Daily Preparing Your Heart

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 

 Psalm 90:14

Judgement Free Zone
I have HORRIBLE time management skills. As my husband likes to remind me, I am a true idealist. My heart overtakes my brain and sees all that should be done. Then, it convinces my brain that because it Should ALL be done, it Could ALL be done. And of course my brain and my heart are devastated when reality shows up with only 24 hours in a day.
This being said, I can only remember one time in my life where I had a good consistent quiet time. You know college, when you stay up til at least midnight, and then wake up at 7:30 a.m. And you have one or two hours of uninterrupted time to devote to cleanliness, studying of the word, and prayer. (Most days anyways.)

Now it seems that my kids' internal radar go off the moment cup of coffee and bible (app) hit the table. I am sure that I could find something to occupy their time, but I usually just give in and let the chaos of the day begin.
On the opposite side, my heart is extremely good at finding Christ all around me. So on these days, I try to convince myself, that I will find my time with the Lord through my daily activities.

And on those days, my heart is lost. I may see Christ's Presence everywhere, but my heart is not prepared to feel His Presence. My brain takes control and my heart takes a back seat, because it has not had that uninterrupted time with My Father. 

So I encourage you, take time to embrace your Father. Uninterrupted, passionate, real time with the Lord.

Challenge:  Figure out what works for me.  How can I start the day with the Lord? What are my plan B and plan C.  How can I start bringing quiet times into my children's day?

Let me know how you give or plan to give Your mornings to the Lord.  Stay tuned, I will be praying for direction in modeling and beginning quiet times with my children.  Praying for your day.

Finding Joy in 'One of Those Days'

The day was to start with nice weather, dropping Hannah off at school, and then a visit to the park with friends. Due to little boy nightmares, I ended up spending the rest of the morning sleeping in the kids room. However, my alarm was still going off in the other room. Waking up in a rush, is not the best way to start.

Conscious Decision Find the positives! Find Joy! Ask God to show me the hidden moments of joy.

Normally, I would be losing it already.
But, I think the Lord tucked a little extra peace in my pocket, because I was easily able to think of plan B.

No time for packing lunch or a park snack. I never have cash on me, but we do have a change bowl which had more than what a kid's lunch cost.

Thus made Hannah even happier.

Joy. Find Joy. Hiccups are OK.

Get hubby's work clothes ready. Uh-Oh! Wallets do not usually belong in the dryer.
Find joy...a clean yet soggy wallet?



No time to stress. Grab backpacks, a banana and a water; get in car. Isaiah: Check. Hannah: check. Look at clock, Oh No. 9:04 a.m. School starts at 9:05 a.m. Even a short 3 minute drive to school can not fix this.

Find Joy...Honestly, I really struggled to find a positive spin on being late to school and having sign in my Kindergartener. I was actually finding guilt.  But, Leave it to Hannah to be excited at the possibility of sitting in the office while I have to sign her in.

Luckily as soon as we got inside the school, the secretary offered to walk her to class.
Joy. No shameful sign in.



Once in the car, I began looking for my phone. Hmm. No phone. Back to the house.

Joy. Find Joy.  If I go back home I can pack park snacks, grab my coffee, feed the dog, and still have plenty of time to get to the park. Home we go. Success. Snacks packed, dog fed, coffee in hand.  Back on the road we go.

Blessings.  The park was a blessing.  Just as my pocket was about empty, the park was exactly what I needed. Good adult conversation, great social playtime, and a beautiful scenery. Isaiah enjoyed being the only 'big boy' chasing around three girls.  However, I am not sure they enjoyed him as much. I felt so blessed to have this time, where I could nurture friendships, refresh my sanity, and give Isaiah some energy burn-off.  As park time wrapped up, we headed to the car, I pushed the unlock button on my electronic key, put a wet towel in the trunk, and shut the trunk ready to help Isaiah buckle except. Isaiah wasn't in the car yet. No problem, until I realized the car relocked itself and my keys are now under the wet towel in the trunk.

Joy. Find Joy. Find Joy. Keep looking. Joy. 
A sympathetic smile of understanding. Thankfully, my sweet friend was still there to offer some encouragement. After a few phone calls, I was told my car would be unlocked in about 45 minutes.

Joy. Find Joy.  Just as I was about to panic, the sun went behind a cloud and a gentle breeze blew around us.  Hmm. "Child, enjoy some 'extra park time', a full bag of snacks and hydration, a nice breeze, and a piece of dirt for an excited little boy. Joy."

Extra Park Time.

The day continued like this, the car guy was baffled at why he was having so much trouble getting the car open. I explained that Isaiah and I were pretty sure God was teaching us some patience. He smiled and shook his head like he really understood those lessons.  Nap time, car pool lane, and after school routine all had a little extra stress. All there was to do, was to pray; pray to see the joy, even the smallest glimmer of joy. And that's what I did.  All day, I searched for the Lord's blessings, in what could have been Leah's Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

Instead, eventually the day ended with an excellent Elementary Open House, Good Family Fun, Wonderful Story Time, and A Confirmed Job Interview!!!

So, my lesson for today.  Hang in there.  Choose Joy even when you may need the magnifying glass of Christ.  Depend on His grace to provide the ability to praise Him among all the chaos.