Getting rid of that stinkin’ thinkin’

It’s Wednesday - I wake up a little earlier than normal because Wednesday is floor day and I have the dining room and hallway, the biggest area to do. Walk out of my room, put in my contacts, put food in Nora’s bowl, get some water and head outside to let Nora do her… ahem, thing. After a few minutes we go back in and I start clearing out the dining room so I can start floors. That’s when the stinkin’ thinkin’ sneaks in.

“Ugh, I hate doing floors. It’s so much work” ~ “Sigh… why does mom have to clean the bathroom while I’m trying to fill my mop bucket?” ~ “Why does time move so slowly…” 

And so on and so forth it goes. 

When chores are done I go sit down with my bible, devotional book, and breakfast - BAM! God (as my pastor would say) gives me a huge “spiritual thunk on the head” with this verse and accompanying devotional -

Okay, God, you’ve got my attention, my thoughts have not been what this verse commands.

And then these words from my Kristin Schmucker “Joy in Christ” devotional book: 

“Our minds have so much power over our hearts, and we must be careful what we think because wrong thinking eventually will lead to wrong feeling. 

We need to actively think about the things that God has commanded us to think about.”

Right then and there I knew I needed to be more active in changing the way I’m thinking. Because the way I feel and act starts in my mind! And I know that I struggle with thinking about the same thing(s) over and over and over again constantly. I say struggle, because yes, if they were good thoughts it would be great! But most of the time that happens they are wrong thoughts that cause me to worry, be angry, get frustrated, etc.

So I decided to use the note taking space to record my wrong thoughts that were harming me and then write what I should be thinking!

“Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to have floors to clean, and that I get to serve you and my family in this way” ~ “I’m glad mom is getting the bathroom clean; I can be patient and think of her above myself” ~ “Thank you, Jesus, for this time of engagement - a time I will never have back - help me to use it wisely and to glorify you”

I instantly felt more joyful and a sense of peace! And I was able to go through out my day, happy with life and my family. I’ve decided that this is an exercise I want to repeat daily to remind myself of the thoughts God has commanded me to have, so I came up with this little sheet that I’m going to copy and put on a clipboard for me to use when I catch myself allowing wrong thoughts to find a home in my mind. 

I really hope I am not alone in this struggle - please feel free to clink the link below to print out your own sheets!

“Capture your thoughts” PDF

Until next time…

{Side note - I created all these pictures using Rhonna Designs photo editing app, available in the Apple app store and probably Android}

1000 gifts - 8-13 {8.25.14}

{You can read my first post about this here}

8. A fun weekend with Nathan and friends

9. Celebrating my Dad’s 50th

10. Good discussions with our youth group

11. Hudson (A good friends son) and his crazy gibberish and energy

12. A mom-in-love and Grandma-in-love who takes over wedding table runners

13. Time spent alone, relaxing and recharging 

Sheep {John 10, Psalm 78}

Many times in the bible, those who are followers of Christ are compared to sheep.

Being called His flock is both comforting and thought provoking. My pastor has been preaching from John the past several months and this last Sunday he went through the first part of chapter 10 - All about Jesus being the Good Shepherd.

So, here’s the thought provoking part. As we all have heard and some of us may have experienced, sheep are not the sharpest pencil in the box; in fact they pretty much are - pardon my language - stupid. They can’t find their own food or water - they wander off from the flock many times and can never find their way back even if they aren’t very far off, they are defenseless and can even end up drowning just by trying to get a drink.(I’m sure there is more). I could get offended at this analogy I guess, but then when I really think about it, I am just like a sheep. I am helpless on my own. I may think I’m okay, I may act independent, perfect, got it all together; but in all honesty, I’m not, none of us are. We are lost, hopeless, little lambs.

Now, here is the comforting part! If you have surrendered to Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He is your Shepherd! He knows your name, He leads you with His loving voice, He takes care of you, protects you. Just like a Shepherd, He will discipline us when we need it, that’s His love for us, His desire for us to come after Him like a lamb comes after his shepherd, and through it all his love comes shining through. How can He do this? Because He Himself was the sacrificial Lamb, taking all of our sins and wrong doings onto Himself, so that in turn He could be our Good Shepherd, the Good Shepherd who gave Himself for the sheep. 

That is what God has been teaching me this past week. I challenge you to go read Psalm 78 - it is all about the Israelites and how they, like sheep wandered away again and again from Him, yet God, continually showed His mercy and grace, at times through discipline and hardship, always drawing them back to Himself. It ends with the verse pictured below. It ends with how God placed a good king to shepherd His people, David; who shepherded with an “upright heart” and “skillful hand” - and David is an old Testament picture of Jesus, a picture of how Jesus shepherds His own! 

Then go read John 10 and near the end you will read these awesome words:

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them

out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.”

{John 10:27-30}

Are you one of His own? His flock is the most wonderful place in the world.

Until next time…

1000 gifts - 1-7 {8.19.14}

I haven’t ever read the book by Ann Voskamp and I’ve really only scrolled through her Instagram feed a few times - But, I hear a lot about her idea of 1000 gifts from the many people I follow through blogging and Instagram. I’ve wanted to start keeping a journal documenting my own 1000 gifts but just haven’t yet! Well, last night, God really hit me in the face with Ps. 78 and reminded me how much time I spend worrying and complaining about things when I have so much to be thankful for! I really want to start seeing things through the eyes of thankfulness, so I have decided to keep my journal here, on my blog! I think it will keep me more accountable and then it will be here whenever I want to review! I might end up having a notebook too, but I’m praying I will keep it up. So, here you go:

1. A Psalm putting me back on track

2. Moving my body through Pilates

3. A yummy cup of coffee and a fun video game

4. A good breakfast

5. Clean water to keep me hydrated

6.  A room full of gifts from people who love me 

7. A Fiancé who loves me no matter what

Until next time…

Community Brew #3

I was so sad that I missed last months link-up on marriage… So I am jumping in this time, joining Rachel and Madison, along with some other great bloggers.

Today’s link-up doesn’t have a specific theme, just a time to share with others what God has been doing in your life. Without a theme, I might ramble a bit, but… That’s okay, right? ;)

Recently I bought a little devotional on Philippians and Colossians about finding Joy in Christ from Kristin Schmucker on Etsy. I also started listening through MacArthur’s message series on Philippians the past couple of days. Can I say? Paul amazes me. He was overflowing with joy, even though he had every right not to be. God has been showing me how unjoyful I can be. When things don’t go my way - when I haven’t gotten much sleep - when I feel overwhelmed with my to do lists - when people don’t treat me like I think they should. Wow, don’t those sound pathetic?? I let those get in the way of my joy, I let my feelings and my pride steal it away from me. But you know what Paul learned? That no matter what happened in his life, Jesus was his joy; and He should be, must be, mine! 

So, let’s be intentional about joy. Let’s replace our selfish, upset thoughts with thoughts about how awesome it is that Jesus saves, that Jesus takes care of us, that He is in control. 

Until next time…

A week with Mr. Graham {And his mama!}

This past week I was able to spend a week with my sister and my 5 month old nephew while her husband was out of town for work. Although Hayden was missed, it was so fun to get to spend time with two of my favorite people. Jaquelyn and I are best friends and spent our time talking, cleaning, shopping, and playing with the cutest little guy ever, Mr. Graham! 

Goodness, 5 months is such a fun age =D He is rolling all over the place - the one picture he was supposed to be on his play mat, but he rolled all the way over to the ottoman while I was washing dishes! - almost able to sit up without support - He can for short periods of time, he just ends up losing his balance ;) - and has the cutest laugh and smile ever!! He is so fun to just lay on the floor and play with, he is super interested in books, and loves his fluffy dog, Lucy. Being his aunt has been more amazing than I could have ever known. I mean, I knew I would love him, but my heart literally explodes with how much it is, I can’t even describe it! Makes me wonder how I will ever be able to love my own children more (I know I will, I just don’t know how its possible since I love Graham so much). God is definitely right when He says children are a blessing from Him - Graham is one the best things that has ever happened to me and I miss him already…

Until next time…