Processing
What a whirlwind this year has been! And now more change is in the air! We are currently in the process of buying a house and working out all the details of that sort of purchase! Tomorrow, Jesse is bringing a whole bunch of boxes and bins from our storage so that I can start packing....let the games begin:-) Its all quite exciting. In buying this house, it brings us closer to our home church and the families we are building relationships with, as well as being closer to the community at large. The house itself is not huge...but on the other hand, none of the homes we've ever previously occupied have been large. We'll just have to be "space savey" and make sure we have enough bins/tubs/baskets to help the boys keep their things organized.
I'm so thankful for the way God is molding our family. When we lived in Connecticut...I would sometimes think life would never change, and we'd be stuck in a rut of discouragement and frustration for the rest of our lives. From our time there, God connected us with some awesome people and we gained some amazing friendships. But the other piece of the puzzle was that God had some work to do on our hearts...and He knew just where we needed to be in order to accomplish that. I never minimize our time spent there. It was foundational. Jesse and I had to take a good look at each other and decide what choices we intended to make (on so many levels). Every married couple has to do this....I'm grateful that we did it "in the beginning". The Vow was to love, honor, cherish, forsaking all others, until death do us part. And, after 7 years together...I also realize that sometimes its a daily choice to walk these things out...but there is the very heart of the matter. If its already decided...and your committed to honoring that choice...then the rest is "easy". "Easy"....in that...there really are no other options. Its already been decided. There is nothing dividing my heart...my interest. Mark 3:25 says, "If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand." The Message says, "a family thats in a constant squabble disintegrates." And so the battle becomes more about keeping my attitude right, and being faithful to the choices I made....and ultimately the choice we made together. I'm so thankful for Jesse...because our hearts are the same...we have the same expectations for what our relationship should be....in the important areas. I think it may take a little more time to "fine-tune" our definitions of "quality time" and other such things...hahaha...but on the MAIN issues...we have the same heart. All this to say, Connecticut was the place and the season God had for us to work some of this out. We are not perfect...and if there is one phrase that has been totally removed from my thought process...it would be, "It could never happen to me". God began the difficult work of removing that from me even before Jesse and I were married...and it wasn't a one-time thing....it continued even into our marriage. Its such a difficult phrase to remove because its choc-full of pride...and pride is so deeply routed. After that, I fought the other battle of anxiety and worry...all the "what ifs??"....because I went from thinking "it could never happen to me" to "oh man, whats the next trial? whats the next heartbreak?" Thankfully, the Lord has brought a level of peace and balance to my life. My resolve is to stand securely on His Peace and Promises and not allow circumstances dictate my joy and peace. I love to have worship music constantly playing in my home...setting the atmosphere of my heart and home on the Lord. International House of Prayer has 24/7 live webstream...and I often have that streaming through my home.
I had intended to write about something totally different...but I'll save it for another day. I guess I'm just a little awed by all the Lord has done in our lives....and I'm so thankful. Hes tought me that the process is worth it. Its worth "hanging in there"....its worth persevering...its worth believing...its worth your effort to be faithful and true....because God is making you more like Him...and that is beautiful. Some impurities can never be worked out without the heat of the trial....but the end result is beautiful!!!
I'm so thankful for the way God is molding our family. When we lived in Connecticut...I would sometimes think life would never change, and we'd be stuck in a rut of discouragement and frustration for the rest of our lives. From our time there, God connected us with some awesome people and we gained some amazing friendships. But the other piece of the puzzle was that God had some work to do on our hearts...and He knew just where we needed to be in order to accomplish that. I never minimize our time spent there. It was foundational. Jesse and I had to take a good look at each other and decide what choices we intended to make (on so many levels). Every married couple has to do this....I'm grateful that we did it "in the beginning". The Vow was to love, honor, cherish, forsaking all others, until death do us part. And, after 7 years together...I also realize that sometimes its a daily choice to walk these things out...but there is the very heart of the matter. If its already decided...and your committed to honoring that choice...then the rest is "easy". "Easy"....in that...there really are no other options. Its already been decided. There is nothing dividing my heart...my interest. Mark 3:25 says, "If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand." The Message says, "a family thats in a constant squabble disintegrates." And so the battle becomes more about keeping my attitude right, and being faithful to the choices I made....and ultimately the choice we made together. I'm so thankful for Jesse...because our hearts are the same...we have the same expectations for what our relationship should be....in the important areas. I think it may take a little more time to "fine-tune" our definitions of "quality time" and other such things...hahaha...but on the MAIN issues...we have the same heart. All this to say, Connecticut was the place and the season God had for us to work some of this out. We are not perfect...and if there is one phrase that has been totally removed from my thought process...it would be, "It could never happen to me". God began the difficult work of removing that from me even before Jesse and I were married...and it wasn't a one-time thing....it continued even into our marriage. Its such a difficult phrase to remove because its choc-full of pride...and pride is so deeply routed. After that, I fought the other battle of anxiety and worry...all the "what ifs??"....because I went from thinking "it could never happen to me" to "oh man, whats the next trial? whats the next heartbreak?" Thankfully, the Lord has brought a level of peace and balance to my life. My resolve is to stand securely on His Peace and Promises and not allow circumstances dictate my joy and peace. I love to have worship music constantly playing in my home...setting the atmosphere of my heart and home on the Lord. International House of Prayer has 24/7 live webstream...and I often have that streaming through my home.
I had intended to write about something totally different...but I'll save it for another day. I guess I'm just a little awed by all the Lord has done in our lives....and I'm so thankful. Hes tought me that the process is worth it. Its worth "hanging in there"....its worth persevering...its worth believing...its worth your effort to be faithful and true....because God is making you more like Him...and that is beautiful. Some impurities can never be worked out without the heat of the trial....but the end result is beautiful!!!
Comments
It has been a joy connecting with you guys and I am excited for this upcoming season in your life.