What's on your plate?

We still have over 30% of summer left but the 

stores have already put out all the school supplies.....

....so, we are tempted to begin to think about fall.....

....school, sports, activities, back to routines....

So, what's going to be on your plate this fall?

I challenge you before you start adding stuff

 to take a look at what is currently on your plate....

I've started drawing out "my plate of the season" 

because I was getting overwhelmed

 with all the stuff there seemed to be going on....

What I didn't realize was how helpful drawing it out would be.... 

I suddenly realized my plate was not  "well balanced"....

Most of us know the well-balanced meal image to 

round off your plate but this concept  

works great with time management as well.

Since I am a woman, a wife, a mother and a US citizen,

my plate can be divided into four different sections. 

Yours might have different partitions. If you work outside 

the home, you are also an employee or you may 

not have children or a spouse.

I wrote down all the things our family had planned to do that 

season and put them in the correct section on my plate.....

Then I asked myself a few tough questions....

Was I taking time for myself? 

Was I taking time with my husband?

How many activities fell into the kid section of my plate? 

Were all these activities beneficial to improve the 

character and well-being of my child?

Was I taking time to serve others locally and globally?

Next, it was time to decide if I needed to "clean my plate" a bit....

The first plate I made this past spring had way too many kid 

things on it and not enough wife things. 

I also noticed too many things "for others" that 

made it difficult to take time for "self".

So I adjusted my plate....

I stepped out of some ministry things and set 

aside time to have monthly dates with my husband. 

I only allowed one activity per child per season 

so we weren't running around all the time.

If you feel like doing a seasonal "plate check", here are 

some questions to ask yourself as you "fill your plate" with 

what your fall might look like this year....

For me, there is another part of my plate that influences 

all the other sections.....it is my princess portion 

because I am a child of the Most High King.

Taking time to grow closer to God has helped me 

balance and enjoy the rest of my plate.

Spending time with someone that loves me no matter what 

and cherishes time spent with me has transformed 

me into a more loving, patient person.

I am now someone that takes a few extra seconds to react or even 

takes a day to decide if the activity really fits on my plate.

This world is full of activities and things to keep you "BUSY"....

Take a moment before fall is here to ask yourself.....

WHAT'S ON MY PLATE?

and then ask yourself:

Do I need to adjust my "portions" or perhaps "clean my plate" a bit? 

What am I missing to better balance my plate and my time?

Taking time to do a "plate check" may be the 

most helpful "activity" you do to prepare for fall!

It's hard to say goodbye.....

Letting go can be difficult.....Saying goodbye hurts.....

It hurts when you are asked to let go of something that has been a part of your life for a season....

Deep down....you wonder....won't things feel empty without this?

My life will be so much different as I let this go.....

King Solomon had a different perspective....

"Sorrow is better than laughter because, in spite of a sad face, the heart can be joyful." 
     Ecclesiastes 7:3 

I woke up today feeling like a part of me was slipping away....knowing that a new season was coming and it was time to accept the changes...

You see my youngest child is going to Kindergarten in just 6 weeks....

This preschool era has been a part of my life for over 10 years.... 

A decade of playdough and crayola....slowly fading into sweet memories....

It makes a part of my heart weep and yet a part rejoice!

This is the MOPS theme verse for this year......and it speaks deeply to the part of me that is standing on the verge of a very new thing....

I feel scared, excited and sad....all at the same time....

So as I struggled this morning to keep those sad thoughts and feelings at bay....I tried a variety of distraction techniques....

I tried to stay busy organizing things....but that didn't make the hurt go away.

I started to browse around on the Internet to buy something....but that didn't seem to satisfy the real craving I was having.....

So, I went into the kitchen to look for some chocolate.....didn't find any.....but what I did see was my iPod......

I slowly put in my earbuds and turned on some soft worship music.....and my heart smiled....aaahhh....the power of music....

It transported me past the hurt of this world and the thoughts that this life is just going too fast.....

If I keep trying to hold on too tight....I can't enjoy the moment.....I get stuck in past memories....

I slowly began to live IN THE MOMENT....TODAY....NOW......wrapped up in the love coming through the music.....and I found my joy again.

"They will enter Jerusalem singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be filled with joy and gladness."  Isaiah 51:11

"Today is the day, you have made...I will rejoice and be glad in it!!

Learning a new language.....

Hola! Mi nombre es Krista. ¿Cómo estás?....

or perhaps....

Bonjour! Mon nom est Krista. Comment êtes-vous?

English translation....

Hello! My name is Krista. How are you?

Learning another language takes time, patience and commitment. Some families send their children to immersion schools. Their kids are taught exclusively in a second language all day long and they quickly pick up this new way to speak. 

So, how can you communicate with God? What is His language?

I would hear people say that God "spoke to them" and I wondered....how can I hear God? I know praying is talking to God but will he really respond to me with WORDS? 

How does He do that? What would he say?  Could I really communicate?

So I began to study a new language and now God speaks to me.

He speaks with Scripture.....His language is His Word.....

The more time I spent reading my Bible.....the more words, phrases and sentences I added into this new "second language" of mine. 

My Scripture vocabulary has increased over the past year and when God wants to talk with me, He has more words to choose from our common language.

For example.....I was in the kitchen one day and the kids were fighting in the other room. I was getting annoyed and then a bit angry with all the noise. Suddenly a quiet thought came.... 

"In your anger, do not sin"....."Be slow to speak".....

God was reminding me not to snap at my kids with angry words.....

I heard this gentle reminder and my anger cooled off.

I could take a moment to listen to what the real problem was in the other room. 

It was more then just noisy children.....someone's feelings were being hurt and I needed to teach them that words matter....

"Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those that hear them"

Of course, if I would have stomped in there angry and yelling with my words....I would not have been a very good teacher.

I encourage you to take time to read your Bible today. 

Stop and focus on one or two verses that seem to stand out to you. 

Read them....Practice saying them....think about how they apply to your life. 

This will add words into your Scripture vocabulary.

God wants to speak to you.....

He loves you and wants to have a close friendship with you. 

Think of your friends here on earth....Friends spend time getting to know each other and talking with each other. 

God wants to be your very best friend.