One of God’s Great Don’ts

Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest – written for me today (well, every day).

"Fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil doing." Psalm 37:8 (R.V.)

Fretting means getting out at elbows mentally or spiritually. It is one thing to say "Fret not," but a very different thing to have such a disposition that you find yourself able not to fret. It sounds so easy to talk about "resting in the Lord" and "waiting patiently for Him" until the nest is upset - until we live, as so many are doing, in tumult and anguish, is it possible then to rest in the Lord? If this "don't" does not work there, it will work nowhere. This "don't" must work in days of perplexity as well as in days of peace, or it never will work. And if it will not work in your particular case, it will not work in anyone else's case. Resting in the Lord does not depend on external circumstances at all, but on your relationship to God Himself.

Fussing always ends in sin. We imagine that a little anxiety and worry are an indication of how really wise we are; it is much more an indication of how really wicked we are. Fretting springs from a determination to get our own way. Our Lord never worried and He was never anxious, because He was not "out" to realize His own ideas; He was "out" to realize God's ideas. Fretting is wicked if you are a child of God.

Have you been bolstering up that stupid soul of yours with the idea that your circumstances are too much for God? Put all "supposing" on one side and dwell in the shadow of the Almighty. Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about that thing. All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.

show me Your glory

Precisely what’s in my head and how I feel.

Henry’s First 4th Parade

Henry went to his first parade on Memorial Day.  He and I were in it together with our church.  Today was his first 4th of July parade and first parade he watched.  We left early because he was getting tired and was resting his little head on my neck in the back pack.

On Mommy’s back.

The guns shooting off were cool but loud.

In the car headed home.

Today

My mom helped us redo this island that looked terrible.  This garden is only a few weeks old and not looking bad.  Dave is an amazing landscaper.

Grateful for our home.

Grateful I don’t have two children less than a year apart and under the age of two.  I watched my niece and nephew today.  Having three children 4 and under must be hard!  Then I watched my friend’s three girls ages 4, 7, and 10 just after having Teagan and Christopher for 3 hours.  I am beat! 
The older girls were a piece of cake after juggling carrying two babies around and playing with my niece who was so excited to be with me.  Fun.  Tired.

My solution to taking care of an infant is strap him to you.  Chris loved it!

Carrying two babies at once.

Henry loves his big cousin Teagan!

This kid loves to eat.

Sweet boy was so excited to have company he refused to take a nap.

Always telling a story.

 

Fun on the lawn.

I had to strap him into a stroller for a few minutes so I could get acclimated to watching three tiny rug rats.

Henry loves giving his cousin Teagan hugs.

Henry and Teagan play really well together.

Christopher is such an easy baby.  He’s so happy.  I think he takes after his mother.

Blessings

I found this on my camera this morning.  Dave must have seen these turkeys when he was leaving for work this morning.

Henry pointing out birds this evening.  Just after we met our new friends.

See the photo below – there’s a story that comes along with it.

I was trying to get a good shot of the lighthouse nearing sunset this evening.  But there were people.  People.  The story begins with this sudden urge to go some place around 7:30 this evening.  I rarely go out at this time.  Especially with a child recovering from pneumonia.  I just really felt I should.  I prayed and felt like I we should go down to the Breakwater on the Rockland Harbor.  I don’t do this often but the last time I got this urge I saw many, many seals sunning themselves on rocks.  A sight I had never seen before at this place.  I really felt it was God’s little gift to me.  Well, I got really excited tonight thinking we might see seals and I could show Henry.  My mom always says fresh air never killed anyone.  We got out of the car, got the camera ready, and hoofed it down to the breakwater.  The sun was so pretty on the rocks and I was just waiting because I just knew God was going to do something cool, something personal for us.  I started taking photos like this one above and singing to Henry. 

After taking a few photos with people blocking the lighthouse, we started walking forward.  I heard these people speaking Russian.  I love Eastern Europeans and Dave and I have had a handful work for us over the years.  I have also been to Eastern Europe for Christian missions.  I would love to go back.  Soon.  Well, I told God I would say hi to these foreigners and if He opened the door, I would talk to them about Him.  I said hi and they said hi back and came right over to me and Henry.  Then a seal popped up and I tried to point it out to them.  They are from Moldova and I told them we used to have Moldovans work for us.  They asked for a job since they are only working 40 hours a week.  This is so common.  They love to work.  Most of them.  Well, I told them I had been to Ukraine and why.  Then the two young men told me they had been to the church down the street.  I asked if they were Baptist (that’s what the church is down the street) and they said yes.  One of them is going to Seminary!  I told him I went to Bible College (non denominational).  Then they asked me where they could go to church.  Totally amazing.  I know I was meant to meet them.  The dark haired man’s father is a pastor and his sister in-law was a missionary to North Carolina.  It’s amazing to have fellowship with believers from across the world in your own little town.  They are excited to meet my friends who are missionaries to Eastern Europe and speak Russian AND just happen to be coming up in a week.  Wow!  They walked with me to my car to get my number and we will be picking them up for church on Wednesday nights if they are not working.  They work on Sunday mornings.  Amazing. 

I really wanted to take their picture when we said goodbye but I didn’t want them to know what a raging weirdo I really am (Dave always laughs at me because I love interviewing people – especially those from other cultures).  When I was driving back to my house I wondered if they were the people who messed up my lighthouse photo.  They were.  I have a photo and didn’t even have to ask.  Two Moldovan men and one Moldovan woman who looks like she’s 12 (she said it herself).   The guy in the black shirt is an American just fishing.

Better

The boy is doing better.  Resting right now.  Sweet baby.  Thank You, Jesus, for answering prayers.