Ever Been Exhausted?
And sick?
And have too much to do, with no one else to do it but you?
All at the same time?
Boy, do I know how you feel.
So in the midst of my self-induced pity party this morning, while reading Proverbs 6, God taught me two things: 1) I needed to stop whining and get to work; and 2) I needed a perspective adjustment.
If you read Proverbs 6, you will completely understand point #1.
It might even speak something different to you. 🙂
And #2, well, that was just a gift. And a surprise.
I spent the day dealing with a septic tank.
Yeah, I know.
Yuck.
But because God loves me enough to not leave me the same – He’s in the transformation business, you know – He took this opportunity to bless me.
And I probably would have missed it entirely if I wouldn’t have dropped everything to deal with this stinky septic issue so my husband didn’t have to – he’s got a big weekend planned with a bunch of his friends and their sons, gobs of his work to do before he can go, and I could rise to the occasion, or I could use the “I’m exhausted” reality excuse, and let him figure it out. I deal with chronic pain daily anyway, but now also have a sinus infection, been getting less than 4 hours of sleep a night for the last two weeks because of two injuries, and yet I literally felt led to be part of “team Roesner” in a way that would bless my husband.
And those of you who know me well know that I usually let life teach other people lessons, and I’m not much for rescuing or enabling or interfering with consequences. But this situation didn’t fit anything like those, and my husband just needed my help.
So I gave it.
And I was happy to – which, by the way, is major evidence of God doing a HUGE work in my heart.
As in transforming my heart 180 degrees from where it was years ago.
And God rewarded me in a small but big way. And I didn’t even have to wait for it.
And after meeting with contractors and inhaling probably too much methane gas for one day, I caught the full meaning of 2 Corinthians 3:18, which reads: 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
Oh, I pray you can SEE at least two things: 1) it says, “are being transformed” – there’s no, “you might become like Jesus if you choose to follow Him,” here – it says, “ARE BEING,” as in, “it’s happening…” whether we want to or not. J And 2) “beholding” is a beautiful word which has two meanings here – first, that we are reflecting back to Him His Own glory through our Christ-likeness, no matter how infrequent or small it may be – and second, I read Max Lucado explain that if we do not take the time to “behold” His glory, we miss much on the road to transformation.
If you want more on that, search it in http://www.Bible.org .
And what did I SEE today?
Daisies.
Because He cares that our precious dog, named “Daisy,” recently went Home…
And suddenly, where no flowers had grown before, there was a patch of daisies, just yards away from the septic tank nastiness, just like the ones in the back yard.
Except we didn’t plant these daisies in memory of our sweet golden retriever.
God did.
For us.
So we could see Him.
And know He cares.
You might think I’m nuts, but I choose actively to SEE God, multiple times a day, in the midst of my circumstances.
I believe He’s there.
And I believe He’s always speaking.
It’s more a matter of, “Are we listening?”
So I’m over 12 hours late with this entry today, but I desire to be, sinner as I am, a person who says what she means, means what she says, and keeps her commitments. And I can’t even begin to tell you how this impacts my marriage…more on that to come… 🙂
And I dare you to SEE Him. And double-dog-dare you to share what you see with us. Join us on the Facebook Page and be part of the community…
Happy to be on the journey with you,
~Nina
Loved this. Love you. Thank you!
You make me smile, Shani. 🙂
Love your heart, Nina! Always will!
What you do matters! 🙂
Oh, Karla. 🙂 You’re like the sweetest thing ever. 🙂 Thanks for the encouragement. You are just a dear! God’s blessings to you, baby!
God has really been impressing on my heart lately that there’s more to the scripture, “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight” than I previously understood. I always thought it was just about thanking him (you know – “give thanks in all things”). However, I’m beginning to see that, at least for me, it’s more about choosing to SEE His presence in all things, everyday, all the time. Of course, I also have to be willing to acknowledge that those little things (be they daisies or the the strength to go on in a tough situation) are truly from Him. He so wants us to see how much He is involved in our every moment…
Andrea –
Dare you to be as brave as Moses, and ask the King to show you His glory! 🙂 Hee heee… you lead women, darlin’. There IS MORE. 🙂 More that He wants for you, for them through you – and the closer you grow, the MORE you will know! You can thank you mother for helping to get me on this vertical growth curve… it all started with a hug in Pam’s office. Maybe she remembers. 🙂
Nina,
Just a short note to make sure you know women aren’t the only ones blessed by your ministry and blog. Thank you and God bless.
Thanks, Jeff. 🙂 I have no idea what I’m doing. 🙂 Just the next thing as He calls it!
God spoke directly to me through your post. Thank you!!!!!
Linda –
Thank you so much for blessing me by sharing this!