25.7.11

Lately

I can not believe it has been two months. Two months since Mason graduated Kindergarten. Two months since we stood on the brink of summertime looking forward to the weeks and months ahead. And now here we are . . . a trip to Georgia later, two weeks of VBS later (yes, you read that correctly . . . no, I didn't mean one week . . . TWO weeks of VBS), Mason's birthday later, a week at the beach later . . . and first grade is now less than three weeks away. Summertime is almost over. Well, I guess I now define "summertime" as the time during the summer when Mason doesn't have to go to school. The calendar says summer won't be over until the end of September. And, of course, the sultry summer days in south Louisiana really won't come to an end until October or so. But for me, summertime is almost over.

We went shopping for school supplies and uniforms today. I only pretended to be happy. The truth is I am not. I am not looking forward to first grade. But Mason is. He's just glad he doesn't have to take a nap in first grade!

This week I'll catch you up on our not-so-lazy-days of summertime. I have to be honest. Last year at this time, I over-committed myself, and I was staring up the side of a mountain with what felt like the weight of the world on my shoulders. I knew it. I knew I was responding within God's PERMISSIVE will and not necessarily His perfect will. But instead of acting in obedience, I trudged forward. And only by His grace and His mercy and His forgiveness did I make it through this past year, especially the past three months or so.

About a month ago, I wrote three verses on the memo board in my kitchen.

I've spent so many days feeling like the task is too big . . . feeling like I can't do it . . . feeling like I don't have anymore strength and energy left in my body. And that's when I'm constantly reminded that IT'S NOT ABOUT ME. It's about the ONE WHO IS IN ME. So day by day as I was washing dishes, coming in the door from another day of errands, preparing a meal, carrying a load of laundry to be washed and dried and folded, I would stop and read these verses. It's when I am oh so weak that HE is strong.

So now I'm on the other side of it all. I released the things that were weighing me down, the commitments that God never intended for me to do. I don't necessarily like giving things up, but I've never been more excited about giving some things in particular up that were never meant for me to begin with. After two awfully busy weeks of VBS, Seth, Mason, Hannah Kate and I spent a week at the beach. To be honest, I didn't really want to come back. I wanted to stay. But we're back now, and life has resumed as usual. Seth left this morning and won't be back until Friday. I'm caught up on laundry, and everything is unpacked and in its place, but I still have some major cleaning to do tomorrow. The kids have dentist appointments on Wednesday. Our anniversary is Friday (ELEVEN YEARS!), but Seth will come home and spend the evening with Mason and Hannah Kate while I attend a rehearsal for a wedding I'm playing in on Saturday. Life. As usual.

Last night I was sitting in church as the sermon began. I picked up my Bible and it fell open to a place marked with one of Hannah Kate's ponytail holders. I had obviously put it there for some reason and forgot about it. But I noticed that particular page was marked up quite a bit so I started reading the words I'd underlined no telling how long ago. Nothing with the Lord is ever a coincidence or a mistake. Can I just tell you how these verses were water to my sun-parched, thirsty soul . . .

"Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses. May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us, that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers. And may thse words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the LORD, be near the LORD our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day may require, that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other. Let your heart therefore be loyal to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day." ~1 Kings 8:56-61

I am so thankful for God's gift of REST.