Where did you get your burden and where are you taking it?

My family has been feeling a lot of "weight" recently. Probably some of the same burdens many families feel.

Lonliness--losing friends, or those you thought were friends is not fun.

Confusion over the actions and unkind words of others.

Business--sometimes there is just too much to do in one 24 hour period.

Decisions-- ever have to make one before you are ready? Not fun, either.

Financial--Just how are you going to pay for it all?

Family--if they only knew how much you loved them maybe they would treat you differently?!?!

None of the above are pleasant, but perhaps the worst burden is fear for the soul of a loved one. Sometimes "real burdens" can get really, really big and cause depression and despair.

"I hear people say all the time with good intentions. ‘God will never place a burden on you so heavy that you cannot possibly carry it.’
Really?
My experience is that God will place a burden on you so heavy that you cannot possibly carry it alone. He will break your back and your will. He will buckle your legs until you fall flat beneath the crushing weight of your load. All the while He will walk beside you waiting for you to come to the point where you must depend on Him.

I was talking to my husband the other day (while grocery shopping of all things) about all this and he reminded me that we need to examine where are burdens are coming from. We don't accept 'gifts' from satan! So how exactly do you know if this 'weight' you are feeling is a God-given burden, or an enemy sent despair? Here is what my wise, loving hubby said, and I paraphrase, because I cannot remember his exact words.

"A burden from God will be wrapped in love and delivered with the faith to believe for an answer. A spirit of discouragement from the enemy will be wrapped in fear and delivered with encouragement to despair of anything ever changing."

Yes, there is such a thing as a God-given burden for souls. There is such a thing as praying through on a promise. There is such a thing as fighting it out in the secret place. There is such a thing as praying someone under God's convicting power. But....how is it done? When you hear stories of a mother/father/husband/wife praying through for their loved one, do you automatically think of that saint as being a stressed-out, depressed person? No. That would not accomplish anything but trouble for either party. Why even bother the prayer if we don't think God has the power to change the heart and desire of man? The effectual, fervant prayer of a righteous man availeth much, but it's effectual only if it's shared--with God. His yoke truly is easy and his burden is light. It's still work, but there is someone pulling with you, making it easy, encouraging you every step of the way. Giving you promises to claim and faith to claim them.

"My strength is made perfect in your weakness," He says, as we strain under our burden.

Whatever the burden, it might indeed get worse, but know this-God is faithful. And while we change and make mistakes, He does not. When we get weaker, He is ever stronger.

Sources: Me, Greg Lucas, my husband, God.

Bragging again....

You'll have to excuse me or "ex-out" real quick here. I am going to brag a bit on my 7th grade History student. Below is just a small part of her State History Project report notebook for this semester. I found this portion on religion very interesting. All her information sources are listed in the bibliography of course, but I am not listing them here.photo source: sondahl

Idaho History--Religion

Along with all the others who came to Idaho, were those who came bringing faith and coming to share the Word of God. We would call them missionaries. Religion played an important part in Idaho's development. As we already stated, Idaho's oldest building is a mission, the Caltaldo Mission. It is currently located right off I-90 at Cataldo. Cataldo is in Northern Idaho.photo source: sondahl.com
Some time before the early settlers began to come to Idaho, Circling Raven, a powerful chief of the Cour de Alene tribe had a vision foretelling the coming of the "black robes". He felt that these peopl would bring new spiritual power to his people.
In 1831, four members of the Nez Perce and Flathead tribes went to St. Louis looking for someone who could teach them about the Bible. This would cause us to think that there was a hunger for the Word of God. The first church service in Idaho was held at Fort Hall in 1834. It was a funeral, conducted by methodist minister Jason Lee. Lee had planned to start a mission among the Flathead tribe, but they did not accept him because he did not wear black robes.
One of the first missions in the west was built by Henry and Eliza Spalding. Henry and Narcissa Whitman were nearby as well, though further west toward Washington. The Spaldings did a lot in Idaho. They opened the first school, their daughter was the first white child born in Idaho. They printed a song book and parts of the Bible in Nez Perce. The Spaldings also worked to teach the natives how to farm. Up until then, the natives were mostly hunters and gatherers. Some of the natives did not like the changes and all the new settlers. In anger, a few of them killed the Whitman's and destroyed the Spalding's mission.
A few years later, Father Pierre John DeSmit arrived. Father DeSmit wore the black robes of the Catholic priest and was accepted by the descendants of Circling Raven.
Mormons came west in the late 1840's. Their leader was Brigham Young and they came not as missionaries, but seeking to escape religious discrimination. They were looking for a state of their own, one they could rule themselves. Though most of them settled in the Salt Lake area of Utah, a few crossed the border into Idaho. Franklin was Idaho's first permanent settlement, consisting mostly of the Mormons. Trouble came when other religions began to disagree with the Morman way of life, especially the practice of polygamy. Eventually the leaders of the Morman church urged their people to obey the law and marry only one wife. Lawmakers, however, denyed the Mormons the right to vote when they first wrote the state's constitution. In fact, it wasn't until 1984, that they changed that law, although it had been ignored for many years.
The first Jewish governor in the United States was Moses Alexander elected in Idaho in 1914.
Idaho's religious history was shaped by many people of many different faiths.

Ready for Spring?

I am ready for spring, I think. I am not ready for summer, though--just spring. It is the first of March and time for the Valentine decor to come down.
I bought a big bag of fake lemons last year. Do you know how hard it is to buy lemons at Christmas? Not real hard actually, when they are on clearance. :)
Dafodils are some of my very favorite flowers, so I am loving these on my dining room table.

I love the "message" of spring--the message of HOPE and new birth.

I'm waiting on some daisies to plunk in my canning jar here. Why daisies? I don't know. I just want some. :)

I found this little bunny at Kohls last year after easter. He had a broken ear so was only $1.

A little hot glue and he was "all better".

Tiny Pictures

I came up a little "empty" this week as far as Tiny Talk quotes go. I think I was just busy and didn't pay attention...shame on me! I guess I will be enjoying the things other's children have said this week. I do have some really darling (I think) pictures though. Kaite is baby-girl #4 to wear this sweet little daisy dress. We called her our little daisy, but we all know what a "doozy" our daisy can be! I decided that she will be a WONDERFUL mother someday--with her ability to operate on 5 hours of sleep! She just doesn't seem to need as much sleep as the rest of her family.

In this internet age, whether you are blog-hopping, dress shopping or doing research for a school project, you do a lot of "ex-ing out" of things you are finished with or just aren't satisfied with. I was thinking this week, that life really is not quite that easy. It doesn't come with "Ctrl Alt Del" though sometimes it might be nice if it did. When Kammy first began to notice the little red "ex" in the upper right hand corner, she tried to use it in her life--wherever it came in handy. For instance, we would tell her to eat her lunch or pick up her toys and she'd say, "I ex'd out of that!"