One day this past week, as he often does, my husband Tim asked me how my day had been.

When my children were growing up, my tendency was to answer that question based on what I’d gotten done that day. I finally became convicted that that was the wrong way to look at things. What was more important to God was how I’d behaved. Had I walked with Him, and had Christ’s character shone through me to my children?

Now that my children are out of our home and I have “retired,” I don’t have the demands of children, and my time is more my own. However, my response to Tim that day was still not a very positive one. Why could I not answer positively about my day now?Continue Reading

Last week I talked about doing the most important things first. I’ve appreciated the comments made after my last blog entry. Several ladies told of ideas that have helped them.

I have always had a hard time determining what the most important things are.

The thing that has helped me the most, I saw in one of the many books on organization that I read in hopes of becoming more organized. The graphic above is called the “Eisenhower matrix” because President Eisenhower used it, and it really makes sense to me, maybe because I’m such a visual person.Continue Reading

My husband Tim was right.

I used to bemoan the fact that I couldn’t “get it all done.” Periodically he’d respond with, “Honey, you will never  get it all done!”

“Never?” I’d say. “Then why do I keep killing myself?!”

Here we are, years later, with my last two children having graduated from high school 14 years ago, and lo and behold, I still haven’t gotten it all done! See, he was right!

I don’t tell you this to discourage you but to encourage you─to work smarter, not harder.
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In our culture a lot of importance is placed on our feelings―in fact, I think, far too much importance.

Remember that two weeks ago I mentioned that both 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 and Philippians 4:4-7 are commands, not suggestions? They are in the imperative case, for you grammar people. That means that we are being told to give thanks.

I don’t think God is concerned with how we feel about obeying; He just tells us to obey. It’s kind of like being in the military. A general holds a higher rank than a corporal. If a general tells a corporal to do something, nothing changes if the corporal doesn’t want to do it.

Besides, the good news is that God is not commanding us to feel thankful; He says to give thanks.Continue Reading