Learning to Trust God

 by Taylor

I would like to have a house. 

We actually have a house picked out that we’re hoping to buy. The sellers accepted our offer, but now we have to do all of the inspections and appraisals and repairs and re-inspections before we can know for sure if we can get it. Josh and I have been married for 5-and-a-half years and we have never had a place to unpack our wedding dishes. I’m sure you can understand my eagerness for this particular house to work out.

It’s so stressful and emotional!  I keep reminding myself that it’s just a house- we can find another one if this isn’t the one God has for us! But of course we want it, or we wouldn’t be trying to buy it. And of course we are thinking, “What if we lived here? Which bedroom would be for whom? Where would we put the piano? What color should we paint the cabinets?” So it’s hard to not get emotionally attached to the house. Hopefully this last inspection that we need will happen next week. Then we will know the full extent of the work that needs to be done before the bank will give us a loan, so we will know exactly how much things will cost and whether or not we can afford it. I feel like we are checking off little boxes along the way that are either increasing or decreasing the chances of us getting this house. 

But God doesn’t work in terms of chances. Everything could look great and then fall through at the end. Or it could look impossible and He could make it all work out. I mean- seriously- He works ALL things together for our good, if we are in Christ and called according to His purpose. And His ways are high above our ways. So everything could work out just fine and we can get the house and THEN it could burn down or something crazy. But God would work even that all out for His glory!!!!!

Just because we get a house doesn’t mean that now we are set and safe. Our hope needs to continually be in the Lord and in Him alone. Not in the security of a home, or finances, or children, or a job, or whatever. 

God is God; we are not. God knows; we don’t. We can only see a part of the picture He’s painting.  He has promised to work out ALL things for the good of believers.  So we can just chill and trust Him. 😊

Multiplied Time

I have been experiencing an interesting phenomenon recently - the time in my day has multiplied. 

I've identified myself as a night owl for as long as I can remember. Hence most of my school papers, creative genius, insane workouts, meaningful conversations, and this blog have happened between 5pm-1am. I don't dislike mornings. Once I'm up, I'm up. But it's as if my brain doesn't decide to fully engage until at least the afternoon. I know what you're thinking, 'That's why they invented coffee' - but not for me, my body actually rejects caffeine.

As all my important brain tasks migrated to the evenings, my Jesus time was quick to follow suit. I would read or listen to the Bible at the end of the day, often after I had crawled into bed. However, what you leave until last often gets pushed to tomorrow. When I had a busy day or a long evening, my Jesus time would be cut short or I'd fall asleep partway through. 

So I've been trying something new. Let's see if I can have intentional Bible time in the morning. I figure I've been doing a lot of "new" recently and I've grown up some since my last attempt. Not a foreign concept, I know, but world rocking - yes! I started one of the Bible-in-a-year plans on my YouVersion. Looks like I may have established a new habit; day 21 was this morning. 

But the world rocking part is that by putting my Jesus time first...I somehow have more time in my day. OK, time is pretty constant, yet it feels like I have more time. I'm able to accomplish more in my day, be less stressed, choose a positive attitude, and get more rest. I know God can multiply financial resources, but it somehow never clicked that He wants to bless my time as well. So cool! In giving God our first, He faithfully blesses the rest to accomplish more than we could have done single-handedly with the whole.

 

Play time?

As a child, I learned to ask permission before going off to play. Once I reached the age of responsibility however, the initial response from my parentals was often the same. "Do you have the freedom?" That was code for, "Have you already completed all of the things you are supposed to do?" aka homework, chores, and such. I used to hate that question! It meant I needed to be responsible and think through my to-do list. 

Now I'm an adult making my own schedule and managing my own time. So theoretically I can "play" whenever I want - though the consequences for neglecting a responsibility might be greater. Overtime, this flexibility has led to free-time with a load of guilt over my head and reluctant productivity. Example: After a long day, I want to reward myself with a movie or YouTube hair tutorials. :) But I have a running mental list of to-dos. So I a) sit down in front of a screen with a cloud of guilt over me...I should be getting things done OR b) I begin to knock out my to-dos ...reluctantly and with great opportunity to work on my attitude 🙃 Neither of which seem like a healthy option. 

Guilt shouldn't be my motivator. A) It's not healthy and B) it's annoying. So it's time to restructure! 

  • What are my available windows of time?
  • What is on my to-do list? ....Probably should go ahead and write it down.
  • Then it's a puzzle - which task fits into which time slot?
  • Remember to give myself grace - things inevitably take longer than I think they will.
  • Then get 'er done. 

I'm hoping this will equip me to manage my time more efficiently. It should help me be more emotionally prepared on the full days and allow me to truly rest or play when the time comes. 

Genesis 2:2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 

Guilty spurts of rest are not what God intended for me. Work hard - play hard!! When I do the work first, I have the freedom to embrace the gift of rest as God intended. 

Looks like my parents may have been onto something.  ☺️

 

Things I've learned from this new schedule:

1. Learn to be ok deviating from the plan - it's a guideline

   I was presented with a dinner invitation the other night. And I was torn between elevating the relationship or following my self imposed schedule.

2. Prioritize the schedule

  Sometimes there are simply not enough hours in the day... something needs to give. I don't want it to be the most important thing that falls off.

3. The art of timing and multitasking

  I'm currently typing/speaking this between coats of nail polish. Not the most efficient way to write, but it's a relatively efficient use of downtime while my fingers cure. 🙃 Perspective flip. 

4. When I'm diligent, I can accomplish exponentially more than I think I can!