Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Sharing and Caring

These fall days have been abundantly full to overflowing. 
There is school to be done, 
firewood to get (10 cord!)
hunter's safety to be done for Joe,
canning to be accomplished, 
and a slew of ailing friends to be visited and cared for.  


The Lord is teaching me about caring for our community of friends.
Honestly, I can get so absorbed in my own family life 
that at times the rest of the world can go right on by without me giving a sideways glance.
  After my own illness, I became very aware of just how much a helping hand means 
when you are just unable to manage, 
or how encouraging and helpful a get well card or a meal sent over
   when one is discouraged by illness can be.

The Bible is full of admonishing words to care for one another, 
 bear one another's burdens, show kindness, and to put others above yourself. 
As I prayed about becoming more servant oriented outside my family,
as an extension of our family, the Lord provided abundant opportunities, 
as friend after friend became sick, had surgery, or just needed encouraged. 

 During this time, I have realized how handy it would be
to have some canned chicken stock on hand 
to put together a quick homemade soup 
perfect to take over to a neighbor when they become ill. 


Now every time we cook a bird, I throw the carcass in a bag 
and add to a pile accumulating in the freezer.  
In a few more weeks we will have a nice big batch of stock to be made and canned
 or, more accurately, have Anna can.

The tricky thing about reaching out beyond my 4 walls is keeping life balanced. 
I swing from over doing it, to not doing anything all too quickly. 
But I am determined to keep trying until I find a balance that works. 
As a mom of many, by the time I take care of people and things here at the lodge, 
sharing my time with others basically means that any down time I had is given to them.
  This week rest and margin has been slim. 
Sometimes I think it is just how it needs to be. 
We need to stretch ourselves, to give sacrificially. 
If it is not sacrificial, is it really giving? 
On such occasions, we have the opportunity to walk by faith,
and do what we are led to do even when it doesn't make sense,
 trusting the Lord to take care of us.

"And if you draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; 
then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:
  And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought,
and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, 
and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." Isaiah 58:10-11.


4 comments:

  1. Love this post....

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts...

    Deanna

    ReplyDelete
  2. What an encouragement! I tend to pull away and tend to my family alone wayyy too often. I have such a hard time being a good friend; I'm really still learning. The sad part is that my family is pretty small - just my husband and myself. *sigh* I think I'm afraid of being hurt. (Teach me, Lord, to love without expectations or conditions!)

    Thank you for sharing this. I don't know what I would do without some of my online Christian sisters (haha)!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I know as I have gotten older how much God has impressed upon my heart the importance of getting out and helping others even if it's just to visit.....The days can be long when you are up in age and no one comes to see you! Love your post! Love your blog! Blessings to you and yours!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you Julianne for sharing. I think many Mothers struggle with the same balance in their lives. Our families needs are our most important tasks we need to take care of first. My oldest sister in-law (former Nun), used to tell me when I was young raising my 5 children; "Charity starts at home", when I became out of balance and tried to do too much outside of my home. I think the Lord wants us to reach out to our community too, but not at the expensive or our little ones at home, who we are training up to serve the Lord. I like the idea of saving the chicken carcasses to make chicken stock later to take to your community friends when they are sick! Great ministry out of your abundance. God Bless you and I hope you are feeling better. Gina

    ReplyDelete

Your comments and input are very much appreciate
- Blessings!
Julianne

Living Counter Cultural: Femininity

Popular culture has a decidedly feminist bent.  Recent movies, tv shows and prominent women  are displaying heroins as   to...