Balance and Seasons

I published my weekly "tricks of the trade" blog entry this morning, hopped over to Ann Kroeker's blog for a quick feed-fix while the girls were working on their math, listened to a sermon a friend passed on to me about priorities while I washed the dinner dishes, and all three of these things came together to give me one little-big-simply-profound-altogether old-inspiringly fresh message. Put God first. In all of it. The indoor things, the outdoor things, the family things, the outreach things, the words I speak, the thoughts I think. May His name be praised and His kingdom furthered through all of it.

Life is a balancing act. Don't over-do it, don't underestimate, don't be so "of" the world that you become conformed to it, but be in the world enough to "season it" with His love and truth. Don't sacrifice quality family time to be in the rat race, but don't sacrifice the things of the Lord to the point of making your family an idol. Don't neglect your christian friends who need encouragement and fellowship, but don't neglect non-christian people who may not be part of my "inner circle" but need opportunities to be exposed to His light in me and who have alot to teach me too.

Lastly. I've been looking at my blog labels and wondering if they represent a balance, or what they say about me. That His Child label is lookin' mighty slim...., and yet, there have been long seasons in my life where everything I would have written about would have fallen under that category. Seasons where we had no chicklets of our own and took in other people's children to raise in love and fear and knowledge of the Lord. Seasons where we gave up having any home to keep, family and country to go where He led. Seasons. A time to plant, a time to reap, a time to..... hmmm.

What season am I in now? Spring I guess, it's a busy time, with a nest to make and keep, chicklets to incubate, hatch and raise, food to be procured for a hungry bunch and all that goes along with having 5 in the nest. My blog labels obviously reflect the season I'm in. And I'm okay with that (wasn't sure if I was, but after serious reflection I am). We often look to the proverbs 31 woman as our standard, man, that woman did it all! But what we may too easily overlook is that she didn't do it ALL at ONCE. The chapter spans her lifetime from when she had children in the home to when her children were raised and gone.

So my motto for the moment is Put God First. In this season. In this day. In every act that comes my way.