Archive for Spiritual Disciplines
Progress: Quick Thinking
Welcome, new visitor! Come on in. The Classic Housewife is currently undergoing some back end changes. In the meantime I'm re-posting some oldies and goodies. You may also want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
It’s true that practice makes perfect, and that applies to more things than handwriting, cooking and hobbies. It applies to right thinking, too.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8
It’s not easy, at first, to change your habits in thinking. The angry retorts, the selfish tendencies… they slip in so easily. We are so well rehearsed in those things, they come up immediately.
But we CAN change them. We can change our first thoughts. At first we have to practice intentional thinking, perhaps after our first or second or even third thought.
But as I said, practice makes perfect (or at least practice brings improvement) and eventually you will find yourself responding in thought with love instead of anger, selfLESSness instead of selfishess, giving instead of greed.
I can assure you that it’s possible. I surprised even myself a few days ago when my husband consulted me on a matter and before answering I thought to myself, “now what is the RIGHT thing to do here…?” It’s an isolated incident; it’s far from “perfection.”
But it’s progress.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Does God Want My First or My Best?
You find the word “firstfruits” in the bible a lot, God wanting our first and our best. We’re taught in church to tithe first, off the top, instead of giving to God out of our leftovers. We’re taught to seek Him first at the beginning of the day instead of “penciling” God in somewhere later when we don’t have anything better to do. Yes, we’re also taught to seek him continually throughout the day, and to give more than just the tithe, but there’s a lot of talk about FIRST.
First, first, first.
On the other hand, we also know that God was displeased with Cain because even though he did bring an offering, it either wasn’t his best or his heart wasn’t in the right place. And we know that God instructed His people to choose the BEST lambs as sacrifices.
So God wants the first, best part of us, our day, our time, our everything.
But what if my first isn’t my best?
Now I’m not going to argue tithing to God first or making him first in my heart. What I struggle with is giving God the “first and best” part of my day. The first part of my day IS NOT the best part of my day. In fact the morning if often my worst and the last part of my day is definitely my best.
I was at my best at meeting with God daily, praying most fervently, studying His word diligently (and learning the most from it) during high school and college when I had my quiet time at the end of the day before I went to bed. You know, before marriage and kids. Getting married changed the pre-bedtime routine as you can imagine. I played around with my routine trying to find a good fit. Prompted by marriage and parenthood and encouraged by friends from church, I have tried to have a morning quiet time. I just can’t stick to it.
For years I have struggled with making my quiet time a regular habit. I keep up with it a while, I fall out of it a while. And to be honest with you, most of the time I don’t really feel like I’m getting anything out of the reading, like I need a crash course in how to study the bible because all I’m doing is reading a passage and then going on about the rest of my business. But that can’t be true because there are other times that I read God’s word and He reveals truths to me and teaches my heart and I walk away feeling FULL. I just never feel that way in the mornings.
I have tried so many things and I’ve gotten to the point of wondering, and then back, and then returned again: Do I REALLY have to do this in the morning? Am I just beating myself up over not achieving something that MAN has decided is the way things should be? Or am I just trying to justify my lack of self-discipline by claiming the morning routine is just a form of legalism and instead I should just be praying harder that God would make me a morning person?
So do I? Have to have a quiet time in the morning? Because honestly I don’t feel like my quiet times can possibly be all that pleasing to God as they stand right now - either non-existent or non-intimate. And honestly I feel like I have the best time with God when I am cleaning my kitchen in the evening and listening to worship music or a sermon online. I know that those can’t be all I do alone, that I need to read and memorize God’s word, too, but I try (or plan to) do that in the mornings and well, we see how well THAT is going. I just always feel like there’s this “pressure” to fit into this mold I don’t fit into.
Do you have any testimonies in this area, encouraging scriptures or sermons you’ve heard or books you’ve read on this topic? Inquiring minds and late night owls everywhere (or at least in this house) want to know.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Guarding Your Countenance
Countenance isn’t a word we use much in everyday conversation, and I’m not sure why. It’s a great word. It says, “the way a person looked like they were feeling” all in three little syllables.
I’ve been thinking about MY countenance lately. I know that I am a positive, usually cheery, very friendly person. I also know that most of the time, I don’t LOOK like it.
I squint a lot, sometimes even when I have my glasses on. Squinting automatically gives the impression of being disagreeable. It was worse before I got my glasses again. Imagine me, singing on the worship team, squinting at the monitor trying to read the words — and looking grumpy while singing praises to God!
I frown while I think or ponder things - even if I’m not thinking about something unhappy. I might be trying to think of a good gift to give my husband but you’d never know it by looking at me. I often realize in the middle of listening to a pastor that I’m frowning at the pastor! I immediately try to switch to something that appears like interested listening, but I’m sure most of the time I look like I’m disagreeing with what the pastor is saying!
When daydreaming, I stare off into space - often in the direction of some other person without realizing it. It’s a little unsettling because I’ll suddenly realize I’m staring at somebody (probably with a frown on my face!) and then try to cover it with a big smile so they don’t think I was glaring at THEM. Oy.
And then there are times that I just flat out am not really thinking of anything or feeling particularly anything and for some reason just don’t have a very happy look on my face. I often caught myself, while nursing or rocking one of my children, staring at their little face, not really thinking anything, and then realizing that I probably looked unhappy while staring at my child - not the picture I want to present. It’s a good thing that very young infants haven’t learned to interpret facial expressions yet. 
I don’t think there are any direct biblical passages talking about keeping a pleasant face. But I do know that there are other passages that speak of our character and our witness. And I’ve come to the conclusion through these experiences that I’m not giving a good impression of my character and witness if I have a sad or grumpy countenance.
If you think I’m grasping at straws suggesting some kind of biblical support for pleasantness, consider the practical applications as well. More times than I can recall, my countenance caused some kind of issue with my spouse. My frown was misinterpreted and my husband felt like I disagreed with him when I really didn’t.
Imagine how many confrontations you could avoid by keeping a pleasant face. Imagine being remembered by your children, spouse, and other people you met as someone “with a kind face.”
When I think of Jesus, I imagine him with a kind face. We know there were a few times he got angry at sin, and I’m sure there were a few times he felt sad, but I’d like to think that most of the time he had a kind countenance. He was after all, sinless, and there would have been no cause for grumpy, unhappy or disagreeable looks.
I realize that most of the time I make grumpy faces unintentionally, but no one else knows that. It gives the impression of things that aren’t there, and that’s the part I don’t like. I don’t want to give the IMPRESSION of sinful attitudes - especially if they’re not really there!
So how can I work on keeping a kind countenance? It’s something I think about frequently, and whenever I think about it I give myself a countenance check. I think it also takes practice, like keeping good posture. So I practice keeping a pleasant countenance while listening to my children tell something, while teaching them, while talking with my husband…. I haven’t mastered this yet, but I’m betting that’s the big one right there: Practice, practice, practice. I’m hoping that with enough practice, over time, it becomes a habit.
Amber
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Time Management
Most days I get this feeling; a feeling that I’m not making the most of my time.
Lunch time gets here before I know it and I have barely accomplished anything in my day. I’m convinced that if I could make use of that time to get things done then I’d be able to get enough done in my day, yet I’m not convinced or motivated or something enough to actually make that a permanent change.
Some days I’ll wake up on time and make breakfast on time and really get a good start on my day. But it seems like I can’t cross over from “some days” to “daily habit” or even “most days.”
It’s holding me back.
I know it. I see it. I’ve GOT to manage my time wisely! Even though I’ve scaled back to a tiny little salad plate and what will fit on there, I still feel like my plate is full and only half-eaten at the end of the day.
There is SO MUCH else I want to do! (And I’m not talking about writing novels or knitting scarves - I’m talking about bathing my children and ironing my husband’s clothes.)
6 Go to the ant, O sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise.
7 Without having any chief,
officer, or ruler,
8she prepares her bread in summer
and gathers her food in harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.
That pretty much says it all, don’t you think?
Photo Credit
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
WFMW - Prayer Journaling
I often have a hard time staying focused. Sadly, my thoughts can stray even when I am praying! One minute I am conversing with God and the next I am thinking about what I am making for breakfast or about the load of laundry that needs to go in the dryer. Sometimes multi-tasking is great, but when you’re praying… notsomuch. 
To help stay focused and pray a coherent prayer, I will write it as I pray it, into my prayer journal. This helps me stay on track, pray more to the point, and helps me to dwell more on what I am praying instead of just rattling it off. I usually write a prayer and then add a list of specific prayer needs for friends and family, etc. at the bottom and then I pray over those. That way I can just reference the list later if I need to and I can transfer needs that are still applicable on the list from one day to the next.
It’s not rocket science, but it really helps.
Happy Wednesday!
Works For Me Wednesday is hosted by Rocks In My Dryer.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
