It's The Little Things...

Good morning my lovelies :) I pray this finds you all well, happy, and thanking the good Lord for the Friday of a short week after a long weekend! I know I am! I look forward to having my sweet man home with me on the weekends, as do the boys! I had a great night's sleep, just sent my man off to work with a full tummy of (you guessed it) eggs and toast hahaha. I'm blessed and loved beyond my wildest dreams :)

How's this week going for you? How is your joy? Your strength? Your DIGNITY? Have you totally fallen off the wagon this week? Failed miserably? If so, that's ok, because Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us:

Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT

 ²² The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
      His mercies never cease.
 ²³ Great is his faithfulness;
      his mercies begin afresh each morning.

So, if you totally butchered yesterday's attempts, or the day before's.... don't give up! His mercies never cease, and they are new every morning! CLING to that! Allow His grace to carry you through what His mercy won't carry you around! Overall, I've done well. I've fallen a few times, but the wonderful thing about our heavenly Father is that He's there to immediately snatch us up out of the pit of despair when we cry out to Him. Even my Daddy, who loves me immensely, can't do that! Only our Heavenly Daddy! 

One thing I'm figuring out on this journey, is that the little things are big. Don't discount them. For us, it's the landlord telling us he has a refrigerator in his downstairs room that he might swap out for this one, all because the ice maker doesn't work. I mean, we would certainly LOVE to have an ice maker, but we won't die without it. BUT, our biggest woe about this house is that the refrigerator is TINY, and if we plan to save from our garden for winter, we're going to have to find a deep freezer because this one just won't hold it all. The refrigerator he has is much larger, so that even if the ice maker in it doesn't work, it will be much more efficient for our family! Little thing = big deal! God's still hearing our cries for help. He's choosing to answer us one small step at a time. I learned of some money that's coming my way as of yesterday, that I didn't really expect to see for at least another month. The little things! It will be enough to pay the light bill! Don't brush off the little things, my friends. 

I wanted to continue on our James 1 segment. I was reading in that chapter again this morning, refreshing myself, and working to memorize it, when the verses following it jumped off the pages at me. I think it's VERY important for us to remember that when we ask God for wisdom or help, we need to do so with a heart that believes He will answer, and trust in Him ALONE to answer our needs. Don't ask God for help, then go begging your neighbor for a morsel of bread. Trust God to provide. Now, if God tells you to go beg, that's a different story. But always follow HIS guidance, not your own.

James 1:5-8 NLT

⁵ If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. ⁶ But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

And, if you are in this "poor" boat with me, and finances are burdening you to the point that your joy and hope are being pulled away from you, this next section is especially for you. Don't let Satan steal your joy! God will always provide our needs. It may not be the way we want Him to, but He will NEVER leave you unprotected, even if He allows you to live on the streets. His promises to us are clear throughout His Word. He will not leave us or forsake us, He will always go with us, He will give His angels charge over us. He is with you, no matter where He leads you, He is there!

James 1:9-11 NLT

⁹ Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. ¹⁰ And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. ¹¹ The hot sun rises and the grass withers; the little flower droops and falls, and its beauty fades away. In the same way, the rich will fade away with all of their achievements.

Today, I'm giving you homework. Yep. You didn't know I'd be taking you back to school on this journey, did you? Ah, but this homework is simple, and it will lift your spirits, and will encourage you along on this journey. Read James chapter 1, in its entirety. It's a great chapter. James is a great book, and if you have time, it's only 5 chapters long. But start off with chapter 1. I might quiz you on it tomorrow ;) If you absolutely cannot find time to read the entire chapter (I mean, really, there's just no excuse not to. FIND time. It's so important to MAKE time to study God's Word!), be sure to read the first 18 verses. Find your favorite translation, sit down in a quiet place with a great cup of your favorite coffee, and meditate on those first 18, but read it all. Before you begin reading, ask our Lord to show You what it is HE needs you to see in this scripture. Ask Him to open your heart and pour His Word into it! 

I leave you with another piece of a Psalm I read last night in my daily reading. It was an encouragement to my soul when I read it, and I think it will be to yours, as well.

Psalm 94:18-19 NLT

¹⁸ I cried out, “I am slipping!”
      but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me.
 ¹⁹ When doubts filled my mind,
      your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.

Happy Friday! I may or may not see you this weekend, and if I don't, I shall see you on Monday! Don't forget to Read James chapter 1!!!!!!!