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Showing posts from February, 2014

Sickness is Isolating.

I've found myself in a self-created isolation.

I've had the flu for the past week and I've been avoiding people so as to keep them from getting sick.

Great plan, Emmi!!

But...

It's been 5 days of this already and I just turned down supper at my sister's due to possible contagiousness...

And... I'm feeling mighty lonely.

Great plan, Emmi...


On the somewhat-plus-side, I did quite enjoy this video today.  Good timing on that one, God.
http://youtu.be/lRcLw0rf7Io

[I should come up with a name for this]

Ugh!  I soooooo want to keep sleeping right now.

Yesterday:
I was half an hour behind starting each of the jobs, but I just worked half an hour longer so it worked out.  I don't want this to be a pattern though.  Overall, it was an okay start to making a change.  A part of me is grateful that it didn't go according to plan so that I am reminded to rely on God.

Devotional:
#SheReadsTruth 1John - Day 1 (1 John 1:1-10)
// 1 John 1:9 // But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. //
How grateful I am for this!

Sleep:
12:45am - 7:40am
I'm apparently bad at going to bed early.

Today:
My schedule is much the same (and I actually want to keep it this time), though I have the addition of bible study tonight.  I'll be reading over the material at lunch time.

Prayer:
Father, I can't decide if yesterday was discouraging or encouraging.  On one hand, my schedule was much better than recent weeks, but on the other, there was still laziness in it.  It's a process, I know.  I'm so grateful that You are so faithful and just!  Thank you for cleansing me from my unrighteousness.  I suppose this will probably have to be a daily confessing/cleansing thing, eh? I love you, Father.  Thank you for working all things for good.  Your Will be done.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Good Morning (Read: I really hate waking up)

Ugh, my phone screen is so bright...

Anyways, here I am.

My goal is to use this to be honest about how the previous day/night went and to communicate my plans for the day.

Yesterday:
I slept in and didn't get to the morning job til 10:45.  Second job was better because we had a lunch staff meeting so I didn't have to be think about when I was starting work (normally I'm tempted to let my lunch go long).  Evening was filled with a board meeting, but I did take the time to write yesterday's post which, I gotta say, what very liberating!  Praising God for working this change in my heart!

Devotional:
Last night I started a plan on shereadstruth.com going through 1st, 2st + 3rd John.  I'm feeling like I'll really enjoy this plan!  The text for the intro, however, last night was to read all three books! Of course on the night that I want to wake up earlier and have already stayed up to late, I have to read 7 chapters!  I did listen to them, but I didn't take the time to journal about them which will mainly be what I will talk about in this section.  I do love how much John uses the light-and-dark analogy and his very no-nosense approach to sin in our lives.  I think this will be positive especially as I begin this endeavor.

Sleep:
2:00am - 7:55am
Go to bed earlier tonight, Emmi, so that you can actually wake up for 7:30 as planned.  Tomorrow, you are not allowed to snooze your alarm!

Today:
I'm going to get ready without dilly-dallying so that I can get to Job 1 for 9:30. Get in 2 full hours there.  On my lunch I am going to look into something at the health food store that I have been putting off.  Also, find out how to contact the school I'm looking to apply to for September to ask if there is a way around upgrading (for the low low price of $950!).  I'm also going to bring my craft so that I intentionally enjoy my break.  I will start Job 2 at 1:00 as scheduled and get in 4 full hours.  (My goal is to eventually add an hour back to Job 2, and possibly longer at Job 1 depending on if there is work or not.)  In the evening I walk dogs so that will take up most of my evening.  My goal tonight is to plan out the rest of the week a little bit more intentionally.  And to come up with a good name for this endeavor since it's gonna be a daily thing!

Prayer:
Father, thank You for taking me on this heart journey!  I'm so grateful that in Your Will I can be free!  I pray for Your protection on my mind today against laziness, and Your strength as I endeavor to better manage the time you have given me.  Your Will be done!  In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

The Endeavor.

[Disclaimer: This is a brutally honest and vulnerable post for me.]

Okay so here's the thing...

Everybody struggles with something and my struggle... is laziness.

Now, when I say that most people respond with something like "Tell me about it!  I'm so lazy too!"... Which is wrong.  That's like a drug addict telling you, well, that they're a drug addict, and you responding with "Oh my gosh, I know! I use Advil like every day; I'm practically addicted!"

No.

Laziness has been my ruin.

Since midway though 12 years old, laziness has damaged my life.

I never graduated.  I couldn't make it through a full year of public school without eventually missing at least half of the days in the week.  And though sickness and stress played major roles in that, I can't deny that laziness did too.  And even though I did 5 years of correspondence, I just barely made it over the halfway point to earning my diploma.

I am a slob.  My room is a disaster zone. And if I lived on my own the rest of the house would be the same.  I actually housesit for people fairly regularly and it is not uncommon for me to leave all of the cleaning to the last day.  (Which may not sound bad, but think about the jobs that go over a week...that's a lot of dirty dished and a fair amount of garbage!)

I'm rarely on time for work.  I have mainly worked for my dad, which has been both a blessing and a curse as there is forgiveness but also enabling.  Even now, I've added in work for a man in the church and it has been a great experience, but he told me to come when I could and that too has enabled me.

Most people don't see this side of me because mostly what they see is my involvement with the church.  And somehow (coughGodcoughcough) I don't struggle with laziness in my church commitments!

But in every other area of my life, laziness has damaged me.

I feel like I'm failing at life.

BUT HALLELUJAH, GOD IS WORKING ON ME!  HE IS NOT CONTENT TO LEAVE ME HERE AND I KNOW THAT IT IS ONLY THROUGH HIS STRENGTH THAT I CAN DEFEAT THIS.

So here's where I'm at...  I've written this as my kick in the pants to make a change, and to kinda sorta introduce what I plan to do next (aka. what my endeavor shall be).

I hate waking up.  It is the worst kind of torture to wake up!  Unfortunately this is the time of day when I face the most temptation and am simultaneously least equipped to combat it.

I have had this thought to use my blog as a bit of a daily accountability tool first thing in the morning.  I have only vague ideas of what it will look like, but tomorrow morning I am going to wake up and start.  This could help, do absolutely nothing, or crash and burn.  Who knows, but I'm gonna try it anyway.  Even if it only works tomorrow, I will be grateful.

If you want to, I'd be grateful if you could commit to reading my posts, to commenting, and to keeping me accountable.  If not, that's fine.  :) Thanks for letting me share even this post with you.

................................

I leave you with the words to the hymn 'Jesus, All for Jesus'I heard them yesterday with new ears in light of thinking about this plan of mine.

Jesus, all for Jesus!
All I am and have and ever hope to be.
Jesus, all for Jesus!
All I am and have and ever hope to be.

All of my ambitions, hopes, and plans,
I surrender these into Your Hands.
All of my ambitions, hopes, and plans,
I surrender these into Your Hands.

For it's only in Your Will that I am free!
For it's only in Your Will that I am free!

Jesus, all for Jesus!
All I am and have and ever hope to be.

Test

This post is unimportant...

This is just a test to see if I can use Blogger on my phone even though all of the recent reviews of the app are super duper negative...

If this works I may start an exciting (read: terrifying, daunting, probably not going to work/help) endeavor using my blog.

Toodles.

Edited to add:  It worked.

So I guess... Crap.  That endeavor thing might actually happen.

This is NOT bad news, Emmi, it just feels like bad news because you're worried.  Everything is going to be fine.