Values Verses

We are ending our study on priorities and as a last step we're finding Bible verses for each value.
Faith - "'You don't have enough faith,' Jesus told them. 'I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, "Move from here to there,: and it would move. NOTHING WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE.'" Matthew 17:20
Family - "But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve....But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15
Respect - "Do what is right and they will honor you." Romans 13:3
Financial Freedom - "Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!" Ecclesiastes 5:10
Intimacy - "I am my lover's, and he claimes me as his own." Song of Solomon 7:10
Wisdom - "If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living and honorable life, doing good works with humility that comes from wisdom." James 3:13
Patience - "Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying." Romans 12:12 AND "We also pray that you will be strengthed with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need." Colossians 1:11
Giving - "You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure." 2 Corinthians 9:7
Honesty - "Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds." Colossians 3:9
Thankfulness - "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

I realized that there were some days I didn't read my Bible because I was too tired to write a blog about it. So I'm just going to blog on days when I can. That way it can't be an excuse anymore. This week has been all over the place. My best friend had her baby Tuesday and that's be an emotional roller coaster. I've been crying on and off for the past few days and he isn't even my baby. I don't know how Crissy is holding up. (Crissy, if you're reading this, I don't know what to say or what you need from me, but if you'll tell me, I'll try my best to be what you need.) I feel so drained that I might actually be able to sleep now.

My Daily Struggle

"Entrust to me everything that concerns you." When I read that I thought, "Hey, I'm a mom, a wife, and a teacher. Everything concerns me. I'm the worry wart." I have such a hard time trusting someone wholeheartedly. I know that God is the only person whose agenda is intended only to fulfill me and give me strength and knowledge and everything else I strive for. BUT I also have this nagging feeling that if I entrust everything to Him He can take it away and He will to show His all encompassing power. I hear about these people who lose their husbands and their children and I think that if it had been me, you might as well put me in a mental hospital because I would either go catatonic or cry nonstop. Tears well up in my eyes even considering the possibility of Kaleb being taken away from me. It's something I think about all the time. I am so thankful that I have a perfectly healthy son when so many other children struggle with illnesses, diseases, hunger, and hurt. Letting go of Kaleb is something that I'm going to have to work at every day. I know that God's plan will happen whether I give Him everything or not. I'm not controlling Kaleb's life at all by "holding" on to him. He's God's child.
That's just a rambling that's been on my heart.
1 Peter 5:6-7 "So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares for you."
Psalm 118:24 "This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it."
1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

I like doing my Bible sharing on my blog, but I like doing other stuff, too. There will probably be two posts some days. I saw this on another blog and thought I'd do it, too. It's called "Always, Sometimes, Never"
I Always...
- choose sleep over breakfast.
- wait 24 hours after finishing one book before beginning another one. (exceptions: books I've read so many times I've practically memorized them and books in a series)
- wish I had been more productive.
- feel bad about taking a day off work even if it's because Kaleb's sick.
- crave Keifers. Seriously. Always.
- have to think about something positive that will happen that day before I can get out of bed in the morning. It can be anything from The Office to fried chicken at lunch, to jetting to wear jeans at schools.

I Sometimes...
- drink more than one diet coke a day.
- try knew things at my favorite restaurants.
- do my Bible study time. It's getting more frequent.
- want to give Lucy away. Other times I feel bad that we can't give her as much attention as we used to.
- obsess.

I Never...
- drink Dr. Pepper. Yuck!
- want to get out of bed in the morning.
- want to live on an island.
- have naked toenails.
- keep a dry eye during at certain movies or tv episodes. (Little Women, Titanic, the episode of Full House where Papouli dies...)

I fail. I just can't seem to get back on track with my Bible time. I'm either "too busy" or "too tired" or "too sick" to read a 30 second passage and look up a few Bible verses. That's sad. I hope God never decides He's "too busy" to be there when I need him. He actually has a lot to do what with being omni-everything and the Creator of everything. But I know that he would drop everything he's doing at a moment's notice to spend time with me. How selfish does that make me?
Today's passage is eerily applicable. God speaking through others directly to me. This morning I was singing "Jesus, Lover of My Soul" and that exact phrasing is in the reading. God knows you more intimately than anyone else. I know Eric knows me better than any person, but there are sure to be some things I don't tell him or want him to know about me. But God knows everything. He knows me better than I do because he knows what my future holds, what decisions I'm going to make, how those decisions will affect me, and everything I'll be thinking and feeling during those times. I love the sentence that says, "You don't need to work at revealing yourself to Me." That in itself is such a stress-reducer. I don't have to put on this mask or this front with Him. He knows when I'm really hurting or angry or prideful and loves me just the same. (Tangent: When people said that God could never love you any more or less than He does now, it used to bother me because I thought you could always love someone more. It wasn't until later that I realized what a huge burden that lifted off of me. It's not like I have to do something in particular to receive God's love. He loves me to His full capacity all the time. Whether I'm praising Him in church or watching some trash on tv.)
Luke 12:7 "And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows."
John 1:12 "But to all who believed and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God."
Romans 10:13 "For 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'"