Growing Weary

On June 15, 2010 I made a list of about six to eight things that I was hoping to have resolved soon or answers for, etc. I put that list in my Bible and I review it occassionally, but not too often lest I get discouraged. I am happy to say that one of the items has been resolved, but the others remain on the list. These happen to be pretty big things, at least in my eyes, and I believe they are big things in God's eyes as well.

Lately I have struggled with growing weary. It seems like this tunnel I am traveling through just keeps going, with no light in sight. I am in the dark before the morning and I'm hoping morning comes SOON! In the midst of my weariness, I know that God is right there with us. Although it is not always easy, we continue to seek God and try our hardest to do His will. Here are some Scriptures that we have found encouragement from:

Psalm 62:1-2

1 Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.
2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Jeremiah 17:8

8 They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”


Psalm 40:17

17 But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay.


Isaiah 40:27-31

27 Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”?
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

I pray that this post will not be a discouragement for those who read it, but rather a reminder that there will be seasons of our lives when we struggle with growing weary, anxious, worried, discouraged, etc. When you find yourself in one of those places, trust that the Living God is there to offer hope and know that this is just the dark before the morning and that the sunrise is going to be beautiful and definitely worth the wait!

Indoor Farming: Day 2

For any of you that know me, you know I have a very "black thumb".  Up until last year, the longest I had ever kept a house plant alive was around 4 months.  I have now succeeded in keeping an indoor plant alive for over a year, but it probably doesn't count because it is part of the cactus family.  So with all this in mind, I didn't have high hopes for growing sprouts.  But, they are GROWING!

Here is what we have done so far:

Steps 1-5 can be found here.

Step 6: Drain water and rinse seeds.

Step 7:  Continue to Rinse and drain 2-3 times a day for the next couple of days. (I didn't do this the first day - whoops.  I told you I have a black thumb.) 

Day 2 - still just seeds

To help with the drainage you can elevate the bottom and let the water drain onto a plate.

Day 3 - starting to sprout.

Tomorrow I will place the jar on my window sill to encourage the sprouts to turn green.  I think I'm still supposed to rinse and drain them a few times a day.  I'll keep you posted!

Indoor Farming: Day 1

Well, not exactly farming.  We're growing sprouts!

This is something I remember doing when I was little, but could not remember how it was done.  I have a vague memory of a jar and pouring water out, but that was about it.  So after doing some Googling, I'm now ready to give it a try.  Most of the information below is from this helpful link.  There are many sprouting resources out there.  I found most of them very informative, but overwhelming.  So I am going to try and keep it as simple as I can.

Step 1: Gather Supplies - 1 quart jar, cheesecloth or screen for lid, sprouting beans or seeds, (I used a sprouting mix), water, and spoon.

Step 2: Fill jar 1/2 full with water. 

Step 3: Add 2 Tablespoons of Seeds or Beans.

Step 4: Put the lid on the jar.

Step 5: Set the jar out of direct sunlight and leave for 8 hours.

This is happening in real time here folks, so these seed are sitting in my cupboard right now, and I will update the tutorial as it happens.  Hopefully I can actually grow something.

Interested in reading A LOT more about sprouts try:  Mumm's Sprouting Seeds, or The Sprout People.

To be continued...

Growing Testimony

1 Peter 2:9  

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

A little bit of history:  I asked Jesus into my life at the ripe old age of 5 years old.  While kneeling down at my toy box, I prayed a simple prayer.  I knew I could not be good on my own,  so I asked for forgiveness and for Jesus to come into my heart and make me clean.  End of story.

Well, not exactly, though this was my go to "testimony" until really thinking about it more recently.  I have no idea what concept a 5 year old has of giving ones life to Christ, but I had very little.  I was a "Christian" because my parents were Christians and my grandparents were Christians and so on.  I knew that it was "right", I memorized scriptures, and I had a well thought out rebuttal for anyone who questioned my "faith".  The problem was that I had the knowledge, but in actuality I wasn't living for anyone but myself.

I coasted along quite well, on my own merits, until age 15.  Then I realized, to my shock and horror, that my parents weren't always right.  *gasp*  And if they were not always right in the little things, then maybe they weren't right about the big things either.  Maybe there really wasn't a God, maybe what I had been brought up to believe was merely a ploy to get me to behave.  I certainly didn't see Him doing much in my life.  And so began a very, very dark time in my life.  I won't get into all of the details, but let's just say I rebelled.  It wasn't until the summer before my 18th birthday that I realized that I was a complete mess without the Lord.  So, once again, and for real this time, I committed my life to Christ.

Fast forward to last year sometime:  As every Christian does, I've had ups and I've had downs.  I've had times of incredible closeness to my heavenly Father, and times when I'm not sure what I'm doing anymore.  Last year was one of those times.  The more I would seek the Lord, the farther away He seemed to be.  I was absolutely lost and miserable.  No matter how hard I tried I couldn't force myself any closer to Him.  And in the apparent distance (because He hadn't really left me) so much darkness bubbled up from the depths of who I was.  Though my life was His and His alone, I was angry, fearful, bitter, judgmental, proud, manipulative and ashamed.  I had tried to stuff all of these things, and more, down into the deepest recesses of my heart and then simply forget about them.  But the Lord knew they were there and He was asking me to deal with them.  So little by little He began a new work on my heart.  And because of His work, my testimony continues to grow.

Now, so I don't forget what he has done for me (and will continue to do) I have started a page in back of my bible with brief accounts of this growing testimony.  I write one or two sentences chronicling where I was, and then how He has changed me.  Then whenever I am feeling like the finish line is just too far away, and there is still so much in me that needs to change, I can take comfort in the fact that - He who began a good work in me will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ. (Philippians 1:6 - emphasis mine)

I would love know how you remind yourself of the ways God has changed you.  Do you journal, paint pictures, or build memorials?

"Growing"

photo credit - tico_bassie

Spring is in the air, or at least I would like it to be.  Though there is still snow on the ground here in Kansas, my thoughts have already turned to warmer days and the new possibilites for growth.

Earlier this month, as I pondered a theme for March on A Bird in the Hand, I found myself getting excessively  frustrated.  I couldn't think of anything, that I could write about, that someone else couldn't already do better and write about more eloquently.  My intention isn't for this blog to become a competition between the contributors (especially if I was going to lose *wink*), but I did want to be able to speak knowledgeably about a subject if I was going to write about it.  Every time I thought of a subject (cleaning, parenting, beauty, grace, being a godly wife...) my mind would go absolutely blank.  I began to panic - "It's my turn to pick!", "I have to come up with something!", "I can't let the team down!" "think, think, think!!".

I spent a ridiculous amount of brain cells, striving just to pick a simple theme.  And then it dawned on me, I haven't taken this to the Lord.  I had prayed about it...sort of, but had I really sought the Lord for an answer?...no.  I immediately dropped my heart to it's knees and began to pray.  He answered.  Though He did not immediately give me the answer to my question, like I wanted (of course).  He lovingly pointed out where I was missing the mark.  I cannot wait until I have all the answers to share with others.  If I wait, I will be sharing with others directly from my own proud heart, instead of from His gracious wisdom.

Matthew 6:27-29  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;  and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

photo credit - unknown

My desire is not to "toil or spin" in my own efforts, but to grow like a lily, walk in the light of my Creator, and allow my roots to dig deep into Him alone.

So the topic was chosen, not because I can speak intelligently on the subject, but simply because I need to grow.  And though it is easier to wait until I feel confident in what I am sharing, I believe the Lord will be able to use me more effectively when I am vulnerable with Him, and also vulnerable with you.

And just to show you how much work I really need, even after this wonderful revelation, in my weakness and insecurity, I still had to ask one of the other contributors if they liked the topic before beginning to write about it. - I may never learn.  Thank the Lord for his undying grace toward me, I am so undeserving!