#5 - Keys to Seeking Wisdom

Good Morning!  What a beautiful day here in South Carolina. I have been enjoying time out on our back deck.... getting into the Word, listening to the birds chirping, enjoyed my coffee & a banana. It is very peaceful out here. 


Let's go ahead and jump in....

Proverbs 28:26 - He who leans on, trusts in, and is confident of his own mind and heart is a [self-confident] fool, but he who walks in skillful and godly Wisdom shall be delivered.

Proverbs 31:26 - She opens her mouth in skillful and godly Wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness [giving counsel and instruction].

I'm going to give you the 5 things I got out of these verses... 


1.) Don't trust Solely in yourself & YOUR WORKS. -  Works alone are not enough. But it is by Faith that we will ultimately find success in whatever area of life you are seeking. 
Early on in our marriage, Tyler & I began our own business. Tyler's personality is that of a choleric (Personality Plus by Florence Littweiler - great read!). Well, a choleric is a "go-getter", a driver! They charge the mountain and are typically just REALLY hard workers. They often don't take breaks... commonly they do not take naps... they are very TASK oriented and get the job done. Well, early on when you are building a business, you know that it is going to take a lot of hard work, and a lot of time. Well, the danger with people who have a choleric tendency is they know they can WORK hard. Work Work Work! I will make it WORK! It can be easy begin to rely on WORKS versus walking by faith and relying on God. To develop anything, work is definitely crucial... not just sitting back and saying, "Ok God, you just bring the people, bring the customers, sell the products, develop the team, etc.".... that would be considered foolish. But finding a balance where Faith meets your Work. Where Faith meets putting your hand to the plow. We eventually... finally adapted a different mindset of showing God our Faith by our works. 


2.) It takes SPEAKING! - It takes using WORDS & opening your mouth!
In my years of studying the Bible, reading other good books, listening to good speakers, listening to CD's .... I have learned that you can't fight thoughts with thoughts. You can't fight Satan with your thoughts! You have GOT to use Words. Jesus did that when he was tempted. He used the WORD. He did not fight Satan with his thoughts. Though he could have had a legion of angels come and help him, he fought Satan with His Words! 
Speak what you want, give life to your desired outcome. Speak the Word. Find scripture that will back up what you are believing for. Speak those things that are not as though they were (Romans 4).
I recently heard a the founder of Outreach America say, "Add, 'In Jesus Name' to the end of whatever you are saying and see if it lines up with the Word." Try it - 
     - I have a headache, in Jesus Name.
     - Dang it, my car died, in Jesus Name.
     - My child doesn't do anything right, in Jesus Name.
     - I have favor in this situation, in Jesus Name.
     - I am getting a promotion, in Jesus Name. 
Pretty interesting test, huh!?! :) It really puts teeth behind your words to see if, by your Words, you really are moving in the direction that you want.


3) It's a Journey - Proverbs 28:26 says he who WALKS in skillful & godly Wisdom. 
To me, that tells me this is a JOURNEY not a destination. Enjoy that walk. Enjoy the journey. Take time to notice the small things as you go. I recently heard a quote that I thought was great, "It has taken you your whole life to get where you are RIGHT NOW. Don't wish 'now' away. Enjoy it." - Enjoy the journey!


4.) What comes out? - When something bad happens, what comes out? 
Your child spills their juice, you hit your head, your spouse asks you to get them something when your arms are obviously full. What comes out? - Looking at our Proverbs 31 friend....on her tongue is the law of kindness. 
Do you have enough Word in you that before you blow up, get angry, maybe even slip out a profanity.... do you have enough Word in in to pause in your mind until you are able to answer with kindness? Have you gotten up before your household to prepare yourself spiritually for the day. Do you have your armor on? 


5.) Finally... receive your deliverance. 


The fruit of walking in skillful & godly wisdom is deliverance. Over & over throughout the Bible it talks about how the righteous are blessed, receive favor, obtain the fruit of the land. It begins by operating in skillful & godly wisdom. Not just in your thoughts or actions, but also in your Words. 

Take time to Listen. When something becomes your "own" and not God's then is when it starts to go downhill. Remember who you're working for. Remember who is Boss. Your Boss will lead you & guide you & give you direction. The hard questions DO have answers, but are you willing to take the time to quiet yourself & listen? 

I have a plan for you & it is a plan to prosper you. 

I have a path for you & it is good. 

Will you take some time to spend with Me? I promise you it will be good. Because that is who I am. 

I am Good. 

--------------------------------
Enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend! Will be back Monday or Tuesday.

It Begins with a Step (continued)...

LOL!

To my previous post earlier today.... my husband actually read it... and CHECK OUT HIS COMMENT about it!! :) "I really liked it, especially the part about waking up before your husband! Maybe you need to meditate a little more on that part." :)

LOL! He sometimes needs his TAIL WHIPPED!! :) It was funny. True, but funny So, let the truth be told, my husband wakes up before me. We all have things to work on, right!? :)

I'm just impressed he read it. :) Thanks husbandy for the words to meditate on! :)

#4 - It Begins with a Step

Yummy... coffee. Who would've thought I enjoyed my "blonde" coffee so much!?! What a great way to wake up! Just thinking about it and remembering back, I guess I can blame it on my Grandma Ellis! Yes, my Grandma could be to blame for my coffee love. I remember when we were little, us kids would go over to grandma & grandpa's house and the adults would be drinking coffee. Well, of course us kids wanted some too! So, grandma would get us some. We called it Alligator Juice! lol! What!? Well, she had this alligator cup that we drank out of, and she REALLY doctored it up! It was probably half milk & half sugar! Maybe that's why I drink my coffee still so blonde. :) What a sweet memory. The alligator cup and coffee at grandma's. That in itself is a great reminder of why to cherish time with the ones you love. Memories last forever but it's the creating of the memories that we need to take time to do. 


As a side note....I recently heard an interview with a gentleman named Gary Vee (@darrenhardy, Success Magazine). He's a great entrepreneur and he said something like this, "Often on planes, I will look to see who is sitting around me. If I can sit with someone who is in their 80's, I will do it every time. I am always curious to know their tips on living a successful, long life. Not one of them has said they wished they had spent more time at the office, they all would've spent more time taking the vacations with family, enjoying their kids ball games and loving their family more...." Memories truly do last.


Well with that, let's go ahead and jump into some other things that last forever, and that is the WORD! The same yesterday, today & tomorrow! Praise the Lord! 

Proverbs 27:23 -27 - Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and look well to your herds .......The lambs will be for your clothing, and the goats [will furnish you] the price of a field. And there will be goats' milk enough for your food, for the food of your household, and for the maintenance of your maids.

Proverbs 31:15 - She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks.

So let's begin to pull a few things from these verses. First of all...Be diligent to know the state of your flocks ... Can you balance a checkbook? Do you have a budget? Do you know the flow of your money? What is going in & what is going out? Well, that is a pretty important step. ESPECIALLY if you aspire to do even a SMALL PORTION of what the Proverbs 31 woman does! Be diligent to know the state of your flocks. 


As a business owner with my husband, we have definitely had times where we have been guilty of not know this information. We have just thought, well we will just "out-earn" the problem. We will just make enough money so that we don't "have" to balance our checkbook, or work off a budget. We simply were not being fiscally responsible. We would throw things off as "broke thinking" or "lack mentality". Well, there may be partial truths in that, but it still boils down to being financially/fiscally responsible. Even with the Proverbs 31 woman, we see that she does have a SAVINGS! (Proverbs 31:16 - ...with her savings she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard.) When you are responsible with a little, you allow God to bless you with more. This Proverbs 31 woman was indeed fiscally responsible. 


So, I guess we are covering the second part of these verses first, then we will circle back around to the beginning of them. 


When she wakes up, what is she doing? Assigning her maids their tasks. When you think of someone who has maids, who do you think of? Who or what pops to mind first. Yep! The rich! The wealthy! The people on the Soap Opera's, All My Children (which my brother is in that soap right now! Go Jamie! @jamesellis3) Yes, we tend to think of the wealthy having maids. And guess what else is pretty neat, "maids" in these verses is PLURAL!!! Now, that gets me excited. She has more than one maid. 


When YOU, woman of God, are walking in your calling, what God has assigned ONLY YOU to do, you too will need maids. This Proverbs 31 woman is a wife, mother, business owner, seamstress, real estate owner, farmer, salesperson, physically fit woman, shopper, counseling others, etc, etc... when you are walking out God's FULL calling on your life you may not have time to do everything you currently do. You may not have time to do laundry for your household. And guess what, that is OK! Whether you are creating memories with your family, helping the needy (31:20) or selling your goods to other business' (31:24). There are some things that only you can do & someone else can not do it for you. For example...if you are a great salesperson, and you have time to sell something or do your laundry, and can delegate one of those tasks to someone else. Well, most anyone is capable of throwing in a load of clothes, folding and putting them away. It does not take great talent, it just takes time. BUT, you may be the only one who knows how to listen to what the customer needs, hear what he is saying between the words, know his situation, know your products benefits, best features, selling points. There are some things only YOU can do! 


I know there is some mentality that people feel like THEY are the ones who have to be super woman and do it ALL. Well, ladies, let's be open minded. Do you think, possibly, just maybe that God could one day have a bigger calling on you than scrubbing toilets? Maybe? Just maybe? Just be open-minded. :)


PRAISE GOD! Maids are BIBLICAL! We have a lady, Ms Sherrie, who does our laundry & does some light cleaning. She is a GOD-SEND! It is so nice to come home after she has been here to have fresh new sheets on our bed, an empty dishwasher, pillows neatly organized on the couch, no dirty clothes in the clothes basket. Ahhhhhhhhh. What peace! But, I still have a ways to go to catch up to the Proverbs 31 woman.... I don't yet have "maidS" plural! :) I will get there though! 


So this Proverbs 31 woman is in charge of getting food for her household & her maids.... interesting.... do these maids live with her then? Or have living quarters? Possibly. 


OK...let's circle back to the beginning part of Proverbs 31:16... She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household...


She rises while it is yet "night". I have meditated on this verse A LOT! I kept thinking...so, does this woman not sleep? How much sleep does she get? I mean, if you know me at all, you know that I like my sleep. Well, the more I spent time meditating on it, this is what was revealed to me. Once your household gets up, what begins to happen? Interruptions. Noise. Movement. Action. Kids wanting food. It is no longer a quiet place conducive or really getting before the Lord to listen to his voice. This Proverbs 31 woman is waking up FIRST! She is getting up before her kids...before her husband. Because otherwise, she would be making breakfast, getting her husband coffee, doing this, doing that... she is getting in some very valuable "ME-TIME" with the Lord! 


She is getting spiritual food for her household. SOMEONE needs to teach your kids Biblical principles, and as a woman of God, it is your responsibility. We can not leave it up to society or others to teach our kids the truths in the Bible. She is getting spiritual food to teach her kids throughout the day. She is getting spiritual food to teach her maids also, her employees. She is not leaving them without getting the Word. She is PREPARING for the day. She is making her "To-Do" list. She is assigning the maids what needs to be done today. She is spending valuable time loving on and spending that quiet intimate time with her Lord, with her Savior....listening what He has to say to HER for the day. She is being strengthened so that she doesn't grow weary throughout her day. She is putting on her armor (Eph 6). She is preparing. 


And I will end with what I received this morning.....

Amy, yes she is the picture of the ideal woman. But, don't think it is too far fetched to aspire to be like this woman. It did not happen over night. She had to start somewhere & then she allowed good to build upon good. Positive habits & attributes to build up. What one person has to work on, she has developed into a habit which now is 2nd nature to her. It starts with a single step. It starts with positive action in one area of life. Some it may be getting personal time in the Word or getting "spiritual" food for her family, kids - to teach them godly principle. Amy - it begins with a step. Knowing who she is, is a great place to start. She WORKED at being who she is. She aspired to DO great things. And she DID do great things. Look at through time, people have read about her for thousands of years. She did make her impact & so can you!

It begins with a step. 

#3 - The Enemy to Success

Enjoying cup of coffee #2. I can actually hear the boy talking a little bit. He is SO cute! What a blessing in our lives. Sometimes he will talk for a few minutes & fall back to sleep.... so we'll see what happens this morning. I know the Holy Spirit busted out with some good stuff this morning, so I am excited to share it! So, FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS we are going to jump in to some good Word this morning. You may also want to get out some shoes with a thick toe... maybe steel toe boots... some toes may be stepped on this morning. I know this information was a great reminder & wake-up call to me!


So before we get started, you may want to know, "Who is this Enemy to Success?" Well, this was quite an interesting find when I looked it up. The enemy to Success & Victory is Strife. Pull out a thesaurus & look it up. Read through the synonyms (words that are the same), and look at the antonyms (words that are the opposite). There were two antonyms listed when I looked up the word Strife. Those two words were Victory & Success. So, if you desire to have Victory in your life, which I feel pretty confident that we all do, you need to eliminate strife from your life! What were some of the synonyms you may wonder?? Equally as interesting, here are just a few: hassle, animosity, controversy, disunity. So, since those are synonyms - you also need to eliminate those "words" from your life also to experience Success! Here are a few questions to see how you are doing... Can you name things in your life that are a "hassle"? Is it a "hassle" to go here or there? Are your daily tasks such a "hassle"? Are you holding animosity or a grudge towards anyone? Who was the person that just popped in your mind? (Write them down & make a point to forgive them!) Do you lack unity with your spouse? With your employer? With your family? 
If you answered YES to any of those questions, it could very well be the reason why you may be experiencing failure in some areas of your life. 


Let's take a look into Proverbs: 

Proverbs 26: 17, 20, 21 - He who, passing by, stops to meddle with strife that is none of his business is like one who takes a dog by the ears. For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, contention ceases. As coals are to hot embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man to inflame strife.

Proverbs 31: 27 - She looks well to how things go in her household, and the bread of idleness (gossip, discontent, and self-pity) she will not eat.

Strife! What are sources of strife that may be in your life? Do YOU add fuel to "bad news"? Do you make bad news worse than what it is by putting "wood on the fire"? How about gossip? 


I remember a time being at home, and beginning to tell Tyler something. I don't even remember what it was, it must have been about someone, something that I had found out. Well, as I began to tell Tyler about it, he just stopped me and said, "That sounds like gossip to me. I don't really want to know about it." Whoa! Can you say "BOO YAH!" And you know what, he was exactly right. I KNEW it was gossip! I even had a check in my spirit telling him. Praise God for an "iron sharpens iron" husband who is able to stop things at the root, to not even allow the weeds to have a chance to survive. I know some people may say, "But, he's my husband" or "She's my wife, can't I just tell her?" Let me follow that up with a question. Gossip, strife, contention - If you DO NOT want to have SUCCESS and VICTORY, sure, bust out with the "oh so important news about so-and-so" and tell your spouse! The bottom line, it doesn't matter who you tell, it still remains to be gossip and it gossip leads to strife! - "...where there is no whisperer (aka: gossiper), contention (aka: strife) ceases..."


(Just in case you wondered, the boy did go back to sleep! He talked for a few minutes, and now he is snoozin!)


Causes of Strife:

• Lack of peace, lack of unity
• Busyness - Stop trying to be so busy. Are you walking around your house trying to find something to do? STOP IT! Sit down! You don't even have to have a book or the TV... you really can just sit down and think. Maybe get out a piece of paper and get things out of your head! Empty out your brain of all the CLUTTERED thoughts of T0-Do's. (GTD - Getting Things Done by David Allen - EXCELLENT, LIFE-CHANGING read!)
• Relying on or putting too much weight on the opinions & expectancy of others! Develop a "WHO CARES" attitude! If you always live your life based upon what others think you should do, expect you to do versus what GOD is leading you to do, you will LIVE CONTINUOUSLY in strive! You can not please everyone. Grasp that fact now, and the rest of your life will be easier. 
• Strife comes from the LACK of having a plan. Take the Proverbs 31 Woman for example. You KNOW that woman has a DAILY plan! To accomplish everything she does as a wife, mom, business owner, friend, giver to the needy, seamstress, saleswoman, real estate woman, farmer, etc, etc, etc. To get even a PORTION of those areas done, you better believe a PLAN is ESSENTIAL! Do you even know WHAT your priorities are? The direction you are headed? That would be a place to start. List out the priorities in your life & develop a DAILY plan that will point back to accomplishing what is most important to you. There is only ONE you to accomplish what only YOU can do! God has SPECIFIC things for you too accomplish. Having a plan is crucial. 
• Strife comes from INTERNAL PRESSURE. My husband has been definitely guilty of this one. He has to CONSTANTLY remind himself that if he HAS A PLAN and is FOLLOWING THE PLAN to not allow internal strife or pressure to work it's way to the surface. - Follow your plan without pressure, and then just enjoy the process. 

A few ways to cut off Strife...turn off the:

• NOISE! The TV, radio, CD, iPod, Cell Phone, Twitter, Facebook, Text Message, Blackberry Messenger, MySpace, Laptop, DeskTop, email, Pandora, even sometimes the baby monitor!

Try listening to the silence. Take a walk. Sit on the porch. Go for a run. Sit on the couch. Ride around in your quiet car. I guarantee, it is much easier to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit without all the clutter! If you don't have time for that, you are TOO BUSY and need to eliminate some things from your schedule. If there is no time for God, you are too busy. 


I'll leave you with two things. 

It's hard to be the man or woman God desires you to be when strife is a consistent part of your life. 

Do ONE thing today to eliminate strife in your life and begin your climb to success!

#2 - Promotion!

So, here I sit... enjoying my second cup of coffee, so kindly provided from my servant husband! :) He's sweet!! I like it when he gets me coffee. That is definitely his way of serving... and I believe he enjoys it! A quick incite into "us".... if you have ever read "The Five Love Languages" (really great read by the way!)... well, Tyler's love language from me is "acts of service". He really feels loved when I serve him in the sense of making him food, pulling up the sheets & tucking him in to bed, getting him some something to drink or getting him a "snack" while he's working.... those sorts of things. Me on the otherhand... I LOVE gifts! :) And, I also really appreciate "words of affirmation". I am typically not an "acts of service" sort of girl....like Tyler mowing the lawn or washing the vehicle doesn't really do much for me. It's nice, but he could bring me home a Butterfinger candy bar and you would've thought he hung the moon! 


Anyways... have had an interesting time in the Word this morning. Again, God is NEW! We serve a NEW God! A God who continually will reveal NEW things to us if we seek him out and give him a chance. Well, He did not disappoint this morning. He is good! And... conveniently, the boy is still sleeping, so it is giving me a little bit of time to write. 


So, this morning one of the big topics in my study has been "Promotion". I know Tyler has been studying the life of Joseph a lot lately, and "Promotion" has been a big theme there.... but we are going to talk about promotion from a bit different of an angle. So, let's jump into it and see where Proverbs 25 & Proverbs 31 cross paths. 

Proverbs 25:6-7 (amp) - Be not forward (self-assertive and boastfully ambitious) in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men; For better it is that it should be said to you, Come up here, than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince, whose eyes have seen you. 

Or we can look at text from The Message, provides a bit different of a view:

Don't work yourself into the spotlight; don't push your way into the place of prominence. It's better to be promoted to a place of honor than face humiliation by being demoted.

And let's take a look into Proverbs 31:23:

(Amp) - Her husband is known in the [city's] gates, when he sits among the elders of the land. 

(The Message) - Her husband is greatly respected when he deliberates with the city fathers.

So... as I began to think about the Proverbs 31 woman's husband, I really began to realize they are quite the dynamic duo! Not only does she rock it with all her qualities, but her husband is quite the leader in the community. 


And let's just think about it... he sits among the elders, the leaders of the land, do you think that the LEADERS of the land just allow ANYONE to sit with them? Do you think that if "Joe" off the street came up while they were having a meeting they would just let him take a seat, join in, add his 2 cents? Probably not. This Proverbs 31 husband has EARNED his spot among the elders. He has EARNED the respect to sit with them, to talk with them, to speak and be heard. 


It reminds me of my grandpa. Every morning he goes to coffee at like 5:30 or 6:00 am. The same group of retired men, meet at the same gas station every morning, get their same 60 cent cup of coffee, and take their same old seats. Every morning. For how long? For years and years and years! If the sun sets, those men will be getting coffee the next morning. When my grandpa walks in, he takes HIS seat and begins to shoot the breeze with his friends. Well, just like my grandpa has earned his seat & his friendship with these men over years, this Proverbs 31 husband has also paid his dues. 


Promotion. "Be not forward (self-assertive and boastfully ambitious) in the presence of the king..." 


One Sunday afternoon, Tyler & I were invited to attend a special, "by invitation only" birthday party for our Pastor. Our Pastor is a man of God in our lives who we respect, we honor, we value his words into our lives, and we were honored to be invited to attend this special event. I remember walking in to the clubhouse & there being maybe three tables, then scattered about a lot of extra chairs, but definitely not enough seats for everyone to sit. Tyler & I stood off along the wall with some other people chatting, we did not have a seat and were not about to take a seat at the table positioned by our Pastor. I remember feeling so honored when the Pastor kind of arranged the seating at this table. He told Tyler & I, "Come on over here. I want you to sit right here."  He had two seats for us at the table. What an honor. 


Promotion. It was much nicer to be invited to sit there, than have been asked to move. 


So... do you crave promotion? Attention? Praise? Honor? Do you want to receive it but you don't want to just pipe up and say, "Hey, did you see how good I did at this? I am so awesome. Look how good I am." 


Well, from a person whose love language is "words of affirmation", I can definitely tell you I have spent my fair share of time desiring "praise" or "promotion". I'm sure I have also spent my fair share of times bragging about this or that... being the "Me Monster"... "look at me! ME! ME! ME!" 


If you want Promotion... if you want Praise. Give it. If your peer at work has done something good, brag on them in front of others. If your spouse has built a deck on to the back of your house and is really proud of it, brag on it in front of his friends or parents and tell them how good he did. If your spouse, friend, boss, co-worker, pastor has done something good worth recognizing, recognize them! Privately just to them, or publically in front of others, praise them! What do we know about sowing? If you sow corn, you'll get corn. If you sow beans, you'll get beans. If you sow praise, you'll get what? You will get Praised also! Give it time to grow. But, sow!


I think I heard the boy talking. I guess I'll go check on him. 

#1 - Learn from the Lazy!

The boy is still sleeping and I have just wrapped up a great time reading & meditating on the Word. What is the difference a lot of people may ask? Reading is simply taking in content.... whereas, meditating is taking the content and actually LISTENING. Listening to what? Listening to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. What does HE have to say about what you are reading? Does He have specific direction or a specific word for YOU about YOUR life? Over the last year, meditating has brought me an abundance of amazing incite into who the Proverbs 31 Woman is.

My daily Proverb... Since today is the 24th, Proverbs 24 it is..... is there anything that jumps out that is a good cross reference to the Proverbs 31 Woman? It is amazing that still after doing this every month for the last year, the Holy Spirit is STILL giving me new and fresh incite! DAILY! His Voice is still fresh and new.

Proverbs 24:30-34 - I went by the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; ³¹And, behold, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles were covering its face, and its stone wall was broken down.³²Then I beheld and considered it well; I looked and received instruction.³³Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep-- ³⁴So shall your poverty come as a robber, and your want as an armed man.

So....What about this Proverbs 31 Woman? Where does she differ? We already know she is the DEAL!! One of my favorite verses...and I always pull text from the Amplified Version.

Proverbs 31:16 ^_ She considers a [new] field before she buys or accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties]; with her savings [of time and strength] she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard.

The Proverbs 31 Woman.... check out what she has planted... FRUITFUL VINES in her Vineyard! She is getting a return on her investment! Not to state the obvious, but she does several things before even planting a vineyard that the lazy man does not do.

1. She prayerfully considers, "Is this new undertaking something I have time for? Should I say Yes or NO to this new task? Will it take away from what I am currently doing?
2. After considering this, that it WILL not take away from her present duties and tasks on her full plate, she determines that she CAN add this while still being able to do all the other things she is working on.

One thing about the Proverbs 31 woman, just by looking at verse 16... since she CONSIDERS a new field before accepting it.... at times this Proverbs 31 Woman has most likely also said the Holy, Spiritual, Religious word, a lot of us need to learn to say more often, and that is the word, "NO!" In verse 16, she was able to "accept the new field" after CONSIDERATION.... but, just the fact that she has gone through this "ritual" tells me she has also said "NO" to accepting fields before.

NO! NO! NO! It is OK to say NO! Just because you are offered something, does not mean it needs to be yes! It can be NO! Just because someone wants you to attend an event....sometimes the most spiritual answer to their request is NO! Being the new PTA President may seem like a great opportunity, but like the Proverbs 31 woman, if it is going to make you neglect the current duties and spread you too thin.... then with direction and Wisdom from the Holy Spirit the best answer may be NO! That also means adding your child to his/her 2nd or 3rd summer league, which means more driving, shuffling schedules, more games to attend, more this, more that, more planning, more grabbing food on the go... more... more... more... maybe it should be NO! What a spiritual Word! NO! Doesn't it feel good just to say it? NO NO NO NO NO!!!! Ahhh.

But, lets jump back again to Proverbs 24....

...Then I beheld and considered it well; I looked and received instruction.³³Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep-- ³⁴So shall your poverty come as a robber...

What can we learn? What are the consequences? First of all, this "Wise person" in Proverbs, looked at the lazy person... they "considered it well" to receive instruction from them and LEARN from their.....hum... let's say stupidity. In being lazy, poverty and lack has and will come upon this person.

Check it out... even just one LIKE word in both sets of scripture, CONSIDER. Consider what you are going to do. CONSIDER! Learn from those lack or void of Wisdom. CONSIDER. Consider before adding tasks and new obligations. Consider!

An unfortunate disadvantage to NOT CONSIDERING is POVERTY! It could be "poverty" in the most common sense of the word, and that be in one's finances. But let's look at the other areas where poverty could be brought in from NOT CONSIDERING. Poverty in ones health - being spread too thin, adds stress, puts you to bed later - so adds lack of sleep, can very well bring weeds to other areas of life that is neglected. Poverty to ones health in the realm of "physical fitness", not able to be good to your body in being fit... causing the extra pounds to be added, flab to replace where muscle once was. Poverty in eating properly... adding too many obligations and the "Drive-Thru.....Fast Food" becomes a source of dinner on the go.... versus eating a healthy meal at home with fruits, vegetables, milk, fish or good lean proteins. Poverty in Relationships... what about your spouse? Does this busy schedule lend itself to growing further and further from your spouse because you are going two directions? Are you putting yourself in harms way to be a "statistic" of America's marriages? 50+% of marriages ending in divorce.

Can you CONSIDER before accepting the next obligation? Maybe the answer to it should be No? :)

Well... the boy is now talking. :) He is so cute. He is probably ready to eat... and so is mama! :)

11:21 am.... Monday.... signing off....

The Beginning of a Journey

Well here I sit, embarking on a new journey. It's quiet, I just hear the buzzing of the refridgerator. Tyler is in his office and Tyler Jr, whom we often refer to simply as, "the boy", is sleeping soundly.

I am so excited about this phase that I am living in RIGHT NOW! I'm excited about living in THE NOW! I have been guilty in the past of "living in the future" and not enjoying the present. Since the birth of our son in November 2009 and resigning from my job in Corporate America in February 2010, I feel as if I have a new lease on life! I no longer dread the days, or the phone calls, cranky bankers, problems with credit card machines, too many referrals to stay caught up in a timely fashion or rushing in to work before I get too many emails or calls from my boss.

Now.... May 2010... a common day looks like this..... wake up around 7:30, 8, 8:30.... or frankly whenever.... slip into my soft fuzzy slippers, brush my teeth, wash my face and head downstairs. Pour myself a cup of Kahve coffee that my husband has "already made", add my French Vanilla or Hazelnut (sugar-free) creamer until it is a nice blonde shade, move into the living room couch, snuggle up into a blanket, crack open my Bible, journal and planner.....and there.....right there, it all begins! For the next hour to hour & 1/2, I am able to just spend time in the Word....meditating, studying, journaling & listening to the sweet voice of the Holy Spirit. After studying my daily Proverbs & meditate on Proverbs 31, I transfer the verses that jumped out at me into my planner. Then, I list out my "to-do" items in my planner, plan out my day.... and by that time.... 11:00-11:30, THE BOY.... is finally stirring and ready to get up and eat!! YES, he sleeps THAT LONG!! My little Rock star boy who lets mommy have a WHOLE morning to herself.... and there starts my day.

Come along and follow with me as I embark on the journey of seeking God and being led daily by His Voice......