#pause

Housekeeping has always been one of my downfalls. I think I did ok before children but once my first child arrived I became so caught up on managing being a parent that I fell further and further behind with housekeeping on a daily basis. As our children grew older and our lifestyle became busier and busier our house became messier and messier. While I did a good job of cleaning bathrooms, floors, etc., I did not do well at creating daily routines and habits that would help to maintain a tidy home. Over the years as the clutter and chaos grew, so did my anxiety and guilt about not being a good housekeeper. I read books and signed up for daily emails that offered housekeeping tips. In my prayer time I cried out to God for guidance and help. Without realizing it, my lack of housekeeping skills was in a way causing a great sadness within me. And then God planted a seed in me about our family selling our home. At first the thought of dealing with all of the clutter was ominous and foreboding. How could I possibly tackle the project of even getting the house ready to be shown? Yet I knew in my heart it was the next step for our family. As I have shared before, I spent my school summer break last year preparing our house for the market. In June when we got out for summer break I began going through one room at a time. I picked up every single item and decided if it was worth keeping or not. Some items were sold, some were given away and others were thrown away. With those things we were keeping I had to decide if it was something we could do without for a time and put in storage or if it was something we may need to use. (Disclaimer: there were a few things I packed for storage that I later realized we needed lol.) This process was foreboding, time-consuming, and also cleansing. While I sometimes became frustrated and thought the task would never end, I also found that getting rid of “stuff” also helped with my sadness about housekeeping. I began to have hope. By the first week of August our house was ready to be listed and we put it on the market. Now we began the “show ready” lifestyle. We had to keep our house neat and tidy in case a last minute showing was requested. While this was hard on a daily basis to not really relax in our home, this practice was also creating daily routines and habits to teach me. Our house was on the market for almost exactly a year. While living through that year of being “show ready” was not easy and seemed to be never ending, now that I look back I can see that God was forcing me to pause. During that year long pause God was teaching me. In hindsight I can see that I had created the wrong daily habits to be a successful housekeeper and that God used our year long, “show ready” pause to answer my cry for help. WOW! GO GOD!

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.  He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.” Psalms 145:17-18

What about you? Is there an area of your life that you have been crying out to God about and asking for help? Are you currently in a forced pause? If so, I want to encourage you and give you hope. When you are in the middle of a pause, it feels never ending and it is hard to see the reason you are there. But God sees the big picture. Your loving Maker wants the very best for you I and is working on your behalf even though you may not see or understand. Stay close to God and trust. Focus on today and what God has placed in your path. Perhaps today will be the end of your pause. But if it isn’t, I trust that this pause will be the answer to one of your biggest prayers.

#next #waterwalkinggirls

To some of you the cover picture may just look like an empty space, but to me it symbolizes the next part of a journey. To me it represents the faithfulness of God.  

Read the rest of this entry →

#growth #waterwalkinggirls

I am a teacher.  Teaching is rooted deep in me.  As a little girl I would play school and teach my brother and friends.  I never dreamed or desired of being anything else so once I graduated high school there was no question about what I would study.  Just as planned I went to Columbia College and received a degree in Elementary Education.  Fast forward to today.  I have had some bumps in the road early in my teaching career but in the end found my place and have loved teaching children for 21 years.  Teaching has been my calling and my ministry.  However, in recent years I have had a restlessness and have felt God calling me to something different but I have never put my finger on exactly what would be my next step.  On December 6, 2019 I began circling my job in prayer in my journal.  I prayed each day for job direction.  Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV teaches us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”  I prayed it every day for so long and really had surrendered to God.

Read the rest of this entry →

#discernment #waterwalkinggirls

How do I know what’s on the other side of the door? Should I open the door and go through? What if I make the wrong choice? How can I discern the will of God?

Have you ever had these questions swirling through your head when you are in the midst of making a decision?  I certainly have!  

Read the rest of this entry →

#anxiety #worry #waterwalkinggirls
On Sunday I made my first post on anxiety and worry and then drove to a nearby Walmart. Walmart pick-up is one of my biggest blessings! Although I was out of town, I trusted that picking up groceries would still be a breeze. As I pulled into my parking space I decided to turn off my engine in case it took longer than I was accustomed to. Shortly a young lady came out and loaded the groceries in my car and went on her way. I fastened my seat belt and pushed the button to start my car. Nothing happened. I took a deep breath and tried again. After my third try I realized the battery must be dead. I have to admit, normally I would have gotten upset. I was not in my hometown, I didn’t know anyone, and my husband was 2 miles down the road without a vehicle to come help me. I began to pray and God immediately reminded me that the words for the week were anxiety and worry and we were not going to let Satan win this battle. I took a deep breath, called my husband Clark and then texted several friends and ask them to pray. When the young lady came back out of the building to help another customer she was surprised to see me still sitting there. I explained what was going on and asked if she or someone else had some jumper cables and could jump off my car. She said she would go check. She was gone for maybe 5 minutes but it seemed more like 50. The entire time she was gone I was battling with Satan so I would be able to stay calm and not get upset. When she returned she told me another employee was pulling her car around. As the car pulled around I praised God for kind people. Out stepped another young lady who handed me a box of brand new jumper cables and said, “These are for you!” I initially thought she just meant that she wanted me to open them for her as she opened the hood of her car. She then said she was going to switch places with the young lady who initially helped me because she knew more about this kind of thing. The next process took at least 20 minutes as my battery was apparently dead as a door nail. I sat in my car praying that this would work and at the same time thanking God for these Good Samaritans. Finally my car started! As we put down the hoods of the cars I rolled up the jumper cables and tried to hand them to the young lady. She said, “No, you keep them. She bought them for you to have in your car.” Tears came to my eyes and I wanted to hug the young lady, but as you know, I couldn’t because of Coronavirus. I was overwhelmed with joy and thankfulness. As I got in my car I took a picture of the parking place I was in so I could later share with you my battle with anxiety and how the kindness of strangers helped me in a time of need.
The Message version of Proverbs 12:25 reads: “Worry weighs us down; a cheerful word picks us up.” Every single person has their own battles going on today. Every single person struggles with anxiety or worry at some point. Right now our world has so many troubles that affect us all and can cause us anxiety. How can you and I help pick others up? We can be kind. We can share cheerful words. I know at this time we are not out and about or around others which makes it harder to impact others. We have to think outside of the box to be intentional. So today, brainstorm ways you can help lift the weight of anxiety that others are carrying. Send a cheerful text. Make a phone call and share kind words. Write an encouraging note and mail it to someone. Make a positive and uplifting post on social media. Let’s you and I help one another with the battle of anxiety and worry. “Fear not” is in the Bible 365 times which indicates how prevalent this battle is for each of us. Listen to the words of this song called “I will Fear No More.” May these words be uplifting and strength giving for you today.
I Will Fear No More by: The Afters
Side note #1: I once had jumper cables in my car and after years of having them they broke. Apparently we had never replace them.
Side note #2: As soon as I returned to our Airbnb house Clark took my car and bought a new battery.

#words #waterwalkinggirls
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29
Words are important. Google “words” in scripture and you will see how much importance is put on our words. Timing, tone, and word choice are all addressed in scripture. There is a time to speak up and a time to be quiet. Proverbs 31:8-9 tells us: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” while Proverbs 21:23 instructs: “Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.” Bottom line: words are important.

Read the rest of this entry →

#voiceoftruth #waterwalkinggirls
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
The writer of scriptureand.blogspot.com wrote: “There is a choice repeatedly laid before mankind. Choose to listen, obey, and trust God’s voice or listen to other voices (including your own). “ This week as I have read about and meditated on the word truth, Satan has been at work whispering lies in my ear and trying to sway me from the real Truth and trying to get me to listen to my own voice. Every now and then I would lose my focus and allow anxiety to sneak in and upset me. Rachel Hollis says, “Anxiety is fear of a made up future.” Therefore when Satan is wagging his tongue and trying to induce anxiety we must stop letting the wheels of our brain turn and turn thinking about all the what ifs. Instead we must listen to the voice of truth. Where can we turn to hear the voice of truth?

Read the rest of this entry →