Staying Worry Free - Part 2

I hope you were able to splurge on yourself a little yesterday and buy a great journal. As I said in Part 1 of this post, journaling is a great way to measure and track our spiritual progress. I've heard it said over and over that humans can only remember a recent event for 72 hours. After that, the memory fades and the event is stored in our brain and replaced with the new information it's receiving.

In this day and age with the onslaught of media coming from everywhere, it's far too difficult to remember. And spiritual growth can be such a slow process that it's almost imperceptible and truly only visible with the passage of time.

For example, when we go to the doctor for a check-up, what does she do? She looks at our chart. She's able to take a look at our history, note the previous changes in our bodily health, and understand us better because she's written it down. 

In the same way, we can record everything we hear from God, everything he impresses on our minds and in this way, we keep track of our spiritual progress. We examine ourselves:

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test?" 2 Corinthians 13:5

After all, the Bible is the written word of God. Because his people took the time to write, we reap the benefits daily. Who knows, maybe people in the future, like our children and descendants will read our own words of faith and receive His comfort and wisdom through the stories of our lives.

Journaling helps us get everything we're feeling on the inside, out. Personally, it helps me  toward my quest for righteousness, tests my heart and helps me make sure I'm living in the faith.

This is the cover of the journal I'm using right now. I will never forget the season I'm in and the reminder that I need to trust God in all things:

Putting your life down on paper can be hard at first, but with practice it feels more natural.

Finally, do your best to push through difficulty and delight in each minute spent in quiet with Him. Even in our worst seasons of life, and in times of his discipline, He's true to his character as our Heavenly Daddy.

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel and watch over you."

                                                                                                               
                                                              Psalm 32:8

Bloom

Hi friends,

Pardon the many garden images coming out in my blog. I'm spending tons of time getting all my plants strongly rooted before the southern sun burns them up. The garden is where I learn the most about God.

I know following God can sometimes be difficult, especially when you don't understand the seasons of life he has you in. I find that when I need to get unstuck from a miry area, the best thing to do is move.

Make a move in any direction, because when you're moving, you're not stuck in discouraging and defeating thoughts. You're engaging in life. When we engage in life with God, he directs our steps and takes us where we need to go.

Look in the bottom corners of this this picture closely:

I purchased these hibiscus plants to put on either side of my front door. They're the same plant, bought at the same time, and positioned in the same area. I guess I didn't fully understand their growth requirements, because I had to move them.

Their beautiful flowers fell off after a week. This may not seem like a big deal, but since my husband is convinced that I'm a plant killer, and thus a money waster, it's a big deal for me.

I'll do anything to prove him wrong about this! 

One hibiscus had buds on it, but the other didn't, so I decided to switch it and move it to the sunnier corner. After another two weeks, I noticed that the other one's leaves were getting dull and the other was growing buds.

        Here's the one in the sunnier corner, starting to bloom again.
                 

             
          Look at this one....she's leaning - trying to get to the sun!

Now, I play "The Switcheroo." Every other day, I switch them around to give them an equal chance to stand in the sun. It's a lot of work, but that's ok because God's teaching me to tend to things and really care for them. He's also showing me that sometimes we're just not in the right spot.

Our God is a tender gardener. He looks after us, cares for us and moves us around when we're not in the right place. When we're in the right spot.....

    We bloom!

How about you? Are you in the right spot in your life and ministry?

     Are you, and others around you, blooming?

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener." John 15:1