Rest in Him: Guest Blogger: Stephanie

Job 39:11
"He's hugely strong, yes, but could you trust him, would you dare turn the job over to him?" In this new season that I am entering I am finding out that it is very exhausting and demanding. There really isn't a thing called "rest" in my week. Well not the rest that most people consider rest. With my M/W
nights spent at school and Tuesday cell, my nights are pretty jammed
pack. Midnight is becoming a very common hour to me now. Last night
was the first night my daughter really has seen me all week and I was
sooo tired that the attention I was giving her I know isn't what she
wanted or needed at that time. Soo much is going on that my brain
never wants to shut down.

The fear of not being a good student is creeping in...and the fear of
that Cali is thinking that I am rejecting her because Mommy is always
at work and school. I told her the other day that the reason why Mommy
is going to school is because I am becoming a teacher. And she smiled
at me and said, "I want to hold the stick Mommy and I'll point to the
numbers and you say them out loud." It was the cutest thing...she went
on saying who was going to be in our class and sit in the desks. As I
listen to her say all of this, I wish she could REALLY know why Mommy
is going to school and works at a good job...I want the best for Cali
and I want to be a good role model that she can look up to and say
someday, "Hey my Mom did this, so can I." or "Thank you Mom for
keeping me when you knew you were going to be a Single parent." As I
sit in my classes at night wishing I could be home with her I look at
my phone with a pic of her on it and I have to remind myself that I am
doing this for not only my future but for hers too. So many thoughts
race through my mind if I'm really doing the right thing. It's soo
easy to give up and say I can't do school. But like the verse says,
"Do you dare to turn the job over to HIM? Do you trust HIM??" Do I
trust God in this season?? Am I putting limitations on what God is
capable of doing??

Oh Lord please help me rely on your strength and not my own. Teach me
how to be excellent in this new season. I break off all these fears in
Jesus name. I am NEW in you!! I am an Excellent student, worker,
leader and Mother! Jesus protect Cali in this season and help me think
of creative "special" dates to have with her, so she knows that she is
my pride and joy always. I cast my burdens on you Lord and leave them
at your feet Jesus. You are bigger than this season Lord!!! Teach me
what you want me to learn through all of this Lord. Help me not to
complain. Give me strength when I am weary Lord. I love you Lord!!!

Taking Ownership: Poop or no Poop. Guest Blogger: JEN

Gen 1:28
God blessed them:
Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth."

Ownership

God tells us to take responsibility (ownership) in our lives, and that
means for us to know what is ours to take care of and what we don't
need to worry about. It takes wisdom to know what we should be doing,
because we can't do everything. God broke something in me that I
didn't realize was still in me, and it stems back to my marriage and
my ex husband. I realized that I am nice out of fear, this was a HUGE
thing for me this morning I used to be this way with my ex husband I
did everything out of fear, and I see this creeping back in.

"HELLO JENNIFER" God was saying to me the spirit of fear, rejection, and
people-pleasing lay in side of you. WHAT? I thought all of this was
gone. Nope, and it is all my fault because I didn't take complete
ownership of what God has given me.

Now that I start thinking, it is hard for me to realize what are my responsibilities and what aren't. I know that God doesn't expect me to do everything, and now realizing that it shouldn't matter what people in the world expect me to be or do.

This doesn't fall into my daily responsibilities, but this falls
into not doing things for people out of fear that they won't like me.

God revealed to me a vision of a house with a zero lot line and a
house with a lot of space around it, boundaries around my heart is
what God wants me to do. I need to stop having a zero lot line around
my heart and letting people look in my "windows" and letting their
dogs poop in my yard, because I don't want people pooping on my heart
then walk away. Once they walk away they feel better, but then I have
to sit and try to justify that it was ok for me to let them dump on
me because that is the "Christian" thing to do.

Today I will realize what is my responsibility and what isn't!