When What You Sowed Comes Along And Blows You Away

"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established."   ---Proverbs 16:3

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So from mid-July I became a zombie. Darn ol' heat and humidity, anyway! Plus, my lower back's been bugging me and--

Big sheets of bark fell from the sycamore trees all across the lawn and flower beds. 

The lawn guys rarely arrived to mow and crush up the bark.

People drove by slowly to stare at all that bark (so embarrassing).

The birdfeeder got stopped up.

The back patio furniture desperately required new spray paint, but I felt too heat-weak to paint it.

The living room carpet needed professional cleaning, but I'm growing too old to move the furniture. Plus, last year our much-appreciated carpet guy said ours was the smallest space he'd come and clean and that was before Tom bought a huge piece of unmovable glass for his office floor and now there's even less carpet to shampoo.

Early summer, the kitchen drain became clogged again (and we're careful with it!).

And of course, our trash can's wheels kept falling off, then the trash truck ate one.

You know, those Life 'tests' which come along then rain on your brain at night upon your pillow. And you realize the peace of God is more powerful (yes!), yet oh my. Those nagging, sleep-poking thoughts. Sigh.

But then yesterday! I stood outside in 78 sunny, not-crazy-humid degrees after our lawn guys left. 

Ninety nine percent of the bark was gone! And after 6 weeks, its falling has slowed. Not ceased, but slowed. 

I gazed over at the patio and 2/3 of the furniture I'd slowly, on rare, cool mornings, repainted.

The bird feeder? I'd unclogged it last week.

Tom and I had, weeks before, cleared the kitchen drain.

This weekend I'd cleaned the carpet, myself, with a small electric cleaner I purchased online.

The trash can wheels, after months, got replaced.

Oh, and after doing back exercises, it wasn't hurting.

I smiled. Rejoiced! Recalled what that guy from The A Team used to quip: "I love it when a plan comes together."  ツ

Oh, I felt like celebrating! How light I felt. How grateful.

All those nagging tasks--if not wholly completed--then at least greatly diminished. True, they'd all required time, waiting, effort, money, energy and patience (oh, so much patience), but the long process had created this special, celebratory Monday.

I stepped back into the house, my heart singing, and I even made a mug cupcake just for me.

Throughout the Bible, God says He's all for celebrations. And yes, true, every single day of our lives as long as we're here, breathing and living with Jesus we should rejoice!

Maybe no one says that more than I. 

And yet? Days like mine yesterday are sent to remind us that all our work, all the fixes, all the obedience are worth every single sacrifice we made. Every. One.

In other words, hang in there, move forward, even if, at times, it all feels like baby steps. Someday they'll add up to a huge, celebratory leap, indeed.

"I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man."   --- Ecclesiastes 3:12, 13

"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

Complaining is not accomplishing.

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And as I said at Facebook, I love it when people release the art from their heart!

My Mug Cake Recipe (tho' I don't use a mug)--

1/2 cup cake mix

1 tbl. powdered creamer or powdered milk

2 1/2 tbl.'s water

I oil a custard cup. Mix the ingredients in my one-cup measure, stir 100 strokes. Pour into the custard cup then place them in our counter-top little oven upon a rack (preheated, one heat setting, maybe 325?). Oh, and this is a Rhoda Stone recipe and she uses her microwave. 

Then I bake it 14 minutes or so. And no, I don't make frosting for these. heh.

(And now you'll understand why I'm not meant to write cookbooks!)  ツ

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Oh! And one of Glenn Beck's sponsors recommended these hard, small spiky balls to roll beneath your feet to improve stability and do away with a fear of falling.

 I watched the whole long, can't-forward spiel on video (don't you hate it when they take 20 minutes to get to the point? heh.) and these are what the balance expert guy recommended. 

He said they wake up a certain muscle of our feet which goes dormant, especially if we usually wear shoes (I don't actually, but hey, I'm open to anything helpful like this, especially if it's cheap and easy!)  ッ

Here's the Amazon link.

Ours just arrived yesterday so I don't have a miracle story to share yet. These things take time. Ha!

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Well, this is an interesting idea for times of real emergencies!--

Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. 

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 "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