Photo Geek Girl
New Beginnings - Week 11
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23
This year has been a busy one for me. The Lord has led me to some areas where I've never dared to go that have required me to step out in faith and grow. And as much as it has been a bit challenging I admit that I truly love every minute of it. For the past year I've been juggling several things: two new cleaning jobs to add to my other two cleaning jobs, starting and leading a cancer support group, becoming the prayer partner coordinator for the mentoring ministry at church and mentoring. All this on top of being a stay-at-home mom and making sure our home is running smoothly. Did I mention I also have two teenagers? :-) But somehow throughout all this I've managed to maintain as healthy of a balance as I can while managing my time pretty well.
That is until recently. Lately I've been feeling overwhelmed.
All of a sudden my carefully planned schedule started to deteriorate. I think it hasn't helped that my Geeky family is preparing for the Emerald City Comicon and my husband has put in countless hours on a very elaborate costume my eldest will be wearing at the Con. My sweet husband's goal as a father has always been to be into what his girls are into and so he is throwing his heart and soul into this costume. But it has taken more time than he expected and he has spent almost every waking minute away from church and work working on it. This means that I'm picking up the slack so that he can do this. I'm willingly to do this because I can't help in the creation of this costume so this is what I can do for the family. But the added pressure of doing it all and not being able to rely upon his help with carpooling and whatnot is wearing on me.
When I get worn out I start to slack off on my free time. I start to watch more T.V. or play my word game or browse around Pinterest too much or read fluff books. And when that happens I'm in the Word less which really starts to cause issues. And the easiest way for Satan to bring me down is through fear and anxiety.
Guess what, I'm overwhelmed and anxious.
Go figure.
I've struggled with fear and anxiety all my life but have really made great strides in overcoming these habits. Which makes me feel really bad when I fall back into them. I think, "Really Krista! Haven't you learned by now?" What I have learned is although I've made great strides in overcoming a few things the truth of the matter is I still have a long way to go.
The good thing about having a loving God is that He still loves me even when I screw up. I love this verse because it reminds me that God's love is steadfast. This means His love is not subject to the changes we go through. This verse also reminds me that His love never ceases. Nothing I can do will make Him love me any less. And lastly, I am reminded that His mercies never come to an end. In fact they are new every morning.
When I think about being able to go to the Lord after messing up I think about it like the new leaves starting to bud on my Hydrangea plant. Last year the plant got leggy and although the blooms were beautiful the plant got overgrown so I cut it down to give it a fresh start. I'm not a seasoned gardener so I was hoping my cutting back didn't cause the plant any harm for future growth. It wasn't until I took a photo walk in my yard that I noticed new buds on all my plants including my Hydrangea plant. I love spring time because everything gets a new start.
How about you? Do you need a fresh start? Are you like me and fallen back into an old habit? Trust me when I say you aren't alone and that you don't have to keep on kicking yourself for failing yet again. You can go to the Lord and lay your situation at His feet. Ask for His forgiveness if you have to. Find a godly friend who you can be accountable to and make a fresh start.
What are you waiting for? Make that needed change today and make a fresh start.
Krista Jones - 3.17.14
Taken from Stillness of the Morning Blog
New Beginnings - Week 11
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23
This year has been a busy one for me. The Lord has led me to some areas where I've never dared to go that have required me to step out in faith and grow. And as much as it has been a bit challenging I admit that I truly love every minute of it. For the past year I've been juggling several things: two new cleaning jobs to add to my other two cleaning jobs, starting and leading a cancer support group, becoming the prayer partner coordinator for the mentoring ministry at church and mentoring. All this on top of being a stay-at-home mom and making sure our home is running smoothly. Did I mention I also have two teenagers? :-) But somehow throughout all this I've managed to maintain as healthy of a balance as I can while managing my time pretty well.
That is until recently. Lately I've been feeling overwhelmed.
All of a sudden my carefully planned schedule started to deteriorate. I think it hasn't helped that my Geeky family is preparing for the Emerald City Comicon and my husband has put in countless hours on a very elaborate costume my eldest will be wearing at the Con. My sweet husband's goal as a father has always been to be into what his girls are into and so he is throwing his heart and soul into this costume. But it has taken more time than he expected and he has spent almost every waking minute away from church and work working on it. This means that I'm picking up the slack so that he can do this. I'm willingly to do this because I can't help in the creation of this costume so this is what I can do for the family. But the added pressure of doing it all and not being able to rely upon his help with carpooling and whatnot is wearing on me.
When I get worn out I start to slack off on my free time. I start to watch more T.V. or play my word game or browse around Pinterest too much or read fluff books. And when that happens I'm in the Word less which really starts to cause issues. And the easiest way for Satan to bring me down is through fear and anxiety.
Guess what, I'm overwhelmed and anxious.
Go figure.
I've struggled with fear and anxiety all my life but have really made great strides in overcoming these habits. Which makes me feel really bad when I fall back into them. I think, "Really Krista! Haven't you learned by now?" What I have learned is although I've made great strides in overcoming a few things the truth of the matter is I still have a long way to go.
The good thing about having a loving God is that He still loves me even when I screw up. I love this verse because it reminds me that God's love is steadfast. This means His love is not subject to the changes we go through. This verse also reminds me that His love never ceases. Nothing I can do will make Him love me any less. And lastly, I am reminded that His mercies never come to an end. In fact they are new every morning.
When I think about being able to go to the Lord after messing up I think about it like the new leaves starting to bud on my Hydrangea plant. Last year the plant got leggy and although the blooms were beautiful the plant got overgrown so I cut it down to give it a fresh start. I'm not a seasoned gardener so I was hoping my cutting back didn't cause the plant any harm for future growth. It wasn't until I took a photo walk in my yard that I noticed new buds on all my plants including my Hydrangea plant. I love spring time because everything gets a new start.
How about you? Do you need a fresh start? Are you like me and fallen back into an old habit? Trust me when I say you aren't alone and that you don't have to keep on kicking yourself for failing yet again. You can go to the Lord and lay your situation at His feet. Ask for His forgiveness if you have to. Find a godly friend who you can be accountable to and make a fresh start.
What are you waiting for? Make that needed change today and make a fresh start.
Krista Jones - 3.17.14
Taken from Stillness of the Morning Blog