Heavy Burdens... Work

Matthew 11:28-30 (NRSV)

[Jesus said] "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am
gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke
is easy, and my burden is light."

Work is weighing hard on me this week... and last week... and the week before that. UGH. With one of my co-workers having resigned, I am feeling that 'sinking ship' type of feeling. We finally have a temp, which I appreciate, but we have to teach her and direct her. It's a good thing overall. My volume has sky-rocketed, while demands for other this's and that's roll in constantly. We have to stop everything today to prep for our quarterly meetings tonight. It's going to be a LONG day, a long, long day.

So this morning I feel the burden of stress at work. The Lord will give me strength to endure today and the days to come. I long to feel the rest and peace that comes from Him.

Is There A Connection???

Luke 21:1-4 (NRSV)He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. He said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on."

I am amazed at how a particular subject is brought to light and then coincidentally (or more-likely not so coincidentally) it is followed by additional promptings that are similar. God is so clever at how he keeps me focused. I just got done saying yesterday that our budget is just about shot and I'm unsure of what I have to give "those in need" this week. So after reading the above passage this morning, I'm thinking... maybe there is more to spare than I had thought. Hmmm...

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called
children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us
is that it did not know him." 1 John 3:1

I was talking to a friend about contentment. I realize that I fail to acknowledge the blessings that have been "lavished" upon me, yet I am continually asking for more. I recently contemplated... that if you clip a coupon and then buy the product without using it... The time clipping the coupon was most certainly wasted as was the savings it offered. When I pray, do I use the "coupons" aka "tidbits of wisdom" that I have gained in my devotions?

I was thinking over the past few years of prayer. Some things I noted were:

1) I asked for funds and the ability to give generously to those in need (above our tithe) yet I failed to budget wisely on many occasions. Looking back, I can see that when we WERE budgeting wisely, we DID have funds to share with others and were able to do so with great joy.

2) I asked for better health yet failed to change my diet & exercise routines. I've gotten a lot better about that since last year. AND since I've been running I have noticed some changes in my overall health. It seems that what I had asked for all those years before was really worthless chatter. I'm really looking forward to what blessings may come from doing a better job these days.

3) I asked for contentment, and then I ordered some catalogs, drooled over the weekly ads in the newspaper, and then logged onto realtor.com just to browse. My actions led to more discontent and then I started the entire saga all over again.

I'm stuck in this cycle of ups and downs (as are many I suppose). It's amazing what pull evil has on our everyday lives. I keep reminding myself that when I don't stick to the budget, when I sit on my lazy butt instead of exercising, and when I don't avoid known temptations... I'm simply feeding the devil's gain instead of allowing the Lord to bask in the glory of his child.

So I suppose I should clip my coupons of wisdom and do something to make them visible to me more often so that when I'm praying for specifics, I'm aware of what my "out of pocket cost" may be for cashing in on an answer to that prayer. Just think... A coupon booklet as a prayer journal!!!! Oh ya... I need to think on that idea. I like it... Just haven't put it all together in my mind yet. Anyone want to help me with it?