Sometimes we are too busy

It feels like I am driven. It is difficult to explain. Time seems rushing by and my daily schedule is overwhelming. How can I find time to practice my pieces for Community Band or our church orchestra? The concerts will be in a few weeks. My homework is not done yet for the drawing course I am "trying" to take.

Sometimes I overbook a meeting and have to make a choice which one I should attend.

Medical appointments (out of town) for my husband have broken up my routine and today (Wednesday) I am doing laundry, which I normally do Mondays. I even missed sending one of my newspaper articles.

I know what is driving me. I enjoy all the things I am doing and try to squeeze in any many as possible, for as long as the Lord will give me health and strength. Some of the things I am doing now, like the music, my writing and my crafts and volunteering in the care homes, I enjoy tremendously and would not like to have to give up.

However in a few weeks my age will be three quarters of a century and I do not know how much time I have left. The activities I am doing now I could either not afford years ago, or did not have the time because I was raising a family and foster children.

I am convinced that the Lord is in control of my life and could stop me from doing these things at any time, but He knows that whatever I do I want to glorify and honour Him. When I participated in a girlsclub we learned the verse from Colossians 3:17 "And whatever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." Even in a secular situation, like the Community Band, I know that the Christians do influence the atmosphere (I do not hear anymore dirty jokes and swear words).

I just wanted to share with you what is driving me these days and the reason why.

Maybe someone can relate ..........

The Inscribe Fall conference

It is almost two o'clock and I am ready to go. The suite case is packed, the plants have been watered and my little dog is at the neighbour. My birds have also been cleaned, fed and watered and my husband's lunches for five days are waiting in the fridge. Now what do I do? I need to wait two hours before my husband will be home to take me to the bus. I sometimes wonder if I was born early, because wherever I need to go I always like to be there ahead of time. I am always early everywhere I go. Maybe this is a good time to put some of my thoughts on paper. The computer is the last thing that I will shut down. However to stay in touch I bring my little netbook.

I am very thankful that I only have to travel by bus to Saskatoon, approx. six hours from where I live. From there I share a ride with my friend. This will help us both because we can share the cost of the trip and we will have great fellowship together. On Friday morning we plan to leave bright and early so that we can be in time in Wetaskewin. As you can see it is quite an undertaking, but I am looking forward to see some of my friends at the conference and I need to be motivated again. My enthusiasm is at a low at the moment.

However the last few weeks I learned something valuable (we are never too old to learn). I was at a meeting which could be upsetting for me. I found out that as I started to take notes I felt at peace and was prevented from opening my mouth and maybe say something I would regret later. It was an eyeopener, so from now on my notebook will go wherever I go.

After the conference we travel to Edmonton, where Sheri will visit her daughter for a few days and my daughter, who lives in Whitecourt will pick me up and I can spend a few days at her place. I will also see my other daughter, my grand daughters and my sweet little great grand daughters. We might even go swimming I am told. My bathing suit is packed. I am so blessed that I can make this trip and us girls can spend some time together. When I come back the harvest is probable in the bin and my husband will be happy too. He does not mind that I go away to see the children and do some of my own things. That is a blessing.

On Tuesday morning very early my daughter will bring me back to Edmonton and I catch my ride back to Saskatoon, spend the night at my friend's house and catch the bus to go home the next morning.

It will be a packed, but wonderful trip and I wish you all could join me and share my blessings with me.

I am Free!

Yes, I am free indeed. This little phrase keeps buzzing through my head as we drive the highway on our way from Manitoba to Alberta. I keep saying this verse in John 8:36 repeatedly: "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." The Lord Jesus Christ set me free from being a slave to sin, so now I do not need to worry about anything, because He is in control. It seems that since I am getting older, life becomes more worry some. My husband is a good driver and very confident, sometimes a bit over confident, I think. I did come to the point that I was not willing to drive long distances with him any more. We talked it over and prayed about it and came to a sacrificial agreement: we will not drive 1000 km in one day anymore (from Swan River, MB to Edmonton, AB). So we put it through the test last week. I still had to remind myself that I AM FREE on several occasions and ask the Lord to take away my worry. But the glorious result was that every time I prayed He gave me the peace that I needed to enjoy our trip away from home. We went from home to North Battleford, from there to Edmonton, then to Valleyview, back to Whitecourt, back to Edmonton, then to Saskatoon where we attended a conference (including a cruise on the river) and home from there. All this in ten days and we had a wonderful time with family and friends and just being together on the road. God wants us to be free from any worry or oppression so we can enjoy life to the fullest and share with others what God is doing for us.

The last few nights I had some scary dreams. Last night I was sure that a man was standing in the door opening of our bedroom. When I looked again, he was gone. Again I prayed that the Lord would set me free from those strange dreams and I commanded this whatever I saw to get out of our home and disappear into the pit. The same peace that I received when we were travelling came over me again and I had a restful sleep. This morning I praised and glorified God for His faithfulness. It strengthened my faith and it is wonderful to experience this "peace of God which transcends all understanding" (Philippians 4:7).

Blog, blog and more blog. Why did I not get out of bed last night and wrote down what was on my mind. The urge was there, but then I was too lazy to get up. Sometimes I think that I should not be writing anymore. I am not producing any books or win any prizes at contests.
Then someone will come up to me and tell me that she enjoyed my little article in the local paper. I guess we all need encouragement at times and I know that eventually I will be driven to write again. This blog is all about "I", but it is good sometimes to spill the beans and let the fingers write what is flowing out of one's heart. This is my contribution for to-day. It feels good to have written it down and I hope someone will read it and understand my feelings.

Last October, right after Thanksgivings Day I wrote a blog about a car accident where one girl was severely hurt. She spent months in hospital, underwent several operations and still has to have another operation on her back and two on her knees. She is going back to see both specialists this week. She wrote on Facebook and asked for prayer. Her plan for this summer is to be the assistant director in a Bible Camp. She will share this position with another young lady, because she is limited in her movements. The Board will provide whatever she needs to make her stay at Bible Camp work for her. In September she hopes to go back to Bible College and make up for the year she lost because of the accident. Her prayer request is that none of the operations will happen during camp time or when she will be back in Bible School. The testimony this young lady has is indescribable when you think of all the suffering she went through (even a sixteen hour back operation) and the faith she has that the Lord will use her for His glory. She is an example for many. This winter she came back to join our Community Band to play her flute, even when the weather was nasty and she had to use crutches to stay mobile. I praise and thank the Lord for this young adult and know that the Lord will use her mightily.

My burden

It is Sunday morning and I have a prayer request to share in our church service. However there is a change and we are asked to pray for any of our own needs. I feel that my request does not fit that category so I start to write down what was in my heart and want to share this in my blog.

This week my burden is heavy for the families who are travelling. It is spring break in Manitoba and families are travelling to visit grandparents and grandparents like to go and enjoy time with children and grandchildren. It is important to pray for those who are on the road. I am also thinking of a group of senior high school children who are in Europe during this break and are performing some of their band music. Are they socializing in a manner that is not only honoring to their country, but also to the Lord? Because the Lord has burdened my heart I need to pray.

Of course I have needs too, but it is not always easy to share with others. When I think of travelling I feel anxious. The older I get the more that travelling becomes a burdensome experience. My husband is a confident driver, maybe a bit over confident, according to my thinking. He will never admit that. Going to an airport is an overwhelming experience now that we are both well into our senior years. Yes, there is a season for everything as the Bible tells us. I need to commit these thoughts of my own heart to the Lord, and above all, leave them there.

The Lord will give us grace to endure and to accept what He has in store for us. "His grace is sufficient."