A Simple Summer

 

The summer is flying by quickly.  In some ways, my plans all disintegrated.   I had planned to school half days.  We tried for a bit, but life took over.  Instead, God had other plans.  The result has been full of revelations for me. 

In many ways this summer has turned into a simple summer, and it has been a wonderful!  As much as I wanted to do school, I have totally enjoyed just taking a break for awhile.  At first I thought the break would just be for June.  Here we are in mid-July, and I am in no hurry to start back.  Instead, I have been basking in outside time, gardening and hanging clothes on the line (yes, I enjoy that) and relaxing.

Finances have, to put it simply, been horrible. God has showed me many things in this last few weeks.  He has showed me that I need to make sure I have a food storage built up so that I don't have to depend on the grocery store for every little thing.  With food prices seeming to rise every time I go to the store, I am tired of feeling so weighted because my grocery budget doesn't provide for our family.  I can't really increase the budget either, considering bills aren't going down. 

So, I have been praying and asking God for guidance.  Rates are increasing on many of our bills, food prices, gas prices, and even summer activities.  However, God has blessed us.  First, after a particularly bad couple weeks with our bills, I realized the deeply ingrained desire to simplify.  My husband started by selling his truck, which has been broken down more than running.  I also sold a couple of things in the house that we didn't need.  The result was that we were able to catch up on a bill or two that were causing us anxiety. 

Then I began realizing that God wanted me to simplify our food, not to waste as much, and to stop buying processed as much as possible.  So, my summer days have been filled with gardening, making homemade egg noodles, cooking from scratch, and even picking blueberries!  Simplifying my life has become a priority!  I'm looking at all areas of my life, searching for ways to simplify and bring peace.

One thing that has spoken to me deeply is that my daily time with God is a must.  Often, when I get stressed and busy, my devotion time is the one thing I skip.  That is bad for me as it leaves me easily relying on the flesh instead of the Lord.  Even if it is only a few moments, I try to spend time with the Lord daily. 

Another thing that God has led me to is learning about lifestyles that are simple, but maybe aren't the norm.  Over the last couple of years I have researched many Jewish lifestyles (not all are simple).  This summer I am researching Amish lifestyles.  I have no intention of becoming Amish.  However, I am learning that many things that we believe are "just a part of life" really are choices we make.  We allow many things into our lives that, even if they are good things on the surface, can cause untold stress and even interrupt family life.  A simple life, for me, includes enjoying time with my family as much as I can.  It means slowing down.  It means trusting God and His Will.

It means choosing peace and contentment. 

I've never been very good in those areas.  I've always looked for the next best thing.  I've jumped on my pet causes with fiery determination.  And there are times that we should stand up for what we believe.  For me, however, that passionate determination often turned into rage, anger, and bitterness when things didn't work as planned. 

Simplicity means choosing forgiveness.

I hadn't realized how much anger and unforgiveness I was holding inside me until some of it came bubbling up recently.  Of course, it came up at the wrong time and at the wrong person.  I never realized that I simply have been holding on to things that I should release to God and then LEAVE THEM WITH HIM!  It is so easy to pick up once again our grudges and hurts.  This is especially true when the circumstances are still altered and touched by the person or situation.  It's also true when, if it's a person, they haven't apologized or come to any sort of repentance.  To leave others to God can be a very real struggle, and I daily have to give things to Him.

Simplicity isn't about material possessions, but those need to be simplified too.  There is no need to have a bunch of clutter.  It stresses me our quite often.  So, I'm hoping that, as the summer continues, that I can find a way to eliminate some things. 

In a couple of days I will have a birthday.  I am at a point in life where I am taking stock.  I see that God is taking me on a different route in many areas, but He still has me choosing purposely to see my home as a mission field.  He still has me homeschooling my children for His Glory.  He still has me serving my family as an example to my daughters of serving Christ.