This is the picture on my desktop right now. I love the sincerity of innocence and love that Em's face reveals just in the mere priviledge of holding her new baby brother. Anyway, I just wanted to share with you what pops up on my screen every time I start my computer.

Tonight we had some dear new friends over to our house. It was really refreshing to read the Word with others, share our hearts of what we desire in our walks with God, and to pray together. As stressful as the hospital was at times, it was very quiet late at night for Bible study and prayer. Also, with so many visitors everyday, we had times of prayer with other people on a regular basis...so, coming home to the three of us and "to do" lists and busyness, sitting at God's feet tonight with others who desired the same was a bit more like going back to the hospital, but in a good way.
I can't tell you how much it encouraged my heart! You see, today I spent the day organizing. A girl from church who has an organizing business (I highly recommend her!) came over to help me get rolling on the many tasks we have on our plates in order to sell our house. (Yes, Jason and I actually felt like we were going to move over a year ago and then Noah was born, so we are waiting on God to see if this is the season or not...) Anyway, my goal is to get our house to a point where we can show it and not have clutter and overflow. I'm getting rid of things, packing things, and rearranging other things so the house looks as cute as can be. So, back to studying God's Word, well, my mind was a little overwhelmed, not by the process, but by how much more I still have to do and how much "stuff" we've accumulated since we moved in here 5 years ago. It was actually very helpful to have another person's perspective and eye regarding organizing, but it was a big reminder of my ever increasing "to do" list. I was annoyed that I was annoyed with all the "stuff and things" I was even investing in organizing! Thankfully Jen understood because she's recently been to Africa and gained tremendous perspective in this area (which is why she started her business...cool, huh?) Later, I started to get really crusty and Jason informed Emily that the tension coming from me was so thick he could cut it...He then proceded to define different emotions and what thick meant and I couldn't help but think it might be a few more years before Em comprehended what the heck her dad was talking about...Anyway, I realized I had allowed the enemy of my heart a foothold today to distract my heart from looking forward to fellowshipping with like believers. Realization is half the battle, so then I prayed and felt a lot more peace. As soon as friends started coming to the door and we started sharing our hearts, I knew that satan had intended to steal my joy, as he does yours and yours and yours everyday, so I just told him to BACK OFF!

So, I want to encourage you...if you are having a crusty day, just know God did not intend for it, but the thief who hates your guts! He likes it when we're crusty and gets a kick out of it when we're impatient with our kids/spouses/friends/strangers because our agendas aren't being met. Tell him to BACK OFF and then, READ THE BIBLE OUT LOUD! Now, that may sound strange, but in college when I'd try to read my Bible, I'd always get distracted. I finally realized that satan hated it when I read the Bible, so, I got pretty bold and said, "Okay, devil, if you want to hang out here so badly, I'm reading my Bible. Here is what it says about me and here is what it says about YOU! Any questions?!" I call it, "Story Time for satan." Let me tell you, he stops bugging you immediately because he HATES God's Word with a passion, but not only that, he HATES it most when you not only read it but you BELIEVE it! Read on...