Workin' On My Heart

Before I get started on the serious stuff *ahem* I do have two Little Man stories that I must share, mostly for my own documenting self's sake.  First, The Little Man will never eat fish again in his whole life if I have anything to do about it.  After whining and grumbling his way through some fish tacos for dinner the other night, he had what we think was an allergic reaction to the fish.  Either that or kids sometimes spontaneously turn into shooting geysers in order to scare the tar out of their mothers.

*Shudder*

On another, much more funny note, The Little Man brought home a worksheet that he had filled out after working some experiments at school that taught buoyancy.  According to his sheet, the kiwi and the grape did not float.  So, I asked him about it:

me:  Wow, Buddy!  Did you do a Science project today with fruit?
p: Yup, we had to see which ones would float and which ones sunk.
me: So it looks like the grape didn't float.  How come?  Why did the grape sink?
p: I don't know.  It just did.
me: You don't know?  It just sunk?  Why do you think that it couldn't float?
p: I guess it was just a baby grape and hadn't taken it's swimming lessons yet.

Awesome.

Now, I will attempt to be serious.


This verse has smacked me upside the head with a two by four.  "Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else.  For we are each responsible for our own conduct."- Galatians 6:4-5 NLT.  

Ouch.

I can't stop thinking about it.  I think some might call this "Being convicted".  I'm just going to say that this may or may not be something I need to work on.  I am pondering just how often I am satisfied with knowing that I have done the best job that I can do, or knowing that I am working my hardest, and finding satisfaction in that versus working hard so that I can find satisfaction in knowing that I have done something better than someone else. 

Gulp.

That whole being competitive/comparative and seeking out the approval of others thing, yea, it trips me up.

Lastly, while it was one of the most wonderful summers I can recall in a very long time, there were also some trials that were endured.  Since the trial itself did not involve me directly, I won't be divulging specific details, but here are a few things that I have learned:

1. Family.  It's so nice to be so tightly bound to people who love you and support you. People who hurt when you hurt, and will laugh or get mad when you think something is funny or you get angry.  People who will listen to you talk about the same thing over and over and not care.  People who are fine with hearing the story/your feelings/your thoughts several times, and it never gets old.

2.  Sometimes (most of the time) the biggest amount of growth a person can have is when they are suffering/struggling.  While we work through hurts, struggle through raw emotions, and deal with devastation we grow and learn.  I don't know many people (myself included) who have said "Wow, you know, I think I have really grown today and learned something new about myself and what I can endure while I skipped through the daisies!"  It just doesn't happen.  But when we struggle, lean on others, and turn our hurts and devastation over to the one true, holy, and righteous God; He works us, forms us, and if we let Him, He rebuilds us into something new.

3.  Watching someone change who they are and seek out God with all their heart is beautiful.

4. Even if it isn't you who is directly in the fire, you can still learn and grow.

5.  God's plans are bigger than ours.  What He has set out to do no human can undo.  He is sovereign and perfect in His timing, and while we are surprised daily, or taken off guard,  He is never surprised.  He knows the beginning and the ending, and is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

6. Loving, seeking, and serving Him with all my heart is the most important thing in my life.  While that doesn't mean I will never endure hardships, it does mean that I will never be alone.  It also means that I can trust that whenever I am in a season of refinement, I can trust that He is watching over me and holding me close,  and prayerfully He is rebuilding me into someone more like Him.