Lessons Learned.

Looks harmless, doesn't it?

Well, it has been awhile since I last posted.  There has been quite a lot going on.  I find it amazing how quickly the weeks can pass and things can change.

Just after my last blog post, I strained my back.  This sounds rather benign unless you have ever experienced a strained back.  I don't think I have physically hurt that bad since giving birth.  So, I spent many days in bed resting.  This sounds very nice except for the fact that it was the week of First Monday and we had just made plans to expand our retail location in Tyler and there was much work to be done.  However, God never wastes anything and I learned a lot of lessons through it all.

First of all,  I am hard headed and don't listen like I should.  This is really not a new concept, I have known this about myself for quite some time, but I never really suffered any harsh consequences for it.  If anything, because I will push myself and accomplish a lot in a short period of time, I have been rewarded by people giving me praise and more responsibility.  But, not listening to the Holy Spirit is sin.  The Holy Spirit is the third member of the God-head.  Being third on the list does not make him any less God.  His unctions are not just good suggestions, they are instructions from the throne of God.  So, just before I lifted and moved the antique door, that little voice said "Don't pick up that door".  My next thought was, "I will be careful, its not that heavy."  No, it was not that heavy but I disobeyed and this time there were consequences.  By the end of the day I could not hardly walk around.  You know the next crazy and stupid thing I did next?  The very next morning I woke up with no pain whatsoever.  I couldn't believe it.  Then the small voice said "lets do your quiet time." I thought no, I am going to take care of a few things and come back to it.  Within 20 minutes I was back in the bed.  See how hard-headed I am, I could have ended it right there by being obedient and I refused.  So, it has taken 4 weeks, three visits to the Chiropractor and I still have to be careful.

Please do not take from this that anytime you hurt or have something happen that God is behind it.  He gave me plenty of time to change on my own and plenty of warnings that I had to change.  The great thing is that regardless of the source of your hardship, God will use it for your good.

This leads me to the second lesson learned.  Tony has been telling me for ages to stop lifting the doors and to make the kids more involved with meal preparation and household duties.  I have resisted for many reasons, sometimes as a mom it is just easier to do it yourself.  Furthermore, I have taught them all to cook and felt that they were well equipped to manage their own households.  Hence my thought processes to basically blowing Tony off.  Well, God had plenty of time to talk with me those first 48 hours, I wasn't going anywhere.  He made it clear that He had been speaking though Tony and I wouldn't listen to either of them.

Once God got done with the correction of my ways, He began to speak to me about the new season we are entering.  There is going to be a lot going on and a lot of expansion.  It is imperative that I be quick to listen and obey for my sake and the sake of my family.  He loves me and He disciplines the ones He loves.  I am so thankful.  Time management is one of those things I love, I can work the time and always squeeze in more.
However, there is only so much energy available- not just in a day but in a week, month, year- so if I burn up all my resources doing things that He is either telling me to delegate or just leave alone (like heavy antique doors) I will not be able to finish the race He has set before me.

This week begins our new meal schedule.  I did the grocery shopping with a plan in mind that was based on what each kid can cook and likes to cook.  So, each one has a night that they do dinner.  Ironically, Jonathan the youngest has two nights because he can cook so many different things.  Seriously, last week he mixed up hamburger meat and spices and made hamburgers all by himself.  Those were some of the best burgers I have ever had.  He can grill pork chops, make spaghetti, steaks, fried potatoes with Eckridge sausage, steaks and pretty much anything else with a recipe.  He made cornbread for the stew and it was good.  I am sure he had a little help clarifying the directions.  Not too bad for an eleven year old.  The girls are not so crazy about cooking, they seem to like 3 meals a day and someone who does their laundry.  Oh well, things are changing anyway.  In the long run, they will be thankful.