Get To

Several years ago I started asking people, "What do you get to do 40 hours a week?" And they would give me a funny look. It would take them that split second to process the question, "OH!  You mean, where do I work / what do I do for a living?" 

Well, ok, where do you work?

Then, when I started asking women, "Do you get to work outside of the home or do you get to stay home?" Again...perplexed.

What is this 'GET TO' nonesense that you speak of?

Now, I'm not a complete la-lee-la head. I realize that there are those of us out there that 'have to' work in order make ends meet.  (Truth be told, probably most of us).  Many of us don't live, like in the Secret Life of Walter Mitty (a FANTASTIC movie, if you've not yet seen it - go. Now. Go watch it. It is WONDERFUL!!  And be sure to look for all of the hidden messages!)

But, I digress. 

As I was saying, most of us cannot just up and live out our life dreams (for example, I'm to old to audition for So You Think You Can Dance and taking off to New York in order to live out a dance career on Broadway seems a little, uhm, radical. Pursuing culinary school sounds pretty dreamy (and expensive), however, as you might recall two posts ago, I got knocked up in 2012...just. sayin'.). Those of you out there that 'get to' live your life in a complete-and-total-choosing kind of way, hats off to you! However, those of us that are working the 9 - 5 grind, may I encourage you to take a different approach to your mindset? If not the 9 - 5 grind, perhaps you're the mom-at-home wondering how on God's green earth changing another diaper is going to change the world for the greater good!? I understand all to well. But, do you realize that YOU are the one that 'gets to' change that diaper? YOU are the one that 'gets to' work that 9 - 5? 

No one else. 

YOU.

And then there are the daily encounters we have, encounters that we 'get to' be a part of.

Recently, I was on the interstate, griping about the incredibly bumpy road. "UGH! I can't wait until they get this road paved!!" Immediately my thoughts were taken to dusty, dirt, pot-holed roads around the world. Ah...I 'get to'  drive on this bumpy road.

Not again. Food order / coffee order wrong?! Wait...I 'get to' eat / drink this food / coffee. People, merely blocks away, do not have the luxury of a meal, let alone your pricey coffee. Reel it in Fox.

5:30a...ugh...I'm so tired!! I just want to sleep...wait...I 'get to' get up at this hour, in my home, with a/c. Somewhere, there are people without homes, be it loss to fire, storm, flood, or some other disaster. I am prett-ee fortunate.

I've nothing to wear!!! Everything is so out of date!!! (sigh) Wait...I 'get to' have an abundance of choices. It's not that I don't have anything to wear, it is that I'm overwhelmed with a ridiculous amount of choices. (now, out of date...that may very well be true, but the 80's ARE making a come back. I'm sure of it!! HAHAHA!!)

Trust me, I've not mastered this skill set. I complain and gripe on a fairly regular basis (I'm pretty sure it's one of my spiritual gifts - ha!).  Yet, if I can, just once or twice, during a day turn my tune from 'I have to..." to "I get to...", I will feel a smidge successful in transforming my mindset.

And on that note, what do YOU 'get to' 

do / go / eat / wear today?

I would love it if you posted on my Facebook the answer to that question. Let's start a movement!!  HEY!!!  We 'get to' start a movement!!  HAHA!!

Humbled, buyoued and blessed
MamaFox

What's Right?

disclaimer: I am terrible with grammar.  I do not profess to be a 'writer' of sorts.  I write like I talk.  I suppose, those that read and know me well, can probably 'hear' me saying what I write.  If you don't know me that well, or have never had a conversation with me, please overlook the typos.  Thank you :-)

I sat down this morning to greet my day.  Some call it a 'quiet time (QT).' I actually just reintroduced my quiet time, as having Jaelyn (per my last post) threw me off my game.  Now that she's caught onto the whole sleep thing, I'm rolling out of bed before the chaos of our daily life ensues.  There's just something about the quiet of that time of day.  

Let me digress a moment.  

I feel so led to share about quiet times. 

In the church-y circles in which I hang, it is encouraged that we, as Christians, 'have a QT' on a daily basis.  You'll hear things like,  

"My QT was really rich!" 
or 
"They've been so dry lately, I feel like I'm not connecting." 
or 
"(sigh) I really should DO a QT, but I just don't know how / what to do." 

And it can become a racket!  It can become the litman's test of where you rank 'as a Christian' among fellow Christians.  (tsk, tsk...'She's not having a QT? Hhhmmm...<eyebrow raised>)  You follow me?  

THAT SAID...I was on a roll a few years ago.  I started the Jesus study by Beth Moore (90 day study) and that really launched a consistent, daily, greet-the-day-with-God routine.  Some days / weeks were rich and great. Some...eh...pretty mediocre, but nonetheless, it was the practice and the quiet that was important.  It is actually what got me through our Jordan Journey in 2009.  Fast forward, baby, sleepless nights...etc.

could. 
not. 
get. 
it. 
together!  

SO...I asked (in prayer), "HOW do you want me to do this, Lord?"

***we interrupt this post for a 

non-emergency announcement***

When using terms like 

"I was told..."
"Felt led..."

in reference to God / Abba / The Lord 'speaking' to me, it is

not to imply that a text was sent from above or that I heard

an actual, audible voice.  Again, in our church-y type circles,

it's a figure of speech.  Christianese, if you will...heehee  

***this non-emergency announcement 

is now over - thank you***

And he told me.

     You have the Jesus Calling Devotion.

     It has passages at the end of each one.

     You have three questions that Pantego provided months ago.

Hhmmm...ok, got it.

Read the JC devo, look up the passages, answer the questions.  I can do that.

Set my alarm for 5a.

It went off.

I hit snooze until 7a, like any decent human being would do.  

And the Christian Guilt set in, feeling like a failure.  (sigh)

Let's try this again...

2:00...AM...as in, IN the morning, my oldest comes in, having had an awful dream.  I went to lay down with her for a few minutes, then walked back to my room.  I stood at my bedroom door, but I sensed that 'nudge' to go and do my QT.  Here's the conversation in my head:

"(sigh) It's 2 o'clock...IN THE MORNING!!!" 

"I'm aware of the time, Kim.  I created it."

"You can't possibly be serious!  Can't you see how tired I am?"

(as I make my eyes drowsy...like a child...see, see...I'm so sleepy)

"Yes, but you told me you wanted to do this.  If you take time now, you can sleep a little more later."

"But...I'm so tired.  Besides, what are we going to talk about?"  

And I crawled into bed...for about 5 seconds.

"You'll never know unless you obey this nudge."

Out to the chair I go, stomping like the proverbial 40-something child, maybe even pouting a little bit; just a little.

And wouldn't ya know it?  FanTabULous time with my Abba.  

I was led to pray for some friends serving in a remote area.  

I prayed for some friends that are in marriage crisis.

I prayed over my family and God brought to mind people I don't know that well, so I prayed for them too.

He even made a joke when I wrote in my journal, 

"2AM?  Really?  I was thinking more like 5AM"  

And he said, "I AM the great I AM!"  

Get it?!  HA!!!  Love. It!

But this was the kicker.  This was 'my sign' - if you will.  At church that morning, I open my bulletin and inside was...

The card with the three questions.

The card that has not been IN the bulletins for several weeks.

Talk about complete and total affirmation.

Lovely.  

Nice.  

Thank you, Kim for that tirade about QT's and rubbing in how spiritual you are touting to be...la-dee-dah (sigh).

What about this post title, 'What's Right?'

Get to the point!!

If I had not started a week ago, I would have missed the richness of this morning's quiet time.  I'll fess up, since my 'ah-ha' moment two weeks ago, my quiet times have been 'eh.'  This morning though, the following nugget was impressed upon my heart.

How often do you ask, throughout the day, "What's wrong?"  

I do.  

I see a cross look on someone's face and I ask, "What's wrong?"  

Someone sighs heavily, "What's wrong?"  

One of my girls rolls their eyes...oh wait, that's normal...ha!!! 

What if we all started asking...wait for it...

What's Right?

How would that transform a day?  Your thoughts?  THEIR thoughts?

What's Right?

I'll tell you what's right in my world:

My health.

My freckles.

My red hair (all three compliments of da Lord who made me!)

A husband that loves me enough to buy me perfume 'just because' (or maybe I just stink...)

Bright, terrific daughters that are responsible and helpful.

My mom who has been a supportive, helpful & loving since the first time she laid eyes on me.

Coffee.  

Friends.

Facebook, that allows me to connect with friends near and far.

Quiet times. (amen, right?!)

Pampered Chef.

Cell phones.

My sweet Rottie's!

I could go on and on, but I already have.  

As you go forward, I encourage you to begin asking, 

What's right?

Humbled, Buoyed and Blessed,
Mama Fox

WHAT are the three questions, Kimberly?!!?!?!  

Ok, ok...I'll tell you:

1)  How has God made Himself known to you today?

2)  How is God changing you today?

3)  What is God calling you to do today?

can be found on www.pantego.org / I take no credit for these