Week 7
Better late than never, I guess!! I’m sorry friends; these past couple weeks have been a little crazy so my blogging (and truthfully my Bible study and prayer life) has really struggled because of it! I’m working through it, determined to not give up, and trying to get back on track with the normal schedule of theWHERE! I sincerely appreciate you- you being here with me through this journey and you being patient as I, like you, am just trying to keep my head above water on a daily basis- but I digress because this isn’t about me; it’s about us seeking God’s will so that we can glorify Him with our lives and in our God given purpose, and right now, we are doing that by studying Allie Marie Smith’s Wonderfully Made- so let’s dive in!
Click here to review prior weeks.
Notes from my reading journal-
CHAPTER 23-
Bible Passages found within this chapter:
*Keep in mind, I highly recommend grabbing your Bible and flipping to these verses (preferably even a verse before and/ or after). I’m so glad Allie includes these verses within the chapters, but I still just feel a deeper connection when I’m in my actual Bible!
Proverbs 14:30
Ephesians 5:14
Psalm 16:11
Psalm 139:5
Notes:
Ok, so I want to start off by saying- I really like Allie; granted I don’t actually know her, but after this journey of studying Wonderfully Made and following her on social media, I feel like I get a small glimpse of the fun-loving, interesting, kind-hearted, woman she is, so I genuinely do not want this next note to come off as negative, BUT I promised when starting this blog that I would always be honest with you, so here it goes…
Yes, I agree as Christians we need to be present in our lives BUT it’s not that simple!! Honestly, this is a major pet peeve of mine- when bloggers, influencers, writers, devotion leaders, etc all talk about “ just slow down!” “ enjoy life!” “be in the moment!” OK SURE!! I would LOVE TO, BUT HOW!! Is the reason these people are easily able to say “slow down” is because they wrote a book, published a successful blog, etc and are now able to? What about the rest of us? Those of us struggling to keep our heads above water?! I’ve written on this topic a few times, because it really is something that I personally struggle with!! I trust God with my life; I (at least attempt to) turn my decisions, both big and small, over to him constantly; I know He will provide- but I also don’t have money (or more hours in the day) just falling out of the sky! So sure it’s easy to say- cut down on social media time, don’t participate in the really bad things that zap up your time, but still-
Wake up early, spend time in prayer, spend time in your Bible, get to work, work hard, don’t use company time for personal stuff (guilty!), be present with your kids, keep your relationship alive with your husband, what do you mean you haven’t worked out today?, get outside, you need fresh air, walk the dog, go to t-ball, the kids have karate, but don’t miss Wednesday night church, do the laundry, clean the house, plant flowers, what haven’t you spent time with your girlfriends?! oh yeah, drink your water, cook at home, make sure you get your servings of fresh fruit and veggies!! Make sure you go to bed early; your body needs rest. I mean, it’s not really that hard!! Just BE PRESENT….
Honestly it’s laughable- even in an ideal world, that to-do list is massive and we live in the real world, where I do get distracted by social media and the TV, because quite honestly I need a brain break at some point and often times after work I don’t have enough brain power left to do anything else! I just ordered this awesome planner from The Passionate Penny Pincher. She is one of my favorite social media accounts and always looks so put together, so I figured, why not?! It is actually a very inclusive planning system, and maybe if I was a SAH I could use it, but OMG!! I get this thing in, I take it to work so I can dive into it, and just opening this thing is giving me a panic attack!! I love to do lists and schedules but it has lists upon lists upon lists- there are not enough hours in the day!! So love you Allie, but this chapter is a hot button topic for me, simply because HOW?!!! HOW DO WE SQUEEZE IT ALL IN SO THAT WE CAN JUST BE PRESENT?! HOW??!!
CHAPTER 24-
Bible Passages found within this chapter:
Genesis 2:1-3
Exodus 20:8-10
Mark 2:27
Notes:
TOES!! Those were my toes that just got stomped!! So after my notes from week 23, we open this chapter on rest. I still stand by my soapbox on HOW?! BUT…this past Sunday our church sermon was literally on this exact same topic! EXACT!! So could it be that God is trying to get my attention and tell me something?!
Allie’s Discussion Questions:
A day of rest is semi part of my routine- in theory. In reality, we reserve Sunday mornings for church, then we’re “off to the races” to get ready for the week ahead. Sometimes even in the car on the way to/ from church- I’m placing my grocery order, looking at our calendars, scheduling all the things. After last Sunday’s sermon on literally this exact same thing, I honestly tried to incorporate nothing but rest, relaxation, and time with my family following church, and guess what?! The world didn’t stop spinning!! We still got up on Monday morning, the house was more messy than a normal Monday, but we still managed to get the kids to school and ourselves to work. I am going to start trying to rearrange my week so the normal Sunday routine can be split out and done during the week, so that Sunday can be reserved for rest and true surrender of the week ahead to Jesus!
CHAPTER 25-
Bible Passages found within this chapter:
Bible Passages:
Romans 3:23
Luke 10:27
Allie’s Discussion Questions:
It is so easy to be self-focused because that is another message from mainstream media that we all hear constantly. It’s easier for the media to sell us products if we think we have all these issues that need to be fixed- buy concealer to cover your flaws, subscribe to this fitness routine to eliminate your belly fat, order this to fix that, the list is endless! When our brains are filled with these messages constantly, we start to believe them! And that’s all before even discussing the comparison game stemming from social media- everything is pointing to ourselves! The natural progression is obviously insecurity or pride- comparing yourself to others online, you’re either doing better or worse than those other women in the pictures and featured in the ads, creating a sense of insecurity or pride, and a deeply ingrained desire to fix the things that are “less than”
Isn’t it funny how the things that should be important often aren’t featured in our world at all?! Be kind, love yourself, make others feel valued. If you think back on all the commercials, shows, internet ads, social media posts- how much of the information overload flooding your brain is about things, purchasing, spending money, fixing yourself versus the actual important things like loving others, loving yourself, spending time in your Bible and in prayer?!
CHAPTER 26-
Bible Passages found within this chapter:
John 20:21
Matthew 28:18-20
2 Corinthians 5:20
Matthew 7:16
1 Peter 3:15
Psalm 66:16
Micah 6:8
Notes:
Made for a Mission! How great is that?! We are made for a mission…..now to figure out what that mission is! This week I am feeling very drawn to rest and surrender, so I am desperately trying to surrender that question to God, so let’s end this chapter and this week in prayer-
Dear Lord,
Thank You so much for everything You have blessed us with! Thank You Lord for this life You have gifted me!! Help me Lord to use this life to glorify You, and You alone. Lord, it is awesome that You designed each and every one of us with a divine purpose and mission; help us now as we seek Your will so that we can carry out the mission You’ve assigned. Lead, guide, and direct us to not only find and realize that mission, but also to completely surrender the actions of that mission so that we can bravely follow You and effectively carry out Your purpose for my life.
In Your son’s holy and precious name I pray,
Amen
