Remember the Simple Joys

Hi everyone,
This week I have to admit has been an draining one. One of those that requires so much of you physically, mentally, and spiritually that you are left running on Empty like two days ago and feeling like tossing in the towel. Every day has required a lot more of you than you thought you could handle. You feel as you are just going to break underneath all the pressure and the situations that you cannot just seem to fix. You wonder if it is worth all the strife and struggle sometimes. You wonder if you are really making a difference and doing the right thing by sticking with it. Do you give up or keep trudging forward? Having a little bit of some much needed time off this weekend I was able to realize and reconfirm some things. So jumping right into it....

You always have the ability to change your view of a situation. You may not be able to control the situation itself but you can control how you perceive it and move forward with it. You may not get everything to work according to the way you'd like it to go or the plan you may had, but you can choose how you handle the curves and continue to march forward. This weekend showed me how important is to give yourself time to sit back and contemplate how things are going and plan how you want to proceed in the future. We all need a break and a time to reset and refocus. It is not selfish to take some time to regroup and re-examine your priorities in life. You cannot be as effective and impactful as you could be if you do not do so from time to time. I took that chance and discovered something that I believe will help me in those times of chaos and disarray.

You may not see things going well or being accomplished on the small scale but look at the details. Look at the seemingly insignificant things and find the beauty in them. Do not allow yourself to become numb.(Trust me I know it is easy to do!) When you go home from work or whatever you do maybe at home or elsewhere that challenges your sanity and fortitude, take the time to stop and look around you for a few minutes and see the joy found in the simple things of life. This is part of what I call the simple life. The simple basic things of life that make it work. We make things so complicated and hectic in life that we simply cannot keep up with it all. We need to go back to the basics and enjoy those things. For me it was canning chicken today and harvesting the pears from my pear tree(to which I may be nursing a few bruises from falling pears :D) and in that being grateful that I always have food to fill my stomach every day. It was doing the dishes, laundry and cleaning house and being grateful that I had clothes on my back(more than enough!), and possessions to take care of. It was looking around the property and being grateful for the hay in the barn for my animals this winter and always having been able to financially provide for them every year so I can keep them and enjoy them. Looking around and seeing the beauty in the sun shining through trees in the breeze, the fur babies laying out enjoying the sun's rays in the pasture, Brooklyn happily tromping around in a lake, a frog claiming Brooklyn's pool as his new home, going for a drive on a lesser traveled gravel road in the country, spending time with family, a perfectly blue sky and the smell of a campfire. These little things may seem insignificant in the hustle and bustle of life but when I pay attention to them I feel myself come back to life. They bring me a joy that restores my soul. They give me glimpses of God's every faithful goodness and grace. And I am reminded that He created all these things and brought all these opportunities in my life to enjoy and to bring me back to a place of peace. We need to stop, take a moment, and remind ourselves of all the little things in life that make it so good if we choose to see it through a refreshed outlook.

We also have to take that time to realign and refocus. Often it isn't enough to just open up our eyes again. We need to have a plan moving forward to prevent us from falling back into the chaos, until the next time we can't handle it anymore.  For me it was reconfirming what my goals are in life. Now goals and dreams always needs to be done with discretion and faith, knowing that God's sometimes has better plans for us than we can even imagine. But everyone still should have goals in life and improvements that they strive to make no matter what age or stage of life you are in. You need that hope and encouragement of working towards something in your mind. "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14 (ESV) I had to really sit back and think about what is was I really wanted to get out of life. It may not go necessarily according to my exact plan but no matter what circumstances come across in my life I can still move forward and grow in the ways I hope to as long as I do not give up. God doesn't want you to feel like you are at a dead end and like you are never going to go anywhere. He simply wants you to trust that He is not finished with you and that even if does or doesn't go like you envisioned, it doesn't matter, He has plans to restore you to a place where you will be most effective for Him. You just have to take the incentive to move forward and keeping trying. He will open and close the doors as needed. You cannot lose hope, you cannot give up. You are only at a dead end and stuck in a never-ending cycle if you choose to be. Things are never going to change and you are never going to get where you want to be in life if you decide to let them just continue. God is not limited by anything...time, money, position, status, education, health, physical ability. If it is His will for you and you do not give up and trust in Him as you keep putting one foot in front of the other, nothing can stop you. But He is going to require something from you. He is going to test your commitment. You will encounter struggles and He is going to watch and see how you handle those. And will you fall apart and refuse to keep moving forward or will you stop, learn from it, take the time to be grateful for where you are at right now and all that you have and then refocus on striving to be better and stronger?

Don't lose heart. It is not an enjoyable feeling and it is certainly not from our heavenly Father. We are not defeated. We are victorious even if our most overwhelming times. We just have a choice to make. Will you keep running yourself into the ground or take the time to refresh your focus? Will you lose sight of all the beauty in this life due to all the stress that really doesn't add anything to your life? Will you walk away from all the hopes and dreams because they just seem to hard or impossible or ask God to help guide your steps towards His dreams for you?
Start small. I have a tendency to want to change everything immediately and sometimes that is just not possible. For me it is looking around and  reminding myself of all the things I do have and how God provides for me in every day life. Acknowledging the qualities and strengths that I do possess and the areas of my life I am growing and making a difference. And then looking at the things that I need to improve in my life, things that need to be fixed and breaking them down into manageable pieces so they are not so overwhelming. Take joy in the small victories, the small changes, and the small details that make the big picture possible. Allow your heart and purpose to be restored by a God who always has it all figured out. Reconfirm your trust in Him and choose to love this life for everything it throws your way because you can do this with His help! With Him all things are possible!

 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  Matthew 19:26 (ESV)

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Romans 8:37 (ESV) 

An Itchy Situation

Hi everyone,
So I am going to share with you a little adventure I had the other day that proved to me that God has a sense of humor....
I had came home from work and decided I would continue my productivity at home and retrieve some wood out of the back of my pasture(the approaching of fall means campfire time ;). Now my pasture is pretty decent size so I hop in my truck all empowered and emboldened to get my task done. I get to my spot, park at the top of the hill(as my trucks brakes were being special and I decided not risk going down the big hill haha!) and proceed to haul out my wood. Let's say it maybe wasn't the best idea to do it on a 90 degree day, hauling up a big hill by the wheelbarrow load, but I was on a role and couldn't be deterred. But with this being said I needed to stop and take a break here and there to which I decided at one point I needed to sit down in the grass to do so. Remember that because it will be an important fact of information later in the story.... ;)
Anyway as I am sitting there, feeling ever pulse in my body throbbing and trying to catch my breath, I contemplate this life that I choose. The life of hard work and labor and the satisfaction that comes from physical work, pushing yourself, and using the strength God gave you. Many people have been raised in towns and cities and may have not experienced the joys of working and playing in the great outdoors on a regular basis. And even the heat, I was so happy and grateful for the ability to live in the country and have such tasks to do. I thanked God and was fully satisfied that I wouldn't change it for the world.
Empowered even more, I continue to finish my job thinking of  all the nice campfires I could have under the stars. Several minutes later I am putting the last pieces of wood into the bed of my truck... when I feel this interesting sensation.....a crawling one to be exact.
I look down at my arms and upon first glance, nothing, so I continue, but the feeling never really leaves. Then upon further inspection I notice what seems to be countless microscopic brown dots crawling up my arms like there is no tomorrow....two words: SEED TICKS. Remember that sitting down in the grass tibit I mentioned earlier? Yeah...
The whole phrase of making "your skin crawl" took on a whole new meaning in about 2 seconds and I head for my truck to make a swift return to the house.
However, as I proceed to get into my truck I happen to look up towards my house and find another scene unfolding. I had put one of my miniature horses in the barn to keep her away from my sometimes "overbearing" horse, only to discover that somehow(I am blaming the donkey :D) she had been released and in disbelief I watch as she proceeds to take off into the pasture with my horse hot on her heels and another miniature horse and donkey in tow. Now she was having a good old time evading her pursuers however I was about ready to have a heart attack! I drive my truck back to the barn as fast as I dare try, bale out, and proceed to herd my herd back in their proper places. Must I say that is easier said then done? They were not to be so easy! They suddenly turned there game of tag into let's play keep away from the silly, sweaty and dirty human being. What seemed like an eternity which only happened to be 30mins., I had everyone back where they should be no worse for wear and I swear proud of the romp they had taken me on. I can only imagine what the neighbors thought seeing this crazy blond girl chasing her animals down every which way and itching like a dog that has fleas. Yes, in my quest to get everyone back where they needed to be I had forgotten of the urgency of my previous pickle so my success afterwards was short lived. At that point I knew I needed to just count my losses, accomplish all I needed to at that point and call it a day. I unloaded my wood(finally) and then went inside for some much needed hydration. ;)
So one heck of a scrubbing later to which I lost count at 120 tick bites(and no I am seriously not joking)….I plop down on the couch and as I begin process the events of the last 2 hours of my day,  I can't help but burst out laughing. No sooner than I had expressed my love of this life and that I wouldn't trade it for the world, it was almost like God said "let's test that theory" and unleashed creation, literally! ;D He wanted to see just how serious I was about those words and if I was going to stick with them even in less than ideal events to follow. It makes me think about how sometimes we are tested. Do we truly stand for what we say or only in ideal circumstances? Do we believe in what say only if it goes well for us? Do we still love and keep on even when we face challenges and bumps along the road? These may seem like big questions for a small incident, but the little events in life, I find can often be the most revealing of bigger concepts and the bigger picture. And I believe it goes the same when we ask God for things as well. Trust me if we ask God for patience or wisdom, He will find ways to help us grow in it, even if it isn't exactly what we expected. I believe He wanted me to see the joy and beauty in this life even when things got a little hairy, or in this case itchy! And I am pretty sure He got some amusement out of it even if I wasn't exactly feeling it in the heat of the moment! :) And even now as I am writing this I am pausing every 30 seconds, itching like crazy, haha, but I am happy to say I still love the life God has given me in this beautiful countryside filled with insects and the always entertaining clan of animals He has blessed me with. I wouldn't trade this life working in the elements of nature for anything. It has taught me so much already and I know will only continue to do so. And I hope to continue to share those insights along the way. But maybe perhaps without the ticks! :D


Oh and by the way, my little practical tibit of the week: aloe is very helpful for tick bites. I highly suggest investing in an aloe plant, or at least a tube of aloe gel! ;)