Now What?

The vacation has come to an end. Now what?



Each day, I spent time with the Lord asking Him for truth. Truth that I may not see or hear when I am at home with six little distractions. The last vacation Scott and I had, God so filled my heart with truth. I came home refreshed and challenged in several areas that I knew God had shown me direction in. But, each morning this week I asked for truth but was still waiting for it. Not that God's word is not full of truth, but as my mom calls it, I wanted the "meat" of the word, not just the "milk" of the word.



As I sat with Him this morning, I thought back on this week. I thought about how different I am on vacation. Every time Scott and I go away, I make it a point to exercise every morning. I ate better this week. I had a quiet time every morning. I never lost my temper or spoke in a harsh way. That is when God spoke to my heart, "Now that vacation is over, now what?" Do I just go back to doing all those things that are wrong just because I am not in the "garden of eden" any more? Again He spoke to me. He showed me how I have an idol in my life. My idol is stress.



Stress must be my idol. Look how I sacrifice to it. I do not do what I know I am supposed to do because I am stressed. Sometimes I choose to do wrong to relieve my stress. Yes, life is busy and full of opportunities for stress with six kids (or with one kid for that matter), but they are not the cause of my stress. My stress comes from not asking God what He wants my day to have in it, or from taking my focus off of Him and eternal issues and focusing on the present. Sure following Him here in the "garden" has been easy. We all need a time to be refreshed, but I know that He gave me meat this week so that I would be filled for the journey He has for me at home.



I sat there and thought about the sacrifices I make in name of stress. Then I thought about what sacrifices I could make in order to continue this "garden" relationship with Him. This is the list of things that I want to work on for the year. I want to look back next summer and see how I spent my time with Him and no other. One of the books I read this week, related it to marriage, in that I do not want to "cheat" on God. I want Him to have my whole heart just as Scott does. I know this will only come with an eternal perspective.



Here is my challenge to myself: Go home, remember all that God spoke to your heart this week, remember how He opened your eyes to many areas of your life, and live each day challenged to stay completely in love with Him.



Two of the books that I read this week, and would highly recommend, are:



How People Change

by Paul Tripp

(this is a book I will read over and over it is that good)



The Practice of the Presence of God

by brother Lawrence