Christian Living

Happiness is Simple

Happiness is simple.

Maybe I should say it like this instead-Simple makes me happy.

Simplicity makes me happy.

I am not saying that happiness is easy. (But it definitely isn’t as hard as people make it)

I am saying that keeping things simple is a key to my happiness.

I can say this as a fact:

I AM TRULY HAPPY

It’s that simple! Or maybe I’m simple (okay I know, enough of the word play with the word simple)

I am happy!

Definition:Happy-characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment, or joy.

I am content, I am joyful, I love my life!

I am grateful!

Happiness is a choice, it is not a destination. I decide that I am going to be happy and it’s not some place that I am going, it is right where I am.

I FIND JOY WHERE I AM.

That is what brings me contentment.

I find real joy in the everyday. Simple things. Not in material worldly things like what the commercials on TV tell me I need to be happy, but in the amazing beauty of the gifts that my God has given me.

First and foremost, the gift of salvation. I have the gift of eternal life because my Savior died for my sins.

My husband.

My marriage.

My children.

My family.

I am surrounded by things that make me happy. That brings me joy. I take the time to appreciate them and that is another key to my happiness.

Something else that I find joy in that makes me happy is- sharing it with others.

That can be done in many ways. Some as simple as just smiling at someone while I’m out and about or telling my kids a goofy joke(I have a lot of them). But I feel that I share it the best in my photography.

No, I am not a professional photographer, I am just a simple county gal who sees beauty in the world around me and I try to capture that to share with others. Most of the pictures I share here on the blog I took on our farm. The picture below I took over looking our farm, I finally found the perfect quote to describe it and that makes me happy.

Perfect isn’t it?

Don’t get me wrong my life isn’t perfect, no one’s is, but it is perfect for me.

I choose to roll with the punches, to find blessing in everything and

I choose to be happy.

I am not perfect, I am perfectly imperfect and I am perfectly happy.

Isn’t that simple?

I’ve Been Planted

I AM BURIED. SURROUNDED BY DARKNESS.

It has been the longest winter. Cold, dreary, mundane. It is the time of year that we are stuck inside. The sun seems to be hiding and the wind chills you to the bone.

Cold, dark, depressing.

I AM COVERED IN DIRT. I FEEL IT’S WEIGHT ON EVERY SIDE.

As we are stuck inside in this cold, grey weather it is easy to contemplate all that we feel is going wrong in life. We feel the pressure of this world envelop us.Everything seems so much harder in the cold. We are dirty and exhausted from our daily struggle. It is the weight of this world.

I AM TRAPPED, STUCK IN THIS HOLE OF DIRT.

Will this winter ever end? The cold? The sicknesses? Will I see the sun soon? The winter is so long! I need to get outside! Feel the sun on my face and the warm breeze through my hair. I am restless. I am ready to burst out of this cold and darkness. I am ready to see the sun. To grow. And not just to survive but to THRIVE.

I will push through this dark season.

IT IS RAINING. I FEEL THE WARMTH OF THE SUN ON THE SOIL.

When I feel the darkness and cold of this world I know where to turn.

I turn towards the SON!

When I feel as I am stuck, weary or just had a bad day, I know where I can revive my soul.

I go to the Bible. I read and study God’s promises, linger in His presence and learn of His love for me.

It warms my heart and nourishes my soul.

I AM BREAKING THROUGH.

Instead of letting this long, cold winter bring me down, I will use my time stuck inside to study His word and reflect on all of the blessings He has provided. I will not contemplate on what is going wrong, but I will rejoice and be grateful for what is going right. I will break through.

I AM GROWING AND READY TO BLOOM.

I am me. I have had a season of struggle, but it has not defined me.

I am not one to stay in the dark, stuck inside to drown in my sorrows. I always see the bright side, I always have faith and hope. I know there will be hard times but I also know that the good times will outnumber the bad times.

I will raise my hands and give all GLORY and PRAISE to my God who is always with me and who will always rescue me from any pit that I may fall in.

No matter what.

I WILL BLOOM.

I will bloom. And when others see His beauty and love in me I hope it plants a seed in their heart that will grow into a desire for a closer relationship to Him-our Redeemer, our Savior, our God.

Grow with me!

Have you been planted? Did you think you were buried in the darkness?

Join me as I grow.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. I want to use the next 40 days to grow my relationship with Jesus.

Every day until Easter I am going to spend time in His word and reflect on all He has done for me. How I can be more like Him and how I can share His message of Salvation with others.

Will you join me?

The Random Sock Drawer

Up early ✔️

Fixed your family a big nutritious Sunday breakfast ✔️

Cleaned up all the mess and have stuff prepped for dinner✔️

Got showered and ready in record time✔️

Ready to walk out the door✔️

Do you ever have that fleeting moment when you feel like you finally seem to have it altogether?

All your ducks in a row.

You have been working so hard on organizing around the house, everything is falling into place. Even your mornings seem to be going smoother.

You are feeling great!

It is gonna be a great day!

You feel a smile come across your face, you hold your head a little higher.

You are ready to take on the world.

And then…..

you try to get your family ready for church.

Now, somehow although you asked the kids to start getting ready an hour ago they are still in their pajamas, eating their second breakfast.

When you give them “the look” they can’t understand what they did wrong and after a calm but to the point motivational speech they begrudgingly….. head….. upstairs…… as…. slow…… as……. humanly…… possible.

Now that they have hiked up Mt. Everest (or at least that is how they make it sound by all the complaining), no one can find anything they need to get ready.

You (thought) you were pretty much caught up on laundry. And by caught up I mean washed, dried and actually put away. But somehow no one can seem to find that one thing that they wanted to wear today.

You now feel like YOUR HEAD IS GOING TO EXPLODE.

It is 10 minutes until you have to leave to make it to church and now there is no way that you are going to make it on time.

You start to raise your voice.

Why can we never be on time for anything?– you yell.

Your mind is racing about all they things that you could have done to ensure that you left on time but you didn’t.

I think, I mean you think-

Why can’t I be like those perfect moms who really do have it altogether?

You run back downstairs to find your purse and your keys while they are finishing getting ready.

Then one of them yells down- “I can’t find any socks.”.

That is it.

It is time to throw in the towel.

Why? Why? Why?

You feel defeated.

I will NEVER be that perfect mom– you mumble to yourself as you stomp back up the stairs.

And then you remember,

How could you forget?

THE RANDOM SOCK DRAWER

Socks had been the enemy for way too long. They never seemed to match up, they would disappear and reappear without a match. So much time was spent trying to perfectly match every pair. Just like your mom did. Just like those “perfect moms” probably do.

Until last week.

You changed the game.

Ok, enough of this “you”. By now you all know that it is me.

I changed the game.

If I can’t find a matching pair of socks right away they go in the random sock drawer.

Yep, not matched and not folded.

Not perfect.

The random sock drawer.

And that random sock drawer just (figuratively) hit me in the face.

As I got to the top of the stairs I asked “If you can’t find a matching pair, did you look in the random sock drawer?”.

“Just did. Found some. Thanks mom. I’m ready.” I heard.

Well, I guess that is one thing that I did right, or at least it made this morning a little easier.

Sometimes I guess it is ok to not be perfect. -I think to myself.

And that is when it hit me.

I’m not perfect and I never will be.

And that is okay.

Actually- I really don’t want to be one of those “perfect moms” (Do they really even exist?).

I am imperfect in so many ways.

But it is who I am and I know that God, my husband and children love me just the way I am.

Flaws and all.

I just need to give myself more grace. I will always be a work in progress.

I just need to find the balance between perfection and grace, one day at a time.

I am perfectly imperfect and I love that.

I guess it is the beauty of being me.

There is no real beauty without some slight imperfection

-James Salter

We did make it to church.

A little late but we made it.

And, I didn’t walk in looking down in embarrassment for being late (again) this time.

I walked in with a smile on my face, with my head held high because I am happy to be me, flaws and all.

Imperfect as I am, I know that I am welcome there. Actually, I always have been no matter how late I show up or how much of a mess I am.

How is it that the random sock drawer taught me so much?

Letting go of perfection.

Giving grace.

Picking up pieces and moving forward towards God. The way I am. Perfectly Imperfect. And loved for it.

Does that sound familiar?

Isn’t that what being a Christian is about?

We are not perfect. But God loves us anyway. He forgives and gives grace.

He loves us no matter what. No matter how imperfect we are.

Christians are not perfect, just forgiven.

And church isn’t a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners.

Have you ever thought about it that way?

Isn’t it funny or ironic (or whatever you want to call it) that my random sock drawer triggered all of these thoughts for me?

Or, is it not ironic or a coincidence- but God talking to me in my perfectly imperfect world?

Home

Home.

Is there any better word?

But, Home is so much more than just a word. Isn’t it?

It is a feeling, a sense of belonging.

Actually it is hard to use other words to properly explain or express what it is.

If you have read my past few blogs you will know that in the past year my family moved across the country for my husband’s work. We left our farm, our home, something that we never thought we would do. It is only a temporary move. We are very fortunate and are able to keep our farm while we are away and we plan on moving back home permanently as soon as possible.

Today we are traveling home to our farm and it has me thinking about everything that home is to me and trying to put my feelings into words.

As much as I feel that I can’t adequately put it into words, I’m gonna give it a shot.

Home is…

Where your family is

Where your heart is at peace and where your soul finds rest

A place where you are free to be you, the unedited you

But it is more than a place-

It is a feeling-the feeling of relief when you get there after a long absence

The longing and feeling that something is missing when you are away.

It feels like the sunshine on your face on warm summer day

The feeling of your bare feet in the grass on the cool ground for the first time in the spring (and every time after)

It just feels right.

It is part of you

You are part of it.

It is exactly what you need.

It is exactly what I need.

Making Beauty From The Scraps

Making Beauty From The Scraps

I should have know that something was up.

Through out last week both of my children kept asking to help feed the horses, muck the stalls, clean the barn-anything that gave them some time in the barn. I thought they were enjoying the spring weather or just being out of the house.

I was wrong, they were not out there enjoying spring.

They were both out there up to something else.

Sometimes they were together, other times just one of them.

They were working hard.

It was a labor of love.

I’m not sure when they finished it.

But, I was presented with the beautiful, precious gift today. The day after Good Friday and the day before Easter.

My heart was bursting with thankfulness and love. My eyes teared up. I was (believe it or not) speechless.

And here it is❤️

It is a masterpiece and fills my heart in so many ways.

My children made this from scraps that they found around the farm.

Pieces that were broken, no good, of no use. So they were thrown away.

But my children made those broken, useless pieces into something beautiful.

Something beautiful that represents The One who takes the broken, the no good, the ones thought to be useless, worthless and He makes them beautiful.

What an amazing expression of love!

They took those scraps and built the symbol of my Savior. The cross that He died on for my sins and yours. The very symbol that takes my broken undeserving worldly ways-my sins, away. It takes them and turns it in to beautiful loving forgiveness- an amazing grace.

What an amazing gift of love- a symbol of the greatest act of love.

“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” 1 Corinthians 15:3b-4

Because He died for our sins we are a made new. We were broken, sinful, no good and He makes us in to something beautiful.

He died for you. For the forgiveness of your sins. Because He loves you.

Do you know this amazing grace? The unending Love of our Savior? Have you asked Him in to your heart and given Him your sins, your brokenness?

He will make beauty from the scraps.

To learn more you can visit:

https://peacewithgod.net/

Surviving On Jesus and Dry Shampoo

Sometimes you know it is just gonna be one of those days.

It is the end of March, so the weather is very unpredictable. Today it is rainy and dreary. That doesn’t help my motivation level. If anything it makes me want to take a nap.

It has been a busy day already, my energy is fading fast and I didn’t have a lot to start with.

I still have a list of things that need to be done today.

It’s gonna be one of those days.

You know. Those days. The days when you feel like you have to drag yourself through the day. The days that you feel like you are just surviving. Yeah, that kind.

I started the morning out pretty well. I was up on time, but moving slower than usual. I took a little extra time drinking my coffee in hopes that it would kick in sooner than later. The kids got up and ready better than they usually do and they were ready to walk out the door on time.

Yes I said they were.

It actually was me that wasn’t ready today.

They were ready and I was still drinking my coffee waiting for it to kick in. So when it finally registered in my brain that it was time to leave, and I wasn’t ready, I was in a little bit of a panic. I hadn’t even gotten my shower yet! How did I lose track of time like this?

Dry shampoo to the rescue!

A few sprays. Run a brush trough my hair and I am ready to face the world.

Out the door we go.

In the car and on our way.

Every morning on the way to school the kids and I pray in the car and this has been such a blessing to me.

Especially on days like today.

We take turns praying. Thanking God for all He has given us as we know all good things come from Him. Asking for healing, safety and protection for others and asking for His blessings and guidance as we face our day. This has really given me an insight on what is on my children’s hearts and minds. It helps us all start the day out right.

On days like this that is what helps me make it through the day.

Coffee, Dry shampoo and Jesus

Days like this really aren’t bad days. I am very grateful for my health, my family and all of the many blessings I have. Some days I just feel like I’m surviving instead of thriving.

I am still waiting for the coffee to kick in but as I drag my sleepy self through this day I will just be thankful to be able to do it.

I am not super woman. I will have days like this, and that is okay.

Oh, and we did make it to school on time 🙂

I Love Cleaning Up Messes I Didn’t Make. So I Became A Mom.

I Love Cleaning Up Messes I Didn’t Make. So I Became A Mom.

When I first read that I laughed out loud.

Sarcasm is some of my favorite humor.

But then it hit me.

A big part of my day has been doing just that, cleaning up messes I didn’t make.

I’m not complaining, it is part of the life I choose. There is nothing I love more than taking care of my family. And by taking care of them I let them know how much I love them. That includes, but is not limited to, cleaning up their messes.

As a Farm Wife and Mom, my responsibilities are just not inside our walls . Yes, I keep the house (for the most part) clean, make sure everyone has 3 meals a day and clean clothes. But I also cut grass, clean the barn and chicken coop, feed all of the animals and other farm chores. It truly is a lot of work. But I wouldn’t change it for anything!

I say that my house is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy.

It is spring now and on the farm that brings more cleaning up to be done. It is time to clean up all that winter has left behind. Trees have fallen, fences are in need of repair. Everything is muddy and in need of some cleaning. It has been a hard winter. Not so much because we had a lot of snow but it was very cold. Uncommonly cold for our area. So we stayed cooped up inside most of the time. So needless to say-I am so glad Spring is finally here!

Spring is a time of renewal and reawakening. The birds are singing, the flowers are starting to break through the hardened earth and the sunshine is breaking through the gray clouds. It lifts my spirits and awakens my soul. It feels like a weight has been lifted.

It gets me thinking about life. About how old things becoming new again. How things come back to life. Bloom. Grow and flourish.

Which gets me to wondering about things that I may need to work on and improve in my spiritual life. About how my heart and mind could use an awakening, a renewal.

My heart and mind could use a good “spring cleaning”.

A renewal of my soul.

As I pondered that, I remembered something I had read. It is a cleaning schedule of sorts. A cleaning schedule that we could all benefit from. So thought I would share it with you.

Wash Day

Monday – Wash Day

Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity so I may serve you with perfect humility through the week ahead.

Tuesday – Ironing Day

Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have collected through the years so that I may see the beauty in others.

Wednesday – Mending Day

O God, help me mend my ways so I will not set a bad example for others.

Thursday – Cleaning Day

Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart.

Friday – Shopping Day

O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may purchase eternal happiness for myself and all others in need of love.

Saturday – Cooking Day

Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love and serve it with the clean, sweet bread of human kindness.

Sunday – The Lord’s Day

O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart as my honored guest so I may spend the day and the rest of my life in your presence.- Author Unknown

What do you think?

Could you benefit from it?

I know I can.

So now you know what I will be working on.

Cleaning up messes.

MY OWN

With the help of my Savior- Jesus Christ

I am imperfect but I am working on it.

And I am okay with that.

I AM PERFECTLY IMPERFECT.