what am I doing wrong? I've been up since 4:30 and I'm no healthier, no wealthier, and no wiser!
It was an exciting night around here! I got up around 12:30AM to use the restroom. Suddenly, I became aware that the house was being buzzed by the police helicopter. Maybe even more than one police helicopter. I didn't look out, but it sure was noisy. I have no clue what it was all about, but it continued for about 10 minutes. They were so close to the house, I wouldn't have been surprised to have the LV SWAT team join me in the restroom! I was glad I don't own a house with a flat roof! There is a big vacant area behind my house that is an old re-routed wash. Sometimes the cops chase down kids or other folks who don't belong there. But, the dogs weren't barking and I prayed over the house before I went to bed, reminding God that no evil was to come nigh my door, so I went back to bed.
Somewhere in there, I dreamed I was in the back hills of Tennessee or Kentucky. I was with some guy (no idea who). I was dressed only in a red plaid flannel shirt and my undies and we were going into someone's log cabin that held a country store with handmade goodies. I was very excited about getting to see all the local art and handmade stuff. Musta been VERY excited as I'd managed to forget half my clothes, LOL.
Here's a story for you, a story, I believe, of answered prayer. Jennifer lives on a cul-de-sac, just off a busy street. On the cul-de-sac are 5 houses, 3 of which have security bars. Of course, wouldn't you know, my daughter and my beloved grandkids live in one of the two houses with NO security bars. Now, if you were a burglar with half a brain, when it came to choosing a place to burgle, I think you would avoid the three houses with security bars. Not that a decent burglar couldn't bypass those security bars, but it WOULD make it harder and it's my understanding they usually look for easy targets. Every night, before I go to sleep, I pray over this property where I live. From the northern property line to the southern property line, from the eastern property line to the western property line, I turn the place over to God. I ask for His protection for the house, the car, the dogs who run in and out during the night, and for myself. Then I ask the same for my daughter's home and for my mother's. Several weeks ago, Jennifer was awakened in the middle of the night by police officers pounding on her door. The house next door to her had been burgled (the OTHER house with no security bars). Here's the funny part: William had left his keys in the lock of the front door and Jennifer had left the garage door up when she went to bed. But for the angels God had put in charge of that place in answer to my prayers, they'd managed to give burglars something close to an engraved invitation to come on in. However, the burglars went next door......... The police officers told Jen the story, then came in and checked the house out for her, waited while she closed the garage door and retrieved Will's keys, and then left. I'm giving God the credit for my family's safety that night. After all, if a burglar is looking for "easy", an open garage door and keys in the lock on the front door makes it pretty darn easy, right? But, I guess those burglars couldn't get past the big tall guys with the wings and the swords who were guarding Jen's house, so they went next door. Now, I wouldn't wish that on anyone, and I have no reason to think ill of Jennifer's neighbors, but I'm glad my family was safe!
Well, with all the work I did around here yesterday, I must have given myself a workout. This morning my back is saying nasty things to me and my right knee is not being terribly cooperative either. I'll be praying over that stuff here shortly and everything will line up and do what it's supposed to do.
I listened to a very interesting sermon the other day on "boundaries". The speaker likened the "boundaries" God has set up for us in the Bible to a kid's coloring book. When a child pulls out a page to color, he can scribble all over the page or he can color within the lines. As loving parents, even if the scribbled page is a nightmare, we tell the child what a good job he did. After all, he's just learning and we want to encourage him to keep learning. But what a pretty picture he COULD HAVE created if he'd just stayed within the lines. For our benefit, God has drawn lines within which we are encouraged to "color" the picture of our lives. When we grab the crayons and start to scribble outside the lines, the picture isn't all that pretty. But, we can create a thing of beauty by coloring inside the lines. Think, for example, of the Ten Commandments. If we follow them, we avoid all kinds of trouble. We don't lie, we don't steal, we don't do murder, we don't commit adultery, we don't allow ourselves to be drawn off into worshipping some other "god", we honor our parents and receive long life in return. Given society's consequences for lying, stealing, murdering, etc., avoiding those things will create a much prettier picture for our lives. Jesus gives us just two commandments, to love the Lord God with all our hearts, strength, etc., and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Wouldn't it create a less stressful world if we followed those commandments? Boundaries are a good thing. As young people, we think boundaries are limiting. We rebel against them. But, we create a much better life for ourselves when we color within the lines. And make no mistake about it. Just like a kid would create a freaky looking picture if he colored within SOME lines and scribbled over the rest of the page, we don't get to choose the lines within which we'll color if we want the best looking (and feeling) picture.......So, we create chaos when we decide that in SOME circumstances it's okay to lie, cheat, or steal, but we'll stay within the lines in other circumstances. Nope, doesn't work that way....... Perhaps we need a certain distance on youth to see the benefit of boundaries? Maybe we need to walk face-first into the chaos we've created a few times, before we see those boundaries for what they are, a guide to successful living.
So, I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to have to prioritize the sectors of my life. I know what areas are important right now, but I need to arrange my time, as much as possible, to accommodate the most important first. It is here that I am not getting things right. So, I'll be chewing on that, mentally, and talking it over with Dad these next few days. I know, for example, that I have a commitment to go to the office and do what needs done. As a Christian, I need to be faithful to that commitment. Here I am, praying over, expecting, the "dream job" but how can I expect it to materialize if I am not faithful to my commitment to my current employer? It is not relevant whether I WANT to go. It is not relevant that I just abhor the place. It is relevant that I live up to my commitment. I have a commitment to my tax clients. It is not relevant that I'd prefer to design scrapbooking goodies. I need to live up to my commitment and get tax returns completed correctly and with reasonable speed. So, I've got some work to do here in planning how I will "color" my days. There are lines/boundaries here too, and I want to color within them. Anything else will just increase my stress level.
I've got to toddle off. There's that commitment to my employer to think about at this hour of the morning........ My inbox at the office is about 5 inches high. And there's stuff splattered all over the desk that hasn't even made it to my inbox. If I go spend about 3 hours there, I should be able to make a vast improvement. It'll improve my paycheck too, LOL. I can judge this better when I leave the office, but I'm thinking it might be a good day to drop off the license plate from the clunker at DMV. That will save me a few bucks on insurance in the months to come.
But, you need some eye-candy before I leave. Let's see what we have available that you haven't seen yet.
Karen created this with Bloomers 2. That might be surprising to you as Bloomers 2 is primarily in shades of pink, orange, green, and muted yellow. Yep, she recolored everything, LOL. I am coming to the conclusion that JUST using a kit as it's created somehow limits her creativity. She has to do a little change-up here and there just to feel she's accomplished something creative. And, she's darn good at what she does. Some designers wouldn't like it, but if a scrapper has the skills to do what Karen's done, it sure would increase the versatility and value of a kit, right? BTW, that's Karen in the middle with the strawberry blond hair, just a "few" years ago!
Have a blessed day!
