But the opposite case is equally true--once our concentration is on God, all the limits of our life are free and under the control and mastery of God alone. There is no longer any responsibility on you for the work. The only responsibility you have is to stay in living constant touch with God, and to see that you allow nothing to hinder your cooperation with Him. The freedom that comes after sanctification is the freedom of a child, and the things that used to hold your life down are gone. But be careful to remember that you have been freed for only one thing--to be absolutely devoted to your co-Worker.

We have no right to decide where we should be placed, or to have preconceived ideas as to what God is preparing us to do. God engineers everything; and wherever He places us, our one supreme goal should be to pour out our lives in wholehearted devotion to Him in that particular work. "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might . . ." (Ecclesiastes 9:10)." My Utmost For His Highest

I have been doing work with all my might recently, but I don't know if I've been doing it focused on the Lord. This weekend my parents came and they helped us do a ton of work on the house to get it ready for sale. It seems we were going non-stop, except a break for dinner to celebrate the REAL reason they were there - Edward's 3rd birthday! This week is already stressful. I'm not sure how everything will get done. We list the house Thursday, but between then and now, I have tons of detailed painting in the kitchen, mulching to finish, M's colonoscopy tomorrow morning (he's spent all afternoon on the toilet), WBS social tomorrow night, WBS Wednesday morning, MOPS brunch Thursday morning, gutter repairman visit sometime, plumber visit (probably), water heater installation appointment sometime, carpet cleaner appointment sometime, and thorough house cleaning. Not to mention breastfeeding a baby and keeping a toddler's grubby hands out of everything... Wow. That sounds like a lot more than I was expecting when I lay it out like that.

God is good. We were encouraged by the inspection and realtor. We should be able to list the house at a fair price and still get money back! I started feeling proud of my little yellow house like I never have before. Why didn't we do this sooner? The inspection revealed a couple things that could be fixed, but overall got the thumbs up when all this time we had worried in the back of our minds whether the furnace would conk out, what this leak meant, if the cracks in the ceiling meant it might one day fall down on us, what that outlet problem was, how in the world would we fix the hole in the wall, etc etc... For 4 years I had this unnamed anxiety over this house. Covetousness yes, and taking my blessings for granted. But we could have done some tangible things to ease the stress of living in an old house besides the obvious trusting God. And we never prioritized any house project over family, friends, or church. Which was good, but simple things could have made the time we spent relaxing together more enjoyable (since we inevitably sat on the couch staring at the gaping hole). Now we know. And though I'm sure we'll make plenty of other mistakes, perhaps we won't make the same ones.

I was dwelling today on the reality of moving away from what we know here. And I was contemplating why I see so many people who are about to move very emotional about it. Then I was thinking about why grief doesn't seem to touch me the way it does other people. I still cannot figure this out. Is it that I haven't loved with my whole self? Or is it that I haven't made an idol out of things and people? Is it a sin, or the way God made me? I haven't had a best friend besides Michael in a LONG LONG time. It's not that there aren't PLENTY of wonderful ladies I love to spend time with (and chances are if you're reading this, you're one of them!). It's not that I can't share myself intimately (I've never had a problem getting down to the nitty gritty with anyone who gives me a few minutes to monologue). And I have savored getting to know so many different personalities. When I think of several, I get this warm fuzzy feeling and have to smile at the thought of them. I love not needing to depend to heavily one any one person as each supplies portions of my needs (and hopefully I supply them). Maybe this is by design. Maybe the Lord wanted to teach me about broadening my range before He gave me a bosom buddy. I see the budding friendship developing between 2 of my friends recently, I hear 3 ladies share their close friendship of decades with our MOPS group, I know my mother-in-law has a clan of high school friends that she still makes trips to see every couple months and emails frequently, some of my friends are best friends with their sisters... And I crave that. I haven't craved it until now.

Father God, I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. You made me the way You wanted me and You engineer circumstances to bring me to where You predestined me to be. Holy Spirit, I feel a leveled peace, but I need to be filled to overflowing. I don't want just enough to catch me back up to half-full. More of You, Lord, more of You! The possibilities are endless, God. You could do it all for us in a day, or You could sustain us through months of transition. Whatever Your will, we know it is good. But Father, if we wait, please help us be patient, be realistic, and live Christ-like reflections of You so that our children don't get the brunt of our stress and so that everyone who sees us won't be able to help but to see that You are our strength. If we don't have to wait, may it be a testimony of Your miraculous power and plan! I love You, Jesus. Help me love You more.