Contentment

Walking across the threshold of hundreds of homes for over 12 years gives a person a whole new perspective of the sense of contentment....and the lack thereof.  I've worked in homes the size of small arenas and homes the size of a shoebox, and no matter the size, there is always a battle for CONTENTMENT.

Holman Bible Dictionary defines contentment like this...“An internal satisfaction which does not demand changes in external circumstances”.  I want that. Don't you? Satisfaction with who I am, what I have, and where I live. Life would be so much easier if we would embrace contentment every single day.  There is much freedom in living a content life. Freedom from feeling the need to know and to have and see what the world is doing all the time. Freedom from needing MORE. Ya see, that's where the problems begin. When we think we NEED more stuff to be content. When we have the more that we think we need, then we have to deal with it.

When we live a discontent life, we are often caught in a position of comparison. Years ago I heard a pastor say.."Comparison is the thief of joy". And it's so true. When we compare our lives with the lives of others, we lose our joy for the gifts we have been given. Everything in the world belongs to God. We are only managers of all this stuff on planet earth.  How well are you managing what you have been given? So often we take on more stuff when we cannot seem to manage what we already have. And we lose our peace, and we lose our joy.

So how does one find a life of contentment?  In the Book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul writes..."I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. " Philippians 4:12 NIV  - His secret was that he had found where true joy exists. Not in the things of this world. Not in popularity or fancy living. Not in the wisdom of this world, but in all things eternal. In things that are lasting. In Jesus Christ. I think Paul was a pretty cool dude. He had found the secret after many years of living a discontent lifestyle.

We can't take one thing from this life with us into the next can we?  So why do we waste so much time fretting over what we don't have and taking on more than we can handle? Well, because sometimes, we are just dumb sheep in need of some clear direction. This week while you walk around your home "doing inventory" of all that you have been given, remember to do these things too:

1. Give thanks the Lord for what He has already given to you.

2. Tell Him you are sorry for thinking that it was not enough.

3. Find joy in the season of your life that you are currently living.

4. Create fun spaces with the things that you already have to make your heart happy.
5. Make a check list of the things that create discontentment in your heart and keep it up on your mirror as a reminder of where you don't want to be.

6. Think less about what you want and more about what you already have.

7. Stop comparing yourself to others!

8. Donate to a worthy cause (fundraiser, Good Will, a single mom in need).

9. Rearrange your furniture. Sometimes re-purposing what you already have, makes you feel like you got something new.

10. Be content.

Finding real peace is a process.  The Apostle Paul could tell you that ! He was the most discontent man on planet earth. Until he met Jesus.  Then everything changed. It can change for you too!  A life in Christ will bring contentment to every area of your life.  Home and Heart : )

Press on towards that PEACE y'all!

Faithfully yours,
Kim B.

This is the STUFF...that drives ME crazy!

One of my favorite singing groups of the past are The Carpenter's. I just love Karen Carpenter and her deep lovely voice. One song she sings that continues to be a favorite  in my life is Rainy Days and Mondays.  The song is actually a bit on the depressing side, but it sure rings truth on those days (like today) when a Monday is A MONDAY. And on top of it...it's raining! But if you are an allergy sufferer like myself, you are actually breathing a little deeper today. So there IS blessing in the rainy Monday. A new song on the top Christian charts that I love is by a young sweet mom named Francesca Battistelli. It's called, This Is The Stuff...and it's about  all the "little things" that seem to pile up into bigger things.  The little things that are really just that....little. But depending on the day of the week (Monday), and the condition of the day (Raining), and the hurried and harried YOU that is trying desperately to get through it, those little things can ofter seem monstrous.  Amen?

However, when we look at the little things that keep tripping us up as blessings and lessons in disguise from our Creator, we can dance in rain and we CAN make it through our Mondays. What can you eliminate today from your home, your calendar, or your thought process to make your Monday a blessing and not a curse?  Think about it! Let's be intentional about living The Simple Life this week.  I've attached this fabulous song for your enjoyment.  Don't take yourself quite so seriously today. 

It's all just stuff...and most of it...is little. 

Happy Rainy Monday!



Daily Affirmations

There are some days you just need a little reminder that YOU CAN. 

After my second week of being down and out from upper respiratory invasion, I made a choice today to draw a line in the sand and stop the madness of my own discouragement.  You know how it is....you feel terrible, your plans get interrupted because you feel terrible, you can't think straight, you wander around in circles getting nowhere fast, and well...., you just FEEL TERRIBLE. 

Sometimes when we face a mountain of clutter in our lives it makes us feel terrible and we aren't sure where to begin or how to face the madness. The best medicine to change our perspective and to gain a little courage to begin is some daily affirmations of the things we LOVE.  This always helps motivate me to tackle the messes in my life with confidence and perseverance. This video I have attached is one of my favorites.  Everybody needs a little Jessica in their lives!  

After praying through some frustrating strongholds, I found myself late this afternoon, sweeping my carport and saying OUT LOUD...."I love my dog....I love my family...I love my house...I love my car....I love my book bag.....I love my Bible...I love organizing...I love my Jesus....I love my friends....I LOVE EVERYTHING!  And then I felt so much better.

Check out this fabulous reminder and remember that YOU CAN love your house and face the madness with determination after you've given your heart a little affirmation.

A Spacious Place

He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.”

                                                           Job 36:16

We live in a world full of clutter. We fill our homes with stuff; we fill the hours of our day with activity, noise and stress. More always seems to be better and enough is never enough. Our good intentions of “simplifying” are quickly snuffed out by waves of distractions. Distractions that wage a war within us, distractions the world presents as important and cool and necessary for survival. Before we know it, we are stuffed to the max, worn to the bone, and often left wondering if anything we are doing is seriously making an impact on this world.

It truly is a problem that quickly becomes a vicious cycle...Simplify…Need more stuff…Simplify…Shop…Let it Go…Do more things… I see it every single day in my job. I see it in my own life. Some people are called to the mission field in Africa. Others are called to inner city missions for children and women. For the past 10 years I have been called to the mission field of homes and offices. Called to bring peace in the midst of the chaos and clutter! Try to picture if you will the mountains of clutter I have climbed in 10 years. Don’t think about it too long, it’s a scary thought indeed. In fact, my waistline should be a heck of a lot slimmer than it is for all the mountains I’ve climbed! But we won’t talk about THAT clutter today.

Years ago I had a client say to me very honestly…”Kim, the clutter in my head is as bad as the clutter in my home.” Can anyone relate? If we are honest with ourselves, I think we can all relate in some capacity of our busy lives. Sometimes we just need a break in the routine of life to just…breathe. When was the last time you stopped the madness and just inhaled deeply and then exhaled? Go ahead, stop reading and do it right now! Ahhhhhhh...sweet relief, huh? Why is it we fill our plates so full, we stuff ourselves to the point of exploding (heart, house and time), and we think it’s good? I don’t know about y’all, but there are days that I just need some space! Space to think, space to take inventory of all my activities, and space to BREATHE.

The past few weeks I have been on a word search through the Scriptures. Over and over and over again the Lord has led me to a particular verse that says…”He brought me out into a spacious place…”

Fascinated by this phrase, particularly because He keeps speaking it to my heart, over and over again, I did a little research to understand it more clearly. This is what I discovered. The Hebrew word for “spacious place” is merchab, which means a broad or roomy place, an expansive place, or a wide place. One of the verses in
2 Samuel 22:20 states…” He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.”

Doing a little further investigation, I found these parallel translations of the same phrase.

“He led me to a place of safety…” (New Living Translation)

“He brought me out into a broad place...” (English Standard Version)

“He brought me forth also into a large place…” (King James Version)

And my favorite version by Eugene Peterson’s (The Message) says…

…“you gave me room to breathe.” How often do you give yourself room to breathe? This spacious place is a provision from the Lord. It’s a stopping place for our hearts and our minds to get off the fast track of cluttered living and just rest. He brings us to this place because He delights in us! He truly has our best interest at heart. When we bring our “stuff” out into a WIDE OPEN place, we can inventory what truly is important verses what seems urgent in our own eyes. We are able to breathe deeper and most importantly, we are able to see and hear the One that is calling us to a life of peace in the midst of a busy world.

I don’t know about you, but I am so thankful to the Lord for the spacious places He provides for me. A place to get off the treadmill of life to breathe, a place to say “no” with confidence, remembering that “no” is a complete sentence. And a place to walk around barefoot in the grass with Jesus, just because He delights in me. Today let’s embrace that large place of safety and relief, free from the restrictions and burdens of this world. Your clutter does not define you. But how quickly it does take over our lives when we don’t take time to stop off in the “spacious place” to be refreshed and renewed in the Spirit.

I’m camping out in these verses for the next few weeks until the Lord and I are walking in step with one another in the grass of His priorities for me.

Breathing deep sighs of relief for us all!

In Him,

Kim B.

Hot Out?

My Cup has Overflowed!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Is your life spilling over with things eternal?

DRINKING FROM MY SAUCER
I've never made a fortune
And its probably to late now,
But I don't worry about that much
I'm happy anyhow.

And as I go along life's way
I'm reaping better than I sow.
I'm drinking from my saucer
'Cause my cup has overflowed!

Haven't got a lot of riches
And sometimes the going's tough,
But I've got loving ones around me
And that makes me rich enough.

I thank God for His blessings
And the mercies He's bestowed.
I'm drinking from my saucer
'Cause my cup has overflowed!

Oh, I remember times when things went wrong
And my faith wore somewhat thin.
But all at once the dark clouds broke
And sun peeped through again.

So Lord, help me not to gripe
About the tough rows that I've hoed.
I'm drinking from my saucer
"Cause my cup has overflowed!

If God gives me strength and courage
When the way grows steep and rough,
I'll not ask for other blessings
I'm already blessed enough.

And may I never be too busy
To help others bear their loads,
Then I'll keep drinking from my saucer
'Cause my cup has overflowed!

From a song written by: Michael Combs