It seems to happen every year. Before the Christmas lights are packed away for their 11 month nap, the television programs and commercials begin their annual suggestions for New Year's resolutions.
Healthy and debt-free living top the list every year. Both very admirable. Both have topped my list almost every year of my adult life. But it took more than a New Year's resolution to get the ball rolling.
Food and money management have caused me extreme stress my entire life. I was the girl who stopped on her way home from college to buy a soda and candy bar with my last few measly coins and then panicked a few miles later when I realized that I didn't have money for the toll booth. (I made it home. And I honestly can't remember if I turned around and went the non-toll route or pulled over and searched the car for stray coins until I found enough to get me through.)
This year, when I hear the diet and debt consolidation commercials, I smile a little. I give all glory to God because we are way ahead of the game. I've written to the point of nausea about my weight loss journey this past year, so I'll spare you the repeat. I haven't written about the other thing going on in our lives.
Two weeks after Troy and I were married, we were faced with a situation that could have broken us. We had put earnest money down on a mobile home and a lot in Victoria, Texas where Troy had been hired to work at a factory. We had both quit our jobs in anticipation of the move. And then we got the phone call. The company that had hired Troy was reascending the offer because they were downsizing. Troy was devastated. I immediately went to the only source I knew, my heavenly Father. I prayed for understanding, wisdom, and peace. I cried for Troy, who didn't have this source of comfort at that time. I cried for our uncertain future. But when I finished praying, I knew that everything would be okay. I knew God had this under control. And He did. God moved us to the San Francisco Bay Area and the rest is our blessed history.
But during this transition, we had few financial resources. We basically had wedding gift money, credit cards, and a personal line of credit we opened to help with deposits and a few months of utilities until we could get on our feet. Through the years we were in a cycle of paying off, adding to, and paying off credit cards. But the line of credit was our nemesis. We would get it paid down and then something would happen that we needed to dip into it again.
This summer, we both felt God's prompting to get our debt under control. We discussed how God was working and made a commitment to pare down our spending habits in order to be obedient. We were able to pay off the small balance on our credit card almost immediately. In the midst of this pauper-like lifestyle, God also prompted Troy to return to seminary adding tuition and books to the mix. It has been hard, very hard. But it's also been a huge blessing. Over the past few months, God has provided in so, so many ways. He has miraculously provided our needs AND some of our wants.
This morning I made the LAST PAYMENT on the line of credit. Praise God!!!!! It has been only with His guidance and wisdom that we have been able to accomplish this.
I think from this moment on, every time I see a commercial about weight loss or money management, I'm going to stop and offer a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God. That's my resolution.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
List Anxiety
I'm a "make a list" kind of girl. If I don't make a list, the tasks at hand start clouding my brain and seem much too overwhelming. I write all the tasks down. Somehow seeing them there in black and white (or whatever color I like to type with that day) make them a little less ominous.
I decided this year that I wanted to totally, without hesitation or remorse, enjoy to the -nth degree some part of the Christmas season. I have gushed in the previous post about my love for all things Christmas. However, I tend to overdo up to the very last second and then regret that I didn't slow down and smell the Christmas cookies. In order to accomplish a full 2 1/2 weeks of Christmas bliss, I planned to finish all stress inducing tasks by 12/12/12. I mean there are 12 months in a year. There were 12 tribes of Israel. There were 12 disciples. 12/12/12 seemed like the perfect "completion" of all my tasks.
I made a "Main To Do List" dated 11/26 through 12/12. I was quite proud of it. It was all red and green. In neat rows, and alternating colors. It started off great. I accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish the first few days. And then things started happening. Actually, God placed situations in my day that forced me to ask the inevitable WWJD? I would follow through with what the Holy Spirit was prompting and then I would come back to The List. I circled the tasks I did not accomplish that day and would draw an arrow to the next day.
After several days in a row of Holy interruptions, I've stopped asking WWJD and started asking, "Father, what do you want me to learn?" Here's the lesson God was trying to teach that I finally realized today: People are more important than a list, any list, even my MAIN LIST. The world will not be in danger because I failed to iron Troy's shirts today. But a non-believer may be in danger if I choose to follow my own agenda rather than showing them the love of Christ.
I looked at my list (on the fridge) this afternoon, crossed out, circled and arrowed, heaved a sigh of resignation, and stared at this:
I then prayed that the Holy Spirit would give me the focus, the strength, and the energy to accomplish it. I prayed that He would also give me a peace in understanding what mattered most.
Am I totally at peace yet? No. Am I wishing there were more hours in the day? Yes. Do I regret what God has taught me through this experience? Never.
So, as we rush through the holiday season, remember, people are more important than any list.
I decided this year that I wanted to totally, without hesitation or remorse, enjoy to the -nth degree some part of the Christmas season. I have gushed in the previous post about my love for all things Christmas. However, I tend to overdo up to the very last second and then regret that I didn't slow down and smell the Christmas cookies. In order to accomplish a full 2 1/2 weeks of Christmas bliss, I planned to finish all stress inducing tasks by 12/12/12. I mean there are 12 months in a year. There were 12 tribes of Israel. There were 12 disciples. 12/12/12 seemed like the perfect "completion" of all my tasks.
I made a "Main To Do List" dated 11/26 through 12/12. I was quite proud of it. It was all red and green. In neat rows, and alternating colors. It started off great. I accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish the first few days. And then things started happening. Actually, God placed situations in my day that forced me to ask the inevitable WWJD? I would follow through with what the Holy Spirit was prompting and then I would come back to The List. I circled the tasks I did not accomplish that day and would draw an arrow to the next day.
After several days in a row of Holy interruptions, I've stopped asking WWJD and started asking, "Father, what do you want me to learn?" Here's the lesson God was trying to teach that I finally realized today: People are more important than a list, any list, even my MAIN LIST. The world will not be in danger because I failed to iron Troy's shirts today. But a non-believer may be in danger if I choose to follow my own agenda rather than showing them the love of Christ.
I looked at my list (on the fridge) this afternoon, crossed out, circled and arrowed, heaved a sigh of resignation, and stared at this:
I then prayed that the Holy Spirit would give me the focus, the strength, and the energy to accomplish it. I prayed that He would also give me a peace in understanding what mattered most.
Am I totally at peace yet? No. Am I wishing there were more hours in the day? Yes. Do I regret what God has taught me through this experience? Never.
So, as we rush through the holiday season, remember, people are more important than any list.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Fa-la-la-la-la...la-la-la-la
I LOVE the holiday season! Yes, the whole season. And everything about it.
The most important reason that I adore this season is that I love that the whole world is reminded (whether they choose to believe or not) that my Savior, Jesus Christ, left the glory of heaven to be born to a virgin in a stable.
My senses are in overdrive during this season. The visual delights abound with bright decorations and lights. LIGHTS! I absolutely adore Christmas lights! Gaudy or classy, I love them all. I turn into a small child when surrounded by night painted with dazzling electric color. Christmas wrapping paper and ribbon. Reds, greens, golds, silvers, blues,....
The sounds of Christmas....oh the sounds. The doorbell ringing to alert me of another package arriving at my door. Not gifts for me, but Amazon goodies ordered for others. It's almost as good as getting my own presents! And the Christmas music! Sacred or secular. I love it all! Most days from November 1st to December 25th, I have the music cranked up. (And, to be totally honest, I do have brief periods of time in June and July that I choose to listen to "Christmas Radio" on Pandora.) ....Okay, my close friends are going to say, "But what about those few songs that make you turn the station on the radio, or give a thumbs down on Pandora?" Yes, there are a few too-sappy-make-me-wanna-puke songs played during the Christmas season that I really, really don't like. They are few and far between and I will not mention the names in case they happen to be at the top of your play list.
The smells of Christmas baking. Cinnamon, sugar, chocolate, peppermint.....yummm,mmm,mmm! The inviting aroma of the gift shops. The evergreen scent that wafts around as I pass the fresh cut trees and garland outside my local grocery store.
Do I really need to mention the tastes of this season? Yes, yes I do! Peppermint mocha Coffee-mate Creamer. (I know that it is available year round, but I refuse to purchase it until now.) Starbuck's Cranberry Bliss Bars...I am fairly sure that this recipe was created in the Garden of Eden and passed down through the centuries. Christmas cookies. Admit it, the same cookie just doesn't taste the same when it's any other shape or sprinkled with non-Christmas colors.
There's an energy during this time of year. The hustle and bustle. The crispness in the air. I love it. Call me crazy, but I really, really do. This is the time of year that my house feels most like a home. I can come in from the cold to the enveloping warmth of my home and be surrounded by my favorite sights, sounds, smells, and tastes.
Celebrations are at an all time high this time of year. And because these celebrations combine everything I love about the season with a good dose of cheer and friendship, I bask in them.
So, I've gushed about my love for this time of the year. Now, I must get back to "decking the halls".
Merry Christmas!!!!!
The most important reason that I adore this season is that I love that the whole world is reminded (whether they choose to believe or not) that my Savior, Jesus Christ, left the glory of heaven to be born to a virgin in a stable.
My senses are in overdrive during this season. The visual delights abound with bright decorations and lights. LIGHTS! I absolutely adore Christmas lights! Gaudy or classy, I love them all. I turn into a small child when surrounded by night painted with dazzling electric color. Christmas wrapping paper and ribbon. Reds, greens, golds, silvers, blues,....
The sounds of Christmas....oh the sounds. The doorbell ringing to alert me of another package arriving at my door. Not gifts for me, but Amazon goodies ordered for others. It's almost as good as getting my own presents! And the Christmas music! Sacred or secular. I love it all! Most days from November 1st to December 25th, I have the music cranked up. (And, to be totally honest, I do have brief periods of time in June and July that I choose to listen to "Christmas Radio" on Pandora.) ....Okay, my close friends are going to say, "But what about those few songs that make you turn the station on the radio, or give a thumbs down on Pandora?" Yes, there are a few too-sappy-make-me-wanna-puke songs played during the Christmas season that I really, really don't like. They are few and far between and I will not mention the names in case they happen to be at the top of your play list.
The smells of Christmas baking. Cinnamon, sugar, chocolate, peppermint.....yummm,mmm,mmm! The inviting aroma of the gift shops. The evergreen scent that wafts around as I pass the fresh cut trees and garland outside my local grocery store.
Do I really need to mention the tastes of this season? Yes, yes I do! Peppermint mocha Coffee-mate Creamer. (I know that it is available year round, but I refuse to purchase it until now.) Starbuck's Cranberry Bliss Bars...I am fairly sure that this recipe was created in the Garden of Eden and passed down through the centuries. Christmas cookies. Admit it, the same cookie just doesn't taste the same when it's any other shape or sprinkled with non-Christmas colors.
There's an energy during this time of year. The hustle and bustle. The crispness in the air. I love it. Call me crazy, but I really, really do. This is the time of year that my house feels most like a home. I can come in from the cold to the enveloping warmth of my home and be surrounded by my favorite sights, sounds, smells, and tastes.
Celebrations are at an all time high this time of year. And because these celebrations combine everything I love about the season with a good dose of cheer and friendship, I bask in them.
So, I've gushed about my love for this time of the year. Now, I must get back to "decking the halls".
Merry Christmas!!!!!
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