This weekend I have been making some progress on restarting my business. My goal was to reach 30 likes on my company’s facebook page so that I can get access to the page insights. If you feel like helping me reach that goal, visit facebook.com/ReedCommunications and click “like”.
Have a blessed weekend!
Too often we forget to rely on the Lord to ease our troubles and turn toward various vices for comfort. For me comfort takes the form of food. I tend to gravitate towards pasta, baked goods and oh lets just go there…. all things starchy! While this yummy comfort bandage feels oh so good in the moment, I always feel awful when it’s over.
Why is that?
Besides the fact that I feel overly stuffed and uncomfortable, I know in my heart it is because I sought comfort from something other than my Heavenly Father. When I was a little girl my mother used to make up rhymes and songs to help me memorize things. The spelling of my name, what street I lived on and Bible verses that would stay with me to this day.
Tonight after turning to a bag of oh so delicious crunchy Cheetos which ended in my above described remorse, one of those Bible verses came to my mind.
New International Version (NIV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Even though I was raised to seek comfort in the Lord I still have a hard time remembering to do so. My stubborn nature wants to believe that “I’ve got it” that I can “do it” all by myself. Silly, silly me. I need to learn to turn to the Lord instead of turning to the pantry. The comfort found through his spirit is the only thing that can ease ones struggles and stresses. I find relief in the knowledge that my God is always there for me. Even when I am snuggled up with a bag of popcorn instead of my Bible.
What about you? Do you find that you turn to earthly things for comfort instead of the Lord? Leave me a comment.
If you weren’t aware – PearlsandPasta is on Pinterest & pinning lots of cool things! Below is a peek of what you’ll find there! Follow here.
PearlsandPasta on Pinterest
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God’s timing is always perfect! Happy Monday
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I am a girl in search of a plan. I have decided I need to make some changes in my life. Changes regarding how I spend my time, my future “career”, and my spiritual diet.
The last couple of months have been very difficult. I have struggled with the guilt that I am not being the kind of wife I would like to be for my husband. Do not get me wrong he is the most wonderful man, and he never complains about me working, but I still wish I could give him more of myself when we are home together in the evenings. Often I just want to be alone to veg out on Pinterest or read blogs.
Like so many others I work outside of the home nine to five and struggle daily to juggle my job, housework, cooking, and fitting in workouts. I know there are many women out there who work, take care of the home, run all their errands, and on top of that are mothers. To all you women out there you have my utmost respect.
The simple truth of the matter is that I am young, married, working, and overwhelmed. Maybe that should be the title of this blog.
The only way I can see getting over this nagging feeling of guilt is to make some changes.
Spiritual Diet
I know that I should start every day with time in God’s word. Devotions are great when you need something quick but it is not enought spiritual food to last you through the day. My current job is pretty stressful and I need more spiritaul food to get me through my day.
Future “Career”
I always thought I knew what I wanted to do for a career. I went to college to persue that profesion and am now working in that field. In the last few weeks through prayer and searching my heart I have decided that the profession I am in is not one I want to stay in forever. God did bless me with talents that allow me to be good at what I do, but I think I need to use those talents differently. How you ask? I have no clue. I need to spend time praying about this matter and my prayer is that God will direct me to a profession that will bring joy to my heart.
Time
Time is a precious comodity. One that I am still learning not to waste. When I come home from work in the evenings I really only have about 4 hours to play around with. During that time I need to cook, do housework, play with the dogs, exercise, and spend time with my husband. Believe me when I say those four hours go fast and I never get done with all the things I would like to. My husband is the one that usually gets shorted out on time and that is totally not how I want things to be.
Ok, so I know where I need to make some changes. Now the question is how. The only answer that comes to my mind is through God. He is the one that will help me come up with a plan to carve out more time to spend with my hubby, discover what my next “career” move will be, and minister to me through his word so that I may be better prepared to face whatever the world throws my way.
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Valentine’s Day is almost here. A day all about love. What we sometimes forget is that every day should be about love. Our heavenly father has love for each and every one of us, every moment of the day.
Today I heard this special edition of the song “Times” by Tenth Avenue North and had to share it with you. It brought tears to my eyes and reminded me that I need to show love to others everyday, not just on Valentine’s Day.
Take a listen and let me know what you think. I hope it brightens your day.
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Today I was inspired to fast for 21 days by a sermon. The overall message I took away from this sermon was that my walk with God is not a project, it is a process.
During the month of January I have been working on a spiritual detox. I have listened to only Christian music. I have stopped using my commute to work as a time to catch up with people over the phone and have spent those 30 minutes listening to a devotion on CD and having prayer time. Now I am ready to take it to the next level.
For the next 21 days I will be disconnecting from the world and connecting with God. I admit I waste most of my free time on the Internet. Starting tomorrow that is going to change. Instead of letting my eyes get lost on Pinterest, or facebook I will be keeping my eyes in front of the word of God and meditate on his teachings.
The last five months have taught me many things about myself. I have a clear perspective about what I feel are the important things in life. These things are my husband, my family and my friends. I have learned that I do not really care about having a “career”. This was the thing that I used to believe brought me fulfillment, but I have realized that it is not the most important thing in my life. I would rather spend meaningful time with the people I care about, so I am seeking God’s will for the next job I pursue. The last year has been a whirl wind of discovery and doubt. The plans I always had for my life now seem to lack the luster they once had. I need clarity about what I am doing with my life. Above all, I am learning that God needs to do things in me before he can do things for me.
That is why I need to spend my free time seeking him and not the things of the world. The things that I once thought were important.
On day 22 I want to feel full of the power, presence, and joy of Christ like never before. If you are interested in starting your own 21 days of prayer and fasting check out the video of the sermon that inspired me to make this commitment. Let me know if you have every participated in a 21 day fasting and what was the impact.
Last night I watched a NBC News clip about a mother who went on a digital diet. This concept of cutting back on how connected you are was totally attractive to me.
Check out the video here.
I admit that I spend more time than necessary on the Internet. I am always complaining that I do not have enough time to get everything done. In reality if I would put down my cell phone, step away from social media and focus on living life I would be much happier. So that brings me to the concept of a digital diet. This week, outside of work, my goal is to only spending 30 minutes a day online. That is about as much time as I need to do the things I need to do like check email, update this blog and spend about 5 minutes on pinterest.
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So who is with me? Digital diet anyone?
It is amazing how much can happen in one year. In 2012 I have felt God’s blessings shower upon me. Last year the company I worked for shut down the week of Christmas and I felt like my world was ending. This year I got a new job, bought a new house, started my own business, and have learned what my priorities are in life.
Going into the Christmas season my goal is to “keep it simple” and stay focused on living a healthy life.
This time of year brings extra commitments and the stress level can very easily slip past the normal level. My strategy is to keep everything low key.
Instead of dealing with long lines and crowds at the malls I am doing all of my shopping online. On top of that, I have set a price limit for everyone I am shopping for. One price for everyone on my list. The hubby and I have even decided to forgo buying gifts for each other and instead spend an evening together out shopping for needy children in our community. Since this will be our first Christmas in the new house I am keeping decorations to a minimum and plan to add to my decor collection after Christmas when I can get a better deal on things.
To make sure I stay on track with my workout schedule I have signed up for a 5k at the end of the month and cant wait to run it. This 5k is sure to be unlike any other.
I am also not being shy about having to gracefully decline invitations to holiday events. It would be so easy to fill up every weekend with a commitment, but I know that will not serve my mental health well. You need down time on the weekends. Limit the holiday parties or events to one each weekend and don’t worry about it.
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For me, this time of year is about focusing on the important things. It is not about buying the perfect gift, throwing the best party, or having the most elaborate decorations. This time of year my focus is on my friends and family and celebrating the birth of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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Wow… does this quote resonate with me. It is so easy to get caught up in the grueling search for perfection. Instead of focusing on being “perfect” try focusing on each step that you take towards your goals and praise your progress.
