Merry Monday To You All!
Thanks to everyone who stops by today after reading the Proverbs 31 Devotion. I love having guests drop by!!
Today the Whalen family will be spending the day recuperating after a very fun, very busy weekend. Mom and dad got away for a whole 24 hours, thanks to helpful grandparents who stepped in in our absence.
We didn't do anything special on our getaway we just... got away. It was needed time. If you haven't gotten away with your husband lately, plan something soon! It does wonders for a marriage! It's nice to have uninterrupted time to talk, dream, plan, and just finish a sentence for once. (You parents out there know what I mean!!)
Yesterday we had a great, relaxed Father's Day by the pool when we got home. Curt even cooked his own dinner (in my defense, I had dinner planned but he was in the mood for hamburgers on his father's day gift-- a new grill). So, hamburgers it was. After dinner we got the little ones to bed, left the big kids watching a movie and visited my stepfather to give him a card and wish him a happy father's day, then we stopped by Marble Slab on the way home to split a chocolate-with-Peppermint-Patty-mixed-in ice cream. Man oh man, was it good! A sweet ending to a great weekend.
So now it's Monday and I am a bit late getting this post up because I had such a great weekend. But I did want to ask the question, what is God telling you to have deliberate obedience and intentional trust in Him about right now? Please share!
I'll go first: I am deliberately obeying God in my writing, continuing to write as He directs and I am intentionally trusting Him to bring about publication in His timing and His will. It's not easy! Sometimes I just want to quit, to throw up my hands, to say "This is bogus! I am wasting my time!" But God keeps nudging me, and reassuring me, and so I keep on. Someday, I trust that I will be glad I did. In the meantime, I just keep telling myself to DO IT and leave the results up to Him.
I look forward to hearing your experiences!
18 comments:
Hi Mary Beth, Well I'd have to say your devo was quite timely today, unbelievable actually. Just last night I was talkinng with my husband as I try to discern what God wants me to do and said to him, "I just wish I'd wake up and it would be written on the wall." I'm in the midst of trying to decide if I'm to go to SheSpeaks. It's something I prayed about since last summer and then registered in Feb, but a few days later found out I was expecting. Anyway last week the Dr. told me flying at 28 weeks was alright, but I'm still wondering if this is really for me. Even last night I posed the question - "Why would He even want me there? What comes next?" Seriously I don't know, but your words really made sense, "God has a plan—even when you can't see it. Sometimes you have to DO IT to reveal that plan." Wow - anyway perhaps He's not writing on the wall, but my computer screen. Thank you for sharing and I love the prayer! Blessings to you,
Jill
dinner was super yummy!!!! And my flowers - what a fabulous idea!! they have brought a smile to my face all weekend. they went on my coffee table :) thank you so much for taking care of us on friday night - kinda funny - Busy Mom of 6 cooking dinner for mom of 4. :D we love ya!
Hi Marybeth!
Popping over from the Devo today. I loved it. Actually, that is the theme God gave me for this entire year. He told me he wanted it to be my "Year of Yes." A year where I stop questioning, analyzing, mulling over and talking to 5 friends every time I think God is speaking to me.
So I'm trying my best to just say "yes" when God tells me something. Period.
So far, it's led me to adopt a stray cat (long story), go on three trips and agree to go to the She Speaks conference (again).
It's quite exciting, actually. But very much out of my analytical comfort zone.
Blessings,
Sandy
Thank you Marybeth for these timely words of encouragement. Several months ago, God asked me to do something very specific and after arguing with him for two weeks, I finally obeyed. At the time, it didn't make sense, but now, I am reaping the rewards of my obedience - God has opened a door and given me an opportunity to take an active part in His Kingdom purposes.
In preparing for She Speaks book proposal, I follow God's voice even though other voices are saying, "Are you crazy, you can't do this book. Who do you think you are." I even ask myself if I have what it takes.
Your post reminded me of the action I took several months ago when God asked me to 'do it' and your post reminds me today to just 'do it' despite the voices saying don't do it.
Thank you for the encouragement and inspiration to press on!
I am co-chairing a stewardship challenge and love the DO IT theme. With the 'tax' verse it fits perfectly with giving in faith, in trust. Only God knows our future and if we only Deliberately Obey with Intentional Trust can we find HIS Blessings.
Kari Overweg
Marybeth,
Thank you for your devotion God always knows what to give us when we need it. I too have been struggling with my marriage and weather to stay or not but God has been working on me to pray for my husband as last weeks Prov. 31 devotion referred to. I rationally don't understand why I have to stay and endure when it seems like it should be over but God knows so much better than I and he keeps encouraging me to stick with it and your devotion also inspired me that God is in control of it all. THanks again for doing what God has called you to do. May God bless you.
Holly
Marybeth, I just LOVED your devotional today! I have a whole new appreciation for the words "do it."
Leah
A timely post for me. Just this morning I was journaling about feeling called to get quiet and stop filling in the empty spaces of my life with "doing" and "busyness." It's hard for me to stop and wait for His guidance. I so often rush headlong into something without hearing His gentle voice. But I am trusting that He will tell me when it's time to take action and praying that I will hear Him.
Ann
Marybeth,
I am trying to deliberately obey God and intentionally trust Him even when it's hard. It sometimes feels like God always requires the most difficult tasks from me. My husband and I have a ministry to families destroyed by divorce and parental alienation called Keeping Families Connected. It is a hard ministry dealing with some of the most hurting and wounded people out there. We know that true healing only comes from Jesus Christ and so we just keep pointing people to Him. We love what we do but our ministry certainly doesn't fit into a box for most in the Christian community. We know that God has called us to this ministry and He is blessing it (we've had visitors from 112 countries) but it's hard to have the thing you care so much about so misunderstood.
Thanks for the devotional and the good reminder - I know that I really need only be concerned about what GOD thinks of me. Being misunderstood by the world just puts me in the same company as many of the great men and women of faith. One day I want to stand before my Lord and hear him say "well done, good and faithful servant". That is why I am Deliberately Obeying and Intentionally Trusting.
Barb Nischalke
After forcing myself to start taking my 5 year old nephew to Sabbath School last spring (long story including my own infertility and my sister not being a Christian), God told me to take over teaching the class last fall. I admit I argued for a few minutes, but He didn't care to hear it. I ended up deliberately obeying Him, intentionally trusting that He would teach these little ones through me, and then being blessed beyond what I could have imagined!
He has given me more creativity and artistic ability than I ever had before, as well as strength and patience that I never had with kids, plus the endurance to keep up with their little wiggling selves every Sabbath. When I wondered out loud to my husband why it is that I feel so amazing after that long, exhausting hour every week, we both realized that it is from having the Holy Spirit working directly through this unworthy vessel.
Can't wait for more opportunities to trust Him in faith!
God bless your ministry,
Love,
Jennifer
Wow! I get "Encouragement for Today" devotionals, and I'm finding that your devotions touch the deepest parts of my heart - places on God can go. Thank you for your obedience to HIM!. Today's devotion fit right in w/my church's 60/60 Challenge. Every 60 minutes (while awake) for 60 days we stop and talk to the Lord. I set an alarm on my cell phone because 60 minutes can pass so quickly. It is amazing how often the alarm goes off and I really don't want to pray - because that means I have to humble myself and possible be corrected. Yup - lots of correction so far. So I just DO IT!. Thanks again!
Glad your weekend was good. Today I am enjoying a day like you commonly have....80's-90's with high humidity...ugh. Minnesotans complain about that! But then again, we complain about minus 20 too!
Anyway. I started a non profit along with my husband and parents. We started last summer, and things have been going crazy with it! We have gotten so far, in a short amount of time. Now our hang up is funds. I am deliberately obeying God in planning for the smaller stuff that our non profit will be doing. The programming. I am intentionally trusting that He is working out the details on the BIGGER picture. The building of homes for married couples to live in and provide foster care or adopt waiting children. We have been working on the Bigger picture. But I felt Him telling me to work on the smaller things, and He is working on the bigger things...goodness writing this down has really helped me to see the plan that He has. We have been following His lead through it all...It is hard not to carry out what our main mission is. But I do know He is in control....How freeing that is!
Shannon
www.hopebloomsmn.org
Oh, Marybeth--I am in tears after reading your P31 devotion. I, too, am staying in a marriage that presently looks like a season's worth of Dr. Phil episodes. To everyone on the outside looking in, it seems crazy, illogical, and a slow road to nowhere. But I feel that God is telling me that it's all for the best--it's for his glory! There are some days that it's so bad, that I don't want his best, I want him to just fix things NOW or I want to grab my children and run. But I just keep telling myself that God has plans for me--plans to prosper and not harm me, plans for a hope and a future. (Jer. 29:11-my paraphrase)
Thank you, for the Lord has reaffirmed to me through your devotion that I'm doing the right thing.
God bless you!
I loved reading your words today via Crosswalk!
My husband has recently been injured on the job. This has been a tough time because he's having to deal with Workman's Comp. They are dragging their feet. Also, he is working midnight shifts so that he can go to physical therapy in the mornings. It's been tough and my patience has been low. I need God's help to deliberately obey as I am patient with my husband and the situation. I also need to intentionally trust that this will not last forever.
Here's a REALLY hard one - and one that us women who think we have to "fix" EVERYTHING, a "crazy" thing that Jesus asks us to do - probably a lot more than we hear or heed!
When we fail to heed this one, things usually get worse, we lose a growth opportunity, and may even lose a reward or miracle that God has for us...
It is:
When he says "Do It"...
and the "it" He asks of us is:
Do not worry, Do not fear, Be Still, Sit down, Worship Me, Trust Me, give it to Me and let ME do it!
If only we could succeed at THIS one more often, when it is what is asked of us...
Have a blessed day!
Lynn
oh man...why does this happen yet once again? i click on a blog for a simple quick read before bed at midnight and once again...God is whispering.
i don't know...i dont' know, i don't know for sure if God is asking for deliberate obedience...or if i'm turning all these ironies into His voice.
I'm thinking and praying about homeschooling. It is not the logical time to do this...but wow...He's not leaving me alone:)
Hi, Marybeth:
As always God is always one step--or sometimes several steps--ahead of us. I read your devotion, yesterday, and have flagged it to use in a new book I've had in the brainstorming stage for ages.
As for what is God asking me to trust Him in--bringing me income. As a freelancer with no regular income (yet), I'm still feeling out which projects I can get done, what amount of time it takes me to get them done and for what money. I'm still looking to balance work with homemaking, as well.
I spent a good portion of Sunday and Monday going through all the job listings appropriate to my skills on my job sites where the vast majority of them didn't fit me. I heard the Lord's voice say, "Trust me." Then, yesterday, a friend of mine introduced me to a gentleman who had contacted him looking for an editor for his book.
I also have a new editorial position with a publisher, which I'm hoping will eventually provide a regular income by the New Year.
I still don't know how I'm going to get everything done, but I know the Lord is providing as he promised.
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