Meditation on Philippians 4:6-7

I wrote this a while ago in my journal. I just came across it recently and thought I'd share here. One of the blessing of keeping a journal, in my opinion, is being able to look back at different times in your life and remembering what God was teaching you at the time.

I love these verses in any version, but for a while there I was just kind of chewing on them from the Message and envisioning how the Apostle Paul might have explained them to me in person. (I can be kind of thick at times, so Paul might have had to be pretty blunt with me!)

Don't fret or worry. [You know what you do. You obsess about many little things. Some things haven’t even happened – you just assume someone’s upset with you. Or that you’re going to have a bad day at work. Or that you won’t get everything done.]

Instead of worrying, pray. [Okay, well if you can’t quit cold turkey, how about trying something else instead? Something that really works. Like talking to God about things.]

Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. [Are you still having a hard time understanding? Here’s what it looks like. Picture a potter at the wheel, a wet, slippery lump of clay before him. The one hand petitions. It asks of the clay. The other hand praises. It affirms what is good. That’s how you need to view your worries, as an inanimate lump of clay that is powerless to control you. Instead of allowing your worries and fears to control you, remind yourself of what God has already done in your life and the lives of those you love. And then lay your heart out before God. He already knows what is going on.]

Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. [Sooner or later, you will start to realize that you can take God at his word. You can trust him with the little details of your life, as well as the big problems. Christ would like to be in control of things and he would do such a better job than you are. Will you let him? Something happens when you acknowledge your brokenness to him. You invite him in. He won’t force himself on you. But when you let him, he can pull things together for you in ways you never imagined.]

Vacation "No's

So where've I been? Oh yeah, supposed to be working on some new posts while on vacation, right? Not happening! In the meantime, here are some things the absence of which makes vacation a whole lot more fun:

• No makeup. This summer I haven't even been wearing foundation, just eyeliner, mascara, powder and a bit of blush if I remember. And lipstick when someone at work asks if I'm feeling alright! But vacation week I'm lucky to get some eyeliner on each day. I so love going sans makeup!


• No alarm clock. But I think I have the same internal alarm clock my gram did, because I wake up every day no later than 6:00 am anyways. Out of courtesy to my sleep-loving husband, I try to be still until after 7:00 am but that's easier said than done when there's a nice long walk or bike ride calling my name!
  
• No blogs. My growing Google Reader list is up to almost 40 new posts. I'm pretty proud of myself for refraining from my typical blog-reading addiction this week, with the exception of the blog containing notes from the Sunday message. Believe me, I miss you all but there will be plenty of time to catch up next week.


• No laptop. I know my husband finds it hard to believe but I didn't bring my laptop Lizzy with me this week. Kind of freeing, you know. Although my goal to stay totally unplugged only lasted until sometime Tuesday, I have managed to keep my computer time to a minimum.


• No bedtime. Yes, I have a bedtime. It's basically whatever time my husband starts heading to bed. He's big on getting eight hours sleep - go figure! But on vacation . . . no alarm clock and no bedtime. Reading until 1 or 2 in the morning is totally sanctioned while on vacation!


• No Weight-watchers. Although I reached lifetime status several months ago, I still try to adhere to the better eating habits I learned while on the program. Until we crossed the PA-MD stateline. And it's been a week of just eating whatever and kind of fun too. Although I still crave vegetables and salads most of all.


• No snoring, sniffling, sneezing, whining, farting dog in bed with us! :) Although we love our dog dearly, I at least enjoy reaching over with my feet and feeling other human feet instead of fur!

So now what's next, you ask? A Vacation "Yes" post? Nah. Too predictable I think, given that this was a big family vacation! Maybe a book review or two is in order, since I've already finished several great books this week.

Let the Vacation Begin!

At exactly 5:30 pm today I walked out of work, leaving my laptop behind and knowing that I wouldn't have to face it or the problems it threatens, for more than a week! We're off to the lake Sunday afternoon, spending a week with the in-laws. Thankfully we have a rented house that should be big enough to keep us out of each other's hair . . . two almost eighty-year-olds, a sister and her two kids, a brother, and my husband.

But I'm already doing vacation things here. I baked all evening - giant peanut butter cookies and chocolate biscotti. Am planning to get a few must-dos in tomorrow in between walking and who knows what else. I've already been packed for a few days now - easier to just put stuff in the suitcases here and there, and other than a few errands tomorrow, I think we're ready to go.

The best part about vacation? Well, for one thing, they're all mostly late sleepers. My FIL might get up around 10 or so and he'll putz around the kitchen making himself egg-beaters with green pepper onion, and perhaps a few strips of bacon on the side. My BIL gets up at a decent time, handy to run for a cup of coffee with or even an early morning bike ride. Other than that, I'll have the place to myself, and peaceful mornings to read and relax (yeah, I'll probably write a bit too!)

The other great thing: a huge kitchen! I know my husband views it as work but I really love to cook for the family when we're on vacation. The only thing - I don't load the dishwasher. I've done it before, with both his family and mine. Someone promptly proceeds to reload it the correct way. Hey, I don't have a dishwasher - what do I know. I'm content to cook and let them be the flunkies - LOL!

I can't wait to check out the biking trails at the nearby state park. This is the first time we've gone to a lake, rather than the beach. I can't say I'm going to miss the ten hour drive . . . we'll leave around 2:00 pm and be in our place no later than 4:00 pm. That works for me!

I don't plan to blog but am not going to beat myself up if a post slips out here or there. I'm really hoping to disconnect from technology for a few days though. But you know I'll be "cooking" up some new posts, so check back after July 29th . . .