Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Helpless? Or Simply Needing An Imagination Upgrade?


"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."   ... Isaiah 41:10



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Well, I'll tell ya ... I don't have many friends who often speak these sentences:


"I tried that once. It didn't work. Nothing ever works for me."
"Today's world is all bad. I'm mad at everyone. The best people are gone."
"There's absolutely nothing on tv worth watching anymore."
"I can't afford anything. Everything is too expensive."
"I don't know how to really do anything."


Why don't I have those kinds of friends? Ol' Pollyanna Debra makes them mad. (No, really.)

Ack! It's that darn I'm So Helpless Lie. The way people cling to it, abdicating their responsibility, believing that God, later in Heaven, will touch their shoulder and say, "Aww, it wasn't your fault you couldn't move forward. You poor, alone, helpless thing."










Anyway.

If we have God living inside us? Always we can improve our lives. Always. Even from a wheel chair or walker. Or a too small house or yard. Or if we've little money, time, stamina or education. 

We serve a God who makes a way where there appears to be none, you know.

The problem? We stop searching for solutions. We quit expecting, believing. Imagining. Hoping and seeking and finding.

Hey, trust me-- I know. I live in a little house.  ツ But oh Honey! I have such huge dreams. Well, big for me, anyway. (But then, shouldn't all dreams feel that way? Beyond our own present ability?)

So these words I'm telling you today are ones I repeatedly tell myself. These words and also this--

The journey should, mostly, be a pleasant challenge. And something memorable--not embarrassing or disappointing--from the later view of our new life in Heaven.

Life has tons of challenges so why spend our few, precious decades growling about them? Why not approach them with an I'm-gonna-run-this-race-with-God-and-joy attitude?

We can, you know. God equips us to do anything He asks or permits us to do. If we rely upon Him, His strength, His timing. If we don't bog down in a big discouragement puddle.

And if we keep asking, believing and doing while expecting to see changes even better than we imagined.









“I never said it would be easy. Giving up is easy.”      ― Maria V. Snyder, Inside Out



Oh, what quitters miss experiencing!



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So after two years-ish, I finally made it back to Dollar Tree. I'd pictured myself having the kind of excited fun Katherine from Do It On a Dime does and looked forward to that, certainly. 

Hmm. Truly an example of attitude making all the difference. They had everything I wanted, yet it felt like the same ol' kinda-oh-hum Dollar Tree experience to me.  Not once did I giggle with joy. ジ

But anyway! I came home with new containers and finished organizing some cupboards and that proved fun.

Organizing in ways our drawers and cupboards stay organized--something my head, for years, tried to convince me was too hard, given our small house circumstances.

Tsk! Tsk!

No 'before photos' today, but please just picture utter chaos, the kind where you grab one thing and three more spill out. heh.








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More areas where I've felt super-challenged while living at Hobbit Cottage (and upon which I'm still working)?


Creating a whimsical, nostalgic home and-- 
A fun wardrobe. 
An organized home library.
An imaginative yard. 
A prepper's paradise (making us ready for anything, necessitating adding storage--and learning--galore).
Buying storage solutions for just basic household stuff.
Getting back into shape.
Creating my own Happy Place Room (as I'm calling it).

And much more I can't currently think of.  😉


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And oh my! Does this upcoming film look terrific, or what?(A special thanks to my friend, Ann, for sharing it. Can't wait to see it!)






Read more about this documentary here and oh! I just now saw it's already available through Amazon Prime. Cool.


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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I confess, sometimes my physical limitations really can get me down. Especially when I have days on end of not being able to move from my recliner which thankfully doesn’t happen very often anymore. But then I remember that I can still talk to people online and on the phone. I can still knit and crochet for other people and I can watch wonderful movies and videos on the TV. All while in a warm house surrounded by things that I love. Thank you for the timely reminders Debra.
I do love your organizing. I have finished with a couple of cabinets and every time I open the doors it gives me a sense of satisfaction. I go to the dollar tree several times a week. I like their cards among other things but I have never giggled with joy while they are either. Ha! I hope you have a wonderful day.
Blessings, Betsy

Pam said...

Isaiah 41:10 has a very special place in my heart and memories. Three years ago, following cancer surgery, then during chemotherapy, I was really scared. I tried to be brave and I never doubted God's hand on my life, but my mind kept wondering what was going to happen to my life. One day I read this verse and it impacted me in such a way that I sensed God's presence in a new and deeper way. I wrote it down on sticky notes (along with many other biblical promises)and slapped those sticky notes all over the house. Day by day, week by week, month by month, God continued to strengthen me and He's still upholding me. Hallelujah!!

Hey Debra, you mentioned creating a fun wardrobe...just a few days ago, I was noticing that my closet was full of ho-hum stuff. I wear casual clothes most of the time, and love soft cotton shirts, so I got online and found some "Life is Good" shirts with uplifting messages on them. (they were even on sale!) I can't wait to get them!

Debra said...

Oh Betsy! I love the list you gave of things you can still do. That's wonderful to look at (and list) what you can do rather than what you cannot. And that's great that you can get out so often to Dollar Tree--and thanks for the laugh you gave me over the fact you've never giggled there, either! :)

Pam-- that really is a wonderful, encouraging verse, right? I'm so glad it helped you through that rough time years ago (and I'm still rejoicing about your healing!). And now you've got me curious about those shirts I'd not heard of---I'm off to check them out! :)

Thanks so much, Ladies! Blessings, Debra