Survival VS. Abundant Life

I have a confession to make....for several years now I have been in sin. - Oh, not continually but I have struggled at times with worry and taking my eyes off Jesus and quite frankly just allowing myself to sink into survival mode. Our Heavenly Father doesn't want this. He wants to give us life more abundantly. I think too often we allow ourselves to not enjoy life due to circumstances around us. We react instead of think and pray and trust. I know I do. This past weekend and week, I just decided that "I'm sick of just surviving. I don't believe God intends this." I want to enjoy life again. I want to do something for Him, be used of Him. I have been so focused for several years now (even when we lived in AR) on trying to keep the bills paid that I have allowed that to steal my joy. I'm tired of being physically tired and I'm tired of thinking about how to pay this bill and how to pay that bill. I reckon I'm just plain tired! I have been trying to work on a new attitude this whole summer but have not accomplished much, at least not as much as I'd like. I have struggled in the past with getting excited about my Sunday school class (4th - 6th grades) and my junior church times, but this summer I have worked on that. I have made myself focus on just loving the kids and trying to train them. At the beginning of June (when we did promotion to the next Sunday school classes), I lost all my old kids to the teen class and gained 3 to 4 new kids. I had fixed up my room (actually it is just a corner of the fellowship hall) and all was going well but for the past three or four weeks I have not had any kids show up. Go figure! Maybe it is because of my poor attitude before now. It is not that I don't love and care for the kids, it is that I don't (didn't used to) enjoy teaching younger kids that are not my own. I hate missing the preaching services. I need the preaching (as you can tell from this post)! I don't like missing out on greeting new visitors and passing out bulletins to people. (If someone doesn't pass them out as people come in, they often don't get taken) I have gotten over that this summer. I have a new attitude about it all.

Anyhow, back on subject. - Giving up survival mode for the abundant life! God does want us to enjoy life. He wants us to love others and show that love. He wants us to serve Him and there are many ways to do this. - One way that we can do this is to witness for Him and invite others to church. Even though I go on visitation every week, I have been somewhat lax in this area. It has been on my heart for a week or more to pass out tracts at the truck stop in town. With my new focus of abundant living, I purposed in my heart this morning that before I came to blog, I would be faithful and obedient to this urging. Guess what?! I was and as I put a tract in every bathroom stall in the ladies restroom and some in the entryway holders, I felt good all over and then I prayed as I walked out to my car for God to bless the tracts and use them for someone to be saved. I believe God will use them.

Another way, I, as a wife and mother can enjoy life is to enjoy my family. Enjoy spending time with them. Enjoy - truly enjoy - making our home a clean, warm, inviting, and special place to be. I can enjoy cooking like I used to, (God has given me that talent in life, to be a good cook so I should use it) and preparing tasty meals for my family. I have actually enjoyed cleaning my house lately. This for some time now, has been a chore for me. I often dreaded it - mostly because I normally have an aching body when I am through. (Some time I will tell why I have so much problems with an aching body) But, guess what, for the past two weeks now, I haven't hurt as much as I usually do after cleaning the house! Today, I cleaned out my van - vacuumed and Armoralled it (is that a word?) . The carpets need shampooed but it is much better. (Living 2 1/2 miles down a gravel road makes for dirty vehicles!) I mostly did this because we are having a ladies outing on Saturday and I will most likely drive. I can't have those poor ladies in my nasty, dirty vehicle! We are going to the Butterfly House. It is an indoor terrarium type building with butterflies and moths flying everywhere. I always enjoy going there and haven't been in several years. They land on you and there are so many that you get lots of interesting pictures. I actually enjoyed cleaning my van. - I knew it would look nicer. I will wash the outside on Friday evening so it is clean for Saturday. It has rained alot this week and like I said - gravel roads - so I'm waiting til closer to the outing to wash it.

I reckon what I'm trying to get at is this...it's mostly an attitude thing. It is bringing our minds into subjection, to dwell on positive and not negative. To trust and just enjoy being saved, being alive for another day and drawing nigh to Him. Survival mode is not ever intended by God (though sometimes necessary for short periods), He wants us to be happy and have true joy. - ABUNDANTLY! When we allow ourselves to kick into survival mode to get through life, we have taken our eyes off Jesus and focused on our surroundings just like Peter did when walking on water. Hey! Peter still has the joy of knowing that he's the only one to walk on water besides Jesus!
Ps 35:27 - Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. - The LORD has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant!

John 10:10 - The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. - He came that we might have life more abundantly!

Ps 5:11 - But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. - Rejoice, shout for joy because He defends us

I think that's enough said.