Tuesday Thoughts - October 13, 2015

Welcome back to Tuesday Thoughts!  So glad you stopped by!  :-)

This past week the weather turned warm and sunny once again, making this blogger quite happy.  ;-) My husband and I were able to enjoy a couple visits to the park for our evening walk while it was still light out.  Later in the week, it was already dark by the time dinner was finished sending my husband and I back to our winter walking zone - the mall.  Yup, we are mall-walkers in the fall & winter.  Due to the economy, many of the stores are closed in this particular mall which gives my husband and I {and other walkers} plenty of space to loop around.  This week's walks were especially enjoyable with Lexi coming along!  She is a very observant baby and loves to look around.  She was quite intrigued by the new sights and sounds, taking everything in, and of course, was such a good little baby.  :-)

Me, my daughter and Lexi enjoyed a girls shopping day, heading to a fun, girly store, Charming Charlies.  As the woman at the register next to me said, "This is a dangerous store."  lol.  The store carries all kinds of jewelry, scarves and pocketbooks, which are arranged by color family, along with anything else a girl would enjoy.  I always feel bad for any man that is in the store because it is THAT girly.  lol.   It was funny to watch Lexi holding her first bright, sparkly necklace, studying it with furrowed brow, deciding it was better to eat than to look at. lol.  I purchased a nice tartan plaid scarf that will be perfect to wear for Thanksgiving.  My daughter said, "that looks like a scarf Nana would wear" referring to my mom.  Like mother like daughter!

What have I lingered over this week?

• Looking at Garrett's handiwork on the kitchen table, apples and a spaghetti squash arranged decoratively around and inside a bowl, smiling to myself thinking how my construction worker son-in-law has such a homey creative touch...

• Watching Lexi get up into the crawling position, rocking back and forth, or working so hard trying to sit up only to discover she was successful when nobody was looking, thinking how fast she is growing up.  Wasn't it only yesterday she was brand new?...

• Laughing at Lexi when she squeezes her eyes tightly shut while she is being fed solid food.  {I think she believes we can't see her when she does that!}  lol.  :-)

• Walking in the mall with my husband, pushing Lexi in the stroller, thinking about the miracles God has performed in the last couple of years, blessing us with such a season as this.

• Receiving a surprise phone call from a dear friend who I hadn't talked to in a long time, catching up on our families, church, and activities, and then hanging up thinking how wonderful it is to have kindred in our lives, knowing that when lots of time goes by between talking, you can pick up like not a day has gone by...

• Bringing my grandbaby in bed for morning cuddles, observing how independent and active she is, reflecting on the type of toddler she will be, and looking forward to the sweet and I'm sure funny conversations we will have...

• Reflecting back to this time last year when we were just days away from my son and daughter-in-law's wedding, remembering all the excitement of the time, and marveling at how fast this past year has gone...

• Enjoying the warm weather to take a spur of the moment walk with my daughter and granddaughter along a wooded path and coming upon this pretty scene...

What have I pondered this week?

In Lysa Terkeurst's First 5 App devotional, "Avoid the Terrible Trade", she expounds upon Esau trading his birth right for a bowl of beans, and challenges the reader to examine themselves in this area.

So I set out to do so...

To be transparent, whenever I have read this account of Esau from the Bible, I never related to that particular sin thinking that I have never sold my birthright...

But as I pondered Lysa's words, I was deeply convicted that indeed I DO sell my birthright almost daily...

She listed the following ways that "we've all got a bowl of beans coming our way..."

• Scrolling through social media rather than digging into God's Word
• Finding time to pose for selfies but not to kneel in prayer
• Setting a timer to ensure we don't miss a TV show, but not an alarm clock to get us up for Sunday morning church
• Finding whitespace for video games and Facebook but not face-to-face conversations with real people
• Giving up God's design for intimacy for cheap pleasures the world promotes.

She went on to say that "we never know how much these bowls of beans are really costing us."

As I read the above points, I was grieved at how often I can fall into some of these categories, not even recognizing what it is costing me to do so...

As I pondered this more, I am thankful that the Lord has led me to blog because it keeps me in His Word and in His mindset much more.  I always remember Beth Moore saying that the reason the Lord has her in ministry is because she would be in a mess of things if not for being immersed in the Word all day every day.

What am I waiting on God for?

• Answers to prayer for loved ones
• Healing of the tooth abscess

What am I relying on God for?

• That I will run and not grow weary during my stress echocardiogram
• That my stress echocardiogram will show a healthy heart and arteries
• Wisdom for the endodontist on how to save my tooth

I offer these thoughts to my God and Savior in praise of His creation, moments enjoyed, and His great promises, and to the Holy Spirit who helps me to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ...

"May the mind of Christ my Savior,

Live in me from day to day,

By His love and pow'r controlling

All I do and say."

Kate B. Wilkinson

You might find me on these link-ups:

Grace & Truth Link-up, Woman to Woman Ministries,  Growing in Grace Link-up, 3DLessonsLif4e, Livefree Thursday,Everyday Jesus, SDG Gathering, Inspire Me Monday Titus 2 Tuesday, A Wise Women Builds Her Home, A Look at the Book,  Sunday Stillness, The Weekend Brew, Spiritual Sundays, Soul Survival,  Give Me Grace, A Little R&R, Testimony Tuesday, Women with Intention Wednesdays, Still Saturday, Good Morning Mondays, Tell His Story, Faith & Fellowship Blog Hop, Motivate and Rejuvenate Mondays, Be Salty, Monday's Musings, The Art of Home-Making Monday, Tuesday Talk, Waiting on Wednesday,Dance with Jesus,Looking Up Link-Up, Reflect His Love and Glory Friend Sharpens Friend Link-Up, Words of Comfort Link-up, Wholehearted Wednesdays. Tell it to Me Tuesday, Faithful at Home Fridays, So Much At Home Link-Up, Faith 'N Friends,