Rules For a Spiritual Life

My recent post 'Rules For Life' contained rules I *try* to abide by to keep myself from getting into too much trouble with people here on earth.
What's way more important is my relationship with God.
This post, I want to share some of the things I do to keep myself walking with God in the Spirit.
As long as I am walking with God, I am effortlessly able to keep myself from unnecessary trouble and maintain all my personal rules.

1) Read your bible and pray everyday.
This is a no brainer. Everyone knows you cannot have a relationship with someone without talking and listening to them. A relationship with God is the same way- reading your bible is reading His Word, praying is talking to Him. Yes He knows everything, but He wants us to talk to Him about it. Praying strengthens you in ways you'll never know until you start making a decisive effort to bend your knees and pray.

And Jesus answered him, saying, It is

written, That man shall not live by bread

alone, but by every word of God.

Luke 4:4

That's not hard to understand: we need the Word of God to live.

As newborn babes, desire the sincere

milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

1 Peter 2:2

We need it to grow. The more you read it, the more you desire it, the more you grow. Nothing bad comes out of reading God's Word.

This is something, my pastor's wife's father pointed out-

And it came to pass in those days, that

he went out into a mountain to pray, and

continued all night in prayer to God.

Luke 16:12

Jesus found praying more comforting than sleep! That is our example! If you are a Christian that does not think it's necessary to set time aside for prayer, there's something wrong.

2) Study your bible.

Reading is great! It is great for a baby Christian, it is great when your mind is tired, it is great to read as a family, but an older Christian needs strong meat. Strong meat comes from studying.

For when for the time ye ought to be

teachers, ye have need that one teach you

again which be the first principles of the

oracles of God; and are become such as

have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

For everyone that useth milk is unskillful

in the word of righteousness: for he is a

babe.

But strong meat belongeth to them that

are of full age, even those who by reason of

use have their senses exercised to discern

both good and evil.

Hebrews 5:12-14

Studying the bible means cross referencing, line upon line, comparing spiritual things with spiritual to find out what the bible really says. Something Paul may write two lines about in Ephesians may be given a full chapter in Romans.

In 1 Peter it says, 'for charity shall cover the multitude of sins', you wouldn't know the depth of what charity is unless you read about it in 1 Corinthians 13.

Lastly, and most importantly, God tells us to study:

Study to shew thyself approved unto

God, a workman that needeth not to be

ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15

3) Apply what you've learned

Submit yourselves therefore to God.

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7

But ye, brethren, be not weary in well

doing.

And if any man obey not our word by

this epistle, note that man, and have no

company with him, that he may be

ashamed.

2 Thessalonians 3:14

But be ye doers of the word, and not

hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

For if any be a hearer of the word, and

not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding

his natural face in a glass:

For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his

way, and straightway forgetteth what

manner of man he was.

James 1:22-24

Those are just a few verses of many that talk about obedience, submission, and following after God.

The fact is, you cannot grow if you refuse to apply what you've learned. The more you exercise self control, the more 'natural' it becomes.

Tools to help with the three things above:

1- Set a specific time to read, study, and pray

You will not do it if you leave it up to 'if I have time'. You'll never have time. You'll keep coming up with things to do.

Get up early and do your devotions. If you can't, set aside a specific time during the day to study.

You must come to the realization that your relationship with God is THE priority in your life. If you have your relationship with God straight, all other areas of your life fall into order. My life is a testament to this; my pastor, pastor's I've listened to on this internet have preached on this.

2-Write down prayer requests and collect missionary prayer cards

I have a little book I write down prayer requests in and I get a hold of as many missionary prayer cards as I can. This helps me put thought and effort into praying for others. If I don't write it down I will forget. I've noticed too, if I'm not particularly interested in praying, I can't help but pray more and more because of all the requests given to me. I am constrained to pray about all of them. Make it a particular priority to pray for each request that comes up.

Praying always with all prayer and

supplication in the Spirit, and watching

thereunto with all perseverance and

supplication for all saints;

Ephesians 6:18

Confess your faults one to another, and

pray one for another, that ye may be

healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a

righteous man availeth much.

James 5:16

Those verses say it all.

3- Fast

This is actually a whole blog post in one point- one I do intend to write. For now, suffice it to say that fasting helps teach you to control your flesh. A great chapter on fasting is Isaiah 58. Here is a bit of it:

Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to

loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the

heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go

free, and that ye break every yoke?

Isaiah 58:6

Notice what fasting does: loose bands of wickedness, undo heavy burdens (are you hurting about something? fast), let the oppressed go free, break every yoke- fasting liberates us and builds our relationship with God.

4-Listen to sermons

I have learned so much from listening to sermons while doing chores, knitting, and so on. I've learned how to pray from hearing preachers pray, I've been reminded of hymns I once knew, I've been reproved, rebuked, exhorted, edified, strengthened, and blessed through preaching. If nothing else, it keeps my mind from wandering to places it should not.

5-Sing praises

If you're wondering how to make melody in your heart to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19), this is how. I take time, ideally every day but that hasn't been possible lately, to sing songs to God. Sometimes I go through a hymn book, sometimes I sing scripture songs, but I make sure to listen to what I'm singing and mean it. I find that at least one of the songs I sing remains in my head the rest of the day or through the week.

If you think this isn't important then you haven't read the book of Psalms at all.

Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto

the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy

endureth for ever.

Psalm 106:1

6-Memorize scripture

Knowing scripture will get you through every situation you will come across. The first year of my marriage I memorized Proverbs 31:10-31. I intend to be a virtuous woman and that passage has it all. I quote it to myself a lot because sometimes I really need to remember it.

I've quoted scripture to myself during scary situations in doctor's offices and hospitals, when I have trouble sleeping, and when I don't know what to think.
When I was in labour and my contractions were getting unbearable I would close my eyes and quote Proverbs 31. The pain was still there but it kept me from going crazy.
The more you read the bible the more you will know it the more it will come up every day.

Don't underestimate the power of knowing scripture. 

7-Go To Church

This isn't just a Sunday thing, it's a Wednesday thing, and every other time there is an activity or service at church.

Fellowship helps keep you faithful. If you don't believe me, stay away from church for a month and see what that does to your relationship with God. There is a lot you cannot control at church, and that is a good thing. To be exposed to preaching that God gave a preacher to preach to you is special. Not only that, there are people there willing to pray for you. Prayer is powerful and we all need as much of it as we can get.

There has been many times I have not felt like going to church but I've gone and never regretted it. God gave church to us for our benefit and His glory. Don't shun it.

BEWARE!!! If you find yourself too tired or busy to have personal time with God because you're too involved with church, cut down your church activities. It is very easy to go through the motions and look spiritual when you are actively involved at church but if you don't have a relationship with God that goes before those things, your work is dead. Being faithful to God and being faithful to church are two separate things.


I hope this was a help to you in some way!

Things I've Been Working On

I did not really expect this summer to be as busy as it was.
There's always something going on and something to do.
Normally my husband has regular days off and he helps with my son and gives me relief. This past summer he's been at work almost every day so I've been pressed to find time for and to myself.

There are days that I do write but I am unable to publish the post.
I have a few larger posts I'm working on and I thought I'd share those today.

Who Are We Looking For- This is all about the myth of the pre-wrath, post tribulation rapture. I've been working on this a lot and close to a few months. It's a very lengthy, in depth post. I prove everything I say with rightly divided verses so I do go on a few rabbit trails. Its a fascinating study and I'm looking forward to sharing it.

An Evil Disease- This one is about things I've noticed in children these days. Depending on my conclusion I will likely change the name of it.

Hymns vs Praise Songs round 2- This one is takes testimony and research. It's not one I can easily bang out. I want to be sure of what I have written.

Love the Brethren- This is something I'm constantly learning thus I've had to hold off publishing as God changes my heart about some things and opens my eyes to other things. It should, by God's grace, be edifying when I finally do publish it.

A Virtuous Woman- The Strange Woman Part 4- With other, research heavy posts I've been working on this series has been put on the back burner. I will continue the series as the Lord allows.

There you have it. I hope to get these posts published as soon as I can. No rushing though- Bible studies should not be handled in haste.

Community Carnival at Park City Baptist Church

I've been taking an official break this week from writing.
My mother-in-law has been visiting and my church is putting on a free community carnival.

If you happen to be in the area, please stop by! I will be at the cotton candy tent, covered in pink sugar, and glad to be apart of an outreach event. Come say hi if you are around.
If you are not in the area, we'd love prayer from you for our community.
We take the great commission seriously and we want to be a blessing to everyone that lives around us.
We're praying that this carnival tells our community that we're here, we love them, we want them to know Christ and his blessed assurance of salvation.
Please pray that we will be loving to all those that come, good examples of Christ's passion for souls, and that we all conduct ourselves wisely. Also please pray for the planning, set up, games, and those overseeing it.

The address, time, and all the details you need are below:

Five Years

Today is my husband's and my fifth anniversary.

My father-in-law performed the ceremony on August 15th, 2010

I've reflected a lot on our marriage over the last few months. As I've reflected, the things that I have been most thoughtful about are the vows we made on that day before God.

That day is a blur to me. I remember bits and pieces of it but the most important part- the vow- doesn't play back in my head. It's unfortunate but fortunately Michael and I discussed what we wanted our marriage to be long before we ever said 'I do', and also I have a copy of the vow we made.

I intend to stand by Michael in sickness, health, poverty, wealth, through children, through family, through the world, through death, through life, through everything 'as long as we both shall live'.
When I said 'I do', I meant it.

The marital 'I do' are not light words. You have given yourself up by saying them. Everything you want, think, say, do now effects your marriage. You can either work selflessly toward 'I do' or selfishly against it.
'I do' is not the end of the story. 'I do' does not mean you have it right. 'I do' is a world of challenges that yields one of earthly life's greatest rewards.
'I do' does not mean it's done. It means it's just beginning.

I think most marriages fail because people say 'I do' but don't bother putting effort into really thinking through those things mentioned above. They do not realize that 'I do' is a vow of selflessness. It is not about making yourself happy, it is about what you can do for the other person. (Please note- I recognize that many people who were married, still wish to be married, but can't because their spouse destroyed their marriage through adultery and the like- I am not talking about these situations.) 

If I want to live with my husband happily until we die, there are things I need to do.
For instance:
Michael and I came together because of the bible. Our relationship was born out of mutual interest in and love for the scripture. We decided, before we met each other, to live by the Word, and thus our relationship was first built on the Word, and now our marriage is built on the Word. The fact that our marriage would be founded on biblical principals never needed to be said. It is something we've always known and it is the standard we hold each other accountable to. 

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own

husbands, as unto the Lord.

Ephesians 5:23

How can I expect my marriage to last if I don't obey that verse?

Nevertheless let every one of you in

particular so love his wife even as himself;

and the wife see that she reverence her

husband.

Ephesians 5:33

Reverencing my husband means treating him with respect. It means I do not complain about him to our child and others, I do not give him attitude, I do not take my mood out on him, and so on.

Submitting myself and being reverent toward my husband are two ways I put my marriage vow into practice and prove it's worth to me- it is putting my feelings aside to treat my husband the way I am commanded to.

It is not natural to be submissive and reverent- especially in a marriage as you get to know each other.

Familiarity breeds contempt- that's where God's grace comes in.
While submission is not an easy thing and reverence does not come naturally to me, my vow before God constrains me to get those parts of my life under control. If I let myself do what I please, my marriage would be in shambles because what I please has nothing to do with submission and reverence. I take my marriage vow seriously and I work daily to make my marriage work.

Recently, my husband and I had to work through an issue we were having. It was something that would come up every few months and finally it came to a point where it needed to be settled once and for all. We had some pretty fierce arguments about it and, when we had what was to be the final battle about it I felt like I could never forgive him.
I was furious in a way I'd never been before. Then I remembered that I promised to love Michael. 'Charity never faileth' (1 Corinthians 13) charity is God, charity is love in action.
When I remembered my promise to love Michael I had to stop and really think about my actions and emotions. I realized that I either love myself more than him or I love him more than myself. Happy marriages are not made of two people who love themselves more than they love each other. I also had to realize that I love God most of all. If I tried to solve this problem using my own love toward Michael I would fail. I needed supernatural love- charity.
I couldn't think about what made me so angry but what I did do was go to God in prayer. What I had learned was that I could not deal with this on my own, in my flesh, or in my spirit; it made me so angry I couldn't stand it.
When I went to God I just asked Him to help me do what I was supposed to do. I asked for grace, strength, and an attitude change. I asked God to help me love Michael- that's kind of a funny request isn't it?
You know, God changed my heart the instant I was done praying.
I couldn't submit to Michael, I was too angry at him for that, but I could- and did- submit to God and He took care of my issue with Michael. 

What wound up happening was I was able to apologize, I was able to forgive, I was able to tell Michael my entire side, and we've resolved it once and for all.
This giant weed in our garden was pulled out and destroyed.
I tell that story to say this: my marriage vow helped me overcome my flesh. Remembering it helped me when I failed. Our marriage vows are not for show. They are real promises meant to aid us in life.

We've changed a lot in five years of marriage but what has not changed is the vow we made exactly five years ago. That is the beauty of marriage, you grow older, move, change, but your purpose remains the same. I'm so thankful I have something to look back on, to remind me of why we came together, to give me strength to do what is right.
God is so good!

Rules for Life

I always have lots of ideas about things to blog about but when I actually sit down to blog I find myself struggling for ideas and words. Most of the time I have a thought but I find it hard to write about clearly and concisely. I think I just need to practice writing but I also think some of my ideas are so small that they can be all condensed into one post- like this one.

I don't know how anyone regulates their lives. I'm not talking about biblical standards I'm talking about general things that keep us from having too many regrets and messes to clean up.
I started making rules for myself in high school- seriously too late if you ask me- but they helped me make better choices.
See, if I was approaching a situation that had similar characteristics to situations in the past, I'd go with the rule I set for that situation.
For example: I had a group of friends who were the 'cool' kids. We thought we were cool but I later found out everyone hated us (lol right?). Anyways, there were a lot of us girls and gossip and things would go around. My first year of high school- grade eight- was so traumatic for me and situation after situation would rise up.
I remember crying in the washroom one day and a few of my 'friends' found me. They asked what was wrong so I told them and I said, 'don't tell anyone'. They agreed. I had learned to tell people not to tell anyone because things that I thought were obvious secrets were not kept as secret.
A little while later a friend- this one was a real friend- came up and asked if I was okay. When I asked her why she asked she let it slip that the two who found me told her I had been crying.
Well, that started a huge thing but I came out of it and learned this: NEVER TELL A GIRL ANYTHING- even if you tell her not to tell anyone.
That became my number one rule through high school and it has carried me beyond.
I guess I'll start listing off some of my rules:

Please note- these are my rules for me, they may or may not apply to you. Take from them what you will.
1) Never, for any reason, for any purpose, tell anything to anyone who has yet to prove themselves trustworthy.
I've set this rule down for my husband as well- do not talk about personal things with any girl- relation or otherwise for any reason.
Girls talk. We talk about appropriate things, inappropriate things (for men to hear), very personal things, we just talk. In all the talking we lose our filters and run away with ourselves- especially if we're talking to someone we're close to.
I've made the mistake of telling people things I shouldn't have. This is just the reason my rule is to keep personal things personal. The only people I tell anything really personal to (besides my husband of course) is my pastor's wife and my sister. My pastor's wife can pray for whatever it is and my sister is my second best friend (after my husband) and she understands almost everything.
I could probably talk to a few more people but I don't want to find out the hard way that they are untrustworthy.
Keeping your thoughts and struggles (I'm talking about smaller ones) limited to a few people limits the damage they can possibly do to yourself and others.
Watch who you talk to. (By the way, men are exempt from this rule simply because I do not talk to them about personal things- it's immodest)

2) Never, for any reason, no matter how you feel, no matter how sorely you are tempted, do anything wrong to prove a point.
This took me a long time to learn and it is a huge rule to abide by.
Last October I was wronged by some family members. Instead of talking it through and dealing with it maturely I just left the conversation.
Instead of them realizing that they had done something wrong, I had to apologize to them for my rudeness and the point I was trying to make was never made known.
That was a big thing, but these things can happen on a small scale in everyday  life too.
For instance, if my husband does something that angers me and, instead of talking rationally to him about it, I yell and make a scene, the whole reason I'm upset gets lost in a pointless argument. I'll just be branded as a contentious woman and he'll write me off as emotional and irrational.
If I calmly talk to him about the source of my anger, I will be heard and the peace will be kept.

3) Don't do anything you will regret.
Of course we do things we regret all the time. We try to keep ourselves from that as much as possible. What I'm talking about here is small things:
-Do daily devotions- this is rather a big one but it's a small thing that makes a huge difference in my day
-Always go with comfortable clothing- I always look frumpy but I don't care as long as I'm comfortable
-Go to the washroom when there is one close and convenient
-Always bring a bottle of water with you
-Bring a purse or make sure to wear something with pockets when you go to the park (I hate carrying things)
-Go to sleep when your body tells you to
-Don't listen to worldly music- I despise the current popular music but I have a soft spot for gangster rap like Eazy E, Ice Cube and that bunch. Even though I still like it, it is not good for me to listen to, I get really aggressive, impatient and hateful. If I listen to it at all, my testimony for that day is gone and I am always filled with regret.
Those are just a few things that I make sure to do to keep myself from regret and discomfort later on.

4) Never make definitive statements about yourself or something you're planning to do.
First part of this one: talking about yourself.
I try not to talk about myself. I do talk about things in my life, things I'm going through, need help with, and so on but I mean things like this: I'm a really good knitter, I'm a great cook, I like big words, I'm a prolific gardener, and things along that line. Something else I avoid is posting things on social media and writing 'this is so me' under them. Of course it depends on what it is- if its meant to be a joke then fine but serious things make you look foolish.
I avoid talking about myself like that. I always prove myself wrong anyways. There's nothing wrong with talking about things you enjoy doing or making your preferences known (politely) but building yourself up with your words only makes your fall hurt more.

Give her of the fruit of her hands; and

let her own works praise her in the gates.

Proverbs 31:31

If I am a great knitter, I don't have to tell people about it, my work will show it. If I'm a good cook, my food will show it. We don't have to praise ourselves or lift ourselves up. Many times, those personality memes and articles are what we wish we were but are far from what we actually are.

Besides, as soon as you start talking about yourself like this I'm pretty sure people just tune you out. I tune people out. I'd rather get to know people by their actions and their words, not by what they say about themselves.

Last thing about this: 

For out of the abundance of the

heart the mouth speaketh

Matthew 12:34b

If all you think about is yourself, you'll talk about yourself. If you're interested in winning souls, being a good testimony, and being the Lord's servant by serving others, your focus will be upward, then outward- it will never be inward.

This is not something I struggle with- at least I don't think I do- I made this a rule for me when I saw others doing it. I only know a few who do it now and they are not people I'd like to be like at all.

Next part- talking about something you're planning to do:

Last summer I was sure I was going to take my knitting and crocheting further by opening up an Etsy store. Guess what, I didn't do it. It's not because I'm lazy, lost interest or anything like that. It's because God worked on me and showed me it was not the right path for me.
Of course, I told everybody I was opening one up and I did not enjoy explaining my change of mind to unsaved family members. To them it looks like I can't follow through, they don't understand my relationship with God.
That is a small example, but there are bigger ones to consider, especially concerning your testimony.
If you are prayerfully considering something, that is one matter, but to advertise before God has even given his permission is another matter entirely.
Guard what comes out of your mouth. Words make a world of difference.

Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou

knowest not what a day may bring forth.

Proverbs 27:1

5) Don't do anything you do not have peace with.

I struggle with this one. It ties into rule 4 about saying things you're not sure about. A lot of times our words can trap us into doing something we're not supposed to do or we don't want to do.

If you're set to do something and the Holy Spirit inside you is strongly opposing it, put a stop to it right away. It's better to disappoint people than to sin against God. Your relationship with Him outweighs any relationship on the earth.

6) Take your time and do it right
This applies from small things like knitting, crocheting, sewing, to preparing Sunday School crafts, and raising children and things like that.
I've wasted time and yarn simply because I did not take the time to count my stitches, place a stitch marker, or record my progress. The thing about crocheting and knitting is if you make a mistake, you may have spent an hour working on it, then you'll spend another hour backtracking, finding your mistake, unraveling, and yet another hour working to the place you were before you realized your mistake.That's three hours gone because of lack of attention, counting, and so on.
Now about a bigger issue- my son, the bible says:

but a child left to himself bringeth

his mother to shame.

Proverbs 29:15b

If I take the time now to train my son up right, it will be less heartache and trouble in the future. If I watch him play instead of playing with my phone, I'll be able to see the things I need to, get to know him, and correct him when need be.
Doing thing the right way takes time, effort, and sacrifice but it is rewarding and more time efficient.

7) Do not do anything hastily.

Also, that the soul be without knowledge,

it is not good; and he that hasteth 

with his feet sinneth.

Proverbs 19:2b

He that is slow to wrath is of great

understanding: but he that is hasty of

spirit exalteth folly

Proverbs 14:29

The thoughts of the diligent tend only to

plenteousness; but of every one that is

hasty only to want.

Proverbs 21:5

Seest thou a man that is hasty in his

words? there is more hope of a fool

than of him. 

Proverbs 29:20

Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not

thine heart be hasty to utter any thing

before God: for God is in heaven, and thou

upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

Ecclesiastes 5:2

Just reading the above verses will show you that this rule is not at all like rule 6. This rule goes deeper, into how I say things, what I say, how I react, what makes me angry, what I buy, and so many more things. This rule has a lot to do with making decisions. I have never regretted sitting on a decision. I have always regretted being too quick to make a choice. Take your time and do the right thing.

There you have it, seven life rules that I *try* to abide by. This is not meant to be a spiritual list but of course there is a spiritual aspect to them- since I endeavor to be a spiritual person. I'll probably write out a list of Spiritual rules I abide by. Actually, I wouldn't call them spiritual rules but rules that help me walk with the Lord and keep me out of my flesh.

I hope this was helpful to you in some way.

He Giveth More Grace

My husband and I have been through the ringer this past summer.

He's been working non stop so I've been going and going without any breaks at all.

Yes, I am a stay-at-home-mom but we need breaks too.

As much as we love our children and enjoy being home with them, it's nice to sit down, eat a meal uninterrupted, not have to clean, not have to chase little ones around, not have to constantly correct a child, and not have to worry.

I have not had that at all for a while. I did get a nice lunch with my pastor's wife last week- we sat and talked for about four hours. That's been my only reprieve.

My husband has had it way worse, working and working, on his feet all day and all night, dealing with more than his share at the restaurant.

It's been grueling so far and August is showing signs of being even more busy than June and July.

I will not complain- I'd rather we be too busy to rest than one of us losing our health or something tragic.

In any case, it's times like these that, while it's difficult, you don't really consider it to be a trial.

When my pastor asks for prayer requests at church we hear all kinds of needs:

People desperately needing jobs

difficult pregnancies

crippling injuries

family issues

and so on, and you look at your prayer request: working too much, no time to rest, and you don't say anything because it's not bad compared to the needs of others.

It's been hard, these days, to catch me in a really good mood. My fatigue has made it harder for me to control my flesh and I've been very selfish, cranky, and contentious. A lot of these things happen inside and I am able to filter them before they come out, but still, the things that come up in my mind show me the depth of my depravity and selfishness.

It actually makes me really sad but it's an opportunity to learn.

Every second Saturday of the month our church goes to the Care Home and ministers to the old folks there. We sing hymns, read psalms, and socialize. Last time my pastor took favourites and a song was requested I had not heard since childhood: He Giveth More Grace.

It is a beautiful song, lyrically and musically, I choked up just singing it. I posted a picture with the words of two verses and the chorus on Instagram a few weeks ago:

So you see, it's absolutely biblical and incredibly comforting.

It occurred to me yesterday morning that, though I sing these songs and know the verses, I don't exactly 'cast all my care upon him'.
I mean, last year when my husband was out of a job for six months I was actively casting my care, establishing my faith, and singing these songs.
Right now, we are not dealing with a tragedy, we're not roughing it through poverty, we have good health but our labours have increased and we've reached the end of our 'hoarded resources'. Now is just a good time, as any, to cast our cares on him.
Jesus has been through these times- the people were always following him, he had no time to eat, his burden for the people was too great, he was tired and weary, constantly traveling- He knows what it is like.
These times, while they are not great trials that plague us, we are still pressed and tried. It is a small flame but it can still burn you.
What I'm learning is that these seemingly small hardships prove how deeply we rely on God. It is SO easy to rely on Him during big trials. Those are times we know we have to live by faith because there are often things we cannot see and do not understand. Right now, weeks become months of constant, unending labour and what was tiring at first has become exhausting and unbearable.
I did not realize it until Tuesday what a difficulty this has become and what a monster it had created in me. I've been complaining, in my mind, about all the things I've needed to do and all the extra things thrust on me since my husband is too busy to do them. I wonder what all the things rising up in me are coming from and I've realized I haven't relied on the Lord.
I've been reading, studying, praying, attending church, and worshiping God, but I haven't asked him for the strength to get us through this time.
Without voicing it inside or outside, I've relied on my strength to get me through the summer. I have not once asked God to take over and give me the grace, not only physically, but to mentally and Spiritually be able to deal with the exhaustion and the things that come with it.
Most of the things happening right now are out of our control. What we can control is how we handle them.

What I need to do is this:
Ask for forgiveness for complaining and being selfish
Acknowledge that I am not strong enough to carry these things on my own
Tell God what I find difficult
Give the difficulties I have over to God
When complaints rise up in me, give them to God

We have verses and songs, that are available to us but they aren't helpful unless we claim them. Until we realize that we need God in every kind day- good, okay, not great, terrible.
Well I've exhausted my store of endurance, my strength has failed, I've reached the end of my hoarded resources but my father's full giving has only begun.

Humble yourselves therefore under the

mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you

in due time:

Casting all your care upon him; for he

careth for you.

 Be sober, be vigilant; because your

adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,

walketh about, seeking whom he may

devour:

whom resist stedfast in the faith,

knowing that the same afflictions are

accomplished in your brethren that are in

the world.

But the God of all grace, who hath called

us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus,

after that e have suffered a while, make

you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

1 Peter 5:7-10

God uses the word 'all' there for a reason. Every single care we have, we can cast on Him. In the same vein, He mentions the devil, seeking whom he may destroy. If we hold on to our cares- small and great- our flesh will take over and the devil will destroy us. Whatever you have that is burdening you, give it to God, ask Him for the strength to endure it, and grace to handle it- He will grant you those things and more if you just 'humble yourself under the mighty hand of God'.

I hope this was a blessing and a help to you. I really hope it makes sense, I wrote this to get it off my chest and organize my thoughts.