31 Days of Virtue: Day 9

She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. Proverbs 31:15

Let me be the first to admit, rising early is definitely one of my downfalls. As you can see, I am late with this post because I didn't get up early enough to do it before church. I am also a bit of a procrastinator, but that is a story for another day... : )

This woman of Proverbs 31, this woman of virtue, is the first to rise in her household. I usually am the first to rise in the morning, but oh how I wish I could rise earlier than I do! And I am working on it. This part, rising early, is definitely a work in progress.

There are so many reasons why I want to rise early: to have my quiet time with my God, to plan the day's events and list what I want to get done, and just to enjoy the quiet morning light shining through our windows. Having a quiet time with God is such an important part of the day! It can set you in a good mood for the entire day! I know when I have my quiet time with God in the morning, my day is more peaceful; I'm less likely to react wrongly to a situation that may not have gone as I had planned. Yes, surprises may have happened that I didn't plan for, and discouragements may have come my way, but I think back to my quiet time, the verses that I read, and the prayer that I prayed, and I know that He is there with me, taking each step with me.

Are you having trouble getting up early in the morning? I would like to challenge you. Starting tomorrow, Monday, get up 15 minutes earlier than you usually do. Then on Tuesday, get up 15 minutes earlier than Monday. Spend a little time in God's word. I promise you it will be worth it!

Do you already get up early, but your days still seem to go all wrong. Do you seem irritable and in a bad mood most of the day? I would like to challenge you. Spend those early morning moments reading the Bible and praying. Try memorizing a Bible verse each week, so that when surprises do arise, you will have God's words right there with you in your heart. You won't regret it!

Archive of 31 Days of Virtue:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

NAMES accepted to Kickstarter!

So my proposal to Kickstarter was accepted! Yay! Now I have to get everything set up and ready to accept donations to start the project! One thing I have to do is create a video!  : |   I've never done anything like that before so be praying for me! Pray that the video goes smoothly and conveys the meaning and purpose of this project. I will definitely let you know when things are set up and ready to accept donations! Until then, you can check out the project here.

Have a good day!

Being Jonah

We've all heard or read the story of Jonah and the whale. The Lord tells Jonah to go preach to the people in Ninevah. Jonah doesn't want to so he runs away. However, God stops him, and Jonah ends up in the belly of a big fish. Jonah ends up going to Ninevah, he preaches what God wants him to preach, and his mission is done. But Jonah never changed his attitude. He continued to be angry throughout his entire mission.

Have you ever felt like Jonah? Have you ever felt angry because God was telling you to do something you didn't want to do?

I have. For quite a while I have felt like this. But only recently have I been able to identify this feeling and have been able to clearly see who I have been acting like. I have been acting like Jonah. And I don't like it.

I think God must have me where I am right now for a reason. What's that reason? I don't know. How long will I be where I am? I don't know. What exactly will I be doing here? I don't know. What I do know is this deep feeling that I am here because He put me here, and I won't be leaving until He is ready for me to leave.

And like Jonah, I've done my share of running the other direction. I've tried to go somewhere else and do something else, but nothing ever happens. I'm stuck here. Then a pastor said aloud what I had been thinking to myself for a few days now: "What if you are there for a reason?" And like Jonah, I've been angry, upset, and feeling sorry for myself. But then I thought, what happened to Jonah after he completed his mission? We don't know. Throughout his entire mission, he was angry. So my best guess is that he continued to be angry even after his mission was complete. Doesn't seem like a very happy ending to me.

So here I am, ready and trying to be willing to do whatever it is the Lord wants me to do because I am tired of being angry and upset over this and I am tired of feeling sorry for myself. I want to have a happy ending when this mission is complete.

All that being said, I guess this is just a prayer request. Pray that I stop being like Jonah. Pray that I stop running away and face this mission that God has placed me in. Pray that God gives me the strength to lay my anger and self-pity at the feet of Christ each and every day.

Thank you for listening, or reading I guess I should say, and thank you for your prayers.