"Just a little Patience..."

When God was giving me the virtues He knew I needed, He decided to go sparingly on patience.  It’s not something I’m satisfied with, so I pray that He will provide more patience or teach me how to be more patient daily.  I’m impatiently waiting to become more patient!

In my defense, I do not live in a society that encourages patience.  Instant communication is possible through texting, phone calls, and e-mails.  A person can microwave a complete turkey dinner in less than five minutes for lunch.  In mere moments, you can feed your entire family exactly what they want from a drive-thru window at a fast-food restaurant.  We have devices in our home that allow us to record our favorite television programs and fast-forward through the commercials.  Our society does not value patience; rather, we are constantly figuring out ways to do what has to be done in faster ways.

The God we serve is not always a “fast-food God.”  In fact, His response to many prayers is “Wait.”  It’s the message of “Wait” that can bring doubt into the mind of a believer.  God can and does give instant replies to prayer, but that is not always the case.  Sometimes He seeks to teach us to be patient in our request in order to deepen our faith, trust Him more, and learn to live in expectation that He will act.

 I will continue to strive to be a more patient person.  I know God has been infinitely patient with me, so I will seek to be more like Him, even if the majority of the world disagrees.  

 As I learn to be more patient, my faith will grow.  I will learn to be joyful, no matter my circumstances.  I will learn to endure with grace and to be hopeful for what God will do.  While I wait, I will, in the words of Hebrews 12, “run the race…with perseverance…fix my eyes on Jesus…and not lose heart.”

God Bless You!--Lianne

A Very Special Guest Post

Hi Everyone! I'm Anna Beth.

My Mommy said that I could write a guest post for her blog. I didn't even know I could write yet!

Anyhow, I have heard that some people wanted to see pictures of me. My Mommy doesn't blog much. I think I keep her pretty busy most days...and nights.

I stay pretty busy myself--what with the playing, eating, sleeping, and...well, that other thing that I'm really not at liberty to talk about.

My parents tell me that I am a blessing and a miracle baby. Now, I don't know what all that means, and I'm guessing all Mommies and Daddies say that. But, my Mommy promises me that it is true.

Last September, my Mommy's doctor told her that my heart rate was way too low. He said that my body measured way too small also. Can you imagine that???

Anyhow, the doctor didn't really think I was "going to make it." I'm not sure what I was supposed to make, but if it's what I do in my diaper...well, I "make it" several times a day. 

Oops! I wasn't going to talk about that.

 My parents are always thanking God for me. You know who I thank God for? My big sister, Emma, and my big brother, Luke. 

 They are SO GOOD to me. A baby could not ask for a better big sister and brother! They love to help my parents out with baths and entertainment. They love to hold me and play with me, too. I can't figure out why they won't change my diapers, though.

Well, I have to go play, eat, sleep, and maybe that other thing when my Mommy's not paying attention.

It was nice meeting y'all!

Time

It occurred to me that the people who have the least amount of free time are probably the ones who spend the most time worrying about it.

 I know that since adding a third child to our family, my time seems to be disappearing a lot quicker than it ever did before.  I spend much of my time holding and feeding Anna Beth, and when I have those rare moments when she’s asleep, I have to make the absolute most of that time, whether it be eating a meal, showering, doing laundry, or spending time with Emma and Luke.

I feel my time comes at a premium right now.  If I don’t make smart use of my fleeting moments without a baby in my arms, I find myself frustrated (and hungry and unshowered, etc.) because I didn’t get anything done.

We all get the same 24 hours every day.  What we do with those hours is what determines our productiveness, our closeness in relationships, and other outcomes.  What we choose to spend our time being focused on defines to the world what we place our importance on.  Anyone looking at my life right now can see that my priority is taking care of my children.  Anyone looking at my house can see that it is not a priority to me at the moment!  (The piles of laundry and the furry Tupperware in the back of the fridge are a testament to this fact!)

In Ecclesiastes 3:1, Solomon tells us that “ There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”  I know there are days where I don’t think there is a time for everything, and sometimes the most important thing I should be doing—praising the God who gave me this day—gets pushed to the bottom of my “to-do list.”

If you were to analyze how you spend your 24 allotted hours, what would your clear priorities be?  Would it be work, sleep, family, or time spent studying/praising/talking to God?  Take the time to be introspective.  You might be surprised.