Our One Month Anniversary

Today we celebrate one month in our new home in Idaho! As I reflect on the last month, I'm struck by how much things are the same and different at the same time. The foundations of my life - my relationship with God, my family, our values - are my constant rock. But there are so many little things that are new and different! Trying to get used to a new town, remembering roads and landmarks, finding new resources (doctors, groceries, entertainment, etc.) can feel overwhelming some days! Those days I am especially thankful for the solid family that we have and for the undeniable Word of God that brought us here.

In the book One Thousand Gifts (see my post a couple of days ago), we are challenged to practice gratitude for all those little things that are so often overlooked. So, here are a few "Idaho-Gifts":

Wide open spaces
Blue skies & sunshine
Farmland scenery on every drive
The park behind our house
A more-accessible yard
Eggs from a friend's "backyard" chickens
Raw milk, less expensive
A smaller house to keep clean
Carpet that isn't white!
Everything in closer proximity
Reciprocal zoo membership
Being close to Mark's parents and brother/sister-in-law

Now, on that note, we're headed to Mark's parents to celebrate Memorial Day! Blessings to you.

~ Judy

Shavuot - Delighting in God's Gifts of Torah and Spirit

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he propers.
Psalm 1:1-3 NASB

Today is Shavuot - the Feast Of Weeks - that is celebrated 50 days after Passover. Today is the day that we celebrate the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai as well as the giving of the Spirit in Jerusalem. Today we celebrate that God loved us so much that He gave us His divine instruction for how we should live our lives, and He gave us His Spirit so that His Words would be written on our hearts and we would have more power to live a holy life.

The passage above is one that our family holds dear; the last sentence of that verse is on our living room wall. We stand on that promise: that we will be strong, fruitful and blessed as long as we delight in and meditate on God's law - teachings - Torah.

Does that seem like a dichotomy to you - delight and law? God never intended for that to be so. His Torah was given as part of His relationship of love with Israel. And He gave His Spirit to His people to help empower them to keep that same Torah. Yeshua taught a love for the Torah (see Matthew 5:17-20); the apostles cherished the Torah. And I love the passage in John 14 (vs. 15-31) where Yeshua explains to his disciples his reason for sending his Spirit. His Spirit was to be a helper to them - to keep God's commandments - and a source of God's power within them.

As modern-day believers, we are called to celebrate the Torah as "living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword," (Heb. 4:12) and also cherish the Spirit, the "Helper to be with you forever." (John 14:16) Through these two gifts to us, God speaks, and through them, our lives are changed! But in keeping with my heart's song of late, sometimes it's really hard to see these gifts. If I'm being honest, I'll tell you that I've gone through seasons when God's Word and Spirit have been far from my words and spirit. But the grace of God is truly amazing, and patient, and forgiving! He longs to draw us to Himself over and over again, and He never gives up on us!

Praise be to our God, who in His infinite love gave us His Word and His Spirit! May we recognize these gifts that He has given us and delight in Him!

~ Judy

Choosing To See

"Because this is how you begin to spend your one life well -
receiving each moment for what it really is: holy, ordinary, amazing grace. A gift."
- Selections From One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp

As a busy mom, there are days - a lot of days, if I'm honest with myself - that I get lost in the mundaneness of it all. It's the same thing over and over - cooking, cleaning, teaching, correcting. I know that what I'm doing as a mom is the most important job on earth, but there are so many days that come to a close with the thoughts of "Isn't there more to life than this? This plain repetition?"

A year and a half ago, I came upon the book, One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp. The book shook me to the core, brought me to tears and gave me hope. The answer to my struggle? Choosing gratitude. And more - choosing to see God's hand in the little things, to see His blessings in those mundane things that I had grown so tired of.

And even though it has been a year and a half since then, I still struggle. Struggle to be thankful for those mundane things that fill most of my days.

Earlier I was thinking about my recent striving to set apart alone time at the start of each day. For the past couple of days I haven't had that time. My two youngest have woken up with me, turning my devotional time into a juggling act and leaving all of us frustrated. I found myself being resentful of the time they took away from my morning "me time."

Then I caught myself - "me time"? Wasn't this supposed to be "God time"?

And how am I supposed to meet with God if I can't even see the biggest blessings He has given me as just that? This life that God had given me is an amazing gift that I am to treasure and cherish - even those everyday aspects of it. And as I choose to see God in the everyday-ness of it all, I believe that it will change my outlook on life and in turn my relationships with my children and my God.

So this is my personal challenge for this week: to choose again to see blessings in the mundane, choosing to see the annoyances as opportunities. To try to find balance between my need for alone time and my children's need for me.

This is my challenge.

~ Judy

An Early Bird Stuck in a Night Owl's Body

I'm convinced - I am an early bird who is stuck in a night owl's body! If left to itself, my body will naturally wake up around 8-9am and go to bed between 12-1am. I've been this way as long as I can remember.

For years, I have wished that I could wake up earlier without extreme effort. In high school, I had to put my alarm clock on the other side if the room AND cover the snooze button with cotton to keep myself from turning it off in my mostly-asleep state and going back to bed. In college, I got the worst grades in my earliest classes, often because I just couldn't get myself there. And now, as a mom, it means I wake up with my kids and get my alone time late at night.

This might work out fine for me except for one *small* detail - those rare days when I wake up early are amazing! I love them. I love waking before my family and spending time alone in prayer and thought in a quiet house. Being the introvert that I am, I get my energy from those alone times, and starting my day that way gives me such a better perspective and attitude about the rest of the day.

Back when I was pregnant with Avigail, for the first time as a parent, I was able to get into a routine that enabled me to wake up early. For a couple of blissful months, I woke up around 7am, got ready, and went downstairs to read, pray, and think before the kids woke up for the day. The trick for me at that time was buying a new coffeemaker that I could set the night before. Knowing that I would get my fix, hot and fresh, as soon as I got downstairs was enough to coax me out of bed most mornings. Well, that and the fact that if I waited too long it would be burnt! It was still hard, but so worth it. And with each day my resolve grew stronger.

But eventually Avigail was born, and my time was no longer my own. Sleeping through the night became a faint memory, and I returned to my former pattern of late nights and late mornings. Even on the mornings when my babe didn't allow me to sleep in, I was still living in a constant state of new mom sleep deprivation.

So, that brings me to today. It's been over 9 months since our little girl entered our lives, and while sleeping through the night is still an elusive escape artist who I'm pretty sure won't be returning anytime soon, I'm ready to put my game face back on! Life is flying by at a dizzying speed, and I desperately want to be at a place in myself where I be present in and can cherish every moment. And for me, I know that will include bringing out the early bird in me!

And so it is with great trepidation that I share my morning routine!

- Bedtime (with a clean house, preferably): 10:30-11:00pm | First of all, an early morning has to start with an early bedtime. This has been a major struggle for me, but Mark and I are on the same page, so we're trying to encourage each other in that area.

- Wake up, shower, get dressed: 7:00am | My ultimate goal is 6:30 so that I have a half-hour to work out, but for now this is where I am.

- Head downstairs for tea, Bible reading, and prayer time: 7:30am | I recently gave up coffee in favor of the less-intense effects of tea. I quit cold-turkey and felt like a rock star. :-D

- Kids & Breakfast: 8:00am | This is when the kids typically start making their way downstairs. I'm working on making a habit of spending a few minutes focused on each child as they wake up (inspired by a friend of mine). Then I start breakfast and do dishes, and on goes our morning!

My morning isn't complete without these two things.  Well, and the iPod.  :-)

Is there anyone else out there trying to become more self-disciplined about their personal time?  Anyone other early birds stuck in night owl bodies?  Leave a comment and let's encourage each other!

~ Judy