Let’s have a look at Ecclesiastes 5 (KJV), that’s where I happened to open my Bible this morning. Before I start, I just want to say that I’m simply sharing my understanding of these scriptures here on my personal blog, I’m no expert. I will quote the scriptures so you can read them for yourself, but please - prove all things and hold fast that which is good! Read the scriptures for yourself and pray about them.

I believe that we may get different interpretations of the verses as a result of many different things: experience, spiritual growth, faith, openness to hearing the Lord’s voice at the time of reading, prayer, and need. Yes, I believe that we receive different understanding on some things as we have need of different things in our lives. That is why later on, if you read the same passages again you will understand different things and see things you hadn’t seen before! I believe God’s Word is living and true. That it is the perfect guide to living a good and healthy life in harmony with everybody else around you, yet we all face difficulties and persecution at some point or another and the Bible warns us that it will happen and it equips us to deal with it too. I believe God speaks to each of us through this wonderful book according to our particular situation. This is the message I got today:

Be Still And Know…

Verse 1 talks about being silent and listening for God’s voice. The Spirit works in us and if we are too busy talking to God and do not leave space for Him to talk to us then we might miss His message. Let’s be still and ready to hear God’s voice.

Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter [any] thing before God: for God [is] in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

Verse 2 follows this idea by telling us to use few words, this is a message you will see in the Gospels too. We shouldn’t be repeating prayers or explaining things and making excuses, God hears us, there is no need to repeat things to Him because He knows better than we do about what is going on and what we need. In many places in the Bible you will find the message about how fools are known by their continuous talking - talking a lot is a sign of fools where the wise keep their peace.

Revelation

Verse 3 talks about dreams and prophecy. I understand that it happens to those who work hard. Who do good works perhaps. Somebody who is not “all talk and no action” - that would be a fool. Is this telling us that God speaks to those who keep their silence and choose their words wisely doing good deeds and diligently doing the Lord’s work?

For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice [is known] by multitude of words.

I had a look at the NIV translation of this verse and I am not totally happy with it. If you look at a concordance you will see the word “business” is translated as “occupation” or “job”, not “cares”. The word “dream” is a “dream” or “prophetic dream”.

I understand this to mean that answers to prayers (and possibly prophecy) come to those who are quiet to receive them, but not to those who are idle.

Integrity

Verse 4 and 5 talk about making promises you cannot keep. Making promises is a dangerous habit because if you cannot keep your promises you end up lying in some form or another - in any case letting somebody else down. These verses warn against that, especially against making promises to God. You wouldn’t want to end up with a broken promise to God!

When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for [he hath] no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
Better [is it] that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

Silence Is Golden

Verse 6, like many other verses in the Bible, talks about how the mouth causes us to sin and to beware of this. It seems that the tongue really can get us in to a lot of trouble! It all brings new meaning to the saying “Silence is golden”.

Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it [was] an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

For in the multitude of dreams and many words [there are] also [divers] vanities: but fear thou God.

Provider - King - Judge - Saviour

Next I understand that it doesn’t matter what is going on in the world, poverty, injustice, political battles, God sees it all and He is still in control.

We as Christians should have faith in His providence and if we follow Jesus’ example of loving our neighbors then we will be shining a little of God’s light into this dark world. We should do God’s work on earth, that is what we are here for - to show the lost who Jesus is. The rest is in His hands and He will see the faithful through, no matter what happens.

If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for [he that is] higher than the highest regardeth; and [there be] higher than they.

Blessings - Money - Greed - Sharing

Verses 9-19 are about providing for everybody, the rich and the poor. It talks about enjoying your “portion” as that is your gift from God. I think it’s talking about how we should enjoy the wealth or blessings that God sends and share what we have.

Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king [himself] is served by the field.

Verse 10 says people will not be satisfied with abundance, but he who works hard for his money, he is satisfied and, as verse 12 says, he will sleep sweetly!

He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this [is] also vanity.
When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good [is there] to the owners thereof, saving the beholding [of them] with their eyes?
The sleep of a labouring man [is] sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

The rich might live well, but their riches do nothing for their peace of mind, conscience, forgiveness of sins, love, etc. They still have worries and more wants - money breeds greed no matter how hard you try to fight it. Those who have will always “need” more. Money never satisfies and verse 10 says it so clearly.

There is a sore evil [which] I have seen under the sun, [namely], riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.
But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and [there is] nothing in his hand.
As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.
And this also [is] a sore evil, [that] in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?
All his days also he eateth in darkness, and [he hath] much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

Like we read in Matthew 6:19-21

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

We should all be aware of where we are spending our energies and whether it is really important in the big picture or not. We should keep our final destination in mind and always labour towards that end. If we do this we will surely do good and not evil, we will love others, we will help those in need, we will enjoy every minute of life and will have faith in God’s providence in our lives and that whatever comes our way will work out for good in the end. We will have peace and inner joy in this knowledge.

Live Life To The Full

Behold [that] which I have seen: [it is] good and comely [for one] to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it [is] his portion.
Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this [is] the gift of God.

This is such a lovely thought. God gives each person their portion, it is not always the same as somebody else’s portion, but it is enough for you. I believe God gives to those who can handle it. For example, some people cannot handle a little money well, and will definitely not be able to handle a lot!

Like the parable Jesus told about the master who left his servants with some coins while he was away. In Matthew we read about the servant who was given 5 coins compared to the one who received only 1. He who received 5 doubled them while his master was away, while he who had only one was afraid and hid it away till his master returned. This is what the master thinks about the two of them (Matthew 25:23 and 26):

To the servant who doubled his charge:
His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

To the servant who hid his in fear:
His lord answered and said unto him, [Thou] wicked and slothful servant

I am talking about money here, but you could probably apply this to any gift from the Lord, really. I believe that everything contains a lesson for us to grow through. If we grow in faith and love and knowledge then we will probably reap the benefits of a bigger portion. This portion is not always monetary, but lies in the joy we have inside.

For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth [him] in the joy of his heart.

Inner Joy And Peace

God gives each one his portion, but what happens inside the person, that is what is important and that is what God is looking at. God doesn’t want us talking a lot, showing off, being stingy and lazy, but wants us to be quiet, humble, to fear Him and help those who have less than us, to enjoy our portion and work hard at improving ourselves everyday.

In summary God wants us to live full and busy lives, enjoying spending time with others and earning our living. He doesn’t want us making promises and talking too much without action, but rewards those who work hard and love others.

Regardless of financial and occupational status, we will have joy and peace if we live this way - truly living life and enjoying it!

What do you think about these verses?

Visit this link for a list of published commentaries and other resources on the book of Ecclesiastes.

The part I’m quoting below is about what Christians should be like. If you look around, and look inside, you will see that people who call themselves Christians are not always aligned to what is written in this scripture. Unfortunately we are too often worried about what other people will think and forget about what God is thinking about our choices.

Matthew 25:31-46

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth [his] sheep from the goats:
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed [thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took [thee] in? or naked, and clothed [thee]?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did [it] not to one of the least of these, ye did [it] not to me.
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

So what should true Christians be doing?

We all know we are to love our neighbors. Unfortunately some people take that too seriously and stop exactly there… at their neighbors. They do not think about the rest of the men and women and children that are in need of a friend, a helping hand, some clothes or even just a smile to show they have been acknowledged.

In these verses Jesus shows us clearly who our neighbors are and how we should treat them:

1. Feed the hungry and give the thirsty something to drink - who are the hungry and thirsty? This could be spiritual hunger, but I think Jesus was very hands-on and was literally talking about those who are hungry… He says the word “stranger”. Those families that live on your block and everybody knows they are struggling to get by, their car is falling apart and everything unfortunate seems to happen to them. That man who sleeps on the station floor at night covered only by the clothes he has managed to keep on his back. The child who runs up to you as you exit the supermarket and begs you for some spare change. These are the people we should be feeding. By taking care of them physically we are showing them that God cares for them.
2. Giving clothes to those who need them more than us - we are living in a time of abundance. Even though the world economy seems to have seen better days, a majority of people in the developed world have more than they need. Next time we do our seasonal wardrobe switchover let’s think carefully about what we really need and if there is anybody else that might need it more than we do.
3. Visit the sick - One thing I have noticed since moving to Italy is that there is a large population of elderly people who have been abandoned by their family members. The news of a pensioner being found dead in their home comes a few times a year. How can people leave their family members alone at such an old age for so long that nobody noticed they have passed until neighbors call the authorities! When I was in girl guides (girl scouts?) we went to old age homes to visit some of these people who hardly ever get visitors - it is so touching and they really do appreciate the visit and hearing about anything that is happening outside of their rooms where many of them are forced to stay because of their illness or weakness. This is just a small part of it, these are only the elderly, but there are many other categories of sick people who could benefit from the occasional visitor.
4. Visit prisoners - This is something that might scare many people, but there are people in prison who have nobody coming to visit them. They have no hope, no joy, just the pain of knowing that in a moment of fury or drunkenness or temporary insanity they did something that ruined their lives and hurt the people they cared most about. I have known a person who has been to prison, I know that it is not a nice place. I know that those who are there for the first time often spend every moment wishing they could turn back time and make the right decision this time, but they cannot. These people would benefit so much from having something positive come their way. A good meal, a chat about something they are interested in (sport, hometown, general things going on outside those walls) even just seeing different colours is something that they miss. Everybody inside is wearing the prison outfit or a uniform and it gets quite dull. Even just writing to prisoners would be a great way to bring a smile to their faces and show them that the world is not all bad and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

I know some of these things are challenging to do and could even be dangerous, especially if you are alone, but churches and other organizations or groups could plan such outings where they could spread a little joy and hope to those who have lost all hope. There must be prison ministries, old age homes, soup kitchens and homeless shelters that would gladly accept help or point you in the right direction.

I know I cannot point fingers here, I have not done much of these things in the last few years except giving money to those who ask for it and wishing I had more to give, but if I think about it, I really do have so much more than those people on the streets and winter is coming fast. How can I complain about the cold when I’m seated on a couch in my bedroom with soft cushions behind my back, a robe to keep me warm and I know they are out there sleeping on cold marble at night with only newspapers to keep them dry and warm.

These are just some of the things I thought about today after reading Matthew 25.

I hope that more people can read these verses and be touched by them - be moved into action by them - and start to make a difference in somebody’s life.

In the end what matters most is what God thinks of our choices, not man.

A few years ago I stumbled upon a great organization that collects these extra Bibles and sends them all over the world to people who need and want them. I think this is a wonderful ministry!

Bible Foundation is a multifaceted Scripture distribution ministry, networking with individuals and organizations around the world, to equip believers to minister and feed hungry souls. Using extremely cost effective and innovative methods, Bible Foundation provides effectual ways to distribute the Holy Scriptures and help people look at the Lord through His word.

I have been in contact with them a few times about sending extra Bibles and they are very friendly and approachable. The man who responded to my email put me directly in contact with somebody in Africa that has a prison ministry and is in desperate need of Bibles. That way I could just send the Bible straight from here to Africa and not first to the USA. Residents of the USA on the other hand don’t necessarily have to deal with postage since there are Bible Drives each year.

Bible Foundation promotes the USA Nationwide Ongoing Bible Ministry with the Annual October Bible Drive. Visit www.bf.org/bibledrive

He also told me that they are in need of Bibles of other languages too. On their website you can read many letters from people all over the world who are hungry for the Word. It is so touching. There are some who have only one page of the Bible or just some “portions” printed on paper, but the Word of God is powerful and has changed lives, even with just a few verses.

It is so beautiful to read the letters of thanks from recipients of these Bibles and portions, you get a first hand view of how the Living Word changes people inside. God is awesome!

Please visit the Bible Foundation and see if there is any way you can help this great ministry, or just spread the word about it to friends, family and even online. Click here!

Fortunately my regular theme (K2) is cool enough that it saved all my widgets and sidebar gadgets just the way they were and when I reinstalled it everything was right back the way it had been before! Phew! Just one more thing to be thankful for today!! Yay!

Once again I’m late with my weigh in. Oops! Honestly this past week has been a mess for my diet. In the end I’m back to the same weight I was after the first week. It’s like the last 2 weeks never happened! So sad… but at least I didn’t put ON any more weight than I started with, right? Looking on the bright side here people… ;)

Things have been really stressful with work lately and when I’m stressed I eat more. Yes, it’s my drug. I couldn’t believe 3 weeks have passed already since I started work and this diet! The last 2 weeks really are a blur. So I crave food. The fact that winter is slowly creeping in on us doesn’t help the situation either. I eat more during the colder months, I think that’s natural though, everybody probably does. Or am I alone on this one?

In the end the whole family has been on this diet for 3 weeks and none of them are too interested to follow it right now. I think there are just too many other important things going on right now, things that make dieting a little more difficult, but that’s another story altogether. We still try to eat as little starch as possible, but we are no longer going to cut it out like we had before - only once a week!

Meal planning - and eating - becomes monotonous and unappealing when you cannot have rice, potatoes, bread or pasta! People also start getting cranky when they cannot have something they are really craving so cutting it out altogether is probably not the best solution. Moderation would be. And exercise - but nobody in this house has tackled that bear yet. Aren’t we a bunch of lazies?

Other than moving my fingers over the keyboard while lesson planning and pulling my hair out of frustration, I’m not sure I’ll be getting exercise any time soon. There is just way too much to do now.

I have however kept up with my daily bible reading - twice a day with prayer. It’s “just what the doctor ordered”! And somehow I found yesterday that a lesson I thought I still had to plan was already planned and waiting for Friday! 2 days in advance! Wow… Even though I’m so stressed and worried, the Lord is helping me through and I know that I will get it all done. I just cannot see how - I just have to walk by faith right now. Thank you Lord for showing me so often that You are with me and will see me through if I just keep my eyes on You.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

I’m reading some beautiful passages and they help to keep me sane. I know this is just a passing season and that all this stress and hard work will pay off further down the line. I am so grateful to have a Bible to read, so many people don’t and I know what that feels like.

With all this ranting one would think I don’t like what I’m doing, but I enjoy my work, I just cannot help the nervous state I get into every time I have so many things to do and situations over which I have no control keep dropping obstacles in my path!

For example: Right now, as I’m typing this, I’m in a disconnected Firefox window. My internet was cut off about an hour ago just as I started typing this post (could it be a sign that I shouldn’t be blogging because I have too much to do already??). I still have things to do online in preparation of some of my lessons for tomorrow and now the connection is gone!! This blog post can stay here, static, for as long as needed, but my lessons have to be planned before I leave tomorrow morning and for this reason I’m totally pulling my hair out - I have stiff muscles from being so tense and nervous… I need to find calm and just try to think of other solutions in case the connection doesn’t come back. Eeek!

I’m not sure why it got cut off, it might be the workers on my roof. They are fixing our gutters and things today and are up there making a huge noise since 8am, but we have the telephone cable running through the roof and they might have unintentionally pulled on the cable or something unfortunate like that. I did ask them, but they are convinced they haven’t touched anything, and even that there is no cable! Well, I know it’s up there, we had it installed last year! Let’s just hope the internet connection comes back on soon.

Oh life! What will we do without all this technology we have become so dependent on?

Today I’m grateful for:

• My job and being able to prepare all the lessons in time.
• That my lessons have all gone well so far and I have good, likable students who want to learn.
• That my mom’s leg is healing.
• That my skin problems are healed, after 5 years of struggling it seems they have gone for good - could it be the adjustment in my diet?
• For my Bible and being able to read and constantly discover new things in it.
• That my family is safe and healthy - all over the globe.
• That God is so faithful!

[Update: as you can see, the internet connection came back on, shortly after typing this up!]

I was visiting at Rachel Anne’s place the other day and she had decided that the “small thing” for the day was to sort out our shoes. That was quite a simple task for me since I don’t have that many shoes, but what this small thing inspired was quite a big thing, for me anyway.

I arrived home after work, did the washing and then thought it a good idea to clean up the kitchen and pack the dishwasher. My thinking was that I could tackle the shoes and maybe my wardrobe while the dishwasher noisily cleaned my dishes. That way by the time I was finished the dishes would also be clean!

This is what my shoes looked like before and after I tackled them. Firstly my summer sandals were still out and they were all over the place. I’d already stopped wearing them because it’s really gotten cold lately! I cleaned up the summer shoes and some winter shoes I had pulled out of storage. I then put those skimpy sandals away since I won’t be needing them for a long time. What do you think of my effort?  I don’t really have that many shoes now do I? Hmm…

After dealing with the shoes I was on a roll and ready to tackle the wardrobe!

As you can see *blushing* there was a lot of chaos in my wardrobe! I even had clothes in there that belong to at least 4 other people! Crazy…

So I had to come up with an easy sorting plan. I started unpacking the wardrobe one item at a time - so that I didn’t risk dropping smaller hidden items on the floor as I worked. Each item was then folded and sorted onto one of several piles including summer clothes, sweaters/pullovers, long pants, vesty tops I could wear under other winter tops, pyjamas, long sleeve shirts, ironing, underwear, etc…

Once everything was sorted and the wardrobe was empty, I started repacking it. I simply had to neatly stack each pile on a shelf, simple as that! I even found a pretty box wherein I had stored my little winter blankets and decided to use it for my underwear since I now had a whole shelf that was empty and the blankets no longer need to be stored. *Brrr…* Look what a difference that made!!

And as if that wasn’t enough I went on to tidy up the rest of my bedroom too!

I’m very happy about how it all turned out. I feel much better about looking for clothes as I don’t have to worry about stray socks and other odd things rolling out while I’m digging through the mess. I think this will probably help with timesaving and I might start wearing some outfits that have been hiding in there all this time but were out of sight!

What did you tackle this week?

As my friends and regular readers of my blogs know, I am a terrible procrastinator! I love dreaming and it seems that I equally love wasting my time. I get distracted really easily and tend to drift off into dreamworld unless I’m pressed with some sort of deadline or am under a lot of pressure, that’s when I really kick in and start working like I should.

I don’t like this part of my character and therefore I have been trying, unsuccessfully, for the last couple of years to get my life back in order. I failed miserably at this for so long because, I thought, there wasn’t enough time in a day to do all that I had to and wanted to do. I also gave priority to the wrong activities and left little to no time for the important things.

You might think this funny, but I’ve even bought books on personal development and time management, books like The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, The Four Agreements and various others that are not worth mentioning here, I’ve even read some psychology books. None of them really gave the answer that worked for me. None had a remedy that I could just feel was right, not only for me but also for God.

Only recently have I truly started seeing positive results in the time management area and I think I know why…

God is my provider

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

(…) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

- Matthew 6:27,32,33

The remedy that I have been focusing on lately is in verse 33… “seek ye first the kingdom of God”.

You see, I always understood that verse as dealing only with food, drink and clothing as it speaks of these things, but lately I have been thinking how this verse holds the key to emotional freedom.

I believe that if I make time for God first, before all my worldly to do lists, chores, appointments and whatever else is overwhelming me and simply take time with the Lord first, that He will make my day long enough to fit in everything else. Not that he gives me 28 hours over your 24, but I am able to accomplish much more in my 24 hours than I did before I started applying this knowledge to my daily life.

I have put up my weekly schedule, nice and big where I can see it daily - a full view of my worldly duties and I can plan in advance so that I’m always ready for what’s coming, at work and at home.

I think it’s a good plan to be prepared for the things I do have some control over and have those out of the way so that if anything out of my control comes along, I’ll have time and energy to face it head on and tackle the problem because everything else is taken care of already. The important part is remembering to seek Him first before attempting any of those worldly tasks!

Help me to remember, Lord, that nothing is going to happen today that You and I can’t handle together. (Anon.)

No matter how overwhelmed I feel or how stressed I get thinking there isn’t enough time, I must stop, be still and focus on Him first… Everything else will fall into place.

If I make time for God, He makes time for me

Lately I have been dedicating more time to reading my Bible than I usually do. I don’t dedicate that much, but it’s still a personal victory for me.

I have started reading a chapter of the Bible, on a daily basis, first thing in the morning and another just before bed. The great thing is that God has been revealing things to me that I needed to know in this time and He continues to do so. For this I am truly grateful. What a blessing I have missed out on because I didn’t focus on Him first!

A chapter a day keeps the devil away!

I have also started praying more and with focus on specific areas. For example I pray for my work which I don’t think I used to do in my previous job. I pray before lessons, while planning lessons, I pray for my students that they might take away some new knowledge and understanding each day and that I will be a good teacher for them too.

The proof of God’s amazing faithfulness is in the way I have improved my lesson planning time to half the time it was just days ago and I am preparing lessons way in advance compared to my usual last minute, stress filled attempts. God really does reward those who are diligent and truly seek Him.

Thank you Lord for always being there for me and answering my prayers so wonderfully!

A few other things I’m grateful for this week:

• Mom’s leg seems to be healing well although a little swollen, she got her stitches out today.
• Dad got some good news about his work, a personal victory for him!
• A relative got a new job and possibly a new house soon too! - answered prayers!!
• My family in South Africa is okay despite the loss of electricity and water in their area recently!
• My family and friends in the US are all safe after Ike’s passing by. Lord, please be with those who were affected by hurricane Ike, comfort them and give them strength.
• We have had some great meals lately even though we are on a diet and have removed the foods that formed our staples for a long time, the meals we have been eating these last 2 weeks are probably healthier for us too, I know I’m feeling much better! Thank you Lord, for giving me the strength to continue and not fill up on everything I see.

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed day!

For more Thankful blog posts, click here!

As you can see I haven’t lost that much this week. I know it’s because of 2 main reasons.

Firstly, we all cheated a bit this week. We “allowed” ourselves too many rewards. Secondly, I know I didn’t drink enough water each day and the end result shows it! Water is very important in anybody’s diet, especially for those who are trying to lose weight.

You see the body is very good at calory counting even if I’m not!
If what I put in is more than what I burn I’m not going to lose, I’m going to gain.

In this case I lost very little! I think the only reason I lost any weight at all was because I’m still eating much smaller portions than I used to and not nearly as much pasta as before, we used to eat it almost daily!

So the summary so far looks like this:

Week 1: -2.8kg

Week 2: -0.2kg

Total so far: -3kg (6.6lbs)

Oh, one side note: I’m not sure how accurite this measurement is since I forgot to weigh myself and only did it after breakfast, near lunch time. I usually weigh myself soon after waking and on an empty stomach so that my body is more or less in the same state for each measurement… maybe I’ll try tomorrow morning and see if it made any difference.

I took this photo from inside the moving car… sometime last year.
Location: Northern Italy

Pity my Canon Digital IXUSi no longer works, it took such good photos without much effort on my part. I miss my camera!! Any suggestions for a good point and shoot digital camera that always takes fabulous shots?

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Lately I’ve been struggling to get back into a regular routine of waking up early and getting chores and work done since I’ve been on a very long “holiday”. I resigned from my previous job in December so I’ve been jobless for almost a year now. Although I was on a tight schedule during my training courses in the first half of the year and during summer school in August, I still had a long period of freedom before starting work again this week.

My new job will have an irregular schedule as courses will start and end, people will cancel classes or move them and I’ll have gaps here and there as well as some entire days without work. For a few months at a time I will probably have the same schedule for the most part before the switch overs when new courses start. And so on it will go from now on…

This week it was off to work for the first time since December and I must say that it went quite well! I enjoyed it and am looking forward to this new life as a teacher. The only thing I battle with as a result of all this free time I’ve had, is waking up early in the morning when I only have to work in the late afternoon. I wake up, go to the bathroom, then just return to my bed and sleep half the day away. I hate that. I get so angry with myself when I wake up and it’s almost lunch time!

I do enjoy my sleep, lazing in bed, dreaming, but I must say that I also know what it’s like waking up at 5.30 when everybody else is sleeping and you have quiet time to yourself and can get things done. It’s cool and refreshing outside too and the birds wake up and sing glorious songs at that time of the day. They are always singing, but later the noise of the world blocks that all out.

The other day I had a revelation. I set my alarm real early as I usually do. I went to the bathroom and then started arguing with myself about whether or not I should return to bed. I decided to pray about it and read the Bible. This is what I do when I am in conflict with myself - and this happens quite often believe it or not!

So I sat on my bed and opened my Bible randomly as I often do and my eyes fell on Proverbs 24.

As in all the Proverbs there are many beautiful verses and such powerful truths that I really enjoyed reading it, here are a few such verses from Proverbs 24

Pro 24:17  Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
Pro 24:18  Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.
Pro 24:19  Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked;
Pro 24:20  For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.

Although I enjoyed reading these verses, something took me by surprise, it was right at the end…

Pro 24:30  I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
Pro 24:31  And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.
Pro 24:32  Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.
Pro 24:33  Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
Pro 24:34  So shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth; and thy want as an armed man.

God answered my question! Right after my prayer, I randomly opened my Bible to reveal His answer to my prayer, what an AWESOME GOD!

Here is another verse that reflects this same idea in Proverbs 31:

Pro 31:10  Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
Pro 31:11  The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
Pro 31:12  She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
Pro 31:13  She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
Pro 31:14  She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
Pro 31:15  She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
Pro 31:16  She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
Pro 31:17  She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
Pro 31:18  She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.

I believe that God wants us to rise early, get things done, keep busy and do it all to His Glory, with smiles on our faces. I believe that He wants us to take good care of our homes and families. I doubt He is pleased when we are lazy and grumpy about our chores and waking up in the morning. I think He is glad, very glad, when we wake up early and dedicate that time to Him. Before anything else, just spend time with our heavenly Father. I think that when we make time for God first, He will make sure we have time for everything else.

I believe that our job is to put God first and He will bring everything else together.

I have been trying to implement this daily since I read that verse in Proverbs 24. I try to read my Bible first thing in the morning and as the last thing I do before I sleep at night. I still struggle with waking up in the mornings, but I read my Bible early… even though I sometimes go back to bed afterwards.

I’m obviously not where I want to be or should be, but I’m working on it. One of the main reasons why I cannot wake up properly in the mornings is that I go to sleep way too late some nights. I don’t have a regular sleeping pattern, when I have to work the next day I might go to bed anytime between 11pm and 1am. When I don’t have to work the next day I might even stay up till 3 in the morning! I have learned that it’s not healthy for the body to have such irregular sleeping patterns and that our bodies respond best to routine, like a rhythm. And I know it’s true because I’ve managed to go to bed at the same time every day for quite some time a few years ago and my body worked like clockwork! I’d wake up naturally at 6am and be back in bed by 10pm. Is it a coincidence that I was also much healthier then than I am now? Maybe not.

I now know what God wants from me in this regard and I must try my best to implement it daily. It has been a lifelong struggle of mine, this waking up business. I really don’t like waking up late, I only like sleeping more! I enjoy being awake early in the morning, but hate getting out of bed. If I stay in bed I fall asleep. It’s a vicious cycle and I must make a concious decision to get up and get going even if I don’t have to go to work that day. Getting things done around the house early in the morning is so rewarding! You gain all those hours during the rest of the day where you can do some hobbies or exercise or whatever it is that interests you!

I just have to convince myself of that every morning as I lie in bed with the alarm clock ringing…

Psa 25:4  Show me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.
Psa 25:5  Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
Psa 25:6  Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.
Psa 25:7  Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake, O LORD.
Psa 25:8  Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
Psa 25:9  The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
Psa 25:10  All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
Psa 25:11  For thy name’s sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.

I hope to apply what I’ve read, get to bed at a decent hour every night and wake up at the same time every day. Read my Bible when I wake and before sleeping so that my mind is in the right place before I start the day or lie down to rest.

Image Credits: Barry’s Clipart Server

- When do you go to bed at night?

- What time do you wake up in the mornings?

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