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Our Powerful Privilege

1/30/2013

This song is so encouraging!

Prayer is not a new thought for me as many of you already know. I remember my Mom and Dad praying with us as kids every night. Usually we would end by singing a prayer lullaby that I have passed on to my children as well. I'm not sure when I became aware of my parents prayers but I would guess about my teen years when they would simply tell me that they had been praying about this or that for me.

I started keeping a journal in June of 1986 and somewhere along the line it went from "Dear Diary" to "Dear Lord". In 1992, my husband and I found devotionals to be too tidy with nothing to really discuss after we read them together so we started reading Frank Peretti's book, "This Present Darkness". Boy did that spark discussions and bring encouragement. It helped us to think about life beyond what we see and feel so that we could be reminded and aware that God is at work behind the scenes. Before that gets misunderstood, let me clarify that we still read and study the Word this was just what we did together as a catalyst for discussion. I really miss it, maybe we'll have to pick up another good book together. Sometime in the early 2000's, I remember mowing the lawn and praying for our church which was without a pastor. "A praying man is coming" ran through my mind so strongly and so continually it was almost audible. I thought immediately of "This Present Darkness" and associated it with the praying pastor in the small town of the book because that is what he was often called.

Before I knew it we had that pastor and he had me in his office asking if I would consider creating and leading a prayer team! Talk about ripping me out of my comfort zone! I avoided prayer meetings because that might mean I had to pray out loud. Besides how can you pray for that long? I will keep it short by saying God did a work in me through Salem United Methodist Church in Bettsville, OH that has caused me to treasure those people very close to my heart. I gathered a precious prayer team who encouraged me and prayed with me. Pastor Mike asked me to start sharing a minute or two thought on prayer each week and then lead the congregation in prayer. For some that might be easy but nothing could be more impossible for me. I took other classes I didn't really like to make sure I stayed out of speech class. There was no way you were going to get me in front of other people to speak. And remember my thoughts of praying out loud? I barely did it alone let alone in front of a crowd. But that church encouraged and welcomed and put up with my attempts for many years. We learned so much together. I remember being at a church meeting around the time I was first asked to be the prayer team leader. There was this idea of, "All we can do is pray", as if it were a last ditch effort of futility. Recently I went back for something and heard it said on more than one occasion, "First we need to pray about this". It did my heart good to know that He who began a good work in us is continuing to complete it. What a treasure all of my Bettsville family is.

That was were I first had the chance to use writing as a regular encouragement. Each week I wrote a snippet about prayer on the backside of a prayer request list that I handed out at the end of every service. Everyone was invited to pray for everyone and God came through in ways none of us could have imagined. He also showed us that His answer isn't always yes. That is why we are no longer there. Through a lot of heart ache we are now here in Pemberville but God is faithful and good.

Sometimes when life doesn't go the way we think it ought or when we don't have the same support group encouraging us to pray and praying with us, it's easy to let it slide and begin to act as if it is trivial, even if we would adamantly deny such a thought with our mouth. But some things have come up lately that just gave me a fresh gratitude for it and even a few new perspectives on it that I wanted to share.

Recently my little sister went through a trial that broke my heart. I wanted to hug her and help her and make it all better like a big sister should. But she lives in California and as such is terribly out of my reach. I felt helpless and angry that I couldn't at least be there to hold her hand or care for her babies as she walked through this ordeal. But God reminded me that I can pray. What a gift!!!! I am not helpless and I don't have to be angry with inability. I can rejoice that God knew we would need to be able to reach out to those we love when it is physically impossible. He knew that sometimes in life, in fact, most of the time in life, we cannot heal the hurts of those we love and we would feel useless. So he gave us an incredible power to partner with Him in touching and healing our loved ones. He doesn't need us to tell him what's going on but He invites us to pour out our hearts to Him and direct His attention to specific things. He gave us the power to pray and KNOW that he hears and acts on our behalf. Is that not the most awesome gift?! I could pray for my sister and know that He would provide her with exactly what she needed using the power that He has offered us in prayer. WOW!

There were some other issues that were just dragging me down. Things that made it hard to see the sunshine through the rain. I did what so many of us do in those times, I pulled inside myself and played thoughts of discouragement over and over in my head. Thankfully, even though I may be prone to do that when things aren't going the way I imagine they should, God has never allowed me to wallow there too long and he kept nudging me to pray. I felt that I had prayed and disappointment is what I got. Wallow,,,wallow...Finally, I got real with Him and poured out all my hurts and disappointments and fears concerning the issue. I was brutally honest and He took it all. He forgave me and I could feel a fresh attitude fill my being as rays of sunshine began to put a rainbow on my heart. All because of the incredible privilege of prayer.

I just started a Bible study with some ladies at church on the book of James. I knew it would be good because I love James and I love the Bible study teacher - Beth Moore. But even in just the first verse, God began to work on my heart and help me to see things I had forgotten or never known. In fact, by week 2, day 1, I was brought to my knees with realization about somethings that I had been praying about for over a year. It was just one of those moments when I knew that God had James and Beth write those exact words just for me so many years ago. I heard His voice in the pages of Scripture all because of the power of prayer. Yes, that's right. I called reading the Word - prayer. After all, what is prayer but a conversation with God? When better can we hear his voice than when we read the love note he left us called the Bible. Maybe our prayers are too one sided. Are we doing all the talking? Maybe we should open up our Bibles and do some listening. I certainly needed to.

Someone else that I love has been battling with some issues that just don't seem to offer any easy answers. What am I saying - easy answers? They don't seem to offer any answers at all! I wanted so badly to say and do the right things to make it all work out. I wanted to lift them up instead of watch them give up. But I didn't have any answers. I don't know the right way. But my Jesus does. So instead of worrying I now lay my hands on thing that I know they will touch and I pray for God to give them wisdom and direction and a vision that will illuminate them again. I don't have to badger them to change. I don't have to try to be the one to make them change. I don't have to say or do just the right things to make anything happen. That gives me too much power where I should be powerless. It is not my job to make anyone into anything. Instead because of the power of prayer I can rest in Christ knowing He loves them even more than I do. He has a plan and a hope for their life and He will complete it. When they lay their head on that pillow they may not know there is power of a prayer waiting to move on their life but God and I do. And I get the privilege of a front row seat as God unfolds another chapter in the life of someone I love dearly without me feeling like I have to interfere and write the chapter myself. What peace in prayer!

When my children are trying to figure out life and they ask me for advice. I can pray for wisdom and God who gives generously without finding fault will give it. When I can't find that important paper I need, I can pray and God who knows everything can lead me to it. When I am afraid, I can pray and God will give me a sound mind and cast out all fear. I could go on and on but I know you have things to do besides read this so I will bring this to a close. (Thank you for taking the time to read this. It is such an encouragement to me.)

One last thing. If you go to the prayer page and sign up I will put you on my list of prayer warriors. Whenever I get prayer requests I will pass them on because I know there is the privilege of power in prayer. With that privilege comes responsibility as well so please make sure that you actually pray for the requests. If you have a prayer request or praise I hope you will trust us to pray with you about it. God does something powerful in our hearts when we pray together and see Him move. It is also very healing to be able to take our minds off of ourselves and lift up the needs of our brothers and sisters. I can't even put into words what God does with that power.

All of this power was given to us through the shed blood of our precious Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you Jesus for your gift of prayer.

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Clean

1/21/2013

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Click here for classic from Keith Green.

Wow, it's amazing what a little attitude change can do. I was getting so discouraged and overwhelmed but I told you about that last blog. After praying and asking for more contentment, I found I was much more energized and I could think much more clearly. I also discovered another little nugget to treasure.

I looked at the house and realized some things. First of all, it's been a year since we started coming to Pemberville from North Ridgeville every weekend to "work on the house". My mindset had nothing to do with moving in. I was thinking very much about how to get rid of clutter and fix walls and bathrooms or how I wanted to make the house work for us. I wasn't really thinking of "moving in", only of getting it ready. We worked on tearing out plaster or anything else that needed to go because we didn't have a lot of money to work with so we figured it was better to take care of the messy things first and that didn't cost anything until we had to pay for the dumpster.

When we moved in, I still lived in North Ridgeville for a week finishing my job. My thinking was use the living room as a storage unit and just get in but don't unpack anything there is still too much work that has to be done on the rooms before we fill them up with our stuff. I had this grand idea that we could have the upstairs finished before school started so everyone could move into their bedrooms and have a fresh start for a fresh new school. Well, we finished the bathroom before school but that was it.

Then cold weather was coming and we had to get the couch off the front porch so we shifted a lot of stuff around and created a spot for a couch. It was wonderful to finally have a place to relax but we were still surrounded by boxes and stuff that hadn't really moved in yet. Before I knew it the kids wanted to know where we would put a Christmas tree. So we decorated for Christmas and shifted more stuff to make a place for a tree.

Now Christmas is over and we live in a house that we never moved into. So I have been on a mission to make it a home for my family even though it isn't "ready". I had been avoiding that for fear that if we moved in we would become complacent about the cracked walls or lath ceiling and it would never be done. But when I took an honest assessment of the house it was a mess! We couldn't work on it if we had all the money and know how in the world. Thus began my challenge.

I started with the bedroom that Noah and Eli would share. It had layers of stuff but I forced myself to only look at what was in front of me and worked my way around the room. It took several days but eventually it took shape and finally we can walk into the room and even though it needs paint and repairs and flooring it feels like a bedroom. It feels like my children's bedroom.

I've been working my way through the house. I leave no box unopened and everything finds a place or goes to the garage sale pile or trash. I'm sure the trash collectors do not like us right now. I dust all the plaster powder off of things and sweep the floors. I arrange furniture to it's proper place and think about what works for us. It feels like maybe someone actually lives here. I'm working on the last 2 rooms now then I have to go in the basement and make some sense of it so we can use it as intended. My sister Hannah walked in this past weekend and made me smile as she exclaimed, "Misty, what did you do?! It feels so clean." Then she started trying to guess if I finished a wall or something. I never guessed a little cleaning would do that!

I discovered something else, that when you clean something you take ownership of it. I have been living in Aunt Pete's house but now that I have actually gone through each corner myself and become acquainted with it, a new sense has crept up on me that I didn't expect. I am starting to feel like this is my house. When I walk in the kitchen and work it feels like I'm working in my kitchen instead of feeling like I might mess up someone else's stuff. When I find something out of place instead of feeling a wave of stress wash over me because I don't know what to do with it, I gladly pick it up and put it where it belongs because it's my house and I know where it goes. I don't know how to put into words how satisfying that is. I had never imagined that cleaning something would do so much good.

It all got me thinking about something that I certainly wouldn't base my theology on but it was a thought. Noah and Eli were baptized on my birthday and a few weeks later Josh, Kristin and Victoria were also baptized. So now all of my kids have said publicly that they want to be obedient to Christ and be counted as one of His. I can't tell you how comforting that is. But cleaning my house to "move in" gave a new sense of meaning to baptism when I thought about my own experiences. It was my house before I cleaned it and started to "move in" but the feeling, the sense of belonging didn't come until I cleaned it and made it mine. Is that kind of what God does with baptism? Is that when he looks at all the corners and imperfections and figures out what His plan is for that home and cleans it to "move in"? Is that when the sense of ownership happens? I don't know and like I said it certainly isn't anything to build your faith on necessarily but it was a thought that for me gave an even deeper meaning to what my kids just recently did.

Or an even better analogy would be when we are going through trials and it seems like God is taking everything away. If the rooms I cleaned could talk they probably would have argued with me not to take everything out. But I had to. That's the only way to sort it and decide what was worth keeping and what wasn't. The room was just too cluttered. It may have begged me not to uncover that hidden corner where the piles of dust bunnies hid. But I had to in order to get it clean and use that space.for a much better purpose. It may have wanted me to keep that wall covered with stuff to hide the imperfections but I had to expose it in order to know how to fix the issues so it can be a beautiful and useful place. Sometimes I think we imagine that as God uncovers, unclutters, exposes and cleans our lives he must be so angry with us for all the mess but I have a different picture now. I didn't feel angry or upset, I felt energized and motivated to keep working. I felt ownership of it and it became mine. If God has to do the same for my life, I am willing if it will make me His own and it will make me useful to Him.

I've even had a few other awesome things happen since becoming more content. Marty was able to get the Culligan fixed and I can drink the water that I like best. We tried a different dish washer soap and it has made an incredible difference so that even my most caked on dishes come out clean and sparkling. I'm finding order in the chaos of my house. My Dad came over and got my stove hooked up so I can cook again! That prompted some rearranging in the kitchen. The changes are great and make it so much more user friendly, which makes it feel like mine. Marty even put a light on the ceiling so I don't have to use lamps in the kitchen. The lighting is 100% better and it makes everything feel so much happier! I've seen my girls leave the house with that glow about them that says I feel confident about myself as they try their new outfits. It has been great!

Now I'm not saying those things might not have happened anyway had I continued with my discontentment but what a wonderful gift it is to be content and recognize with gratitude the things that are going well instead of still feeling like it's just not enough.

Dear Lord,
I pray that You would continue to grow contentment in me, my family and all my blog friends as we travel this adventure together.
In Jesus name,
Amen.

Another neat thing I wanted to share about when Josh, Kristin and Toria were baptized has nothing to do with cleaning but I hope it will encourage you to be persistent in your prayers. There was another girl who was baptized at the same time. Even now it still brings tears to my eyes. She shared that she started coming to this church about a year ago and wanted to give her life to Jesus publicly. My heart burst and I couldn't stop crying all through service. She was one of the foster kids Aunt Pete used to help with. Because I know Pete and her love for those kids. And because I know her last words to me were that she prays for us everyday, I know that I know Aunt Pete also prayed for this young girl. She had no family there to witness her baptism but we were there and we celebrated with her. And I know that if Pete were still here she would have been in the front row with tears of joy streaming down her face as she witnessed first this young girl then her nieces and nephew promise their lives to an incredible Lord who would someday bring us all together in a place where death can never steal us apart again.

You may grow weary in your prayers and want to give up but God hears them and He answers when the time is right and in the way that is best. It had been about a year ago that Pete went to be with Jesus and it was then that another one of her prayers were answered as this young girl started to go to church and met Jesus as her Savior. She is now good friends with my kids and goes to school with them. What a blessing!

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Great Gain

1/6/2013

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Click for a song that will encourage your soul.

Christmas morning was so much fun! We had gifts far beyond our ability to purchase and much more than we could have dreamed. We sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and Matthew. The food was yummy and everyone was in a good mood. Following Christmas we even had the opportunity to travel to a hotel where we went swimming and just plain hung out. The next day we visited the Creation Museum and planetarium. Then we got to visit with Marty's side of the family and see our old table refinished and repaired. Finally we headed home and visited with Patty who is here from Arizona. She was like a second mom to me and I haven't seen her for years. You would think that I would wake up the next morning just happy to be alive. I couldn't have imagined a nicer Christmas had I made it up myself but instead I woke up slapping the air at the tireless flies buzzing around my head.

The crack in the ceiling seemed bigger today. Taking a deep breath I could smell the awful "treasures" Alley cat had left me in the night and I could only hope it wasn't all over the floor again. The rough wooden floor boards felt dirty. I had to rummage through clothes to find something that fit. If only I could get a closet and actually unpack. I did a balancing act to open my wardrobe door grumbling because it didn't really open with the small space between my bed and the door. My to do list loomed like a skyscraper before me. Walking out of my room I was greeted with gifts strewn around that had no place they belonged. Furniture was moved into odd places to make room for the tree, "This is ridiculous," I complained as I climbed over the arm of the coach, which was the route of least resistance. Entering the dining room the missing wall drew my attention. Those studs are so ugly, not even the stockings made it look better. Shuffling into the kitchen I stubbed my toe on the raised sub floor filled with stains. A cold draft dropped down through the slats we call a ceiling and snowed insulation all over my counters. The overcast day only added to the gloom since the only kitchen light is a single bulb over the sink. Reaching into the dishwasher for a glass I found it to be less than clean. "Urgh!, I want my old dishwasher," I said to no one, "this one never cleans worth anything." After washing out the glass, I reached to turn on the Culligan only to be reminded that the tubing sprang a leak and Marty had to shut it off but hadn't had time to fix it yet. I put the glass back in the cupboard, "Lord," I said more out of habit than attitude, "where do I start?" I really wasn't listening just complaining some more and I headed for the laundry room. Piles of unwashed laundry filled the hallway and a few baskets of clean unfolded clothes baskets blocked the doorway. Turning on the light all I could see was the mess. After getting a load running I ascended the stairs, the holes in the wall were growing. I could tell because there were pieces of plaster I had to dodge. The floor covering was curling where the pieces came together and I tripped but didn't fall. "I hate that stuff," I thought as I made my way into the bathroom. Flipping on the light I could see new bubbles in the paint. The weight of all that needed done rested heavily on my shoulders, I had thought we at least accomplished this room. But of course, we don't know what we are doing so why would it be done right the first time? We have to strip all the new paint off, put a new kind of primer on and paint it all again! We painted before putting in the floor and cabinet on purpose. Eli called me from his room so I went to see what he needed. He couldn't find any pants. It's no wonder, the whole room is layers and layers of stuff. Josh got tired of the mess and cleaned his room depositing boxes of their packed toys into their room. The problem was, their room still had a bunch of stuff in it from Aunt Pete and their mattresses only left a tiny pathway. It didn't take long for even those to be filled up when they discovered their long lost toys were just under the flaps of each box. Add to that, the fact that I hadn't gone through their drawers in a year so the clothes that didn't fit were still in there leaving no room for the few that did fit and you have a recipe for major disaster area. I couldn't find any pants either so I went down and dug through the clean laundry to find a pair. Jared called me from the kitchen wondering what he could eat. I wished food had never been invented as I pushed this and that aside looking for something quick and satisfactory. Today was just not going to be a great day.

The girls had some returns to make so we headed to the mall. I felt as if my senses had been assaulted. I don't normally shop at the mall and really haven't been to one for awhile. All around me were signs and pictures even the shoppers themselves somehow reminding me how plain I've become. I felt so out of place in my worn out tennis shoes, baggy jeans and over-sized coat. Smells of all kinds made me want to buy food but that wasn't in the budget so I was reminded again that I don't have the privilege of wanting something and getting it. The price tags were overwhelming as I thought, this is a sale price???? After several hours of standing in lines and shopping we were finally able to get in the van and head home. I ached all over.

We drove home past pretty houses with nice landscaping. I wondered what they looked like inside. I imagined thick plush carpet and painted walls. Brightly lit kitchens with granite counter tops and appliances that work well. In some of the windows I could see big beautiful chandeliers and I could just picture the shiny wooden floors and decorations to welcome guests. I bet they even have a place to put coats and boots. I could almost smell the aromas of air fresheners that would make the scene complete, unlike the stench of a cat who only mostly uses the litter box. When I returned home I found my husband playing games with the boys. I chewed him out under my breath as I tried to put something together for supper. I burned the rolls because only the bottom element works in the oven. The noodles took forever to cook because the burner decides sometimes to shut off randomly. Matthew came in to see if he could cheer up my sour mood but instead he got an earful of how I can't stand this place and the mess and how I'm not getting what I wanted. Yes, I sounded like a spoiled brat as I climbed up and down the ladder to reach things I needed in the top cupboards. He left me alone to wallow in my own self pity.

Finally, I was quiet long enough for that prayer I'd uttered in the morning to be answered. Quietly in the back of my mind a thought emerged uninvited. It was so quiet at first that I almost didn't hear it but as I stormed around clattering pans it grew stronger. I pushed it aside, that was the last thing I needed right now. It came back again this time a little louder. "Godliness with contentment is great gain." So started my wrestling match with the Word.

"How am I supposed to be content living like this? I wanted to have Bible studies and welcome people into my home. How am I supposed to ever welcome people into this construction zone mess that will never be finished? My kids are too embarrassed to even invite their friends over, how will I ever reach out to others and show them You if they never come? How will I ever be able to take the time to write those books, if all my time is spent trying to figure out how to do things I don't even know how to do? When can I get the kids a puppy, that's what I promised them, instead, I have a cat. Not only that, it's the same cat that I didn't want 17 years ago! I can't keep up with the everyday stuff let alone trying to do all these projects to try to create some semblance of a home. I never wanted fancy but can I at least have nice? I know, I know...look at the people in third world countries, they would love to have all this. Well, if I lived like the people in third world countries the authorities would come and take my kids away for negligence and unsanitary conditions. If I lived in a third world country I'd blend in and my kids wouldn't have to feel like freaks, so don't even try to tell me about how good I have it compared to others. You want to compare? What about those people who live in nice houses with good jobs to pay for stuff? You want to compare? Let's compare that." I threw my tantrum and went on with my day thinking I'd won because that uninvited thought was silent.

Thankfully, God is too loving to let us get away with such foolishness. The next morning while all was quiet and I lay still in bed that thought was loud and clear. "Do you want to know how to be content? You don't do it by comparing yourself to others. If you look down, you only put others down to feel better. If you look up, you can never win. My story for them is different than My story for you. Do you really think you become content by comparing? You know better than that. Think about it. You know the answer, I've been teaching you for many years, you've just forgotten."

I pondered. The Bible could have just said, godliness is great gain but God wanted us to know that godliness with contentment is great gain so contentment must be something to be desired and sought after. But how? What is contentment anyway? Is it not wanting anything anymore? I don't think so. Wasn't Paul in prison when he said he had learned the secret of being content? I'm certain if offered freedom he wouldn't turn it down. I'm sure he thought of it often, in fact, in many of his letters to the churches he talks about his hope to be free and see them again. If contentment is to stop desiring a thing then Paul was not content and I'm not sure anyone ever could be. Where would the motivation and drive to do anything come from if contentment meant to stop desiring? So what is it?

I thought about my Dad and Mom. He was out of regular work for 8 years after being a manager at a company that downsized him out after 20 faithful years. If anyone has a right to be discontent it is my Dad but he is probably the most content person I know. He certainly desires things but those things don't own him.

A scene from Veggie Tales played in my mind over and over again. Larry was showing Bob all his gadgets and stuff that he had recently gotten. He was going on about the other things he also wanted when Bob interrupted him to ask, "Larry, how many things do you need before you can be happy?" Larry didn't miss a beat as he answered, "I don't know Bob. How many things are there?" It got me thinking. There will always be one more thing that would make life easier or nicer or more comfortable no matter how much I get. So, if being content isn't reaching some plateau of having enough and it isn't ceasing to desire or comparing myself to someone with less, what exactly is it?

It must be focusing on Jesus. Well, OK, that's the Sunday school answer. But what does that look like? Godliness requires focusing on Jesus.. How else can you be a reflection of Him, if you don't know what He's like? Why then is contentment something separate? Why does it bring great gain?

What does focusing on Jesus look like in my everyday to keep me content? I thought back through my sour attitudes. What if instead of looking at what others had and comparing myself or instead of looking at everything I want that I don't have, I simply looked at what I do have through Jesus? What if instead of complaining about the fly buzzing around, I thank God that I can wake up? What if I thank him for the ceiling I have and praise Him that it hasn't fallen down? Instead of being upset by the dust on the floors, I can thank Him that I have floors that aren't made of dirt and I even have a sweeper to clean them. In fact, the dust shows that we are working on the house, that's why it's so dusty! What if instead of grumbling about the tree and gifts strewn around, I am grateful for the fact that many people loved us enough to give us gifts and that Kristin got her wish. We had a tree up for Christmas, thanks to a ton of help from Marty's Mom as well as my kids and husband. Maybe instead of seeing how ugly the studs are I can be thankful for a sturdy house with such strong wood that will hopefully someday be covered again but this year it was the perfect place to put nails in the wall for stockings. The sub floor can remind me that God protected the house from extensive flood damage because of a kind neighbor who was tending to the cat that I didn't want. Besides with all the work that's being done on the house if it was a nice floor I'd be worrying myself silly over it getting ruined. So one dish didn't come clean? Wash it and be glad that because of your husband's hard work you didn't have to wash them ALL. Maybe Culligan is temporarily unavailable, that only makes it so I will appreciate it even more when I have it again and the reason Marty hasn't fixed it yet isn't because it's too hard or expensive it's just because he didn't have time. Why doesn't he have time? Because he has a job plus he's had the chance to substitute teach. Be glad for him and the fact that all his work is starting to pay off. Too much laundry? At least I have a place to wash it and a great washer to do it. It's even a cheerful place because I picked out cheerful colors and we worked hard to make it nice. Enjoy that you get to use it. Plaster crumbling and paint peeling? At least you have walls there and not studs. Why is Noah and Eli's room a disaster? Because they found their toys and they were playing instead of staring at a screen. And thank God you were able to find pants in the clean clothes even if they weren't folded and put away. The kids being hungry, well at least they aren't sick and they are home to eat! Having to dig through the food to find what you want, is that really so bad? God promised to supply all our needs, hasn't he done that in abundance. Shopping at the mall because some of the gifts didn't fit - isn't that what you wanted? Your girls got to pick out some really nice clothes and they don't have to feel like they are less than everyone else. Aching muscles, well good, you finally got some of that exercise you've been saying you wanted. Marty is actually playing with the boys and your complaining? Hello, isn't that what you pray for? He has some time to be with his kids, let him be. Maybe I'm the one who needs to lighten up. Yes, the stove and oven are annoying but God has already supplied the remedy. I brought my own stove with me, we just have to get the wiring done so we can hook it up.

Maybe, just maybe, the things keeping me from having a Bible study aren't my house, maybe it's my own attitude. Yes, I would say godliness is good. We should live lives that do what's right but if you add gratitude for what you have. If you add hope in spite of what you see. If you add recognizing the people who love you and take away the grumbling and complaining - now that's contentment and it definitely is GREAT GAIN!

I Timothy 6:6
But godliness with contentment is great gain.

P.S. After coming to my senses and allowing God to grow contentment in me, I discovered something else cool about contentment. It's energizing! We live in a culture that is never content and always tired. Hmmm...