Skip to main content

Small Victories

Lately I haven't been feeling like I'm getting anywhere with things.

I'm dwelling too much on what's NOT working (or getting done, etc.), than I am on what IS working. The laundry piles, the cluttered counters and dirty dishes, the 'still unplanned home school/day schedule', kids who've decided that they don't want to listen or do anything you've told them for the past 10 years! Yadda, yadda, yadda.

It's easy to get dragged down into the dumps when you do that. This then becomes a catch-22 where you get so upset that you just want to numb yourself in some way: internet, Facebook, reading, hobbies, eating, drinking, drugs, etc.

The list is long of things that we use to fill the hole that's there in our lives. Unfortunately, what they all have in common is that fact that the moment we turn to them instead of to God- they become our idols.

As I've been reading through the Old Testament I've been pondering the whole 'heart attitude' concept- and checking mine to try and see where all the 'high places' are in my life. Those places and things that I turn to and give my time to instead of taking the problems, hurts and disappointments to God. Food and computer being my biggest two areas.

I think that there are a lot of places that need to be torn down in my life. However, tonight I celebrate a small victory and I want to share it with some- so here you go.

Normally if I need to go pick up the odd bit of groceries, I usually buy myself a 'treat' (chocolate bar, doughnut, etc.). Nobody but me ever knows about this since I handle the finances (well, okay- now anyone who reads this will know, but so far that's a pretty low number at this point).

Tonight I needed to run out and pick up some stuff to make my husband's lunch for tomorrow. Almost the entire way there I was thinking about what I could get for my 'treat'. Even though I know that eating something like that this late at night will not be conducive to anything that resembles sleeping for the next few hours.

But I didn't do it.

Oh, I looked at the options and thought about it. But in the end, I didn't do it.

And that made me happy.

So for tonight, in spite of a day that had some nasty moments that made me want to cry, I will relish in this victory.

Tonight I won.

Keeping it real, by the grace of God...
Tammy

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Filling the Wrong Bucket

I didn't cave. I also should have just stayed off of Facebook, but I didn't cave. Last summer I chose NOT send my kids to summer camp- even though, seemingly, ALL their friends were going. The same week. All of them. Well, not really, of course. But honestly, with Facebook status updates coming in fast and furiously- it really did seem like it. And I wondered, 'Am I a bad mom because I didn't send my kids to summer camp with their friends?' At one point, I seriously thought about calling up the camp (after the week had started) and seeing if I couldn't somehow manage to get them in anyway. I let the thought pass- and didn't cave. But I still feel a tinge of guilt about it and I'm dreading the decision about this summer already. Fast forward a few more months- to February 7, 2014 to be exact. Pretty much anyone with even the slightest interest in Lego will know what that date means. The release of their first full-length feature movie....

Year Four in Review- Part I: Last Summer

I can't believe the school year is done! Thankfully, it's like most deadlines- it comes and happens whether you're ready for it or not. This is a good thing, since then it can't drag on indefinitely. So, I figured I'd recap for myself our fourth year of home schooling (which started with our summer last year since there were a few 'educational' trips in there- unbeknownst to our kids!). Lake Louise, AB Stayed overnight here the final night of our honeymoon It started out with our first official camping trip as an entire family. I normally go places with my parents and the kids and Graham stays home to work. He didn't grow up having pleasant family vacations (think driving straight through from Abbotsford, BC to Hanover, ON as fast as possible- stay for two weeks and race back just as quickly. NOT fun.)- so he would just as well rather stay home. We had talked about doing it for a while, but finally managed to get to Jasper, Banff and Calgary...

The Truth Project

A while back I started something I called 'The Truth Project'. It came out of the idea that most of the frustrations I was having stemmed from lies that I was believing were truth. Then, I would make decisions based on whatever I believed to be true. Eventually, we reap what we have sown (Prov. 11:17-19; Prov. 22:7-9 for a couple examples). Honestly, I'm not all that fond of some of the things that I've been reaping in my life these days. So, I started working on my Truth Project. You can do it however you want, mine seems to be constantly evolving, but I started out with a new notebook and at least 2 different coloured pens. I would then sit down and pray for God to reveal a lie that was impacting my life. Normally it wouldn't take very long and a thought would pop into my head- so I would take the first colour and write out what that lie was. Next, I would do another prayer- this time asking God to reveal what HE had to say about this lie that I was thinki...