christian. Maybe it would help to make a list, whether mental, or one where we actually write things down.

• Be kind.
• Choose to eat healthy remembering that my body is God's temple.
• Show gratitude.
• Be more loving.

I think the Lord wants us to be more intentional about our spiritual growth. As we prepare our hearts for the holidays, perhaps we also need to do some soul searching and allow the Holy Spirit to show us areas that we need to work on to become more Christlike. What better way to celebrate the holidays, than to have a heart that is more in-tuned with the Lord.

Preparation

The other day I pulled out a book that my husband gave me almost a year ago. It's about preparing for Christmas. I was so pleased with myself when I actually thought about getting it off the shelf. I was looking for ideas/pointers about how to plan for the holiday - hopefully starting early so I'm not stressed at the last minute. Boy was I surprised when I saw the 8-week preparation plan. I quickly counted up the weeks and realized that I don't have 8 weeks until Christmas, it's already less than that! Fortunately there is a 4 week plan as well! :)

We plan for all sorts of things. At the moment, I am planning for a Bible study that I am teaching this evening. When it comes to the holidays, we figure out who we are going to spend it with, how much food we need, decorations, etc. The list can be endless of all we hope to accomplish before a holiday or special occasion.

This Christmas I want to be able to just relax and enjoy the meaning of why we even celebrate Christmas - the birth of Christ. I will make my lists ahead of time, of things that need to be accomplished, just because putting it down on paper helps me to be less stressed. I also get a feeling of satisfaction when I can cross things off the list! :) But most importantly in the weeks to come I pray that God prepares my heart for this holiday season. That my eyes and heart can be focused on the needs around me and what I can do to reach out. I guess it is never too late to start in asking God to prepare our hearts!

Worry

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:33-34

I don't know if it's a 'woman' thing or not, but worry seems to easily creep into our lives. Perhaps it's because women are more relational, that they tend to struggle more with worrying. We are careful of how we say our words, which is a good thing, but it can be a problem when we begin to worry. "What if they misunderstand? What if they won't like me anymore?...." Before we know it we are spinning out of control, thinking and worrying about all of the what ifs?!

I think we need to relax more and trust God in our relationships. I guess that probably means that we are holding onto things to tightly in our own hands and need to instead release them into our Heavenly Father's hands. Release can be very freeing, liberating and empowering. When we let go we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives and in the situations that we face. We hand the reins over to God, knowing that only He knows best how to handle whatever situation we are facing.

Are you ready to hand over the reins?

Come Into the Light

I have been suffering from a severe headache that has lasted for several days now. As I thought about it, headaches aren't something new for me. I realize that for the past almost year I have had one almost every day of some form or another. Usually they aren't too bad, I can still function without much difficulty. Every now and then they are a little more severe. Some days I am headache free. However, the past few days have been some of the worst. Not only did I have severe head and eye pain, but also light sensitivity as well. Most of our lights have been set to a very dim setting the past few days. I took a nap yesterday in my son's room because it is very dark there.

Now I don't know why I have been going through so many headaches. In a few weeks I will be going to an ophthalmologist to see if they have any clues to help me. But as I thought about headaches, I also couldn't help thinking about sin as well. Just like my headaches have become a constant thing in my life. It started gradually. I was shocked when I realized that it has been a year since they first started. How has it gotten to be that long?

So too sin can subtly creep into our lives. A small compromise here, a white lie there... You get the picture. But God desires for us to live holy and pleasing lives. He calls us out of the darkness and into the light. Where are you standing today? In the glory of Christ's light or are you hovering on the fringes of light?

"I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;
I will turn the darkness into light before them
and make the rough places smooth.
These are the things I will do;
I will not forsake them." Isaiah 42:16

Time

This is the first school year that I have one day a week where I have no responsibilities. With my oldest son off to college, and my youngest son working one school day a week as an assistant maintenance worker at a local Christian camp, I now have some time each week to myself. I find that I really am enjoying it. It allows me time to work on projects that normally would be put on hold indefinitely. Last week I did some sewing that I have been wanting to accomplish. Today I hope to start working on making my Christmas cards. I also have things around the house that need my attention as well - a bathroom that needs cleaning, laundry that needs put away, and figuring out what to make for supper, etc.

This day off allows me a time to get a fresh perspective for whatever tasks and decisions that are before me for the coming week or weeks. I find it has been a real blessing. Each week I look ahead and plan for what I will get accomplished on my 'day off'. That's such an unfamiliar term in my vocabulary after being active with mothering the past 18 years. :) Although it reminds me of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

A Time for Everything

¹ There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

² a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

What do you need to take time for today?