Have you ever plotted your course, laid out your plans and pushed full steam ahead with whatever you wanted to do? That is me to a T. I am a planner by nature and a control freak by genes. My husband used to joke that I knew our vacation schedule for the next ten years...and my friends frequently refer to me as the tour guide or social planner. It's not just vacation and social plans that I make though. I plan EVERYTHING. If this gives you any idea, I am currently three gifts away from being done with our Christmas shopping.
This may all sound grand and wonderful, but as a child of God, I should be leaving the plans up to Him. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 Why is it that I struggle so much in giving up control to God? And then, when things don't go the way I planned or hoped, I flounder and stress and try to plan my way through the chaos. Now I know, truthfully I do, that I need to hand the reins over to God and trust in Him. My favorite verse talks about it and I even have it tattooed
"I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation."
I was reading 40 days with Jesus yesterday and a few key quotes stood out to me:
"Sometimes My blessings come to you in mysterious ways: through pain and trouble. At such times you can know My goodness only through your trust in Me. Understanding will fail you, but trust will keep you close to Me."
Or even this not so gentle nudge...
"I want you to embrace all that I am doing in your life, finding your security in Me alone."
Every time I feel that I am growing and maturing in my faith, something comes along to shake me to the core. I know this is a lesson from God and I need to buckle down and learn it. Trusting in God is so very difficult for me, but He is the only way I can make it through.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9
I am so weak Lord, please forgive me and enfold me in your loving arms so that I may rely solely on your strength.
One of the things that is important to hubby & I is that we build fun family traditions to share with our kids. Some traditions are small and simple, like going to church every weekend or having pizza every Friday night. Others are typical like having a family game night. What are some of the traditions your family has?
Thanksgiving is HUGE in our family. We start the morning out with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Then while I start the meal, hubs gets the Christmas tree out and starts to put it together.
When we have Jimmy's girls for Thanksgiving, it's Rain's job to stuff the turkey.
Yeah, her dad thought it was pretty darn funny...mainly because he won't touch raw meat.
Ani bastes the turkey
Anii & Dez help Daddy put the tree together
Another tradition is that we have a football/pumpkin party every year with some of our closest friends.
She swears it tastes just like chicken! Ewwwww
Then there is the same crew for a Christmas party that may or may not involve messy cookie decorating and ornament making....depends on the host!
While I'm on the topic of Christmas, we have the Christmas tree cinnamon rolls. This was a tradition I grew up with and I love carrying it on for our kids.
And a tradition that Jimmy & I started with the kids...Jesus' birthday cake!
The reason traditions came to mind is that I'm going to start a new one with my baby girl tonight. A brilliant (I think!) idea that I, of course, got from Pinterest.
I picked up this adorable notebook at my favorite store today and wrote a short letter to Ani in here. I've slid it under her pillow & when she gets home from Youth Group tonight, I'll let her in on the secret. We can take turns writing to one another and hiding it under our pillows. I think it will be a great way to keep our relationship as close as it is now and it will be a great memory for her to have when my time comes. She can share the idea with her daughters if she is so blessed to have them.
