Sneaking up out of nowhere, December grabbed me from behind, clobbered me and threw me to the ground. Too stupid to land on my knees, I landed on my feet and tried to keep going. Staggering, barely able to catch my breath, and with my vision impaired, I was determined to keep going. I had my seventh baby in September, and was adjusting well (at least I had the appearance of such). I made it through Thanksgiving, not exuding grace, by any means, but at least I made it. Although I am not sure exactly what it was I was trying to accomplish, I knew could do this. The Lord could count on me.

Or so I thought.

Waking up New Years’s morning with a stomach virus was the best thing that could have happened to me. Even better was that Mr. Visionary and I came down with it simultaneously - I couldn’t get mad  at him for not ‘getting me out of this mess’. Flat on our backs for almost three days with seven children to care for, we were in a position to do nothing but trust the Lord and allow our friends to take care of things for us. Humbled does not even begin to describe my position. It was the introduction of a rich, but painful season of the Lord dealing with me about the lie of self-sufficiency and the fruitlessness of determining my own goals. Enter January where I have spent much time in absolute meltdown, surveying the carnage in the wake of one bad month. My laundry and home were a piece of cake in comparison to the relationship damage that had been done in one short season. Wondering why ‘the Lord’ has me in such a difficult season of having so much on my plate, I have been doing much praying…and eventually…listening.

It is amazing sometimes how complicated things can become when your goal is to ‘get back to basics’ or to ‘live simply’. It amazes me more how I can so quickly point a finger at my Lord and question His plan. But all things work together for good, and even my questioning was an instrument in His hand. Or more aptly, His answer was. Whether or not this journey started out as something we were led to by the Lord, it had evolved into something far divergent. I’ve recently had the opportunity to see have my eyes opened to how foolish my lifestyle and fleeting my goals had become.

As I laid before Him a list of everything that was on my plate, truly desiring to hear from Him about each line item, conviction fell in the form of hot,  sobbing tears in recognition of the ‘wretched man that I am’. I wish I could say that I held high my list upon open palms and allowed His Spirit to blow away the extraneous items like chaff. I did not. My flesh fought hard to justify why each thing just ‘had’ to be done, that this was what ‘good ____ (Christians, mothers homesteaders…) did’. And yet…I kept hearing Him say, ‘I never gave you that. I never gave you that, either. As a matter of fact, I never gave you that, that, that, or that… Only one thing is needful. Only. One.’

Exactly how does one wage war against a still small voice?

Spiritually I had become deaf, dumb, and blind in many areas. But once again, His grace made a way for me to come home. I experienced the truth of Acts 3:19 anew, ‘Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord’. Peace and rest in Him are beautiful things. Recently I’ve learned they are the only things.

Now you know where I have been. I wish it didn’t take so long for the Lord to get through to me each time, but I’ll take that over not getting through any time. I’ll be explaining in more detail some of what Father has shown me recently, and hopefully, some of the lifestyle changes I am making in obedience to Him. I hope you will be blessed and encouraged in the area of listening only to Him…