Balance and Loving Your Neighbor

Thanks ladies for all of your encouragement in regard to schedules and getting myself together. I’m realizing that some of my desire to have it all planned out is a control thing. I need to trust the Lord with the daily interruptions that occur and allow myself some room to breath. I also need to balance that with the need to get certain things done. Things like clean, not wrinkled clothes for my husband and dinner are essential to creating the peaceful atmosphere I desire around here. So, in an effort to maintain that tender balance I’m creating lists. I’ve done this before, but always find it releasing to do again. What are those things that we desire to accomplish with our little ones daily, weekly, etc? What about in the home? What things do I need to accomplish daily, weekly, etc to make our home a peaceful, functional place for us to enjoy together? Most importantly what do I need to do daily, weekly, etc to honor and serve my husband? I know what makes him feel loved and cared for, so I strive to make sure those things are my top priority. In serving my family this way, I am honoring and serving the Lord which is my goal. Doing all that with a cheerful contentedness is how I can glorify God and enjoy Him. So, that’s where I’m at since my last post. Pretty much, taking the time to think and then put things on paper makes a huge difference for me. Otherwise I feel like I’m carry this never ending to-do list around in my head that never gets done, and then I feel like I’m failing. So, there’s hope.

Another thing I’ve been thinking a lot about lately is evangelism. Now that we’ve moved to this new home and neighborhood it is my prayer that the Lord would use us here. We desire to be loving, giving neighbors that are salt and light because we’ve been forgiven by an amazingly gracious God. I pray that the Lord would open up more opportunities to meet and get to know these people. That He would give us a real love for them. That they would be open to being friends, and that our relationships would move beyond the small talk and into the deeper things of life. So, the Lord has us here and it is our mission field. (Now if my Spanish was only better, and if I only knew German I’d be good to go!)

PS. Any tips on how to become “friends” with someone who doesn’t speak your language? There are two ladies who frequent the park near our home who don’t speak English hardly at all…