I'm really trying to count my blessings these days. The me ntal attacks come fast and furious trying to derail me with either worry or the discontentment. My dad shared a verse with us last week from Isaiah that spoke of how God knows our needs and is answering our prayers even before we ask. It was such an encouragement to me and almost to confirm this fact, we had two really neat things happen in the last little while that prove it!
First, having been married for twenty years, you notice that things start to deteriorate after awhile - as in all our small appliances. They are biting the dust one by one. We take good care of them, but that is a lot of use with a ten person family. It doesn't occur to me to even buy one unless it were at the thrift store, but lately, even thrift store dollars count. Our blender has been leaking and cracked for a loooong time. My children make smoothies almost every day. I would just clean up the spills after they used it and just figured that was part of the way I could avoid buying another one. Then, recently a friend came over and said, "Do you need a blender?" "Uh, yeah, how did you know?" "I didn't. I just don't need our's as I bought another one." "Sure!" Into our house walked a brand new blender - a really good one, too. So great!
Then, my mom said she had something to give me that a friend had given her as she never used it I guess. I wondered what it could be. I didn't need a blender! Turns out it was a virtually brand new food processor with all the bells and whistles. Same thing. I had one and used it quite a bit, but it was in baaaad shape. Now I have a new food processor and a new blender and I never even prayed about it or asked for one. God just knew and it was turned into a blessing for me.
These are the things I must remember, I must focus on. It's easy for me to notice what I don't have. Our faucet handle broke off in our kitchen sink - again, a lot of use! But it still works! My computer died, but my husband is very cautiously letting me use his. I better not break this one! Yesterday, we were supposed to get $500 in hay money but only $100 came in, but at least that much came in! And, supposedly the cheque was mailed. We have yet to see it, but we're praying it'll be in the mail today!
So clearly, we still have lots to be thankful for. It would be interesting to turn that idea on its head and write a blog as if I were a non-Christian atheist/cynic. I suppose all I would write about was all the junk going on that could potentially lead us to a pit of despair, but I suppose a cynic would love being in that pit. Then, I suppose I would have to focus on not letting positive thoughts come into my head - what a weird concept! I think searching for all the blessings is a much better place to be! One friend heard a few of the things we were going through and said, "How do you do it?! How are you coping?!" I simply told her I pray without ceasing. Is that why God is allowing this to happen? Living from day to day completely relying on Him? I think it is as simple as that.
On another positive note, one of the things that has come out of praying during this time of Lent and fasting is how God seems to put a heaviness on my mind for certain things and so I'll wake up compelled to write an email to someone or call someone on behalf of my children and the plans they are making. This week I really felt I needed to follow through on my son's interest in becoming a vet. I emailed a friend who is a vet in the homeschool group and told her I just wanted to follow up on a conversation we had had about potentially working in the clinic where she worked or wherever she would suggest. She immediately emailed me back and said the clinic was looking for a co-op student! My son just needed to whip up a resume and a cover letter and get it in fast! How exciting! My husband graciously took some time out of his day to help him to do this and in a very short time, a resume was sent off with a great letter explaining why he would make a great co-op student. I felt it was a neat prompting from the Lord to follow through on that and the timing may have been just perfect. Now I am praying that God will open a door for him in this clinic if he is really meant to become a vet one day.
Meanwhile, having been inspired by the Maxwells to pursue all sorts of different sources of income, my daughter will be running a Spring Break sewing camp. It's a great way for her to make a little extra money and use her skills all the while blessing others with learning the art of sewing. I hope she gets lots of girls coming out. My next daughter is busy with the beginnings of a little "cake pop" business, inspired by her older cousin. She has two orders coming which she is so excited about! How can all this be related to Lent? I just feel that as I pray for one thing, I then find myself praying for another thing or another child or another situation and my children definitely fall into those categories. I'm finding that I'm praying very hard (can you pray hard?) for their future, for their career direction, for opportunities that can only come about by God and I'm seeing Him answer those prayers even when I haven't worded it quite like that. It is literally unfolding one day at a time.
I finally put the TV where my kids couldn't see it. They had kept turning it on or plugging it in when I had unplugged it. That was not the plan. The first day when it was actually gone, my 4 year old asked if he could put on a show several times, but then my day 2, nothing, no more asking. That same day and then next and the next, the younger 4 kids kept busy for HOURS in the toy room, just playing contentedly together - well, ok let's be honest, one got punched, another pinched and there were some tears, but for the most part, they played well all day! I was amazed. I just needed to have it so they couldn't see it. It wasn't enough for me to unplug it. It had to be gone. I didn't intend for that to be a fast, per se, but who's to say it can't be? Sorry kids.
Off I go - the four year old is stumbling down the stairs.....
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