Eagle Lake in the winter!

Pictures in the Park

One wonderful thing about living in Colorado is the scenery.   We went to Palmer Park a while ago and were taken by surprise at all the beauty just waiting to be seen.  God's glory was simply all around us!  As always, I didn't leave the house without my camera, so I wanted to share some of that beauty with you!

(Samuel (4) was very excited to see these—he's wanted to see cactuses since we moved, and he finally got his chance!)

I saved the best for last.  This was my mom's favorite picture.  I must admit, it's one of mine, too.

My half-full cup

Someone once said that a cup could be looked at as half-full, or half-empty.  How true that is!  As many of you already know, my family recently sold our house and we have relocated to Colorado.  Right now, life isn't looking too up for me—I came home from a Colorado camp, just in time to pack and say good-bye to the friends I thought that I would be spending the rest of my high school years (or more!) with.  We moved from Colorado four years ago, and though I am glad to have moved back, it is an ongoing challenge to meet new friends and begin to reconnect with the old ones.  I have been through and learned so much since we moved to Iowa, and now I need to use what I've learned to keep my "cup half-full" instead of half-empty!  I want to share with you some tips I've learned for improving the "view of your cup," and replace it with a God-centered attitude:

1.       Read your Bible!  What does God say about your situation?  Are you tired? Matthew 11:28 says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."  Are you afraid?  Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

2.       Help others.  This isn't just a tip to keep you busy, I promise!  Helping others always makes me realize that the world is bigger than "me" and "mine."  I mean, since when has wiping a two-year-old's snotty nose and slobbery chin been a big confidence booster?!? Getting my focus off of me makes me able to see Him and what He would want me to think about—not about my problems, but about how I can use my situation to help out others in need.

3.        Pray Continuously.  Don't just pray one or two times a day; pray every time that you think of it.  What—you only think of it one or two times a day?  You can fix that easily!  Start memorizing scripture about prayer, and every time that you see or recite that verse, guess what?  You'll remember to pray!  Some verses to get you started: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (sounds long, but that's just to scare you.  It's a great one if you're not used to memorizing, short and sweet.), Mark 14:38, Ephesians 6:18, and James 5:13.  I have been so much happier when I'm praying more often!  And speaking of memorizing...

4.       Memorizing Scripture!  Start with the passages above, or consider these ones: Romans 8:35-39, Galatians 5:22-26, and James 1:2-4.  If it seems like some of the passages you want to memorize are too long, then memorize only a couple verses, and see where it takes you.  Scripture will bring you closer to God, and at the same time, make you realize that your situation isn't as bad as it seems from the start!

Those are four of my suggestions for making your cup seem a little fuller than what it probably has seemed.  Though going through hard times can be challenging, I whole-heartedly believe that God allows us to go through them for a reason—often for our good.  Sometime in the future, I am sure that you will be able look back on the difficulties you're facing now and be able to say that they were for God's glory.  Just remember—sometimes we can learn a whole lot more about ourselves and our Heavenly Father by keeping a positive attitude during our times of testing and trials! 

Burdened? (Part 1)

The four youngest are now in bed and the house is quiet enough for me to get some well-deserved writing in.  The last few days, my life has been so busy that I'm wondering once again if this is simply a dream—you know, the kind you wake up from and instead of being the hectic life you remember, it's calm, peaceful, and you're able to do all you want.  But when I got smacked in the face by a sleepy Isaiah hand, I knew that I wasn't dreaming.  This life is real.  And I need to start living it like it is.

I said that my life has been busy.  What I meant by that is that instead of simply doing school work, household chores, and helping my mom out with dinner a little bit, I've been doing school work, household chores, making  dinner, putting the four youngest (Sophia, Emily, Sam, and Isaiah) in bed, and not getting in bed myself until eleven or twelve.  Now, I'm not Cinderella—my mom's not expecting me to do all this every day.  And to be perfectly honest, this is a "scattered" idea of what my days have been like.  I don't always do all the before mentioned things every single day.  But I have been striving toward that kind of responsibility, and I've been learning that when you strive toward such a large amount of responsibility, it's not uncommon to have your hands full.  And only the LORD knows right now how full my hands have been.

I was reading my Bible today and came across the verse in Matthew that says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gently and humble in heart, and you will find rest for you r souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30, NIV)  This verse kind of jumped out of the paper and hit me, flat in the center of my very tired and stressed brain.  I'm weary right now.  I got home from working six days a week in a kitchen at a Christian summer camp (and trust me, it's an exhausting job!) only to see my dad off on his way to Colorado to begin his new job and realize that the next couple months would be just as exhausting as the last few had been—if not more so.  It's a daunting task to move from state to state, especially when there are five younger kids at home and your mom's pregnant.  So when my dad left Iowa about a month ago, I knew that life wasn't exactly going to be a piece of cake, but I don't think that I expected to be this worn down and well—burdened—about it.  This move is hard on me because I had the false impression that I was rooted in Iowa for at least the next year and a half.  I had wanted to graduate in the same place I started high school... but you know, sometimes God has different plans.

Right now I'm discovering that His plans are the same as my plans... but only if I keep my eyes on Him.

To be continued in part 2.