Intro: I recently wrote a post about looking for God's hand. It made me consider how I might be more intentional about looking for it. I decided to commit a month to trying to log something every day. (This log would reflect times that I felt near to him each day.) However, it IS a practice. So, I forgot to document for a week or two and then skipped a few days here and there.
Don't be discouraged when you start tracking and can't come up with anything. Especially if you haven't practiced any type of journaling or prayer regularly. Getting yourself in the habit of listening/looking is the first step, which might take longer than you'd think. Some of the notes might not be clear to you. Bear with me. It's a new practice...
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8/1 -
8/2 -
8/3 -
8/4 - Feeling stirred about giving. Thinking about sharing a testimony also about giving. Discovering a hidden blessing in being home with sick kids.
Don't be discouraged when you start tracking and can't come up with anything. Especially if you haven't practiced any type of journaling or prayer regularly. Getting yourself in the habit of listening/looking is the first step, which might take longer than you'd think. Some of the notes might not be clear to you. Bear with me. It's a new practice...
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8/1 -
8/2 -
8/3 -
8/4 - Feeling stirred about giving. Thinking about sharing a testimony also about giving. Discovering a hidden blessing in being home with sick kids.
8/5 – I've been thinking of taking the kids to a nursing home or looking for grandparents to adopt. I remembered a sermon that I once heard on Ezekiel 37. It spoke of ways that you can restore life in your own yard or immediate surroundings. You don't have to go BIG in order to help someone. Then I thought of a neighbor that is an elderly lady that could probably using companionship. I might not have to go anywhere else to help someone. I reflected on how much my life has changed in the years since that sermon. How I've intentionally had to make some decisions about the family that I live closest to. It was hard to change my ways at first but in doing so, it has restored life to my own bone garden.
8/6 – I realized why I felt so stirred about giving. God was asking me to give something to Marie, the neighbor. I did and told her
that I’d like spend more time with her. It sometimes still seem strange to consider some things but then seeing the way that it affected her, felt like an honor and such a small thing (for me) to do for her.
8/7 – I heard a story about a friend and my response really surprised me. I was more touched than I thought I would be. I'm not sure if I can share it here. I will link it later if I do. I really didn't know why I had such a reaction. I prayed over my friend, myself, and both of our families.
cont - I was watching a Leadercast Now video with co-workers. I had been thinking for a while about the subject of core beliefs and one line job descriptions. In a discussion about things that we can do different in the department, I realized how important that one line and/or belief really is. I had been drawing my one line around customer service but it made me less available to the help desk staff. I was given an example from one of my co-workers of something that I needed to change that I was doing. It really made me back up and readjust my focus. I've changed my one line to the focus of help desk and I think that it will help me be a better manager. I'm still praying for help on how to help them come up with their line.
cont - I was watching a Leadercast Now video with co-workers. I had been thinking for a while about the subject of core beliefs and one line job descriptions. In a discussion about things that we can do different in the department, I realized how important that one line and/or belief really is. I had been drawing my one line around customer service but it made me less available to the help desk staff. I was given an example from one of my co-workers of something that I needed to change that I was doing. It really made me back up and readjust my focus. I've changed my one line to the focus of help desk and I think that it will help me be a better manager. I'm still praying for help on how to help them come up with their line.
8/8 - Jackson found a rock in the river a few weeks ago and wanted to send it to my mother. I thought we should dress it up. So, I put his thumb print on it and made it a frog. Then his index finger and made it a fly. I stuck the fly's tongue out in playful response to not being caught... I'm probably more amused than I should be... haha. Big surprise. ;)
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A friend's daughter gave me a rock a few months ago. So, I decided to paint a picture on the front of it and return it to her as well. With a shortened verse on the back. (
8/9 - I'm wrapping up the Creative Correction study and on pg 135 I had a lot of conviction about parenting. I would love to blog the whole thing. However, as a log I need to keep it short. Basically as a mother I am often feeling like I have to reprimand all of the time. By this point in the study, the author is suggesting that we teach more why or how and even include our own previous examples. It's also suggesting that we teach our children to pray when they are acting up or struggling in an area. I really stopped to consider some of my own stories that I'd share with my kids. I quickly came up with about 4. However, none of them were sin. They were simply mistakes because I was a child and simply had NO idea that there was a consequence. Tears filled my eyes and I thought about how much I blame myself now as an adult for simply "not knowing" the answer to something or how something should work. I think it's a result of being corrected for not knowing something... Although, it's perfectly acceptable to just not know... I took a minute to let that really sink in and it made me stop to consider how I might encourage my children when the make mistakes. Instead of correcting them for everything that they get wrong. To make the moment teachable instead of just about correction.
cont - Praying over my department and realizing that I needed to apologize to a co-worker, which I will have to follow up with later. Also, one of the ladies that I work with has a daughter a year younger than Sophie. Before my promotion we made plans to get the girls together. Then there was the promotion. Which wasn't a reason necessarily to change anything so we kept the date. Ethan was crushed because he loves horses and so I told him I'd take him back out some time. We made a date for 8/9 and today was that day. It was very peaceful. I felt the Lord tell me to have a day full of yes's with the kids. So, we picked apples in our own front yard to take to Amy's horses and picked an extra bag for another friend to make a pie. We had slurpees, fed the apples to Amy's horses and then rode one of them. Amy's mama emptied our bucket to fill with garden veggies. I gave Braylin our special rock. It just felt like a day that fully represented the verse on the back of it. How many times does God use us to show his kindness when we take our time and then go out of our way to stop and notice. I saw a former co-worker on the way home and gave her the other apples. Then when we were heading back, I was praying again over our department. I thought about how I might be able to spend time with the others that I work with. I am thankful for this consideration early on. I spoke about it with the kids. The whole day just felt like a good teachable moment. (Again it reminds me of another verse that I've been thinking about for the last few weeks, Colossians 4:2 "Devote yourselves to being prayerful and watchful and thankful!" If you pray about it and wait and watch for it, you won't be able to help but be thankful.)
I'll consider this my first week and try to start posting weekly until the end of the challenge. Stay tuned.
A friend's daughter gave me a rock a few months ago. So, I decided to paint a picture on the front of it and return it to her as well. With a shortened verse on the back. (
8/9 - I'm wrapping up the Creative Correction study and on pg 135 I had a lot of conviction about parenting. I would love to blog the whole thing. However, as a log I need to keep it short. Basically as a mother I am often feeling like I have to reprimand all of the time. By this point in the study, the author is suggesting that we teach more why or how and even include our own previous examples. It's also suggesting that we teach our children to pray when they are acting up or struggling in an area. I really stopped to consider some of my own stories that I'd share with my kids. I quickly came up with about 4. However, none of them were sin. They were simply mistakes because I was a child and simply had NO idea that there was a consequence. Tears filled my eyes and I thought about how much I blame myself now as an adult for simply "not knowing" the answer to something or how something should work. I think it's a result of being corrected for not knowing something... Although, it's perfectly acceptable to just not know... I took a minute to let that really sink in and it made me stop to consider how I might encourage my children when the make mistakes. Instead of correcting them for everything that they get wrong. To make the moment teachable instead of just about correction.
cont - Praying over my department and realizing that I needed to apologize to a co-worker, which I will have to follow up with later. Also, one of the ladies that I work with has a daughter a year younger than Sophie. Before my promotion we made plans to get the girls together. Then there was the promotion. Which wasn't a reason necessarily to change anything so we kept the date. Ethan was crushed because he loves horses and so I told him I'd take him back out some time. We made a date for 8/9 and today was that day. It was very peaceful. I felt the Lord tell me to have a day full of yes's with the kids. So, we picked apples in our own front yard to take to Amy's horses and picked an extra bag for another friend to make a pie. We had slurpees, fed the apples to Amy's horses and then rode one of them. Amy's mama emptied our bucket to fill with garden veggies. I gave Braylin our special rock. It just felt like a day that fully represented the verse on the back of it. How many times does God use us to show his kindness when we take our time and then go out of our way to stop and notice. I saw a former co-worker on the way home and gave her the other apples. Then when we were heading back, I was praying again over our department. I thought about how I might be able to spend time with the others that I work with. I am thankful for this consideration early on. I spoke about it with the kids. The whole day just felt like a good teachable moment. (Again it reminds me of another verse that I've been thinking about for the last few weeks, Colossians 4:2 "Devote yourselves to being prayerful and watchful and thankful!" If you pray about it and wait and watch for it, you won't be able to help but be thankful.)
I'll consider this my first week and try to start posting weekly until the end of the challenge. Stay tuned.
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