A Quest For Contentment

    I am beginning a quest. Care to join me? In this quest, I hope to find many things but most of all I hope to find contentment. You see, I currently am not content. Not even a little bit. I’m also needing peace. Peace and Quiet. The kind that you don’t get when your kids are small and your house is trashed. Yes, my house is a disaster. I just get it cleaned up, and then 5 minutes later you would never know that it took me an hour to clean it. Take last night for instance, I put my kids to bed and then I spent a good hour and vacuumed and washed my floors. I thought it was a brilliant idea, doing it after the kids were in bed. However, I forgot about the dog. My dog is as messy as my kids. She leaves her toys everywhere, and she also sheds so I have to keep on top of that too. So, this morning when I woke up, I vacuumed again.

Anyway, back to my quest for contentment. I have been feeling lately that I would like to do something (anything!) different. I’m not sure what though. I would love to move to the ocean, or buy a big old historical house somewhere in the country (it could even be in a different country) and maybe restore it or just enjoy it’s beauty, I would also love to go on a missions trip, or just go away for a weekend to do some shopping. I have thought and prayed about many things, but I have not been led to do any of them. So, I just have to wonder, what am I supposed to be doing? Where does God want me? Every time I ask that question, the only thing that comes to mind is ‘right here’. Here is where he wants me, right in the middle of my life, raising my kids, being a wife to my husband, and building my relationship with Christ. But ‘here’ is not where I want to be right now. I’ve been ‘here’ for so long with so little change that I’m getting bored/restless. So that makes ‘here’ a difficult place for me to be. Maybe that’s why I’m supposed to stay ‘here’, maybe that means that I’m growing and soon He will move me and use me in the way He (not I) has planned. Maybe I’m being tested to see if I can ‘keep the faith’. I don’t know. All I know is that I’m where (I think) he wants me to be and I need to accept it and do my best to be content. So, I will continue to be ‘here’ and keep bringing my discontent to Him cause only he knows what my future holds.

How have you been lately? Are you content with your place in life? I would love to hear from you.

Psalm 119:35 “Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.”

*Andrea*

Mind My Manners

It just occurred to me. I can be a strict person when it comes to please and thank you and I don’t think I ever said thank you to those of you who read my blog. So… THANK YOU, VERY, VERY MUCH!! I’m so excited each day when I check the stats on my blog and I see that people have checked it out that day. I don’t have a Huge fan base, (not even really big, if you want to get technical) but I really appreciate each and every one of you that takes the time out of your busy day, to read what I have written that day.  It makes my day just knowing that some people find my blog interesting. Thank you again.

I received a very complimentary phone call today. A lady from Compassion Canada called me and she mentioned that she had received an email from head office regarding a question I had. In that email, the person had said very positive things about my blog. That was very exciting for me. I never in my dreams imagined someone from Compassion head office taking an interest in my blog. I’m nobody special, I have terrible grammar, and I’m just a ‘housewife’. What could I possibly have to say that’s really interesting? Nothing! However, It is often not for me (but sometimes it is) that I write, but for the one who sent me. He guides me in what he wants me to share that day, if anything at all. If the words that he’s guiding me to write are drawing people to my blog, that’s wonderful. He’s the one that I want to talk about the most.

Psalm 143:10 “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good spirit lead me on level ground.”

May God Bless You Abundantly!!

*Andrea*

Our Safe Place

   Psalm 46:1-3 "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present

help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though it's waters roar and foam

 and the mountains quake with their surging."

This was my devotion passage this morning. I just love the way It's written. "Even if the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the sea, we will NOT fear!" That is so comforting if you really think about it. God wants us to be assured that he is always there for us, that he is our 'safe' place. The place of no fear. The place we can go when there is no where else, and no one else. He is always there patiently waiting for us to open the door and invite him in. There is no 'handle' on his side of the door, it's up to us to open it. Have you opened the door to him lately?



Just a thought...

* Andrea *

Perspectives

   Last night when I was reading the bible verse in my day planner, it really made me think. Again? I know! This happens way too often!
The verse was 1 Peter 1:3 "All praise to God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation."

The write up that went with the verse was: " Life is hard; then you die. That's one perspective. Here's another: Life is membership in a forever family." I don't know about you, but I prefer the second perspective. How often in our lives have we been told the first one though? Why do we focus on how hard life is when we could be focusing on how much fun and freedom we can have living for God? If we are doing it all for him, life has meaning. If were just doing it for ourselves, it's worthless. As long as I live for him, I can have great expectations for my life and my future.

My perspective from now on will be " Life is membership in a forever family."

Are you part of the family? If not, I would love for you to join.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at:  candle_andrea@hotmail.com

* Andrea *

Tuesdays Thoughts

     Today has been a fairly productive day so far! I'm very excited about that. I have 5 kids in my home to take care of today and I've written letters to my sponsor boys, vacuumed my floors, cleaned up my room, fed all the kids and put 2 down for naps while the other 3 have quiet time. All in all, I feel as if I'm right on track with my day. I feel very peaceful today which is amazing because I didn't have a good sleep last night so I expected to be not as happy as usual. I'll admit I was a bit grumpy this morning until I did my devotions. It's so awesome how devotions and a prayer can change you and your day! I just love how God is at work in me when I open myself and let him in.
     I was reading a blog post earlier about Honduras and it really made me want to go see my little Alejandro. Oh how I hope that some day we can meet him! His sweet little face on my fridge (and on my blog) makes me think about him often. I also think about him a lot now because as I prepare for my daughters 4th birthday, I am getting his birthday stuff ready to send. With the amount of time that it takes for letters to travel, I need to send things 2-3 months in advance if I want him to receive them by his birthday. So, as I'm planning things for Arielle, I can't help but wonder what he will do for his birthday and if he'll receive any gifts. I will be sending him some money so that he will get a birthday gift, but I'm curious as to what it might be. I am very thankful that through sponsorship, compassion also has birthday parties for the kids. I can't wait for him to write and tell me what they did.
   I'm really thankful that we are able to sponsor a child. Through this experience ( it has only been a few months) my eyes have really been opened and my heart has learned to love more.

   1John 3:23 "And this is his command: to believe in the name of his son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us".


* Andrea *

Thinking Out Loud

    Today is a day where I've been doing a lot of thinking. Last night was the end of our 11 week Bible study series so now I'm reflecting on what I learned. We did the study "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore. It was an excellent series and it really makes you look inside yourself and find the areas that you are being held captive. It was really good to learn the different kinds of bondage. Things that seem so innocent are not always that way. They can be areas that the enemy is holding you captive but has deceived you into believing his lies. One of the greatest truths that really hit me hard is this: Anything that is keeing you from God is bondage. Nothing should come between you and him. Not your husband, not kids, not church, nothing. When you put God first, everything else falls into place. That's something that I'm really seeing with new eyes now. I'm watching my relationships with my husband and my kids change for the better everyday when I put God first. Things that you think can't get any better, really can! Areas that could definitely change, do! It is so amazing and awesome to be at God's side every day and to feel his presence! It is great knowing that he is being glorified in all things. I really encourage everyone to do this study if you have the opportunity. Even if your not in bondage, do it anyway. It's awesome what you can learn!

May you be blessed today!


* Andrea *

Thoughts From The Week...

    Wow, is it Friday already? This week has gone so fast! It has been another busy week for me. This has been another week where I've been doing alot of babysitting (which is great) but it sure keeps me busy! Also, my son got pink eye on Tuesday so he wasn't very happy for a couple of days. He seems to be alot better today which I am very thankful for. Arielle (my daughter) is finally over her pink eye but woke up yesterday morning with a "cough" so she says. I don't think it will turn out to be anything. 
    I did get my Easter package sent out to my sponsor boys. I sent it Monday afternoon, I was hoping to have it out first thing in the morning on Monday but we just didn't get going fast enough. That's OK though. I'm sure they will get it close to Easter even if they don't get it before.
   If anyone is looking for a store where they can find some neat stuff to send their sponsor kids, try Dollars Discount. I had not been in that store in a long time then other day I stopped in there to get something and I just took a minute to skim and see what I would find. They have so many neat things in there! My daughter wanted one of almost everything! I can't wait to have a bunch of time to really spend shopping in there without kids.
    Mornings at my house are pretty crazy. As soon as my kids hear me awake they are up and about as well. So to have a little bit of quiet time in the morning often does NOT happen. All I would like to have is 30 min, just enough time to wake up and do my morning devotions. In a 15 hour day I really don't think it's too much to ask. So I was talking to a friend of mine about this the other day and she told me what she used to do when her kids were little. She would have an alarm clock in their room and they were not allowed to come out until a certain time. I think this is a fantastic idea! So the next time I have some free time I'm going to go pick up an alarm clock and try this out. I'll let you know how it works.

    
I hope you have a great weekend!

God Bless!

* Andrea *