Praise God! I'm so excited to get back into writing! It's been quite an interesting week, and I'm glad to say that I was both amused, and educated by what I observed over that period of time!
As we all know, a girl named Irene recently stole all the good spots on every news channel, newspaper and radio station over the past week along the east coast. We on the east coast are not used to this weather and everyone really freaked out when first hearing the news. People bought out what seems like every single C and D cell battery, bottle of water, canned good and candle from every store nearby. Being that this happened right after the earthquake in VA, which we also felt up here in the metro NY area, many people even thought it was the rapture (side note: These things have been happening in other places for years, but once it happens in NY its the rapture? #justcurious........ ;) #endsidenote )
Anyway, everyone I know was freaking out...............except for this pesky little squirrel which keeps nibbling on our plants to sharpen its teeth and leaving a mess of the shredded buds. Even on Saturday afternoon, when the clouds started coming in and nature started sending its pre-warnings, I saw the squirrel going about its business, making a mess, and hopping and scurrying around so worry free. I remember shaking my head, laughing and saying to myself, "This poor thing has no idea what's about to happen to it.........well at least that'll be the end of tree buds in my yard!" At that moment I remembered the scripture:
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31"So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~Matt 6:25-31
So I was kind of like, "OK God, I stand corrected. The squirrel will be fine"..................but the truth is, in my inner heart, I had already said bye to that squirrel. I didn't really believe because I didn't see how this little squirrel with no house would weather big bad Irene.
Well, below is a picture of my backyard post-Irene. As you can see, a whole bunch of leaves were ripped down from trees during the storm, and the yellow arrow points to a giant branch which broke off of another tree and ended up on our fence......... and guess who is still scurrying around my backyard in the red circle to the left? (forgive the quality, had to take it real quick through the window before it ran away!)
As we all know, a girl named Irene recently stole all the good spots on every news channel, newspaper and radio station over the past week along the east coast. We on the east coast are not used to this weather and everyone really freaked out when first hearing the news. People bought out what seems like every single C and D cell battery, bottle of water, canned good and candle from every store nearby. Being that this happened right after the earthquake in VA, which we also felt up here in the metro NY area, many people even thought it was the rapture (side note: These things have been happening in other places for years, but once it happens in NY its the rapture? #justcurious........ ;) #endsidenote )
Anyway, everyone I know was freaking out...............except for this pesky little squirrel which keeps nibbling on our plants to sharpen its teeth and leaving a mess of the shredded buds. Even on Saturday afternoon, when the clouds started coming in and nature started sending its pre-warnings, I saw the squirrel going about its business, making a mess, and hopping and scurrying around so worry free. I remember shaking my head, laughing and saying to myself, "This poor thing has no idea what's about to happen to it.........well at least that'll be the end of tree buds in my yard!" At that moment I remembered the scripture:
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31"So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~Matt 6:25-31
So I was kind of like, "OK God, I stand corrected. The squirrel will be fine"..................but the truth is, in my inner heart, I had already said bye to that squirrel. I didn't really believe because I didn't see how this little squirrel with no house would weather big bad Irene.
Well, below is a picture of my backyard post-Irene. As you can see, a whole bunch of leaves were ripped down from trees during the storm, and the yellow arrow points to a giant branch which broke off of another tree and ended up on our fence......... and guess who is still scurrying around my backyard in the red circle to the left? (forgive the quality, had to take it real quick through the window before it ran away!)
I really think its about time I name this stupid squirrel, because it seems he(or she) really just likes hangin out with us. The other red circle also features a tiny bird that was camped out and observing the damage in our backyard too. I remember being in my pjs, in the dark at home (we and about 5 other towns lost power because a local power supply blew up in the middle of the storm) and working with my dad to rig the car of some sort of electricity to charge my phone when I looked outside and saw these animals just playing around. "Alright God, I see what you're saying."
This comes at an interesting time for me, because I'm guilty of having worried a lot lately. I'm working on a charity fundraiser, and though I have a plan, I'm worried about making it really elegant while still being able to raise enough money for the cause. I worry about work. I worry about my business and if it's growing fast enough, I worry about my relationships; both horizontal and mentoring and if I'm doing the right thing. Sometimes, especially when I'm coming off a fast food binge, I even worry about what my next meal is gonna be..........and the list goes on. The funny thing is, I really doubt that I'm the only one.
I took some time (or rather was forced to take time while sitting with no TV, internet, and having to manage the juice levels in my phone) to really reflect on the outcome of my situations when I don't worry vs. when I overthink things, and I've really come to see that sometimes when you just live worry free, following your gut, aka the desires God lays in your heart, pretty amazing things happen. When I've chosen to block out the worry of being rejected and boldly introduced myself to people, I've made some really strong personal and professional bonds which have produced good things. When I blocked out the initial worry of having my first event where I had to invest a few thousand financially, I just did it and God blessed it with enough to cover the cost and fund the charity cause. When I blocked out the fear and chose to continually attend a church where everyone seemed to fall into a click but me, I eventually found a great church home, friends and restored relationship with God. What happened during the times when I worried?...... Well, I can think of a time I gave myself a migrane, a time when nothing happened, but I wonder now what could have been, and a time where the thing I was afraid of happened, but it really wasn't that bad........the worry was actually the worse part.
I love how the Bible is always relevant. Even if you've read the Bible cover to cover multiple times, it doesn't get old because it ministers to you differently each time. It becomes less of a theory, and becomes easier to see it in practice each time. (side note: God isn't a theory. I repeat, God is not a theory, and neither are the instructions in the Bible. It seems that with many things which we're told to do in the Bible whether it be not worrying, not having sex before marriage, not holding grudges etc, many of us nod and clap at the theory when we hear it in church, but when we're faced with things in practice, it all goes out of the window with a simple "no, this is different." or my favorite "let's put God aside and talk about reality." God and reality are the same! He isn't a theory, Amen? #endsidenote)
I was in the Hamptons with my friends the other weekend, and we were at dinner when my mind wandered off to a place it had no business being in during what was supposed to be a fun dinner. One of my friends noticed that I was quiet so she asked me to move from the end of the table to be next to her. I was still in the clouds for a while, until she tapped me and reminded me ,"Hey, stuff happens every day but we're here chillin in the Hamptons. There's really no use spending so much time being worried and being upset. Regardless of what's bothering you, worrying about it now won't do you any good, so you might as well put it aside and enjoy your life." That was pretty wise advice, and a bit unexpected because I wasn't expected to be called out like that about it. Not that everyone heard what she said, no one did, but she called me to action, and told me to put it aside. She pretty much was putting the ball in my court to change it, instead of encouraging me to hold on to that emotion. Its interesting because Jesus gives us a similar charge in the verse above. Its so easy to get wrapped up into the details, but he wants us to enjoy our time, and not spend it all calculating our futures as we're so naturally inclined to do. Needless to say the rest of my Hamptons trip was a lot of fun, and so was the rest of my week! Let's take a note from the giddy squirrel (who refuses to leave) and take heed to what Jesus tells us, and really make the decision to live happy lives! This goes beyond just having a smile to mask what you're feeling, but really enjoying our lives as much as we can! No use worrying when we have a God that will bring us out of the storm unscathed! Definitely easier said than done, but it can be learned! I'm learning myself. Let's do it yall! :D <<-- Cheese!
That was my personal pearl of the week. Hope you were blessed by it! Now.....any suggestions for names for the squirrel?
This comes at an interesting time for me, because I'm guilty of having worried a lot lately. I'm working on a charity fundraiser, and though I have a plan, I'm worried about making it really elegant while still being able to raise enough money for the cause. I worry about work. I worry about my business and if it's growing fast enough, I worry about my relationships; both horizontal and mentoring and if I'm doing the right thing. Sometimes, especially when I'm coming off a fast food binge, I even worry about what my next meal is gonna be..........and the list goes on. The funny thing is, I really doubt that I'm the only one.
I took some time (or rather was forced to take time while sitting with no TV, internet, and having to manage the juice levels in my phone) to really reflect on the outcome of my situations when I don't worry vs. when I overthink things, and I've really come to see that sometimes when you just live worry free, following your gut, aka the desires God lays in your heart, pretty amazing things happen. When I've chosen to block out the worry of being rejected and boldly introduced myself to people, I've made some really strong personal and professional bonds which have produced good things. When I blocked out the initial worry of having my first event where I had to invest a few thousand financially, I just did it and God blessed it with enough to cover the cost and fund the charity cause. When I blocked out the fear and chose to continually attend a church where everyone seemed to fall into a click but me, I eventually found a great church home, friends and restored relationship with God. What happened during the times when I worried?...... Well, I can think of a time I gave myself a migrane, a time when nothing happened, but I wonder now what could have been, and a time where the thing I was afraid of happened, but it really wasn't that bad........the worry was actually the worse part.
I love how the Bible is always relevant. Even if you've read the Bible cover to cover multiple times, it doesn't get old because it ministers to you differently each time. It becomes less of a theory, and becomes easier to see it in practice each time. (side note: God isn't a theory. I repeat, God is not a theory, and neither are the instructions in the Bible. It seems that with many things which we're told to do in the Bible whether it be not worrying, not having sex before marriage, not holding grudges etc, many of us nod and clap at the theory when we hear it in church, but when we're faced with things in practice, it all goes out of the window with a simple "no, this is different." or my favorite "let's put God aside and talk about reality." God and reality are the same! He isn't a theory, Amen? #endsidenote)
I was in the Hamptons with my friends the other weekend, and we were at dinner when my mind wandered off to a place it had no business being in during what was supposed to be a fun dinner. One of my friends noticed that I was quiet so she asked me to move from the end of the table to be next to her. I was still in the clouds for a while, until she tapped me and reminded me ,"Hey, stuff happens every day but we're here chillin in the Hamptons. There's really no use spending so much time being worried and being upset. Regardless of what's bothering you, worrying about it now won't do you any good, so you might as well put it aside and enjoy your life." That was pretty wise advice, and a bit unexpected because I wasn't expected to be called out like that about it. Not that everyone heard what she said, no one did, but she called me to action, and told me to put it aside. She pretty much was putting the ball in my court to change it, instead of encouraging me to hold on to that emotion. Its interesting because Jesus gives us a similar charge in the verse above. Its so easy to get wrapped up into the details, but he wants us to enjoy our time, and not spend it all calculating our futures as we're so naturally inclined to do. Needless to say the rest of my Hamptons trip was a lot of fun, and so was the rest of my week! Let's take a note from the giddy squirrel (who refuses to leave) and take heed to what Jesus tells us, and really make the decision to live happy lives! This goes beyond just having a smile to mask what you're feeling, but really enjoying our lives as much as we can! No use worrying when we have a God that will bring us out of the storm unscathed! Definitely easier said than done, but it can be learned! I'm learning myself. Let's do it yall! :D <<-- Cheese!
That was my personal pearl of the week. Hope you were blessed by it! Now.....any suggestions for names for the squirrel?
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