Long time no see :)...

Ever have those days, weeks, maybe even months-were you are running so much and feel like you are going no where. By passiing all of the stuff that matters...for the sake of getting things done...(to do list)...and the funny thing is,...we tend ( or I tend) to feel distant from God. You might begin to wonder...why exactly is He being so silent ? ...and then you have a been DUH moment and realize..."IT'S YOU Silly"...slow down and be with HIM!!!

Recently, with Steve working SOOOOOOO many hours...I have had to pick up the slack of all of the house work...inside and out. So you play the whole game of, "if it's nice out- I'm going to cut the lawn..if it's raining I'm going to dust and vacuum".

...Anyways...while I was cutting the yard 2 weeks ago, it dawned on me...MAINTENANCE...I HATE IT... I'm not a maintenance girl...I confess. Cutting the lawn, weed picking, dusting, vacuuming, washing the car, getting the oil changed, plucking my eyebrows, working out, eating right-It's all a part of maintenance. Wouldn't it make sense to let's say, (I'll choose my least favorite-pick weeds every week-while they are small and manageable, before they grow into tree trunks-YES I am still trying to cut down Weed Trees, as I fondly call them :) but nooooooooooooooo...I don't maintain my weeds.What sucks is that if you don't maintain things-they become neglected, fall apart and sometimes takes even longer to bring it back to the place that it should be. (Trying to get weight off in my 30's is a heck of a lot harder than it used to be in my 20's) And God has called us to be good stewards of what HE gives us (blesses us)

I recently read a quote that said "procrastination is self induced stress!"...ouch!!!! that hurt...(good maybe I'll do something about it)

I don't know how or where it started. I was raised in a very organized home. My mom had a place for everything, and a schedule of when to have "spring cleaning" or 'fall cleaning"...that meant you actually washed down all of the walls in the house.-which she and my dad did...at least twice a year.

But the Lord has really began to chip away at my heart on this one. Because what is comes down to is the Fruit of the Spirit...Self Control/Discipline. Dying to my own selfish desire to watch TV instead of working out, reading the Bible or going out and cutting the lawn instead of taking a nap...setting Boundaries..(another hard thing for me to d0)

Maintenance affects our personal lives and relationships too. My sister in law (who has far more time than I-hee) says &( I'm paraphrasing).."I cultivate friendships like I do my garden. I take care of them, invest in them , etc...You don't get a pretty garden by just planting the flowers. You have to care for them, protect them. "

Same thing in our relationships and for us personally. As much as people want me to be healthy, lose weight, or whatever...they can't do it for me-they can't get up and do 30 minutes of Tae Bo for me...I have to do it for me.

I have to begin to switch my way of thinking. That maintenance is not a NEGATIVE word. It's for our benefit..it's a positive...& we get to ask HIM to help us out with it! Hallelujah!!

The most important relationship to maintain is our walk with God. Why, why, why does He seem to be the one we short change ??? when He's the one that can fill us to overflowing, give us peace when our circumstances don't make sense...He's the one that gives us the desires of our hearts...He has a purpose for us to Succeed and to give us immeasurably more than we could ever dream!!

We need to connect to HIM...no matter the cost. Some days it's a quick devotional and sweet praise and worship time driving to work...or other times (somehow) I find an hour to sit & read the Bible and pray (or have a DuraFlame night with God-I'll talk about that in my next blog)....but it's making the time to connect to Him (to the vine) it's for our benefit!

He's changing us from glory to glory...

Be Well...