Nothing New

There really isn't anything new with me these days. I feel like I am stuck in the rut of just being me! I set out to do so many great things and yet lack the energy to do half of them! There are so many things that I don't know how everything can possibly work out, yet I know God knows everything. I must find rest in Him in all things.

Ecclesiastes 1:9-11

"History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now."

Circle of Prayer

Our family has found ourselves praying a lot lately. With a recent series of events, we have jumpstarted our family into a praying machine! We had an emergency prayer meeting at our home last week to pray for Brent's dad who received some unwelcome news about cancer. We are anxiously awaiting the results of various tests today. It will be a long day waiting.

I hate waiting. I just want to get things over with in the here and now. I hate that the whole "growing" experience that takes patience and long suffering. As I reflected on this during this week I realized that I can't think of anything he created or designed that doesn't take time. We as humans take 9 months to form, 18 years to become an adult (even more for some!), 18 more years to learn how to parent and a lifetime to mature as a Christian. God does things in order and for a reason. I am thankful for that. And so we will wait today for news, and we will try to be patient and most of all continue in our circle of prayer.

Psalm 5:2-3

"Listen to my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.

In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation."

The Flush

Just a warning... this could be too graphic for some! I will start this out by saying, I have three boys. We have this rule... No food upstairs in the bedrooms. It is a pretty specific rule including the words NO and FOOD. Somehow this rule has been up for misinterpritation many times and has caused much confusion in our household, and so the can of ravioli enters the picture.

Tyler took a can up to his bedroom one evening. He thought he could get away with it. He had the perfect plan. He would flush the can down the toilet and get rid of the evidence. He started with the pull tab can lid which in turn clogged the toilet. I am unsure what happened to the rest of the can (scarry thought), but his crime was soon discovered when we had to rescue them from a nasty (the graphic part) clog that takes courage and a strong stomach to tackle.

To this day, the toilet gets clogged every time it needs a strong flush. (also graphic) Who gets to go up and tackle this? Me. That lid is still lurking in the pipes causing problems that just won't go away. I have yet the humbleness to call the plumber and explain to him what is down there.

I shake my head at Tyler everytime I think of this story. "What were you thinking," Brent and I have asked many many times. It occured to me today after tackling another clog that I have done this so many times in my own life. I know God probably has asked me many many times, "What were you thinking?". Sometimes we make mistakes with little consequence and other times the clog of consequences will come up time and time again and make a mess. God is still there and he helps us clean up the mess everytime. That is love. There is no doubt in my mind that God loves us. He has patience and wants us to learn from our mistakes. Some mistakes will be there to haunt us, but when they do God will be there to help us through the mess.

Micah 7:18-19

" Where is another God like you,
who pardons the guilt of the remnant,
overlooking the sins of his special people?
You will not stay angry with your people forever,
because you delight in showing unfailing love.
Once again you will have compassion on us.
You will trample our sins under your feet
and throw them into the depths of the ocean!"