This week I haven’t written much. Honestly, there hasn’t been much to write about. Long days of the same routine, Clay getting home at bedtime a couple of nights, getting home a little earlier a couple of nights. It’s easy to get discouraged when life is ordinary, particularly when every day I wake up hoping that it won’t be ordinary, that today will be the day when Clay gets a call for an interview or a call from the first interview or anything to make this day anything other than ordinary. As I’ve been trying to preach to myself this week, to remind myself that contentment cannot rest on circumstances, that God is in control and working for our good, that I have much to celebrate and be thankful for, I think of the title of my blog: The Beautiful Ordinary. How ironic. I’ve been lamenting the ordinary when I should have been remembering why I titled it so in the first place. Ordinary is beautiful when Christ is present. I have failed to see the beauty in this ordinary week, because instead of looking at Christ, I’ve looked at doubts and fears and discouragement and frustration and pride. Lord, forgive me for daring to presume that I could order our lives any better. Forgive me for failing to focus on You. Forgive me for slacking up in the battle in my mind, for ignoring the truth I know from Your Word, for complaining about the cup that is from Your loving hand. Help me embrace, savor, relish, celebrate, be thankful for the ordinary today.
A couple cute things
Not much going on at the Hall house this week. My mind is not lending itself to profound insights much over the last couple of days. However, thought I would post a couple of things that the girls have been saying to give you a smile.
Catherine: (with all the expression a 2 year old can muster) “I’m having a bad day!” Note: This was completely out of the blue.
Mommy: “Why are you having a bad day?”
Catherine: (again, with much emphasis) “Because I’m not having a good day!”
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Abigail: (running out of the playroom in a Belle dress and falling dramatically to the living room floor in what could be termed a swoon) “None of my dreams will ever come true!!”
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Catherine: (very calmly and matter-of-factly, with Elisabeth screaming in the high chair beside her, as I’m doing my darndest to finish what I’m doing and get to her, saying, “I’m coming, I’m coming” over and over) “Mommy. Elisabeth’s crying.” Gee, Catherine. Thanks for pointing that out to me.
Oh, there’s more. Much more. I just can’t seem to get my brain working fast enough to keep up with them.
His Daughter’s Hero
My husband is an exterminator by trade, a minister at heart. Through some difficult circumstances, he is not in vocational ministry right now, but is instead killing bugs for a living. He struggles a lot with this, feeling as if he’s not doing anything worthwhile, not fulfilling his life’s purpose. One difficult aspect of his job is the lack of time he gets to spend with his family. Last week, we were talking about the possibility of his having that Saturday off work. I said to my four year old, “Abigail, wouldn’t it be great if Daddy didn’t go to work on Saturday and got to stay home and do fun stuff with us instead?” She looked up with a horrified expression on her face, and exclaimed, “No!! Daddy can’t stay home! He has to go to work! The people need their bugs killed!!” Just like that, he realized that he had achieved hero status in this (hopefully) temporary job that he does not like and that does not feel purposeful. To any four year old girl, bugs are the enemy, and her daddy kills bugs. What a cool dad she has! He is on the front lines, fighting the stuff of nightmares. Thank you, Abigail, for the reminder. This season does have purpose. He can kill bugs for the glory of God.
Heaven, by Randy Alcorn (Part 1)
I’ve read this book before and I really enjoyed it, but I’m going through it again trying to take more in this time. It’s a large book, so instead of writing one review at the end, I’m going to write a little at a time as I go through it. I just read the first chapter this morning, and was reminded of how much this book excited my soul the first time I read it. I’m afraid too many Christians are like me, unexcited about Heaven and not really looking forward to going there. We have some vague, uninformed idea of what it will be like, and it doesn’t really sound all that appealing. I so appreciated this book and the ideas presented here. I can’t be sure that everything described in these pages will be accurate and the way things really will be in Heaven, but I know one thing: if Heaven really is like this, then I definitely want to spend eternity there. Alcorn makes a lot of sense to me, and his portrayal of Heaven and eternity makes my soul quicken. If you struggle with feeling guilty about not being excited for Heaven like I did, or if you’re just curious as to how he describes Heaven, then I challenge you to head to the library or bookstore, grab the book, and read along with me.
I’ll take it!
Okay, week one is over. I am pretty proud of my efforts as far as counting my points and watching my portion sizes go. The hardest part has been in what I drink. Do you know what 8 oz of milk really looks like? I’m used to grabbing a cup and filling it up, but I measured out 8 oz and was kind of disappointed with how much was (not) there. But anyway, for the results: I lost four pounds!! Granted, it’s the same four pounds I’ve been losing and gaining since my daughter was six weeks old, but at least this time I lost it and didn’t gain it. Now if I can continue to lose a couple more this week, I will be over the hump, I will be seeing numbers I haven’t seen since getting pregnant this last time. One thing I discovered last week that I’m thankful for: Progresso light soups. They are 0 points per serving, and they are actually good and filling. Try the vegetable noodle and the italian style vegetable. Both are really good, if you like vegetable soup. So on I venture into week two. Hopefully in another month or two, you’ll be hearing that victory shout!
