A shrub or a tree? Which will we be?

Yesterday was a difficult day.  Our checking account was in the negative, and for the second time in a row, we didn't have enough money in the practice account to pay our salary.  Even worse, is the fact that we have maxed out our business credit line at the bank.  Paul continues to see new patients, and every week is busier.  But money drizzles in from the insurance companies and we need it to pour!  I found myself scared yesterday, praying that God would somehow provide during all this.  As is typical of God, he reached down this morning and gave me a glimmer of hope.  He asked me, "Do you want to be a shrub or a tree?"

My devotion this morning was about trusting in God and finding triumph through trust. 

"Those who know Your name trust in You because You have not abandoned those who seek You, Yahweh."  Psalm 9:10

Trusting God isn't a guarantee that life will go just as we want.  Trust isn't a magic wand we can wave to make everything okay.  Boy, don't I wish it was though! Trusting God means knowing He has a plan for our lives, and that plan is perfect.  It is hard to trust  in the middle of uncertain circumstances.   Jeremiah 17:5-8,  compares a man who trusts in himself to a shrub living in the desert.  Umm...a shrub can't live in the desert.  It will thirst, whither and die. Jeremiah goes on to compare a man who trusts in God to a tree planted by a river.  It runs its roots into the water, its leaves are always green and it bears fruit.   It never fears during heat or drought.  

I want to be a tree!  I want to run my roots into Jesus, the Living Water.  I want to bear fruit even in the most difficult of times.  Because if the world can't see me bear fruit when things are rough than they probably won't see much difference in me.  But in order to be that tree, I have to dive into God's Word, which is my sustenance.  I have to pray that God will help me trust Him even when I may not be able to see a solution to my current problem.

Life the past couple of weeks has been busy and we are trying to adjust to our summer schedule.  In the midst of the business I haven't been reading my Bible or doing much praying.  When I think about it, I've felt like a shrub in the wilderness; thirsty and withering ever so slowly.  God gave me water for today's journey.  Now it is up to me each day to make a choice:  shrub or tree?  Which one will I be?

Thanks for reading.  Until next time~ hang in there and hold on to Jesus!

Jennifer

Between a Mom & a Daughter: Summer Fun

Me & Sarah on our first trip to TX after she was married.

Happy Monday, bloggers!  Sarah had the great idea of writing about our summer experiences together.  How we spent our summers when she was growing up and how we have transitioned now that she is a grown woman, married and living very far away from her Mama! (Can you tell I'm a little bitter about the living far away thing?)  Anyway...Sarah and I kinda laughed last night when she brought up my summer schedules.  If you haven't noticed yet from previous posts, I am so a Type A personality!  But boy has God taught me over the years that it isn't always gonna go as I have planned.

When Sarah was growing up we would have certain days of the week designated for certain activities.  For example, one day a week we would go to the library or the pool.  We even had a craft day!  Was I not the Mom.com or what?  Be sure and check out Sarah's blog post as I'm sure she have some funny things to share.  Things seemed to be so much easier back then.  I realized a couple of years ago that things were easier back then because we had Miss Betty.  Miss Betty was a dear friend, who sometimes drove us nuts, but was always there for us.  I learned a lot of my home skills from Miss Betty.  She was there to do laundry and ironing twice a week, clean house, buy groceries (when Carlton was young) and take care of the kids when needed.  Boy did I have it made or what?  Thank God for Miss Betty during those years.  It helped me be a better mother to all the children.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still a scheduler with Carlton and Madelyn.  This summer we will be going to the pool on Fridays after Miss Madelyn finishes gymnastics practice.  They will be doing chores around the house and working on new "independent living skills" as I like to call them.  And of course there will be crafts at some point!  There are special things I want to do with them, but I can't do near as much with them as I was able to do with Sarah and her brother and sister.  They just don't know how lucky there were! (I'm sure Sarah is grinning right now.)

As for the transition now that Sarah is older, we try to see each other once during the summer.  Paul, me and Carlton and Madelyn have gone to TX the past two years during spring break to visit Sarah and Jeff.  Sarah is planning on coming to NE for a few days in August and possibly bringing her sweet friend, Morgan too.  We have to learn to be thankful for the time we do have together, make the most of it, and laugh at those "learning" years as I like to call them.

To all you Moms and daughters reading:  Have a great summer and make some memories!  Even if you do look back on them and laugh.  That's half the fun!