You'll Find a Gift in the Present!

How many times have you been so riddled with anxiety you couldn't think straight? I've been down that road more times than I care to admit. The best way to describe the root of anxiety is "the mind going in 2 or more directions at once."

What does that look like? Well, that often times looks like our daily life. We have kids that need to be fed, laundry, dishes, cooking, shopping, occasional bathing ;). The problem is, there is constantly "one more thing" to do before we can "relax."

How do we fix this? First, we recognize that what we're feeling is in fact anxiety. Then we identify the different "directions" in which we're being pulled. Then, STOP! SLOW DOWN to a snail's pace. Come into the "present." Make an effort to stop thinking...you will find peace, and comfort there. You will also find God there!

The best way to become "present-minded" is to go out into nature. Nature is very present; it cannot help but be present. Watch the ind blow through the trees and consider the source of the wind. Watch a bee collect pollen from a flower. Watch the ants...you can never, not find ants here in sunny Florida. You will find that for just a brief moment you won't be thinking about anything but what you're seeing...everything pressing will melt away. This is the gift of the present.

I have realized God resides in the present! A lot of times we get stuck in the past...past hurts, pat hang ups, past habits. The past is a dangerous place for Christians to hang out. Reminiscing about past hurts just brings about anger, pain, and judgement. We have to remember, "there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ."

Even more often, we have a tendency to be future-minded. "I'll be happy when..." Or, I'm worried about this, this, and this. I've learned a valuable lesson about living in the future. First of all, as I said before, God resides in the present, not the past, not the future. Worrying about what's going to happen later today, tomorrow, or at the end of the week or month is not only anxiety-provoking, but it's ungodly. The Bible says,

"Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God
what you need and thank Him for all he has done. Then you
will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can
understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in
Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

So, stop reliving the past, stop trying to control the future, and start living here and now...in the present.

Root Canals, Kids, & Touching the Face of God

I mentioned on Monday's post that my new boss hooked me up with a Root Canal specialist here in town. I have a tooth that had a root canal about 10 years ago. Well, last January the tooth felt funny, I took an X ray, and what do ya know? The root canal needs to be retreated. The cost? $1000. Yes, you read that right. So, what do I do? What every other dental patient seems to do...wait 'til it hurts, then I'll get it fixed. Well, I didn't go quite that far. The tooth didn't start hurting, I actually freaked myself out considering all the "effects" this little infected canal, IN MY HEAD, could cause me. So, I took another X ray and asked my new doc. what he thought. He got right on the phone to the specialist. So, I had a root canal yesterday. The price? NOT A PENNY! The specialist didn't charge me a single penny. Now I ask you, can any more blessings come out of this incredible job God has placed me in? God has perfect timing and the perfect plan every time!
Now, on another note...Adam is fascinated with the new president, "O-Rocco Bama." I thought it would be a good history-in-the-making lesson for the kids to watch the inauguration on TV yesterday, then Adam wanted Dan to turn American Idol off to watch the inauguration again at bedtime. Yeah, well, enough is enough I say.

Then when Dan was saying some bedtime prayers with Adam. Adam prayed that his dad's trees wouldn't die in the freeze. When he was finished praying he said, "OK, now come down here so I can touch you!" Well, at least he has the desire to touch the face of God. I guess I'm not doing such a poor job with my kids after all.

God Is So Good!

So, I got fired on Tuesday. I can't say I didn't see this coming, but I have to admit my pride is a little hurt. I've never been fired from a job. My take on the situation is that I was so resistant to the Lord's gentle counsel telling me that it was time to move on from this job He had to get a little aggressive with me and take the choice away from me. The sad part is that I wanted the opportunity to tell them they could take their job and shove it. Not very Christian of me I know, but I'm a work in progress. Funny thing, Tuesday morning before work, I was reading my bible, looking for a little insight for the day. In "The Message" Proverbs 16:14 reads: "An intemperate leader wreaks havoc in lives; You're smart to stay clear of someone like that." That one sentence made everything alright for me and I was almost prepared for what that day eventually held for me.

Dan is actually glad this happened. He never liked where I worked anyway. He just supported me because he knew how important it was to me. He's an awesome man. Props to my man Dan!

Yesterday I updated my resume, and wrote a new cover letter for it (it's been 8 years since I've even looked at it). Just as my resume was completed and almost 24 hours after I was terminiated from my position I received a call from a friend, who by the way, I had already asked if she knew of anyone looking for a hygienist and she hadn't. She was calling to tell me she got a call that day from a dental office in Clermont looking for a hygienist 2 days a week. I called the office today and it sounds like a perfect match for me. I will have a working interview on Dec. 3. I can't help but see the Lord's hand in this. God is so faithful to me; I am so unfaithful to Him and I don't deserve His mercy or His grace. Yet it overflows and I am continuously so abundantly blessed by Him.

All of this has led to my baking another batch of Snickerdoodles, because the batch I baked on Monday, well they never saw Tuesday. I shared, a few. A little bit of emotional baking and consumption of said baked goods is happening around here. But, it's all good. I'm thinking tomorrow I'll do something ooey, gooey, & hugely chocolate.