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Days of Summer: As summer winds down I have found my days filled with
activity preparing for the seasons ahead. I love the preparations and
the anticipation of the fun and tasty things that are ahead because of
it. Blueberry pancakes and homemade spaghetti sauce, along with
Christmas gifts and warm clothing, are a few of the things I am
preparing. God's Word instructs us to be wise and prepared, not to be
like the sluggard. It is a joyful activity when the "work" you are
doing will have rewards, like the joy on someone's face when they open
the gift you put time and thought into, the homemade pancakes for the
family on a Saturday morning made with the blueberries you put up, time
to sit and play a game because the house is already clean because you
and everyone in the family have worked together to make it a home. Yes,
I am a busy person. Today I will chop and freeze onions, make granola,
do laundry, and work
on a dress I am
sewing. These are important activities for my home. Your day may be
filled with a job that provides the means for support. That activity is
just as important. If my husband did not work to support us, there
would not be a home for me to care for. Find your purpose, evaluate
your call in life. Is it a season of working outside the home? If it
is, embrace that and develop the skills to meet the needs of your family
in the way best for you. When I worked outside the home, I did not do
the things I do now. We ate out more, I made "semi-homemade" meals.
Taking ironing to the dry cleaners was an important decision. Cleaning
was consolidated and Richard helped because I needed him to. Now when
he cleans the kitchen after dinner, like he did last night, it is
because he has chosen to give me a break from that task. I do not
expect him to do things I am capable of when he gets home from his job.
This is our current season in life. Spend some time evaluating the
needs of your home and family. Formulate a plan that works for you.
Being prepared is the key whether you are waiting on a hurricane to hit
land or just anticipating the season ahead. How will your family meet
the needs of Christmas gifts this year? What about the kids soccer
games, dance lessons, and homework along with everyone needing to be
fed? Are your cars ready for the winter? Do you need to take care of
flower beds or cleaning out the gutters before the first snowfall?
Evaluate your home and family's needs and do what is right for you. If
the plans are in place, you can all have winter coats and gloves ready
to wear, Christmas gifts planned, and still eat blueberry pancakes, even
if IHop makes them. :)
Word
for Today, Good: I am an optimistic person, one that sees the glass
half full. I am also very realistic and can often see what consequences
of actions are going to lead to. It is difficult to convince someone
that the actions they are taking, which look so "good," can lead to dire
consequences. I am not an "I told you so" person, I strive to be a
"pick you up, dust you off, and help you on the right path again"
person. When I see someone choosing what I know will lead to heartbreak
or harm, my desire is to point them toward good. As a believer that
"only God is good" as His Word says, it is easy for me to find the help
to give someone. Since I am often asked for counsel as a Pastor's wife,
I know I always have an answer. Yes, you read that statement
correctly, it is not arrogance, it is confidence in the One who is the
answer. You see my counsel is often, "I don't know, but I know the One
who does." The answer I give may be a scripture I read that morning or a
word I heard taught recently. By filling my life with the good that
comes from and is God, I will always have an answer, Jesus. He is the
answer to the bad, the evil, the sad, the frightening, the disaster, the
challenge, ... Yes, I can see good in all there is as long as my eyes
are on the Giver of Life. "God is our refuge and strength, a very
present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the
earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of
the sea." "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man
who trusts in Him!"
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