Learning to Lean (through the stress) . . .

Happy belated July 4th to all!! I hope yours was safe and happy for you ~~ filled with food cooked on a grill and lots of popping in your ears from all the firework festivities!!

Generally on the 4th we have people over and do the cookout thing and watch the neighborhood fill with smoke as our neighbors celebrate with all things Boom-worthy :) We don't buy many fireworks; really no reason. Our neighborhood is a vertiable stage for watching, so we just sit back and enjoy (for about 30 mins and then the man and I are generally done and ready for bed!! ~~ When did we get so, well, middle-aged? :) But this year Dakota wasn't home, he went elsewhere to enjoy and participate in The Works, and we didn't have anyone over, because we did that a couple of weekends ago when our town had their fireworks, so really it was pretty quiet, but really nice.

Today was church and can I just say "Praise the Lord for the church we attend!!" He is good to us and has sent us to just the best place for us to hear from Him in that setting. To be really honest I've been struggling some lately. I know God loves me, although sometimes I'm not sure why, I know that He is moving in my midst, and I know that He is worthy!! And that's the thing that so moves me to tears. In my fraility and humaness He is All in All and so worthy of all my Praise!!

So another reason that this weekend was a quiet one was because I was sick, like all weekend with a headache, and if there is one thing that will debilitate me to the point of the couch or bed it is a headache. Just want to say here that Heather if you're reading, I so feel for you and have been praying sista' that these migraines will be a thing of the past for you SOON!!

So I spent a lot of time on the couch vegging trying to get rid of this neck/headache. Well, I've had headaches at times a lot, but this one is in the same place on the back of my head in the neck area and probably, yep you guessed it the tension/stress related type. And the worst part about it is that I know better!! I've been letting things build up rather than taking care of them as they come up. I let them remain in instead of getting them out, and apparently they have found a home in my neck ~~ what a pain in the neck!! (Oh yeah that was bad ~~ sorry :)

Thankfully, very very Thankfully, I have a husband that knows me really well and can see the train wreck in the future and tries to help prevent it. After church Sunday, we went into town and went to Target (Yeah!!) and then to lunch and he just talked to me about all the stress I've been under lately and how I needed to deal with it in a healthy way instead of letting it build to the point of neck-popping-off-body kind of pain!! (Thank you my sweet, I love you so much!!)

So why I am so stressed . . . because I'm not trusting enough. God is so working in my life right now, but there are still so many things that I'm trying to do on my own, and I know better!! (Oh brother, if I'm not pathetic!!)

In my study today, Kelly Minter talked about the lies that Satan tells us, and we believe. And sometimes they are very simple ~~ not the big ones ~~ but the seeminly little lies that we believe and that affect the whole of our lives. Wow did I find myself here.

So my hope today is just to lean in close to the Father and hear His voice in my life, and not let the cares and worries of this life choke out the voice of God. He wants to talk to us, He wants us to listen . . . so I'm listening and staying close.

Father,
In the secret in the quiet place,
In the stillness You are there.
In the secret hour I wait only for You,
Because I want to know You more!!