Not the end of the world

I haven't posted on this blog in awhile. Instead, I've made my posts off the Facebook page for Sister, Sister Ministries; https://www.facebook.com/sistersisterministries/.  But I've made some sudden changes and, for awhile at least, this will be where my posts originate and I'll link them on the Facebook page at evening. Here's what happened:

This morning we gathered our things and went outside to enjoy the coolness of a rare 75 degree summer morning! We drained and cleaned the pool from the storm last night and set it back up for the little ones. After breakfast, while the pool was filling, I suggested that we do Bible Study together. Something that is not foreign to my family, but, like many of us, we get busy and put it on the back burner and never get back to actually doing it.

Cassie whined, "Moooooooom. Why do we have to do Bible Study?" I thought about this for a second, you have to be quick to answer little ones or they move on and become completely uninterested in your answers. So, I quickly formed my response. I picked up my iPhone and waved it at my precious little girl. I asked her "how much time do we spend every day on our phones, tablets, and laptops?" The look in her eyes told me she knew where this was going and, for a 6 year old, I was pretty impressed. "A LOT!" she exclaimed. Then I picked up a Bible and waved it.... I didn't even have to pose the question. She looked at me and kind of stared and then, after a long pause, she whispered... "none." We sat in silence for a minute and let that sink in a bit.

I said to her, "God expects us to worship him and work to become closer to him in prayer in study everyday, not just on the Sabbath. He commands us to observe the Sabbath and, yes, it is a day dedicated to God, but it is not the only day we should be dedicated to God." I definitely had her attention on this subject.

I went on....

"We are to put God's Word in our minds and in our hearts, how can we do this?"
"By studying," she responded. "Right! So, we need to do this daily to keep it in our hearts and minds daily, correct?" "YES! she cried. I picked the iPhone up again and asked her something pretty important, "How much of the this? of the world? are we  feeding into our minds every day?" Her little eyes got very big and she said "ALL DAY MAMA!" and  then looked sad. "that's right baby," I replied, "we spend all day feeding the world into our hearts and minds, but almost none of it feeding the Word into our hearts and minds."

"Mama?" "Yes, Baby" .... "Can we spend some time putting God's Word into our hearts and minds before we swim in the pool?" "ABSOLUTELY, Baby girl, ABSOLUTELY!!!!"

Then we proceeded to have one of the best Bible Studies we've had in awhile. They were both quite attentive, read Scripture and asked questions to try to understand. They didn't mention the pool until I informed them it was full enough to swim.

After they ran and jumped in, I looked down at my iPhone. Something that's been nagging at the back of my mind came rushing forward........ delete it! So, I did. I deleted ALL social media from iPhone which, I think, then defeats the purpose of having an iPhone. I am now disconnected from the world. I have pulled the plug. I realize that I am not the first nor will I be the last person to do this, but I hope it helps others consider doing the same.

My Facebook posts from the early years of Facebook consisted of the days activities that I shared at the end of the day on the computer. I'm going back to living life FIRST and then, if I think of it, I'll get on Facebook for a bit and share. But, if I don't...... it's not the end of the world.

Do not worry.

It's bright out there. I could see it peeking through my bedroom window, that brightness that is too bright and you know the ground is officially covered in snow. I'm an adult and snow is still exciting to me, but I still didn't run wake the sleepy kids. I walked out surprised to see that my husband, who grew up in Ohio, had not braved the Tennessee snow to get to work. He was quietly working on stuff and said he would try to go in later because of an appointment tomorrow. He is definitely our financial worrier in the family and, of course, I am the spender. I made my coffee and sat by the window looking out at our pretty white snow covered neighborhood. I thought about yesterday's post to "be still" and so I was for a few moments.

After my moment of silence, I realized the gift of all of us being home together and felt the weight of that happiness when the kids wake up to realize that Daddy is still here! And we should be.....

Excited for the extra time without worrying about anything, but simply being together. And God tells us many time through his Word not to worry.
This morning I took in Matthew 6:25-34 from the ESV study Bible where Jesus said:

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Yesterday's post seems to go so well with today's post. Be still and do not worry. I pray you take the time today to savor the quiet-filled and not so quiet-filled moments of your day. Do not worry about anything because it only steals your joy from this moment. Rejoice in Him for He is good and faithful!

Each day is a gift and, this morning, Tennesseans received their gift quietly packaged in beautiful white fluffy snow! I can't wait for the kids to finally get up, so I can say "do you wanna build a snowman?" And hear their excited replies!  

Be still.

Here in, Tennessee, snow is a rare treat. Our state still hasn't fully recovered from the ice storm last week and more cold, icy, snowy weather is on our doorsteps. While we may be tempted to complain, worry, or even freak out at the possibility of bad weather, loss of electricity, inability to get to and from work, and endless school cancellation, let's take a moment to be still and cherish moments that force us to stop our face-paced lives and simply be... be still, be quiet, be together, be alone, be free from the time restraints of our world, just be...  and enjoy every last drop of it. 

The picture above was taken on my iPhone 5s by our 13 year old daughter, Roz. The beauty and magnificence in the ice trees as the sunlight breaks through to illuminate the scene is breathtaking, isn't it? That's precisely God's point... breathtaking moments take over all of our senses as we take in the scene. We don't speak because we gasp in awe, we don't think about anything else for a moment while we consider the beauty of what our eyes see before us, and we don't move because we want it to last as long as possible. 

Be still....... if only for a moment and take it all in, for as long as the moment will last. Forced time together caused by inclement weather should be cherished. We may not get another chance. Sure we plan vacations, but they are filled with plans to be doing something at all times. Being snowed or iced in puts us in a unique position where we can really see one another, love one another, appreciate one another, snuggle, really talk about something, and seek God as a family. 

Whatever the weather, weather it together and appreciate every single moment God has given us to slow down and remember what life is all about. 

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Because He first loved us,
Charlotte