Moving Forward

"It doesn't have to be all or nothing. All or nothing often cripples us." -Jon Acuff during an interview with Dave Ramsey

I have had that sentence saved as a blog draft for over a year (January 2012, to be exact). This is probably why I'm so scattered in actually writing blog posts. But this is totally my personality. When faced with a situation or a difficult decision, I like to have a plan. I like to know all of my options. I like to go through all the possible outcomes to make sure that I'm prepared for anything that might come up.  (And might I add that it drives my husband absolutely crazy?!)  I try to be flexible in the little things, and having kids has certainly thrown a wrench in my ability to make and execute a plan (<-- this might be a little bit of an understatement!). 

But if I'm totally honest here, sometimes I feel like I am drowning. I am overwhelmed, exhausted and feel like I am going nowhere.  And I don't have a clue what my plan should entail...let alone options or possible outcomes to review. 

But I realized something at a women's Bible study this morning. When I put pressure on myself like that, it puts the focus on ME and not on God. When it becomes all about ME, God is pushed farther out of my life. And I am not able to rescue myself.

Life is challenging. Life is not easy. Life does not go the way I planned.  I will certainly face trials, death, disease, difficult decisions, etc. But I cannot let that cripple me.  And I don't have to face life alone.  

When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord , your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. ~Isaiah 43:2-3  http://bible.com/116/isa.43.2-3.nlt

I have seen this in my own life. And I know it to be true. The challenge comes in to remember this when I am faced with something.  I can trust what the Bible says and that God knows what is best in each situation, even if I can't see that myself.

For the word of the Lord  holds true, and we can trust everything he does. He loves whatever is just and good; the unfailing love of the Lord  fills the earth. The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. ~Psalm 33:4-7  http://bible.com/116/psa.33.4-7.nlt

Since High School, my motto has been, "Write your plans in pencil and give God the eraser." But I still am not good at actually handing off control to anyone...God included. I've always heard the saying, "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger." But I heard a new one today right at the end of our study..."A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor" and that hit home for me. If life were calm and uneventful, what kind of life would that be and would I truly be able to live up to my potential?

Do I make mistakes and do I try to "rescue" myself from difficult situations? Yep. all.the.time. But I have to remember to get back up, trust in God, and lean on Him during the good times and the bad.

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?  No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,  neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.  No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~Romans 8:35, 37-39  http://bible.com/116/rom.8.35,37-39.nlt

I feel like I have rambled in this post, but I feel I need to post this to serve as a public reminder to myself to put my focus on God and not myself. My life doesn't have to be "all or nothing". I just need to do my best and know that God is in control and His plans are better than anything I have planned.

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FINISHED!

So, last night I completed the Bible in 90 Days program (B90)!  The actual finish day was Saturday, so I finished 2 days early...well, actually only one day, because by the time I was done, it was 12:08am.

I did this entire reading program (except about a week) on my iPod touch using the YouVersion.com bible app.  It had the reading program already in the "reading plans" section, so it really helped me keep on track.  The only reason why I didn't do the entire program on it was because my 2nd son decided to throw my iPod in the toilet and I was without one for about a week :)


Anyway, this was my 2nd time completing the program and I learned some new things along the way this time:

1. For some reason, it was much more difficult to complete this time.  I think I tried to take on too much with my reading plan, training plan, trying to juggle 3 kids, Lent, and working my home-based bakery.
2. Most of the days, I actually got things from my reading.  There were days were I was reading just to mark it off the list, but I really tried to read at times where my comprehension was better and my attention span could be kept (i.e. not trying to read while the kids were awake and constantly interrupting or needing attention).
3. I did try and read some times while the kids were awake, though.  I wanted them to see me reading and to ask questions about it.  I even read a little out loud to them.
4. I still don't like Chronicles.
5. It's great to be finished! I will probably take the next week off from reading just because my schedule has piled up and I really need to concentrate on getting back on my training plan, but I'm looking for a study to start or just a book to start reading.

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Go big or go home.

I've always heard the phrase, "Go big or go home."  I guess this is the year for me to do that.  Even though I'm not Catholic or Lutheran, I've always tried to give up something for Lent.  I guess it stems from my extended family all being Catholic and having grown up around people who observe Lent. 


For those of you who aren't familiar with Lent, according to Wikipedia, it is, "he Christian observance of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday....The traditional purpose of Lent is the penitential preparation of the believer – through prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial.....During Lenten season, some faithful observants generally commit to a form of fasting or (temporarily) give up certain types of luxury."  Lent is about 40 days long, though some churches exclude Sundays (so you don't have to deny yourself on that day) and some include it which makes it longer than 40 days.  Also, I know that many that observe Lent also give up meat on Fridays (only eat fish/seafood) but because I love seafood, this has never been a sacrifice for me and not something I typically observe.  


For me, since I observe Lent on my own and not through my church, it has always been a time for me to give up something that is taking a lot of my attention and focus that attention on reading my Bible, praying and remembering the sacrifice that Jesus made for me on the cross.   Whenever I think of that item or desire it, I redirect my focus towards Christ.  

source

This year, it's going to be big for me.  There are a couple things in my life that I know aren't healthy for me and have become a higher importance in my life than what I would like.  I don't want to brag or make a bigger deal than it actually is, but I just want to say that this year is going to be tough for me.  It will definitely cause me to focus and rely on Christ more in order to last the 40 days.  I'll probably mention it a few times over the next 40 days, but I'll post at the end of the 40 days and let you know how it went this year.


So, I guess the point of this post is to encourage you to consider doing something for Lent this year, even if it's not something you have ever done before.  Your church doesn't have to  celebrate Lent in order for it to have an impact on your spiritual journey.  Lent starts this Wednesday, February 22, so you still have a couple days to decided if you want to participate and what you will sacrifice. 

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