On Being Patient

Patience. A quality that I want to posses desperately, but I don't want to go through the rigors of cultivating it. Patience takes time and I'd rather have it be instant. Even if it completely defeats the purpose.

Waiting kind of stinks. But, here's the thing, we have a God who enjoys waiting. He loves the process that our very human hearts fight against. We long for the waiting to be over and He finds delight in the journey. We want the desires of our hearts to be satisfied. Right. Now. But God is more than willing to wait for the perfect moment.

I was spending some time in Psalm 37 yesterday and the constant reminder to wait was being pushed into my mind. Psalm 37 is most well-known for it's fourth verse:

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

But, I feel like the real gold in this Psalm is found in the rest of it's verses. It's found in the little commandments laced throughout the Psalm. In fact, the psalm starts with two words:

Fret not.

In modern-day language that means "stop worrying." At the beginning of this psalm David is reminding the readers/singers (and maybe even himself) to not worry. Why? Because he is oh so acquainted with how the human heart lends itself to worry and anxiety. Especially in the midst of waiting for the desires in our hearts to be fulfilled.

The rest of the psalm continues with phrases much like the first:

"Trust in the Lord."

"Be still"

"Wait patiently"

"Fret not"

"Turn away from evil"

"Do good"

"Wait for the Lord"

The Psalm is a reminder that waiting is a necessity in the life of a believer. But, instead of treating it like a necessary evil, we should delight in it. We should not worry, but instead wait patiently. Even when it looks like wickedness is coming against us, even when it seems as though we can come up with a much better solution than Him. We wait.

We wait on the Lord. For what He has planned at the end of the waiting is far better than anything we can come up with in the midst of it. 

So, beloved, wait on the Lord. Be still. Don't try to strive to make things happen in your life. Delight yourself in the Lord, wait for Him, and He will give you the desires of your heart. 

Enjoy the journey.

DIY: Paper-Clips Turned Bookmarks

In case you haven't realized, I absolutely love the dollar section at Target. There are so many wonderful things hidden there for only a dollar! Back in December, I snatched quite a few cute things from there and among them were these adorable tab-makers. You know, the kind you use to save your page in a book, textbook, or Bible. I added them to my basket because I thought they would look adorable in my new planner, bur last night I had an idea.

I love using things like this to hold my place in my Bible or other book I'm reading at the time, but after a while of use two things happen: one, the paper looses it's stickiness (yes, that's totally a word) and, two, the papers start to get all crumpled and not very pretty looking. To fix the loss of stickiness, I decided to use a paperclip and to combat the impending ugliness, I came up with this:

Tape.

Clear, packing tape to be exact. So, basically I faux-laminated these little guys and turned them into "bookmarks" that will last much longer than your average sticky note. Plus, I think they're pretty stinkin' cute, too.

What I used:

- Page Flags from Target

- Packing Tape (I'm not sure what Brand it is, but any tape that's heavy-duty and clear would be perfect!)

- Paperclips

- Scissors

How I did it:

First, I laid a long piece of tape sticky-side up on my desk and placed the little flags on top. The only thing you want to make sure when putting these little guys on the tape is that the tape doesn't wrinkle. Otherwise, it'll make a funny little bump. Other than that, it's pretty easy!

 

Second, I put a second piece of tape over the top. Don't worry if the tape lines up perfectly on the edges or not because you're just going to cut the edges off anyways. Just watch out for those pesky wrinkles (;

Third, I cut out the flags so that there was the tiniest border of tape left around them, but you can do whatever you think looks best.

 

Fourth, I cut off just a thin piece of the packing tape and slide it into the paperclip. Basically, what you're doing here is making the paperclip able to attach to the flag, but still be able to open and hold your page. So, make sure that you don't just lay the tape over the top, or else the paperclip would not be able to open.

Fifth, attach the paperclip to the flag. I put mine almost all of the way down to the side without the detail cut-out. The farther towards the middle you place the paperclip, the less of your bookmark will show when you use it.

That's it!


Now you have cute little pager markers that will stick around longer than a sticky-note. (Pun totally intended.)

January Goals

We've made it. 2013 with it's stresses and joys has passed and we are entering into 2014. I don't know about you guys, but it feels like 2014 is going to be a good year. 2014 is my last year of college, which is both terrifying and exciting, and I feel like the year is going to bring about change. Which is also slightly terrifying.

However, as I look back on the year of 2013 I find myself wondering where it went. I can't necessarily pin-point certain moments, but instead the year looks like a giant blur. I don't want 2014 to be like that. I want this year to be a year that is savored, a year full of memories and stories that I tell for years to come. I want to take it all in this year. To not stress over the little things, to say yes to adventure, and to find rest in the day-to-day.

I'm not one to make new year's resolutions, though I do love monthly goals. But, if I had to make one, I'd say my new's resolution can be summed up in one word:

Savor.

I want to savor and dwell and enjoy 2014, no matter what it throws at me.

On that note, it's January! Snow is frequently in the forecast, I'm avoiding the putting away of Christmas decorations, and trying to eat healthier. Here's what I want to accomplish this month:

- I want to have slow, relaxing mornings. Even if that means going to bed earlier.

- I want to clean-out and organize the unfinished half of my basement.

- I want to be zealous for my quiet time.

- I want to be intentional in my relationships with others.

Alright, January, let's do this.