It is what it is...

Such is life.
This too will pass.
It is what it is.

All phrases I've heard and/or used to describe life. All basically saying that there are some things in life we can't change but simply have to walk through them. Circumstances that are outside our realm of control.

A well known Christian leader talked about this subject in her message this week. It was a timely reminder for me. A reminder to keep my focus on God and not on the circumstance that seems to be a mountain in my path. A reminder to live out the familiar 'Serenity Prayer'.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change...
courage to change the things I can...
and wisdom to know the difference.

To keep on keeping on. To run the race He has set before me and to be faithful. To leave with Him those things that only He can change. To trust Him with my everyday.

...and to be strong and couragous, boldly stepping out to change what I can change.

     Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you. Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.  Hebrews 10:35-36  (NLT)

Hugs,
Molly

If I only had 30 days...

So much I want to do. So much I need to do. If I allow everything that falls into those two categories to tumble into my mind at the same time it quickly escalates into a "Calgon, take me away!!!" kind of mindset. I can become so mired in a pit of anxiety that I do nothing. Kind of like the children's story where the character is running around yelling "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" O.K. so I don't run around screaming. But inside it can feel like my spirit is screaming.

This morning as I was sitting on my couch, drinking that first hot cup of coffee while waiting for my brain and body to finish waking up, I had a thought. (That in itself is cause to celebrate, considering the time of day it was!) Of all the hats I wear, of all the roles I fulfill, which ones bring me the most joy? Wife, Mom, Grandmother. Hands down...no contest...that is where my heart and soul are. Sure, there are lots of other things I love to do and many people I love to spend time with and pour my life into. However, I realize that my best energy, my best time, the best of me is to be given to those people God has given me right here in my family.

I confess I don't always do a good job of showing that. It is way too easy for me to say yes to other things and leave little margin in for my family resulting in a Molly who is crabby, short on patience and long on critical. OUCH! Ugly but true.

Knowing that we are coming into a really busy season of the year, I am surrendering my 'want to, need to' thoughts to God. I realize it will be a daily surrender just because that's the way I am wired. I'm a make a list and get it done kind of gal. But I don't want the list to be my focus. I want God to be my focus. He then makes everything else fall into place. His priorities become my priorities.

Whether I have 30 days or 30 years left to live in this world, I want to spend them fulfilling the plan and purpose for my life that originated with God. Does it include more than being wife, mom, and grandmother? I suspect it does. But those are the most important relationships He has blessed me with and I believe with all of my heart, that is where He would have me focus.

...and so I plan to savor each and every moment. To allow Him to fill me with creative ideas to show my family how much I love them. How much I enjoy being here with them. To allow Him to use me to show them His love.

I'll be sharing with you some of the ways He does that in my home. I would love to hear how He does that in your home as well. (Ya know that is one of the great things about girlfriends...sharing our ideas, etc.) Leave a comment below -- you'll be a blessing to others and I'll bet you'll get one back!

Hugs,
Molly

Anniversaries, etc.

Today marks a milestone in my husband's life and therefore, also in mine. Thirty-one years ago today he began a new job. A job that we were so sure he wouldn't get when he applied that we didn't even look to see where it was. But God... A phone call, a job offer and we got out the map to see where we were going. In a matter of two weeks we closed out our life in one state, loaded up all of our household goods in a Uhaul, and made a giant leap into the unknown. After spending four years in the Navy, He was experienced at living away from his hometown. On the other hand, I had never lived more than an hour away from my parents. They were deeply attached to our two sons. While I looked forward to this new adventure with my husband and children, a part of my heart broke because I was leaving behind my parents and what had been home for many years.

God's presence during our preparation to move and in those first few months was obvious. Every obstacle to the move was removed, one at a time. Though money was tight and we had adjustment issues with our oldest son, we continued to see Him provide in many different ways. I found a good church home and met a precious woman who became (and still is) my best friend.

And so today, as I do every year on November 4, we celebrate the anniversary of a new beginning in our lives. I pause to remember how God moved in our circumstances to bring us here. How it was obvious this was where He intended us to be.

Anniversaries are time markers. Whether it is a wedding anniversary, a birthday, or anniversary of the death of a loved one. The one common thread weaving through all of them is that it is a time of remembrance. Of the people we've known and places we have been, the things we have done, the places we have visited. But the most important remembrance should always be of what God has done for us. Remembering His faithfulness, His provision, His blessing. It is in remembering that we gain strength and confidence to face the future. Our God's faithfulness never wavers, His love never ceases.

Let's celebrate!

Hugs,
Molly

Simple Blessings

As another weekend draws to a close, I am sitting here thinking about God's simple blessings. In the midst of a challenging life storm, I am choosing daily to look for the rays of sunshine. I find they are always there if I am looking for them. This weekend my sunshine rays included a visit from my WVa family, watching my oldest granddaughter get ready for her senior homecoming dance, sharing candy and taking pics of three grandkids as they had fun with trick 'r treat, and simply enjoying a restful Sunday afternoon with no agenda (no cooking either, it's leftovers tonight!)

Everyday God showers me with simple blessings. But I have to look for them and then take time to savor them. It is easy to let my focus stray to the storm, to hear the wind and see the waves. But just as children's fears and anxiety can be removed by drawing their attention away from the storm, so are my fears, worries, and anxiety removed when I place my attention on God.

If you are in a life storm right now, won't you join me in looking for God's simple blessings every day? Our storms may not go away soon, but we must remember that God is in control of the storm. He wants us to allow Him to complete His work while we rest in His love.

What simple blessings did God bring to you today?

Mid-week or "hump day"?

Which of these terms do you use to describe Wednesday? For many years I have viewed it as 'hump day'. My favorite local weatherman describes it as "huuuuuuuuuuump day"! No matter what term we use, most of us look at Wednesday as the halfway point to the weekend. Halfway through our work week and looking forward to time off. Making plans for all that we are going to do once Friday evening rolls around.

Today, however, I had a different thought. I was reminded of what my high school Spanish teacher told us when we seniors could talk about nothing but graduation. He said, "Don't be so focused on something that is months (then weeks) away. Live today. Don't waste your life by focusing on the future so much that you miss today." At the age of seventeen I just didn't grasp what he was telling us. Sure, I listened but I didn't practice the wisdom he was trying to teach us.

As the years passed, I came to realize the magnitude of what he was saying. I do try to live each day in the moment. But I also find myself longing for the weekend. In times past I rationlized it with the excuse of a stressful job, demanding boss, cranky co-workers. But now I don't have any of those excuses. I have a job with little stress, bosses and co-workers who are kind and compassionate. We work as a team. Yet I still fall prey to the habit of marking my week by how many more days until the weekend.

Ouch! Marking days that will never  pass again. Days that are filled with opportunities that may never come around again. Each day closer to the last day, the last breath. None are to be wasted. As long as I draw breath, God has a purpose for me here. And one thing I am sure of...His purpose does not include a 'living for the weekend' mentality.

So today is not 'hump day'. It is a wonderful Wednesday. Blessed by messages from God through His word and through the small group Bible study I am currently participating in. Blessed by morning coffee time with my husband. Blessed by conversations with my son and granddaughter currently living with us. Blessed by an unexpected visit from my grandson who asked his Papa, "Can we go surprise Mama?" Blessed with opportunities to love and to share.

Every day is a gift. May we live our days fully in that truth.

Hugs,
Molly

A New Beginning

After much procrastination, here I am! At least in the beginning stages of a new blog space. If you are new to this blog, welcome! You will see  a few changes as I get the design updated and get used to moving around my new site. Kinda like moving to a new town. It takes a few trips to be able to just drive there without carefully looking at each and every road sign and trying to memorize landmarks.

I am planning on bringing some stuff with me from my old blog but right now it's a matter of figuring out how to box it up, move it, and get it unpacked here. Hey, I never professed to be a technical expert. :-)

But right now, I am sitting here thinking about how nice it is to finally be here. Hoping that some of my old friends will stay connected while also excited about making new friends. A new place, a new adventure. A sense that God is up to something. But, then, isn't He always up to something?!  The adventure part is when we get to join Him.

In part, that is the reasoning behind the new blog title, My unCommon Life.  From the viewpoint of most people observing my life they would, most likely, describe it as a common life. You know, middle class, small town, wife, mother, grandmother, job. But God... God takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary. He uses the common to produce uncommon results. The Bible is full of stories about common people and their extraordinary lives. I'll bet that many of them lived every day just like you and me, never thinking that God was using them to impact lives thousands of years into the future. 

I believe He still uses common folks today and wants to show His extraordinary power in our lives. The impact can come when we are willing to share our struggles, our challenges, our every day ordinary lives and how He is leading us up, over, around, and through victoriously.

I invite you to come along with me as I share my common life and how He can make it unCommon. I pray that it will be an encouragment to you.

Homemade Butter and Changes

Happy Friday to those of you reading my blog today. I absolutely LOVE Fridays! Especially since January when my work schedule adjusted to allow me to work Mon-Thurs and have each and every Friday off. When I first began this schedule I had grand plans of what to do with my new 'free' time and some of it has actually happened. Being the Type A, plan too much and try to cram it all in kind of gal that I am, there have been more than a few weeks when my fantasy did not match up with reality. However, I am settling into a flow and being more selective in how I spend these days.

For instance, today I thought about all the things I wanted to get done. A 'to-do' list from two weeks ago had some tasks without a checkmark or line through. Meaning I still wanted/needed to do them. Then there is the never ending list of household chores that keep popping back up no matter how many times you do them. This morning as I was ending my quiet time with the Lord and began to think about how my day was going to proceed I was prompted to separate my list of 'want to do's' into two categories. First, what are the things I want to do that either require solitude or are things that I won't do once surrounded by family again. On the other list are those things that can be worked into the normal weekend routine. What a revelation!! 'Cause I can tell you that normally I just jump into the list of household chores first and find myself leaving out the things that are more important.

Here is how that worked for me this morning. After my extended quiet time with the Lord, I worked on my speaking topic for the upcoming women's retreat (Oct. 15-16...get it on your calendar if you are in the Hopkinsville area!), caught up on a couple of emails, ordered a book from Amazon that I want to read, and then made homemade butter.

Yep, homemade butter! I got the recipe from Kelly Hancock at Faithful Provisions. Love, love, love that gal's website and all of her helpful hints on saving money on your grocery shopping and her yummy recipes. If you aren't familiar with Kelly, check out her website at www.faithfulprovisions.com I promise you will love it! (You can find her recipe for homemade butter too...big smile!) It is resting and cooling in the fridge..can't wait to try it on my toast at breakfast tomorrow.

Now I am off to the shower so I can meet my sweet hubby to do some b'day shopping for one of our sons, try to snag some scrapbooking bargains at Hobby Lobby, and then have supper together. As you plan your weekend, I pray that God will help you build in some quality quiet time with Him and some focused time with your family. Chores have to get done sooner or later, but let's ask God to help us keep it all in perspective.

Now about the 'Changes'. In the next few days I will be posting my personal blogs on a new blogspot. Sharing the Journey won't go away but it will become primarily a place for you to keep up with what is going on with the Women's Ministry at Hillcrest. I will put a link here for you to pop over and visit me at my new bloggy world home. (And I do hope you will follow me over there 'cause it surely is precious to a blogger's heart to know that someone is reading what they write.) So stayed tuned...............there is LOTS more to come as we continue our journey toward Home.

Blessings and hugs,
Molly