Why I Quit My Job...

I'd known for sometime that I had exceeded my limits.  Yep, I spent my last dime months ago in terms of what was reasonably sane for one person to be doing.  Five kids. Working full-time from home with two little ones. Homeschooling the older boys part-time. Trying to clean, cook and be a 'good' wife and mother.  Sure, I was doing it all... but I'm not sure I was doing much of anything well. I knew something had to change.  We discussed changing the boys' school setup but both felt strongly that we would one-day regret that choice.  It was my career... my job had to be what we cut out.

***As a disclaimer... this was a personal decision. I felt the Lord leading me to lay down my full-time position.  I love all moms- working, stay-at-home's or anything in between.  So, please don't think I'm suggesting that we all need to sacrifice our careers- because I'm not.  With that said... how in the world could I quit the job to which we were so financially dependent upon?  I began to seek God's word. I focused my prayers specifically on God releasing me from my full-time job.  I could have just said, "I quit" on any given day... but that went against every responsible morsel in my body.  I committed to wait for His timing and His solution.

In the meantime, I felt like God gave me the image above from yes, the movie Frozen.  In this scene, Anna is weary, sick and close to giving up.  Because of the storm, she cannot see that Kristoff is on his way to rescue her.  God's message to me was simple, "You cannot see, but trust that I am on my way to get you!"  Isn't that a total picture of what faith is- the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen? (Heb 11:1)

From the time we pray to the time God answers is 'the meantime.'  It's the 'tough time' in the seed, time, harvest that builds our faith for the next situation.  So, how did my story end? Just as He promised, God did His work behind the scenes and then BAM- after a couple of important phone calls, my formal resignation was submitted.  From start to finish, this process was just shy of one-year. It's easy for me to look back and say, "That was fast!" But, it did NOT feel fast. Here are the top 3 things I did during the waiting:

1.  Never Give Up-  Most nights I went to bed thinking, "Well, it wasn't today... but maybe it will be tomorrow."  I expected him like I was awaiting a very important package.  I prayed and stayed in His word every day because I so desperately needed the encouragement.  I meditated and memorized scripture to say out-loud anytime I started to doubt that God was coming.

Lam 3:25 The Lord is good to those who wait hopefully and expectantly for Him, to those who seek Him [inquire of and for Him and require Him by right of necessity and on the authority of God's word].

2.  Enter God's Rest-  My anxiety about how or when God was going to answer my prayer was not going to change how or when God was going to answer my prayer.  I had to surrender my "ideas" of how He might handle this situation.  The plan and the timing had to be left up to Him. My responsibility was to continue to pray, chill out and trust that He was faithful to work things out for my good.

Philippians 4:6 Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.

 
3.   Increase Giving-  We don't give to get.  But, I have seen time and time again that there is power in releasing in faith my financial resources. And if nothing else, giving financially gets your mind off yourself and your problems and allows you to see a much bigger picture and do some good!

Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

2 Corinthians 2:14 tells us that in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Once we experience God's victory in an area, all of the waiting and not-knowing feels worth it.  God challenged me once I received this breakthrough to continue in His victory parade.  To not just settle for this one win... but to believe Him for more- to trust and wait again.  So, what are you trusting God for?  Dare to ask and don't give up in believing Him to bring victory.

Help Is On The Way...

Over the weekend, my dad went on a survival camping trip. They had to make fishing poles out of bamboo, find their own bait, catch fish and cook them over the fire for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's hard to believe that three men would voluntarily do this, but hey- whatever rocks your dock. They were roughing-it. I tell you this as a disclaimer because any further use of 'roughing-it' will be a gross exaggeration compared to this.

Last night our air conditioner stopped working. We went from a comfortable 75 degrees to a 82 degree hot mess in just a couple of hours. Once we knew it was out, we called the after-hours number and arranged to have someone come today to fix it. When that was in place, we carried our mattress out to the living room and set up camp for a night of roughing-it. No A/C with 2 living room ceiling fans blaring is about the extent of how I rough-it. We didn't spend too much time complaining about the heat because we knew... help was on the way. With the assurance that a Mr. Fix-it will arrive soon, you are immediately encouraged that you can get through a night of roughing-it.

There are times where our faith needs that. Periodically, we need a confirmation that we can rough-it for just a little bit longer because help is on the way! In the Message, Jude 1: 1-2 reads "I, Jude, am a slave to Jesus Christ and brother to James, writing to those loved by God the Father, called and kept safe by Jesus Christ. Relax, everything’s going to be all right; rest, everything’s coming together; open your hearts, love is on the way!" This verse reminds us that because God loves us, we can trust that he is working out our needs and rest in his peace while we wait. If you are roughing-it over something, know that God has gone ahead of you and is preparing a way. (Duet 31:8)

Help is on the way!

Unscrewed...

Our first home. We were engaged to be married when we bought this house and this was moving day! We loved everything about our humble abode. Well, almost everything. Right behind this adorable, young, kid-free, rested couple was a screen door with bars. I e-hotted that door. That's 'hated' in Pig-Latin... since "hate" is a bad word at our house. We have learned to disguise the word 'hate.' Although I'm pretty sure we're not fooling one of the stud-muffins. Anyway... the door bugged me. I didn't like the aesthetics of it. To me, it gave the appearance that we were scared and lived in a bad neighborhood. We had every intention of getting a new screen door... but for whatever reason, we never got around to it. I guess it gave me something to complain about.

After three years, we decided to move to Florida and it was time to put the house up for sale. Of course, that ugly door had to be changed to improve the curb-appeal. Although we would never enjoy the jail-free look, it was the right thing to do. Low and behold... when I was examining the door before we left to buy a new one... I noticed that the bars on the screen door could simply be unscrewed, leaving a nice glass, bar-free door. In just a couple of minutes, the bars were removed.

Recently, God reminded me of that ugly door. I thought about how I lived with it for three long years when it only took moments to unscrew. Isn't that a picture of God's grace? When we come to him with years of bondage, he can unscrew our screwed-up mess in one breath of forgiveness. I was then confronted with the question of what ugly door I was currently living with. For me, it's been a door of guilt. I carry guilt with me over things big and small. I analyze conversations I have with everyone and usually find someway to feel guilty over something I said or didn't say.

But, I received the greatest revelation concerning guilt. When we feel guilty after Christ has already forgiven us... we are trying to PAY for our sins. Whenever we do something really stupid... we know that eventually, we will get over it. But how long is long enough to feel guilty? One hour? Two days? Three years? Is there any amount of time that will pay for our debt? The truth is that Christ died and paid for it ALL! Living with guilt is like the door that can simply be unscrewed.

In Romans 8, the Word says..."Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus." This means that Jesus does not want us to live with guilt for one second!!! It doesn't mean we should lead a sloppy life and do whatever we please. But, it does mean that God knew us, he formed us and he was aware of our mistakes long before we were ever here. He wants us to come to him, ask for forgiveness, have the screws removed and move forward. John 10:10 says He desires for us to ENJOY our life. So, I have decided that I will no longer feel guilty because he died so that I may ENJOY my life. What ugly door can you let him unscrew for you today?

More on Monday!!! :)

It was time for a Blogover...

There's nothing I like more than a three-hour hair appointment. Fresh highlights make me happy and transform me into the natural blonde that I will always pretend to be. I like sitting... chatting with Alana... my therapist, I mean hair dresser. It's therapeutic. Right? It's a time to escape from the cheerios; the spit-up; the toys strayed absolutely everywhere; the leaky leak-proof sippy-cup and the "Come wipe me!" moments.

It's refreshing and I return to motherhood with my head held a little higher.

And just as I occasionally need a new-do, so did this blog. It was time. My last post was last September and I held up the white flag for blog-writing. I found myself wondering if anyone was actually reading it. Asking myself was writing worth the use of my precious time? I decided that it wasn't and gave up. Lately, picking it back up has been on my mind. I remembered why I started this blog in the first place. It was supposed to be, like my hair appointments, a time for me. The life I lead doesn't allow for much time- if any, for me to have one clear thought. Blogging was supposed to be a place for me to just be me.

So.... I resurrected the old blog and imported it into my new blog- Stud-Muffins and Cupcakes. I am planning on writing about mothering my four stud-muffins and my newest cupcake- Jolie! After all,  God has used motherhood to teach me so many life lessons. I may throw in some talk about actual cupcakes since I do love a cupcake! Not sure what all will come of this. But, I am promising myself these three things:

1. I won't care what the numbers are doing... too much pressure to know who is and is not reading this.

2. I will write quickly... I'll shoot to avoid errors and review to remove typos but I won't over-analyze things. I tend to do that and dog-gone-it... it just takes all the fun out of it. 

3. I will be honest. I will not present a perfect picture because that would be so FAR from truth. My goal is to inspire, not to discourage anyone. 

Check back tomorrow for more...

  

Strikes & 'Staches

The Invitations

The Food

The Cupcakes

The Favors

'You've been FRAMED' Photo Opt

The Bowling

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY JADIN!!!