Food Anxiety

    For upwards of the last 8 years, I have struggled with what I'm going to call 'food anxiety ' for lack of a better word. I have spent the majority of my working adult life taking salad with me to work for lunch because I stressed about not eating healthy enough. In my head, if it wasn't a salad. It wasn't healthy. For lunch anyway.

    I also have a salad every day because I am a creature of habit and routine. So buying salad ingredients for lunch every week is easy and predictable. It doesn’t require any thought or planning. There is no anxiety in the morning about what I will take for lunch because I already know what I will be taking. So the idea of changing things up wasn't something I wanted to do.

    Hubby and I have always tried to eat healthy enough; last year, he was tired of his weight and wanted to make some changes. With God, he went on an incredible weight loss journey, and in that process, I worked along side of him and started cooking healthier.

    One night a week or so ago, I was making supper and thinking about how healthy we really do eat these days. We eat a veggie omlette 5 out of 7 days of the week. I was eating a salad for lunch, and he had a chicken leg. That evening, I was pondering our eating habits while making chicken fajitas. I realized that 85-90% of our meals are homemade from scratch. Including a good combination of protein, veggies, some carbs and healthy fats. I am proud of the progress we have made with our food choices. Anyways, as I served supper that night, I realized that I was done with salad for work and would start bringing leftovers or something else entirely. I went to Pinterest for some inspiration. I landed on a variation of an adult Lunchable and all the different elements you might want in your lunch. Such as protein, cheese, something crunchy, fruit, etc. Part of the reason why I always ate salad was that I was afraid I wouldn't get enough veggies in me, but I'm still getting enough and am enjoying packing the different 'elements' to an adult lunchable. We have also always been bad for lefovers being forgotten and going bad in the fridge, so this will also help with that.

    So, why am I sharing my change of lunch menu choices with you? Well, honestly, partly because one of my goals this year is to write a blog post every week. I’m a little behind now. The last few weeks have been a bit busy. I wanted this post to be published for the last week of April, but that didn’t work. God has been working on some big things with me recently, but I haven’t written about them yet. So yes, this post is partly a “filler” post. But maybe there is someone out there who has had a similar food struggle as I have had and will find encouragement from it. Either way, I decided I wanted to share with you my recent dietary changes.

I pray this encourages, blesses, or challenges you, friend.

God Bless

~Hannah

Mary vs. Martha

    Luke 10:38-42. 38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at [a]Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

    41 And [b]Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

    I'm Martha in this story.

    This past Sunday, I was feeling exhausted in the morning and therefore a little prickly around the edges. Hubby asked what was going on. I told him I was exhausted, but I didn't feel I had the right to be, because we don't have kids. Looking back now, that logic makes no sense. Kids are not the only reason for being tired.

Anyway, hubby reminded me that I had been burning the candle at both ends. He was right. I had been overdoing it and starting to burn out.

    Our home is not spotless, but I do my best. And the idea that someone might walk into my apartment and see me relaxing with a book while there is housework to be done terrifies me. Again, not logical, no one is going to just walk into our apartment without notice. I wanted to share this part with you in case you, too, struggle with this issue. I wanted to encourage you that you are not alone. Being found resting while there are non-essential chores to be done. In my head, if someone were to walk into my home and see me in this situation, it would make me feel lazy and devalue myself in their eyes. I’m learning to remind myself that that situation is not likely to happen and that the person coming into my home does not get to dictate my worth. Only God does. Because of this fear and another issue, I struggle to sit down and relax. The other half of my issue is that I struggle with attaching my worth to my work. Something else God and I are working on.

    During worship at church later that morning, God told me I was being Martha. I don't recall my exact thought in response to His conviction, but it was something like, 'yeah, you are right." I prayed and asked for forgiveness at the end of the service. I wasn't a shocking conviction by any means. But it did get my attention. I told hubby about it on our way home. His response was, 'yikes.' I told him I wasn't upset.

    There is a time to get things done and a time to spend with the Lord. But time with the Lord does need to come first. When we put Him first, He will give us all the time and energy needed to get everything else done.

And yes, traditionally, or at least here in the west, it's common place that when you are hosting people, you are likely not sitting down. Because you are refilling drinks, taking empty plates, etc. The way that the story reads suggests that there probably was pleasantly of time to serve later on, meaning that Martha could have sat at Jesus feet and taken in the message before serving the meal. But, if she had done that they it may not have been recorded in the Bible and would be a lesson for us today. I’m so thankful for these two women and many other women in the Bible that we get to read about. Because it shows us that we are not alone in our struggles. There are times when we read their stories and think to ourselves, “I would never do that,” and then somewhere down the road, we find ourselves in their shoes and get a serving of humble pie.

    I'm not saying there isn't a time and place for a busy day or a fuller schedule. But when the Savior of the world is in your home, visiting and preaching, you should be sitting and listening. But the poor woman was in autopilot and doing what she knew to do. Serve. But, in that moment, there was a better option. One that she missed out on, but we don’t have to anymore. He may not be physically in the room with us, but He is in our hearts and is with us always, which means we have even more opportunity to spend time with Him than she did.

    So, the next time you find yourself doing a chore that doesn’t really need to be done in that moment, ask yourself if there is something else better that you could be doing. Should you spend some more time with the Lord in your prayer closet or maybe unwind with a bubble bath? Take a step back, and check your heart and motives and see if there is something more beneficial that you could enjoy instead.

    

The world celebrates Martha, but God celebrates Mary. Let’s be more like Mary.

I pray this encourages, teaches, challenges, and blesses you today, friend.

God Bless

~Hannah

It's time to stop amd take a break.

Our Response to the Empty Tomb

    Last weekend, we celebrated Easter. On Friday, we celebrated Good Friday and the sacrifice that Jesus made for us by dying on the cross. He suffered a horrific beating beforehand, then had to walk through town with the cross, and finally was nailed to it and then hung to die. All while being mocked and ridiculed. Thank you,Father God, for sending Jesus to die for my sins, and thank you, Jesus for being obedient to the Father and going to the cross for me. And demonstrating the ultimate form of love.

    My hubby and I watched The Passion of the Christ on Friday night. At one point, after he was beaten and bruised, I started thinking to myself about how violent it was; if it were anyone else getting whipped and shredded to pieces like that, we wouldn't be watching the movie. Hubby reminded me that this was beautiful because through this terrible treatment, He did it out of love for us. He is right, of course. I quickly reset my mind and went back to being thankful like I was at the beginning of the movie. I share that portion with you incase you ever think the same thing, we are wrong, but you are not alone in this thought.

    Then on Sunday, we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Without the resurrection, there would be no Christian faith. Jesus would simply have been a nice man and a good teacher who was killed because the religious people of the day didn’t like what He had to say. But He wasn’t and isn’t just a nice, wise man who died. He IS our Lord and Saviour. He is our connection with our Heavenly Father and our connection to eternity in Heaven one day.

    John 20:1-18 was the text that our visiting evangelist preached through on Sunday morning. John 20:1-18  NKJV '1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, 'They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.' 3 Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. 4 So they both ran together , and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. 5 And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also, and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes. 11 But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." 14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, *Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him. "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher)."

    After discovering that the tomb was empty, Peter and John went home and went on with life. But Mary went searching for Jesus. She wasn't satisfied knowing that His body had been moved; she wanted to know where it was. She asked a man, whom she thought was the gardener, where Jesus's body was. She needed to find Him. As soon as the gardener opened His mouth and said her name, Mary knew that the man was Jesus. She found Him.

    

    Jesus did His part and faithfully went to the cross for us. Now it's time we do our part and seek Him. He isn't hiding, but He does want us to put forward effort to seek after Him and find Him. It's not enough to know that the tomb is empty; we have to search for Him and find Him. We will find Him. He wants to be found by us. But He wants us to be intentional and seek Him. We have to respond to the empty tomb by seeking after Him and building a relationship with Him. Whether you are a new believer or you have loved Him so long you don't remember life before Jesus. We have to continue to seek after Him and deepen our relationship with Him. Every day this week, God has reminded me of that. And every day I am responding and seeking after Him and deepening my relationship with Him. Was I already seeking Him before that sermon? Yes, but I am now doing it with a renewed passion.

    I pray this message encourages and challenges you to respond to the empty tomb and seek after our Lord and Saviour. Hallelujah! He is risen! I pray blessings over you today, friend, as you enter into this next season of seeking after Jesus.

God Bless

~Hannah

Give to Caesar What is Caesar's.

    Back in December, my company decided to shut down for the two weeks around Christmas, and anyone who wanted to could apply for EI. They said to apply for the whole two weeks, including the statutory holidays. They figured it would be fine because we would be paid out later on for the holidays, and therefore we could claim the whole two weeks. Unfortunately, they were wrong.

    So, mid January, a bunch of us received letters saying we owed the government money back. We were not pleased. We had been given advice from our HR department that was faulty, and now we're in trouble for it.

    I spent some time praying about it and asking God what He wanted me to do about it. Our HR department said that they wanted copies of our bills, and then they would decide what they would do about it. Whether they would pay us back for the mistake or ask us to pay it back. So, I emailed them a copy of mine and waited. In the meantime, I prayed and asked God what He wanted me to do. God told me to pay the bill. To give to Cesar what is Cesar's.

    Matthew 22:15-22 “The Pharisees: Is it Lawful to Pay Taxes to Caesar? Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of man. “Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? “Show Me the tax money.” So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Cesar’s.” And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way.”

    I said, okay. I paid the bill a week later, on a Tuesday. That Friday afternoon, HR came by and told us that the company would be reimbursing us. They asked us to pay the bill and bring in our receipts. I told them I had paid my bill a few days ago and was now waiting for them to email me a receipt.

    At the end of my shift, hubby picked me up as usual, and I told him the good news. I didn’t expect them to pay us back. I was pleasantly surprised when they announced that they would be reimbursing us for it.

    When God told me to pay my bill, I did so quietly and didn't tell anyone. Throughout the process of receiving these bills and waiting several weeks for a decision from our HR department, one of my coworkers was particularly upset about the situation, and we discussed it a handful of times. They felt that the whole thing was our employers' fault and not ours. That we had acted on their advice. Which is correct. A few of my coworkers were extra smart and applied for EI, but didn't claim the stat holidays. Personally, I clued in a little too late, but I have learned my lesson and will never do that again.

    The other day, I talked again to my extra upset coworker and listened to their argument and why they felt so justified in being upset. I then felt in my spirit that it was okay to tell my coworker how God had called me to respond. I said that yes, we were given mad advice. But, we are all adults, and therefore can make decisions for ourselves and could have not claimed those days in our EI claim. We didn't have to take the advice from our HR department. I believe God wanted me to share my viewpoint and calm response to the situation with my coworker because I am a believer. This coworker of mine knows I am a believer and, from time to time, asks questions. The coworker was raised with religion vs faith and ended up walking away from the church when they got older.

    The point in all this is that a) give to Cesar what is Cesar's, and b) that as believers, we are called to act and look different from the world around us. Which I know that the majority of believers know that already. But it's true. We are called to let Jesus shine through everywhere we go. We are called to respond differently to bad news so that when the world around us sees us, they see Jesus and wonder about Him.

    Do we flawlessly represent Him every day? Of course not. Thankfully, that's where God's grace and mercy come into play. But we are supposed to be continually seeking after Jesus and strengthening our relationship with Him so that through Him, it becomes easier and easier to respond the way that He wants us to respond.

    Please hear my heart, this post is not intended to slander my employer or my HR department. I've deliberately left their names out because I don't want them to get into trouble because I shared private information. I'm sharing this experience to remind us believers, that we are to give to Cesar what is Cesar's and to God what is God's. From the sounds of it, there are going to be some repercussions for my employer, but I don't care to find out what they are. It's none of my business. Or anyone else's, for that matter.

    So friend, let's give to Cesar what is Cesar's and show the world around us how Jesus wants us to respond to difficult situations.

God Bless

~Hannah

Coffee and Metaphors.

    A few weeks ago, I decided that on a Saturday morning, I wanted to enjoy a cup of coffee while having my quiet time with God. I wanted to see if I would still have a reaction. I have IBS, and coffee is a trigger item for me. I guess some part of me thought it was a good idea. I don't recall why I thought it would work, or why I thought it was a good idea, but I did. I decided to have the coffee really early in the morning while I read my Bible, in case it didn't work and I got a stomachache. That way, I could work through the stomachache early and not allow it to take over my day. So I made a cup and enjoyed the smell and flavour as I read my Bible.

    Within an hr my stomach was mad. My digestive track did its thing, and we moved on a little while later.

The cool part, and the reason why I am sharing this, is because of what God taught me that morning. While I was drinking the coffee, I was thinking of how nice it tasted and that I had doctored it just right, but how later on I would regret it. God showed me that that's what sin is like. We justify the action in the moment and enjoy the thing in the moment, but down the road and around the corner are where the consequences lie and wait for you.

    We think it’s all fun and games until the consequences hit us. Sin looks like freedom until you try to stop the thing. The enemy wants you to think that you are free to “enjoy” whatever sin that you are getting involved in. But in reality, it's just a trap. Because the enemy only comes to steal, kill and destroy. “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they may have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 KJV. I thought, wow, I wasn't expecting that metaphor to come out of this 'experiment,' but cool.

    The Bible tells us in Romans 6:23 KJV. “For the wages of sin are death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Not necessarily physical death, although it can result in that, but mainly spiritual death. Sin separates us from God. Isaiah 59: 2 KJV But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

    Anyway, I haven't written coffee off completely. I enjoy a few ice caps through the summer, and if I'm driving somewhere and am tired, I would rather have a stomachache while driving instead of fighting to stay awake. But otherwise I will continue to maintain minimal consumption like I have been doing for quiet a while. Looking back, I wonder if God put it on my heart to have coffee that morning in order to teach me and to encourage others.

I pray this encourages you with a fresh perspective on sin.

God Bless

~Hannah

No Rest For The Wicked.

    The other day, I was in our buffing department, buffing big, annoying parts that tend to take a lot of time. A coworker finished his in record time. He has also been buffing for years and, therefore, is much faster than I am. I commented on his speed. His reply was, 'No rest for the wicked.'

   I thought to myself, but I'm not wicked. I'm righteous in God's eyes. “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf. Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 NIV. He didn't mean anything by it, of course. But the Holy Spirit used it to teach me a lesson that I think I am finally ready to hear. A lesson that I have been trying to learn for a long time. My worth is not attached to my work. Yes, I will always be a hard worker, but I'm done with striving and 'earning' my worth. Isaiah 57:20-21 NIV “But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

    I told hubby about it after work, and he confirmed that I was walking away from finding my identity in my work and instead finding it in Christ. I hadn't realized that that was what I was doing. I was simply walking away from striving.

    In fact, that evening after supper, instead of puttering around and doing things for the sake of doing things, I curled up on the couch with a tea that hubby had surprised me with after work, some chocolate and my book. I relaxed for an hr and a half. Hubby was on one end of the couch, with Blessing, and I had the other end. It was beautiful.

    I am still struggling with finding my identity in Christ vs my work. But I'm working on it. No, that was not intended to be a pun or anything else. I'm working on accepting my worth in Christ and focusing on that instead of working for my worth. Work is a good thing, a gift even, given to us by God. But He never intended for us to get our worth from it.

    So, if you struggle in this area too, join me in meditating on the Word of God and what He says about our worth and about work.

I pray this encourages, challenges and blesses you in whatever way you need today, friend.

God Bless

~Hannah

Value Village Haul

    Last Saturday, hubby and I went shopping as part of our date. We ended up at Value Village. I was in the market for a new hair dryer and straightener, and we wanted a Keurig coffee maker.

    We went in and browsed wall art for a minute. We found the Keurig coffee maker, didn't love it, but thought it would do the trick. We quickly realized we needed a cart. I went and got it while hubby held the Keurig. Upon my return, I saw another display of coffee makers, including a nicer Keurig. We put the first one back and got the second one. I looked at hubby and said how good God is. He agreed. We walked through the bed and bath department on our way to hair dryers and straighteners. On our way through the bed and bath department, I saw a beautiful, pink, lace tablecloth. I quickly picked it up. It will look beautiful as a top layer of a skirt. Over a navy blue or maybe a red one. I quickly moved on in order not to spend more money. I love sourcing fabric, bed sheets in particular, from Value Village and sewing them into new items. We found hair tools and found a nice blow dryer and hair straightener. Fabric is expensive, but a bed sheet from a second-hand store is less than $10, and it’s about two meters. Which is what I need for a dress.

    I looked at hubby and said, 'Okay, we've got to go before I spend more money.' he made a comment about being blessed to have a frugal wife. I replied, 'at least it's second-hand and thus cheaper.' We got to the cash register and used a coupon for 20% off that we received when giving them a bag of donations. Our bill came to $30.70 for 4 items. The hair dryer and straightener would have been $30 each brand new, and the Keurig is $80. God is so good.

    I know that not everyone loves Value Village as I do. I also know that they are not the cheapest or best second-hand store. But, I spent my childhood shopping there and then I worked for them for a few years, so I know the good and the bad, and I will still die on a hill for them.

    They are not simply a second-hand store that is rolling in profit. Has their quality gone down and their prices gone up? Unfortunately yes. But here's the truth about Value Village that the public doesn't know. Value Village works alongside non-profits. They are a for-profit business who work along side non profit organizations. Each location has a different non-profit partner. When you donate to Value Village, they collect the goods. Put it on a big cart, the size of your couch, weigh it on a big scale, pay the non-profit for the goods, then they sort the product accordingly and decide if it can be sold or not. Lots cannot be sold. Including household garbage. Yes, people have tried to donate garbage. Of which we threw ourselves out after paying our non-profit for it. Then it is hung on a hanger or put on a cart to be rolled to the floor and put in its respective department. If that item does not sell, we take it back off the floor and recycle it further. We make a bail out of it if it's clothing and other fabric, or in a box, of its a kitchen appliance. It is then shipped off and sent to another wearhouse to be processed again and then donated to third world countries to help them with their own economies.

    So, the next time you start thinking negatively about Value Village or any other thrift store, please do your research. Before writing the rant portion of this post, I went to their website to confirm that the information is there, mainly so I don't get in trouble for giving out information that they may not want the public to know.

As I finished writing this post, I started wondering why they don't make this knowledge more publicly known. The Holy Spirit then reminded me that, like us believers, they don't need to defend themselves. And neither do we. God knows the ins and outs of that business just like He knows the ins and outs of our hearts, and in the end, it doesn't matter if anyone else knows.

So, moral of the story, I love Value Village, and God has blessed me with many amazing shopping experiences via that store since I was a little girl.

Don’t Take, Wait For God To Bless You.

    A few months ago, I got back into listening to podcasts. I turned on “She Reads Truth,” a favourite of mine. The second episode I listened to that week was about Genesis 14-16 and how God told Abram and Sarai that He would give them a son. But Sarai didn’t trust or believe God could do it; she took matters into her own hands and took the blessing that God wanted to give them. I then spent a few days meditating on it. I decided that it would be used as a “bonus” or “filler” post if I ever needed it. Meaning that it was’t a really big personal lesson that I needed to learn like the rest of my posts.  I wasn’t able to post last week due to time and energy. So I’m sharing it with you now to “make up” for last week, and either later today or tomorrow, I will be writing about what God taught me this past week.

    In Genesis 15&16 we read about how Abram and Sarai, later known as Abraham and Sarah, were old and childless, but God told Abram that He would give him a child from his own body. “And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, this shall not be thine air; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine hair.” Genesis 15:4 KJV. Despite the fact that both Abram and his wife were well past childbearing years. Abram believed and credited it to God. “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” 15:6. Unfortunately, Sarai was a little more synical, skyptical and doubted. Can you blame her? Haven’t we all doubted God at one time or another? We have a very finite point of view, which is how God made us. It brings a little chuckle to my heart because God did it on purpose. He deliberatly made us with a much smaller view of everything so that way He can blow our minds and “show” off as it were and show us that His ideas, plans and perspectives are so much bigger and better than ours.

    Because Sarai doubted God and His abilities, she took matters into her own hands. Again, if we are honest, we have likely all done this at some point in our lives. Sarai took her slave Hagar and gave her to Abram to build a family through her. “Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold how the Lord has restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go into my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.” Genesis 16:1-2 KJV. She was thinking logically and solving a problem. What she didn’t take into account was how this would affect her marriage, her own emotions and ultimately, God’s ability to bless her with her own children. Instead of waiting on God, she took from God. Again, we are all likely guilty of doing this in our own lives at some time or other. I’m not saying it’s right or that I agree with her. I’m just saying that we all fall short of God’s glory.

    The result of this disobedience was that she had now broken her one-flesh union with her husband Abram. Who also has a role to play in this ordeal. He believed God would give him and his wife a child of their own naturally. But when Sarai suggested they do it their own way and not God’s way, he should have stood up as the leader of his home and told Sarai that they would wait on God. That being said, I’m not throwing all the blame on him either. They both had their part to play in the matter.

    The point in all this is that instead of waiting on God to bless them. Sarai simply took control, took matters into her own hands and took away God’s blessing. As hard as it is sometimes, and it is. We need to wait on the Lord when He tells us that He is going to bless us and do something for us.

    Funny thing is that this happened in our home this week. Hubby had eaten a couple of pieces of pizza and was saving the crust for Blessing. In her defense the plate was on her level, but she doesn’t usually steal food. But the temptation overtook her. She was mid lick on the crust when hubby noticed what she was doing and put her in time out. Yes, we believe she knows what that means. Anyways, I walk in the door from doing groceries, and hubby fills me in on what just happened. We agreed that after her time out, she could have one of the crusts, but not both. Does she fully understand that part? I don’t know. But it reminded me of the passage of scripture I had listened to earlier in the week about Abram and Sari and how we should wait on God to bless us instead of just taking things for ourselves. Obviously, Blessing’s disobedience doesn’t have the same consequences that Sarai and Abram’s actions did. But it gave me a chuckle and solidified the lesson in my heart. Don’t take, wait for God to bless you.

I pray this blesses and encourages you today, friend.

God Bless

~Hannah

Overcoming Complaining, Gossiping and Slandering.

    The Holy Spirit has recently been convicting me of my sin of complaining, gossiping and slandering. It's hard to admit that in writing, and knowing that people will read this and know the truth. Yes, I could choose not to post this blog. But I love my blog and want to share the things that God is working on in my heart, and so I'm being brave and vulnerable and sharing. I also share to encourage those who read this that they are not alone in their struggles.

    As believers, we are called to confess our sin to each other, and then pray for each other. I'm not necessarily asking for your prayer, but I am confessing this area of sin in my life. It actually took me a couple of days before I told hubby about this recent conviction. I've been super quiet at home recently, which is unusual, and he was worried that something was wrong. He was and is so proud of me for admitting this area of sin in my life, and is likely looking forward to the change that God is doing in me, as am I.

    I work in a factory , which can be a breeding ground for all of these things, so it can be easy to get caught up in all of it. Plus, there have been some changes in management recently, which has brought on some stress. But neither is an excuse for this bad behaviour, and I will be watching my tongue a whole lot more from now on.

As believers are called to be set apart, I need to walk more in that. Out of everything I write about and share, this area of struggle feels like the hardest to admit to. I think I'm part it's hard to admit to because I wonder what people will think of me. I have to remind myself that at the end of the day, the only opinion that matters is God's, and then mine and my husband's and right now all three of us are proud of me. So I guess that's all that matters. Which I suppose sounds prideful, it wasn’t intended to.

    What does this all look like going forward? Well, I'm quieter for one thing. Which was scaring poor hubby. In the past, when I was quiet, it meant that I'm mad, and then he has to ask me several times over why I'm mad, and then I finally tell him, but instead of just telling him, I expode. So understandably, he was a little concerned. We are both getting used to this new reality. I have also noticed that I have more peace in my spirit and soul. It also means that I have to figure out my thoughts a little more than before, but I believe it's good and helps me practice self-control. Which is a fruit of the Spirit.😉

    Now that I'm practicing not complaining, I expect that I will be less pessimistic and more optimistic. In reality, complaining, gossiping and slandering don't help anyone. All they do is hurt people, and I don't want to hurt people. I want to embrace God's love for me and share it with those around me. Mom and I were on the phone visiting while I walked Blessing this afternoon, and she instantly noticed that I sounded really good. Like I’m doing well. I told her that I was doing very well. It didn’t hurt that I had a great day, but overall, my Spirit and soul feel lighter, and I feel more peace. For which I praise God.

    I pray that this encourages, challenges and blesses you in whatever way you need today, friend. I pray that if you do struggle with any of these things, you would turn away from them and feel the peace and freedom that I am now enjoying.

God Bless

~Hannah

Heading down a fresh new beautiful path with God.

Walk Your Own Path

    One afternoon, a week or so ago, Blessing and I set out for our walk. I had been thinking recently of shortening her walk a little and making it more manageable for me. As we headed down our street, I was pondering which route to take. Before we got off our street, the Holy Spirit told me which route to take. One we had walked before, but I had forgotten about. At about the halfway point of our route, we were walking along a sidewalk that was not plowed. So we did our best to follow the footprints from those who had gone before us, which worked for a few minutes but eventually got awkward, because that person's gate is different than mine and therefore their foot steps don't match mine. Meaning that after a few steps, you have to really pay attention to the next footprint because it's not in the spot you want it to be.

    As I was attempting to walk in someone else's footprints, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the importance of walking my own path and not in other's footsteps. Oh, my goodness. What a moment and powerful metaphor. Of which I was not expecting. I was simply taking Blessing out for a walk and was debating listening to a podcast as I did so. I'm glad I didn't listen to one, though. They have their place, and I enjoy them, but I would have missed out on this amazing message and lesson from God if I had been listening to a podcast.

    You see, it all started a few weeks ago. I was thinking how there are some married woman in my life who don't dress up very much, and I think they should dress up for their husband's more often, and dress more like how I dress. Yes, I can hear the arrogance and pride seeping through with every word. My hubby likes it when I get dressed up, and I love getting dressed up for both of us. Also, because of my personal choices, being that I don't wear pants, skirts and dresses are naturally more dressy and therefore the majority of my wardrobe is 'Sunday best.' again, I know I sound supper prideful and arrogant right now. Just give me a minute. I also know that everyone is different, and some men like it when their wives dress up, some like jeans and a t-shirt, and again, some like yoga or track pants on their wives. God has made us all different and given us different tastes, and it's important to respect and honor those tastes and opinions.

    Anyways, when the Holy Spirit talked to me that day on our walk, He was talking about more than just clothing. He was also saying that everyone has a different path in life and that we should not compare His plan for our life vs someone else's life. Easier said than done, of course.

    Fast forward to this week. This morning, in fact. I was spending time reading my Bible and praying. I've been struggling to hear God for the last few days and feeling a bit frustrated about it. I've been rethinking how I spend time with God and wondering if I need to change up my methods to hear better. I have still been praying and reminding myself that even if I can't hear Him in the moment, I know that He does hear me and is answering my prayers according to His will. I know all this because He has answered countless prayers over the years, and He doesn't change. Meaning that even if I can't hear Him in this moment, it doesn't mean that He can't hear me anymore or that I can't hear Him. I was then comparing my husband's relationship with God to my relationship with God. Hubby now hears God more than I do, and for that I am so grateful. He has grown into such an amazing man of God and leader in our home, and I am so blessed. Anyways, while I was comparing my relationship with God to hubby's relationship with God, the Holy Spirit gently reminded me to 'stay in my own lane' and not compare my path with hubby's path. I think my first thought was, 'fair enough,' and possibly followed by, 'hey, I can hear your voice again.'

    So. Now I need to practice staying in my own lane and not comparing my path to other people's paths. I need to focus on following Jesus and loving others.

I pray that this post at least gives you a little chuckle, and at best, it challenged and encouraged you.

God Bless

~Hannah

Driving Through The Storm

    This past Friday, hubby and I were getting ready for Bible study. It would be an hr drive to our host's house. We knew the roads would be rough because of the snowstorm outside.

    Our host lovingly called to confirm whether we were coming because of the weather. I said we were on our way and we're prepared for the weather.

    Hubby and I drove out of our apartment parking lot a few minutes later and headed for the highway. The roads were gross, and the wind was blowing the snow all around. We live in southern Ontario, so farm country. Unlike the north, where I am from, we don't have any trees to block the wind and blowing snow.

We started driving down the small highway. We prayed and confirmed with God that He still wanted us to go to Bible study. He said He was going to take us through the storm. And storm it was. Wind was blowing snow all over the place, making visibility and road conditions bad. So we turned up the worship music and had a praise session through the storm on the way to Bible study. By God's grace, we arrived safely.

    Once Bible study was finished, we visited for a while and then headed home. We left our host's house and started driving down the road. By God's grace, we got through some very unplowed roads as we left the subdivision. Then we had the snow drifts along with blowing snow down the main road. We had minimal visibility as the wind blew the snow for a minute, and then it would calm down, and then all I could see was snow. We also passed several other vehicles on the road while the wind was blowing. So all I could see was blowing snow and headlights coming at me. On the right side of the car was the top of the drifts, which were around 4 ft tall. I kept even pressure on the gas paddle and just kept going. Hubby prayed and asked God to clear the road ahead. A minute later, the wind stopped for good, and the roads were clear. Snow-covered, but plowed. God answered our prayers. Our SUV doesn't have all-wheel drive, nor do we have good winter tires. We have all-season tires, which are better than the ones we had on before. But it's only by God's grace, mercy and protection that we made it through those drifts and blowing snow. He was with us in our vehicle on Friday night, driving us home. He is always with us, of course, but even more so that night.

    We stopped for gas in Sarnia, grabbed a coffee at McDonald's for hubby so that he could stay away and keep me company while I drove. I didn't need a coffee because my stomach was in knots from the blowing wind and snow drifts that God had driven us through a few minutes prior to our stop. We left Sarnia and took the small highway that connects Sarnia to Wallaceburg, and drove smoothly home.

    About 20 minutes before getting home, our host called us. She said that she hasn't heard from us yet and that everyone else from Bible study, minus one couple, had all tried to go home and then turned back to our host’s home and stayed the night at their house. She said that people were stuck in the snow and in the ditch and wanted to check on us. Over the speaker phone that hubby turned on after picking up the phone for me, I told her that we were still 20 minutes away from home, but the road was clear, and we were driving a respectable speed. I told her that the drive leaving her home was a terrible mess. She was glad that we were safe and confirmed that I would still text her once we arrived safely in our apartment. In hind sight, I should have told her how long of a drive we expected to have so she would have had an idea of when to expect my text. But either way, we appreciated her calling.

    Twenty minutes later, we arrived home, and I took Blessing for a bedtime pee. After texting our host and my in-laws because they, too, are a part of our Bible study, we climbed into bed.

    Hubby and I spent part of Saturday morning reminiscing on how good God is and that it was only through Him that we got home safely. We have gotten stuck in much less snow before and had to dig ourselves out.

    Friend, if you don't already know or need a reminder, we serve and worship a powerful and mighty God. The creator of the heavens and the earth and the one who sent His one and only son to die on the cross for our sins.

    If you don't know God yet, then I pray that you would come to have a relationship with Him. I pray that reading my blog would show you who God is in my life and all the things He has done in and through me. Maybe you didn't grow up with faith, or maybe you grew up with some form of faith or religion and have turned away for whatever reason. Whatever the case may be, you are loved by God, and He wants to have a relationship with you. A personal relationship.

I pray that this testimony of God's goodness and protection would encourage you today, friend.

God Bless

~Hannah 

My mom feeding birds on "The Granny Bench" trail.

No Longer Looking for Man's Approval.

    God did an amazing miracle in my life late last week. That has changed my life, and I still can’t believe it. I have struggled with self-hatred and self-worth issues for as long as I can remember. I also try to stay busy for busy sake and to avoid my pain.

    I have been slowly working through Joyce Meyer's book, 'Authentically, uniquely you.' I read it a few years ago, and then I was gifted a copy shortly after I read the library's copy. I thought, in January, it would be a good book to start off the year with. God has been using it along with His Spirit to help me along in my journey. I reject myself very regularly, and the enemy has a heyday regularly telling me that I'm not worth it and such.

    

    The other morning at work, I was very worked up and fighting in my head with my husband, over absolutely nothing. Build up stress from the week, and my mind was going nuts with it. I decided to hang out on social media for a few minutes on my break. I have been doing a social media fast for the month of January, minus posting my blogs, and decided I could handle returning to that world for a few minutes. To let my brain numb out via a screen for a few minutes.

    It honestly did wonders for me. I came back from break feeling refreshed and set free. You see, I also struggle with what people think of me. Do they think I eat too much chocolate? Do they think I spend too much time on my phone and on social media? So on and so on. Well, I believe God used these few minutes to help me decompress and see the truth. God made me unique, just like he did for you. And all the things that I like, chocolate, and seeing a handful of people's posts online, are just a few of the things that make up who I am. And I no longer need to worry about what other people think about me.

After the break, I returned to my paint booth and pondered the things God had just taught me. I had such peace, and nearly started to cry because I am no longer worried about what others think about me. God has broken the chains of worrying about what others think of me.

    Within 24hrs, I noticed that my sense of self-worth had gone up. A “side effect” that I was not expecting to come from no longer caring what others thought of me. Of course, it made sense, though, because now that I was no longer worrying what others were thinking, I could focus on what God says about me. He says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14. NIV.

    I also noticed that I stopped attaching my worth to things. Instead, seeking to find my identity and worth in Christ alone. Something I am going to have to practice daily. But, one step at a time. I also attach my worth to my opinion and things, and then if I feel that someone, mainly hubby, doesn't agree with the thing or the opinion, then in my mind, he is attacking my worth. Which, of course, he is not. Which leads to far more petty arguments than necessary.

    Since God healed me,  I feel a sense of peace and calm instead of always being heightened and ready to defend myself. We have had one minor squabble; I was getting heightened. Hubby lovingly called me out and told me I was attaching my worth to my opinion again. Within a minute or two, I calmed down, and we continued talking about the topic at hand. I am making progress, though. I was trying a new recipe the other night, and he wondered why they left out an ingredient. I didn't know. I decided to check the recipe. He was right, the ingredient that I left out was supposed to be there. I found the ingredient in the cupboard and continued making supper. I looked at hubby and said, 'The old me would have gotten upset about this.' he agreed.

    I am still in awe of what God has done for me and how it has changed my life, our marriage and our home. I have been fighting this battle for many years and asking God for help. He has answered my prayers and healed my heart and soul.

    I pray that God brings you the healing that you are praying for and seeking after, as well, friend. I pray that this post encourages you and reminds you that you are not alone in your struggles and that we serve a Good God who loves us and has amazing plans for our lives. Plans far bigger and better than we could ever imagine.

God Bless

~Hannah

Failing is an Option

    This past summer, my husband's step-grandmother found some beautiful red fabric at the second-hand store she volunteers at and thought I would like to make myself a skirt for Christmas out of it. She was right.

    I decided I wanted to try my hand at making a dress for Christmas this year. So I found a pattern online and got started. I had to print out the pattern and assemble it like a puzzle. The pattern came with a little 5cm square, and if the square measured properly after printing it, then the pattern was to scale. It wasn't. But I ignored it and kept going. I didn't know it would affect the dress. Looking back, I should have researched how to deal with that, but I didn’t. Lesson learned.

    I quickly figured out that the pattern and instructions were not well done and left a lot of information out. In their defense, the difficulty level was intermediate. I am a beginner, trying to become an intermediate seamstress. So I started cutting out the pieces and sewing them together. After four seams on the bodice (top part), I realized I did them wrong and had to pick them all out and redo them. This would soon become a pattern for the whole dress. Sew a seam and pick it out. But I kept going and fought hard. I wanted it ready for hubby's staff party. So I fought, and I fought, and I fought. I was determined.

    The staff party arrived, and it wasn't finished. I was upset and disappointed. I had 'failed'. Mom encouraged me to take a break. After a day or two, my emotions were clear again, and I started to wonder if Mom and I could fix it when we visited my parents for New Year's. We agreed that there was a good chance, so I put it out of my mind until it was time to head North.

    The day before leaving for Sudbury, the weather got bad, and we prayed. The Holy Spirit said no traveling. We were to stay put. Epic gut punch. It's hard living a full day's drive from my side of the family. Yes, I know others live further from their extended family. But whether it's a day's drive, across the country, or another country entirely,

It's hard.

    Anyway, I gave it another day to clear my head again. That night I couldn't sleep. So I put the dress on and started examining all the parts that needed fixing, and wondering what to do. I put it on and looked in the mirror. I took a mental inventory of how it looked and felt. There were some seams that didn’t match the way I wanted them to, and it was tight in all the wrong places. I was going to have to cut out new pieces to replace ones that didn’t fit, or risk having patches all over the place. I didn’t want that look, nor did I have enough fabric to keep going. I was “giving up.”  I went back to bed and told hubby. He encouraged me not walk away from it and not give up. I said I would give it one more try. The next morning, I examined one of the seams to see if I could fix it and then make a decision from there. I had to let a seam out a bit, but I didn't have enough seam allowance to do it. And I didn't want to just put a patch in it. I decided then and there that it was truly over. I had 'failed,' not for lack of trying, though.  It was a combination of a bad pattern, a bad printing job, and my skill set. So I chopped off the bodice and finished the skirt portion, and made it into a nice skirt.

    I don't really consider it a fail, though. Yes, the dress did not turn out, so in that regard, I failed. But, I also learned so much in the process, and that's what matters. “Failing at something doesn’t make you a failure; the only way you can fail is to quit trying.” (Joyce Meyers, Authentically, Uniqually You - page 55) Did I quite that particular bodice pattern? Yes, and then redirected to another pattern and succeeded. Since then, I have made another dress that I still don’t completely love, but it turned out much better than the first one. In the book that I just quoted, Myers talks about people who failed their way to success, and that's what I’m doing now. One dress pattern at a time.

    I learned about patterns and what makes a good vs bad pattern. I learned about how to properly cut out a pattern. Mom also reminded me about snipping the edges when you want the fabric to bend nicely. For around your neck and bodice. I learned about the shapes of pattern pieces.

    New Year’s Eve, I went to Fabricland to get a pattern for my next dress, and not only found out that Fabricland will no longer be receiving patterns. The company that makes them is no longer making/ selling them.  Another customer in the store mentioned getting patterns online. I told her that I tried, and it didn't work out. I briefly explained the pattern legend and how it wasn't the right size. She said that when that happens to her, she simply adds more fabric to her pieces. I didn't bother telling her that I was still very new to patterns. I did take her advice to heart, though, and if I run into the same problem again, I will know what to do.

    While I was in the process of making the dress, a couple of people wondered if I would burn the pattern after I was done with it. I told them that I wanted to finish the dress and then make it again in a few months, and master it. I have since decided not redo that pattern because I now have a better pattern for the same dress style. So why bother wasting time on a bad pattern when I could use a good one and get a nice dress out of it? I originally wanted to redo the pattern to prove a point. That I’m a good seamstress. But I already know that and am still learning and expanding my knowledge/skill set.

    On New Year's Eve, before I went to Fabricland and after learning that I was officially 'throwing in the towel' on this dress, I decided that I needed to boost my confidence by sewing a bodice. I watched a video last night explaining how to make your own pattern for a bodice. It looked like a good video, so I thought I would try it out. It worked. The armpits were a little wonky (I don't have the tool the girl in the video does for making the perfect armpit shape), but otherwise, it fit perfectly, and my confidence was boosted.

    So yes, my Christmas dress did not turn out in the end. And some might say that I failed. Heck, I was saying it at first. Google's definition of failure is: lack of success. Sure, the dress itself wasn't successful, but I was successful in learning new things, and I can still salvage the skirt portion and add it to my collection of skirts. So all is not lost.

    I'm also working on speaking life over myself this year. When I say that I failed in making this dress, it does hurt. I’m working on reminding myself that there is a difference between failing a project and being a failure. The difference is mindset and not letting one bad project derail you entirely.

    So, the next time you are working on a project, and it fails. Take it in stride and learn from it. As nice as it is to succeed at a project, and it is. I expect we learn more when it doesn’t work. So I guess  I hope you both fail and succeed on your future projects.

God bless

~Hannah

I Need My Own Faith

    I was reading Genesis 3, the fall of man, last Sunday evening. I had read Genesis 1 and 2 earlier, and after God blessed and taught me things from chapter 1, I wanted to continue. He started revealing things to me again in chapter 3.

    In chapter 3, the serpent tricks Eve and then Adam into eating from the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 2:9. Down in verse 16 and 17 'And the Lord God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die."

    Down in chapter 3, the serpent goes over and talks to Eve, twists God's words, and convinces Eve that she will not die if she eats from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So she takes it and sees that it's yummy, and then gives some to Adam, who was also hanging out. The way it lines up in the text, Eve is the first to sin, and then Adam follows after. For a time, someone had suggested that they both sinned at the same time because if Adam had been leading his family aka his wife, to the Lord, like any good godly man does, then he would have spoken up and redirected Eve away from the serpent and the tree of life. Assuming that she would have listened. I don’t always listen to hubby when he is trying to lead me. But he didn't speak up. He was there just hanging out, and then when Eve offered him some fruit, he took it and ate. I admit that for a while I liked this view point. I suspect that was during my more feminist days. I now call myself a recovering feminist. Because being a feminist is not what God wants for His daughters. But that is a post for another day. Anyways, I enjoyed blaming Adam instead of Eve for a while.

    Well, while I was reading Sunday evening, God revealed this passage to me in a new and fresh way. In a beautiful way that I needed to hear. He reminded me that I needed to have my own faith and relationship with Him outside of my relationship with God that I share with my husband. Our marriage has a relationship with God, but we also have to have individual relationships with Him as well. It was a beautiful, gentle reminder to seek God for myself and not to simply follow my husband. I am to submit to my husband, but my relationship with God is supposed to be my own. I knew He was right and have been working on strengthening that relationship ever since.

    I then told hubby about the revolution that God gave me. He reminded me that he had said the same thing several times recently. He was right, he had said that exact thing a couple of times in the last few weeks. I knew he was right then, but I guess I wasn't ready to hear it then. I apologized to him for not listening to him earlier. Understandably, I think he was a little upset that I didn't listen to him sooner, but at the end of the day, he simply wants me to get closer to God, which is what I'm working on now.

    I suggested to him that it was a 'right person at the right time' situation. Meaning that someone, usually your spouse, can say something and you don't believe them, and then someone outside of your family says the same thing later on, and you listen to the second person. This results in your spouse feeling a little hurt.  Hubby isn't in it for the glory or anything, of course, he simply just wants me to grow closer to God. He wants to make sure that when the time comes, we are both going to heaven.

    So, I have been digging into The Word more and asking the Holy Spirit to bring The Scripture alive in a fresh way to me, and deepening my prayer life.

    I pray this encourages you to deepen your relationship with God and not rely on your spouse or other family members' relationships with God to be your relationship with God.

God Bless

~Hannah

Digging Into God's Word

    I was digging into the Word of God last Sunday. I decided to start in Genesis. I believe the Word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, and because of this, each time we read it, God reveals new things to us. Hebrews 4:12.

    As I'm reading the creation account, as I have many times before. I'm noticing that everything that God creates is instant. There is no 'loading' time. Genesis 1:3 'And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.' Genesis 1:6 "And God said, "Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.' God speaks, and it is done. Instantly. I started pondering this. I looked over at my hubby, who was playing with Blessing, and shared my thoughts, saying, 'If God could create everything instantly, why did He take a whole week to do it?' He could have created everything in a day. Hubby responded with the idea that God wanted to enjoy His creation and that He had no reason to rush. I suggested the principle that 'Rome wasn't built in a day,' and that there is more to life than just working. Maybe God was showing us that not only are we supposed to rest on the 7th day, which is a few verses down from where I was in this moment, but also demonstrating to us the '40 hr' work week. That we don't need to spend all 24 hours of the day working. To my current knowledge, the Scriptures do not confirm or deny my theory. It simply says that God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them in six days, and on the 7th He rested and blessed that day. I thought to myself that when I get to heaven, I'll ask, then I remembered that I won't care once I arrive there.

    Hubby reminded me that we live in a world that wants to create things and be productive, but the moment a “to-do” list is done, or an object is built, we quickly move on to the next thing. We rarely spend time enjoying the things we created.

    All we know is that each day of creation God creates something, determines that the thing is good, and then it's evening and morning, the next day. Maybe it does take God all day to create each thing, making my theory null and void, or maybe it takes him a second for each item, and then He spends the rest of the day relaxing.

    I don't know. What I do know is that I'm just a girl digging into the Word of God and delighting in God revealing new things to me. Maybe for me the lesson is to not fill every second of my day with work, but to also enjoy the things I have created. Like a nice supper for hubby and I, or enjoying the view of our apartment, clean and tidy. I don't know. All I know is that the Word is alive and active, and my understanding of that passage in Hebrews that I mentioned at the beginning is saying that because the Bible is alive and active that God can and does reveal new things each time we read it, allowing us to grow in our faith and relationship with Him.

    As I was reading, wrestling, and talking to hubby. I thought about how I wanted to write it all down and share it with you, my faithful friend and reader. I also enjoyed a new sense of peace and joy as I dug into the Word and fellowshiped with God and hubby. I know that God uses different verses to touch people's hearts in different ways.

    I say all this because I don't want to lead you down the wrong path or anything. Or say that the Word is saying one thing when it's actually saying another. This is simply what I understood while I read it that afternoon, and I am now feeling blessed by it and wanted to share.

I pray that God reveals new things to you the next time you dig into His Word.

God Bless

~Hannah

Handing Down Advice

    During our last week at work before Christmas, we had a few coworkers from plant 7 come over and help out our buffing department. After I finished painting for the day, I discovered that one of our helpers was in my spot. So I took the spot across from them. I didn't know who was in 'my spot,' but I was hoping it was a new young lady whom I didn't know and could visit with. Well, God is good, and it was her. We introduced ourselves and started chatting. I quickly learned that she had gotten married the previous summer at the age of 21. That was how old I was when my husband and I got married. I then told her I was 32 and just celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary this past summer. It was like looking in the mirror at a taller version of myself. She then asked if I had any advice. I thought, 'Oh boy! Do I ever!' 😀 I first asked if she was a believer in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord, she said yes. Because the advice I would give an unbeliever would be different than what I would say to a young woman of God who is now blessed to be a wife.

    The first chunk of advice I gave her was about things I had done wrong and suggested she not repeat. I then sprinkled in a handful of things that she should do. She then started giving me scenarios and asked how I would handle them. Some of which I had to take a few minutes and think about a good, helpful answer. I was encouraged to see her asking for good/mature advice. We quickly exchanged phone numbers, and I started texting her advice as I thought about it. We then spent the next couple of days working together, and I enjoyed answering questions and making suggestions.

    I was and still am loving having someone to pour that advice into. Like any marriage, we have had our good and bad seasons, and I am grateful for both. I have wondered for a few years if God would bring someone along that I could pour into and encourage a young wife. I am a big believer that God allows us to go through the hard seasons so that we can pour into others and encourage them when they go through their trials. Having someone to give advice to who is also a woman of God has blessed me so much. I never imagined being so excited to tell someone about many of the ways I had failed as a wife and a few tips to bless and build up her marriage. When we first got married, I never thought to ask anyone for advice. I guess I figured I knew what I was doing. In reality, I had no idea. But I was very stubborn back then and would probably not have taken any advice anyway. I’m a little less stubborn now, and I do accept marital advice when it is given.

Of course, I don't have all the answers, and any wife who has been married longer than I have would have more. I also suspect that those who got married later in life or remarried for whatever reason would also have different advice. As you would expect. So it was really cool to see a young woman of God who was a new bride and married her hubby at the same age I was when I married my hubby.

    I told her about my blog and how she might be blessed by it as well. I then told her that I had been enjoying advising and encouraging her so much that I would be writing about it for an upcoming blog. She agreed.

I'm far from perfect, and am currently working on some big things right now, but I have learned a lot in our 10 years, and it was and is such a joy to share that knowledge with a young bride.

    I was on Instagram the other evening and saw a video. It was an intro to a marriage conference. They were taking a minute to congratulate the oldest marriages. So a handful of couples were standing at this point. The man on the stage asked those who had been married 50 years to remain standing, so those under 50 would sit down. They call out another number or two. A few remain. He finally says, '68 years' for fun. One couple remains. 'The winners,' they are then asked how long they have been married. The wife answers, '72 years.' The man on stage, along with everyone in the auditorium, is amazed. They received a standing ovation. I started to cry, and every time I think about the video, I cry. I went to the comment section for fun. All beautiful comments. One of my thoughts was about how much wisdom they must have to share. It blessed me so much. I am so grateful that the people who posted the video did, because there is enough noise from the enemy on the internet, so we need more good news. Like the possibility of staying happily married for 72 years. I wonder how many marriages have been ministered to by that marriage over the years. It makes me humbly wonder how many marriages and young singles who desire to be married will be ministered to by my marriage, by God's grace.

    All in all, it was a blessing to start speaking into a new marriage of two young believers, and I hope God brings more my way. I have given advice to other young brides-to-be, but unbelievers. Which also has its place, but it's a totally different ball game to give advice to a young believer who loves the Lord.

    Believing wives, if you have never experienced giving advice to a younger believing wife. I expect you have already though, I think most of the married woman who read my blog are older than me. But still. Pray and ask God to bring you someone to speak to. It will bless you  more than you can imagine, and of course, it will help the new couple as well.

I pray this blesses and encourages you today, friend.

God Bless

~Hannah