so...?

Who starts a brand new blog and then lets a month go by without a single post?

I do.

All I can say is....what a month it has been.

The greatest hindrance I have had is that most of my waking hours have been spent caring for one or more sick children or trying to recover from sickness myself.  Since the day after Christmas, we have had 1 case of Strep Throat, 5 infected ears, 1 case of bronchitis, 2 rounds of the stomach bug that went through everyone but D TWICE, 1 random throat infection and two spouts of teething.  Thankfully, we have yet to use our Emergency Room Frequent-Flyer card in 2011 AND we have the most amazing and attentive family physician ever.

I had thought January would be the month that I got caught up from the holidays, but here I find myself waaaay behind.

Amongst the sickness, however, there have been quite a few good things as well.  I started attending the Monday night Community Bible Study which has blessed me beyond measure even in just a few short weeks, our Small Group began meeting again, Brit turned 5 and we celebrated with a sweet little party, Ellie has begun to walk, Tate got signed up for baseball and I've been offered an opportunity to help a friend out with her company.  More about each of these things later.

On January 1, I found myself contemplating this year and what it may have in store for me and my family.  I am currently serving on the PTCO, am President of our neighborhood HOA,  and am the Finance Coordinator for Habersham MOPS.  That may not sound like a lot, but coupled with rearing three children, keeping clean underwear in dresser drawers, spending time in God's word, nurturing my marriage & family life, planning and cooking (somewhat) healthy meals, keeping up a social life and spending time on developing my skills in photography, graphic design and other new ventures...well, I've been on the verge of simply throwing in the white flag.

I should know by now that because of the way I am, I can only handle 1 or 2 extra things at a time if I want to do them WELL and if I want to keep my marriage and my family healthy.  Others in my life really can "do it all" and seem to stay afloat...and even keep full-time jobs.  That is just not me.

So, now I have these responsibilities and commitments that I genuinely want to successfully contribute to and I will do whatever it takes to see these duties through.  I am thankful that God has allowed me to serve others through these commitments.  In the coming months, however, I am turning over a new leaf, getting "back to basics", guarding my heart and my time with my family.   Busy is not always good.  Busy can make you feel like you are contributing to the world, but if you stop and evaluate what is TRULY important in this life, chances are you will find that being busy is the exact opposite state of what you should be. 

I can say, that among all of this chaos, I have an inner peace from God because I know He will help me through the next few months of these commitments.  He has become so much more to me than I ever imagined and now I cannot let a day go by without coming to His feet, seeking His guidance and reading His word.  Some people feel closer to God when everything in life is sweet and easy; I feel closer to Him when I face challenges.  Because of that, I know that every difficult season I face in my life is a gift from Him that will sharpen my sword and help Him to carve me in to the person He wants me to be.  "Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)* 

Oh, how I love this Savior of mine.

Several friends of mine are experiencing this same pull towards God and toward their own families, realizing who and what is important in this life.  Do you find yourself facing each day with a full calendar and an overwhelming feeling of "what am I doing all of this for?"  If so, I encourage you to pray that God will show you where your focus needs to be in this season of your life.  Dig into His word as you search, I promise you will find the answer you are looking for and it will be a treasure from Him to you, far more precious than any treasure you will ever find here on earth.

Thank you to the "faithful few" who read this blog.  Hopefully my next post won't find us wearing green and pinching others who are not.


All the best,
Merideth

*Verse taken from this past week's CBS study