Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Heather's Journal #27. "October Skies" 11-20somethin-07


27
“October Skies”
11-20somethin-07

It’s exactly 1:12 a.m. at the moment.  Why I’m still up Idk. Lol.  Me n Binky fell asleep watching our favorite reality TV. Show.  I love that girl – she’s my hero. :-)

Today/Tomorrow is the Alabama v. Auburn game.  And I’m totally excited but I know I’ll just be looking 4 Dan’s face everywhere I look.  He wanted 2 meet w/ me there but – I had a dream that night that definitely changed my mind about even considering that thought.  I was laying in bed & just asked God 2 tell me anything I needed2know.  I woke up the next morning & just thanked God.

I had a dream I was on Dan’s lap @ the game with a bunch of orange around me. (orange meaning I was @ some Auburn game.)  And I looked behind me & mom was just sitting there watching me.  I started crying & B4 I knew it the whole stadium was looking @ me and I had that heavy feeling of regret.  Now tell me that’s not a sign from God.  Lol. 

I can’t believe I was even considering it B4.  After everything I’ve already been through.  But Idk – I guess I just wanted 2 re-live a moment w/ Dan.  Hard 2 believe I know.  But I was so emotionally attached 2 him  -- sometimes I’d give anything 2 be w/him just one more night.  But I know even if I had 1 more night with him, it wouldn’t satisfy me completely.  And that’s what I’m looking 4. 

I’m sick of this half-way crap.  That dream- was all I needed 2 snap outa that.       Lol.  But if I happen to bump into Dan @ the game- I’m running so far in the opposite direction.  I’m not gonna lose.  And this isn’t even about the trouble I’d get in.  (Although it helps.) It’s about disappointment.  True regret and that layer of guilt I’ve just now gotten rid of.  I look back @ the very 1st page of this binder & I can already tell a huge difference & that was only like a month ago.  It’d just be silly 2 go back 2 my old ways – even 4 a sec. of “half-way" satisfaction.  I think not.  *sigh *

Things are good – for now.  :-) I’m growing stronger with the love of God & I can finally look back and see it.  It’s all coming together.  Thank God.

*I will Strive 2 be better

In Christ,
Heather Marie Lee


Dear Heather,

I told you God has a sense of humor.  Even in our dreams.  He knew just how to get your attention.   Glad you realize that your way was not His way!

I read something the other day that I wrote down. “God’s work depends on our cooperation…”  It was from the book The Christian’s Secret to a Happy Life, which I think is a very strange title.  It sounds like a checklist for happiness.  In a way, she gives instructions on what she believes God told her about finding happiness.  One of the things that she said, is Our job is to trust.  God’s job is to work. p.12

She has a way of expressing what so many of us think, so I will use her words.  “… the greatest burden, the most difficult thing we have to manage in life is self – daily living, feelings, special weaknesses and temptations that worry us and bring us into bondage and darkness.  You must hand yourself and all you are over in to the care and keeping of your God and leave it all there.  Then rest, trusting yourself to Him, continually and absolutely.”  P. 14  

She goes on to describe that we are to be like little children who trust that they will be taken care of – a trust that exists even when a parent or caretaker is not worthy of that trust. If we can have that same kind of unfettered trust in God to meet all of our needs, He would meet our needs graciously. 

The problem is, we keep taking back what we entrust to God.  That is the struggle.  We feel as though we are too much of a burden.  We worry that we aren’t good enough to deserve all that He has to offer.  We imagine that He either doesn’t really understand our desires or won’t meet them even if He does. 

And so, even though it all sounds so simple.  And I believe that trust is the core, I’m still not sure how to make that decision once and let go.  It seems to be something I have to do every day.  Trust.  Then rest.  That sounds right.  

But I still struggle with the word rest in this context.  I don’t think rest means to recline and do nothing.  We must still cook and clean and work and prepare food and take care of children and give birth.  The men must still work and provide food and shelter and discipline and leadership.  That is all done with God’s guidance, but not His Body.  We work in cooperation with God.  He is the carpenter, we are the tools –  yielding to the direction of carpenter.

You know what is really weird? I was reading The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life and I picked up my computer and typed these notes to myself in a document I have saved just for these kind of thoughts.  They aren’t in any particular order. They cover the course of years.

So, I just randomly started typing in the middle of some other notes that I had taken on a variety of subjects. And you’ll never believe what I had written right beneath these words I just wrote? 

They were notes from a message that Mike Garrigan gave.  He was talking about Our effort meeting God’s strength.  Like Ms. Smith, he was saying that we have to work in cooperation with God.  If we follow His lead and use His strength and our effort – we will succeed.  

Actually, I don’t know if he said this or I thought it based on what he said, but basically the message I got was that we don’t come out of the womb running a 5 minute mile or slam dunking a basketball into a 10 foot net, or knowing our math facts, or how to play an instrument.  We don’t come out of the womb knowing how to cook or clean or any particular skill.  We may learn some things easily, but they are still things that we must learn.  These are all things that take effort on our part. 

Mike’s message and Ms. Smith’s ideas now seem to mesh.  Mike picks up where she seemed to me to leave off. 

In this context, I think rest means not to worry; rather than sitting down to wait.

I like how God ties together thoughts I have months apart.  He’s good that way. :-)

I love You.
Mom

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