Where, Tsk! Tsk! She Quit Too Soon.

"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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(Please substitute my mentions of 'decorating' for what you've run from, ok?)  ツ


Since 2017? Oh my. I barely decorated anything 'round Hobbit Cottage. This was (I believed) The End of  ol' Debra's 50 Decorating Years. 

Oh, I'd spy marvelous ideas at Pinterest, but man! For every inspiration, 3 (legit) reasons popped into my head why it could never work here.

Such as--

This house is too small for a ______ (fill in the blank).
My abilities are so limited in what I can build/create/do.
We have money to hire help, but seldom are Tom and I on the same remodeling page. So we agree to disagree--then do nothing.
We never get to Home Depot anymore and --


And perhaps your head (and others) have consistently told you in areas, "No, that can't work!"  Maybe you, like me, have discovered sometimes it hurts too much to dream. So you quit for your sanity's sake, you know, hoping a dream's death will bring peace.

But it doesn't. Not always, anyway. 

Yet when God is finished with a season? There comes a comfort for our loss, for what we've released. And a grace for the new thing He's sent as a (lovely) replacement.

And I had none of that. No, just pools of self-pity while I sat upon the red couch not decorating. Waiting for a new thing which never came and just eating snacks, reading and growing fat and sassy. (Oh-so-sassy. Just ask Tom.)  ツ

I'd forgotten, ignored, this--


"When the going gets tough, the tough get going."  ... copied


--- and I chose the 'easy way', the quitter's route, which only appears easy, but oh Honey, it's actually harder. Emotionally.


Then eventually, the weirdest thing happened! 

We watched NCIS LA while Sam Hanna spoke with his wife. He said her undercover assignment was dangerous, it worried him. Then she said (something like), "When I go undercover, I feel most alive. As though I'm doing what I was meant to."

Oh my goodness. My throat felt all achy-teary and I thought, "That's how I feel about decorating! Yes, and about blogging and encouraging others, but those don't require all my time. I need decorating, too! That season is not over for me. I know that now."

Oooo. Another 'suddenly' like I've spoken of before. You know, how your life is one (sad) way for ages, then poof! Suddenly it's different. Hopeful with joy.

The biggest change? My attitude. Now because I'm willing to take risks with my heart (believing God will fortify it), I've got, like, 20 new ideas! My head welcomes ideas again, swirls with them.

I've rearranged furniture, bought some items online as upgrades, discovered you can order paint and spray paint online (who knew? I'd assumed you couldn't. Tsk, tsk.). I've got plans for wallpapering, crafting, painting and --

Well, you get it. 

Today's lesson? What makes you feel most alive? Do you know? Did you leave it behind because of fear/inability/others' criticisms? If so, if it's from God, well, get back to it, ok?

Perhaps nothing will feel right (and joy-filled) again until you do. Oh dear.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."  ... Galations 6:9  (And oh my! Did I ever allow myself to become weary. Sigh. But no more!)

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Some changes I've made since that NCIS LA episode  シ

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Are you at Facebook? If you enjoy the color yellow, you might like these cottage photos from this link which my friend, Dolores, sent me. (Thanks again, Dolores!)


Go here for more like this---

"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15