new mercies for today.
It's seven o'clock in the morning and the light of the sun has invaded the windows of my home. The house remains quiet, as my four babies still sleep peacefully in their beds. {Or lets be honest, two are in my bed...}. For a moment, life seems perfectly normal, but in reality... it is not. I'm so tempted to drift back to sleep, but my mind is already in full gear.
I've always been an early riser. There were times I set my alarm for 3:45 a.m. to begin my day. That seems so crazy now, but it was a part of my routine for so long. If you know me, you know I thrive on routine and structure. My normal {our normal} has not existed for over ten days now. Parts of me don't know what to do with myself and the other parts need time, and space, and rest. I want to do things, but I feel exhausted in every way and it somehow doesn't feel right. I keep telling myself that we must create a new normal. One foot in front of the other. One moment at a time.
Generally speaking, I feel like people don't enjoy change. Even good change can be scary because it's the unknown. We like comfortable. We like the known. But really, it's in the uncertainty that we grow. It's in the unknown where we truly find ourselves - what we are capable of, what we really believe, who God wants us to become. We find it all throughout the Bible - in the wilderness, to mountaintops, to foreign cities - God's people lived lives of uncertainty. We can be certain of His faithfulness and His provision, but this requires full trust and surrender. Take up your cross, deny yourself, and follow. Count it all joy when you encounter various trials... that you may be made perfect and complete. {Matthew 16:24, James 1:2}. "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." Philippians 1:6.
God is right here. He is with me. He has not abandoned me, but is carrying me. He is continuing His work in me and I know and believe that one day I will see it to completion. I don't have to understand the why's or the how's, but trust in the promises of God. I am learning that the emotions not only come and go, but can come strong and fast. One moment things feel okay, and the next it feels like you cannot breathe. I immediately question, "does this come from God?" I know that fear is not from God. Anxiety is not from God. So, if I am feeling those things, I immediately ask myself, "what is truth?"
I really don't have it all figured out and I don't have to. His mercies are new every morning. I don't have to worry about tomorrow, but only trust in what He has for me today. And I will get through today, in His grace.
And at that, my most talkative little love bug has awoken. I have already been asked 10 serious questions within minutes of his rising. {If there is any question, that would be JJ}. Bless him. If anyone needs someone to talk to... he could entertain you for hours upon hours. Just sayin'...
I've always been an early riser. There were times I set my alarm for 3:45 a.m. to begin my day. That seems so crazy now, but it was a part of my routine for so long. If you know me, you know I thrive on routine and structure. My normal {our normal} has not existed for over ten days now. Parts of me don't know what to do with myself and the other parts need time, and space, and rest. I want to do things, but I feel exhausted in every way and it somehow doesn't feel right. I keep telling myself that we must create a new normal. One foot in front of the other. One moment at a time.
Generally speaking, I feel like people don't enjoy change. Even good change can be scary because it's the unknown. We like comfortable. We like the known. But really, it's in the uncertainty that we grow. It's in the unknown where we truly find ourselves - what we are capable of, what we really believe, who God wants us to become. We find it all throughout the Bible - in the wilderness, to mountaintops, to foreign cities - God's people lived lives of uncertainty. We can be certain of His faithfulness and His provision, but this requires full trust and surrender. Take up your cross, deny yourself, and follow. Count it all joy when you encounter various trials... that you may be made perfect and complete. {Matthew 16:24, James 1:2}. "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." Philippians 1:6.
God is right here. He is with me. He has not abandoned me, but is carrying me. He is continuing His work in me and I know and believe that one day I will see it to completion. I don't have to understand the why's or the how's, but trust in the promises of God. I am learning that the emotions not only come and go, but can come strong and fast. One moment things feel okay, and the next it feels like you cannot breathe. I immediately question, "does this come from God?" I know that fear is not from God. Anxiety is not from God. So, if I am feeling those things, I immediately ask myself, "what is truth?"
I really don't have it all figured out and I don't have to. His mercies are new every morning. I don't have to worry about tomorrow, but only trust in what He has for me today. And I will get through today, in His grace.
And at that, my most talkative little love bug has awoken. I have already been asked 10 serious questions within minutes of his rising. {If there is any question, that would be JJ}. Bless him. If anyone needs someone to talk to... he could entertain you for hours upon hours. Just sayin'...
