teachable moments

whoa. have you ever just laid face down and asked God, "what are you trying to teach me? what am i supposed to get out of this? and, how exactly will everything turn out?"

i think sometimes God uses certain circumstances in our lives to knock us to our knees. And, i also think that, during such times (and afterwards), we don't and won't understand the reason why.

it's kind of like a toddler who, after being told "no" gets a little swat on the bottom. most of the time they look at you and cry because they know why it's happening. BUT, there are those rare occasions when they really didn't realize why it happened. Now, i'm not equating our circumstances to punishment. merely using the surprised look of a child to illustrate what most of us feel in our hearts.

i need God. i need His presence. love. mercy. grace. faithfulness. kindness. and joy. especially when i feel like the world has knocked me down. or when i don't understand things.

my heart is yearning for simplicity, as it has been for some time now. I read and listened today about a man who downsized from a 4,000 square foot house to an 89 square foot house. he built it himself. he lives there. in COMPLETE simplicity. i mean, his energy bills don't even add up to $100 for the ENTIRE year. how amazing. Now, it's only big enough for one... maybe 2 people. so, i won't be building myself a little shed anytime soon...

BUT, i can't wait to get into my house. i can't wait to set up the living room with the simple furniture i have. i can't wait to dive into neutral walls and decorate with simplicity: aka pictures of real life. and maybe a few other random things.

i can't wait to make dinners that double as patrick's lunch for the next day (he is a lover of all leftovers). i can't wait to make cupcakes and give them out to the neighbor kids or take them to a friends orrrrr, eat them myself. hahaha...

simplicity: a word that is equivalent to the Dominican. the beach. newborn babies. fresh air. toe nail polish. cookies and milk. and that sleepy, comfy feeling of bed on cool mornings.

simplicity: desiring God's best. it doesn't seem simple and you might have to sacrifice a lot. but, i believe God's best for us deals with a lot less clutter and a lot more simplicity.