exhilarating but difficult journey

"But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour..." Isaiah 43:1-3

Life was not meant to be easy. It is a continuous and strenuous effort against opposition. Here we are told the we will have many trials, but through them all God will be with us. We need not be alone.

Each day I struggle with many things namely procrastination, reactivity, and matching my productive capabilities with my need to produce. Since I have many choices each day that are significant and positive, I need to set my priorities. It's hard to not let my emotional baggage get in the way of things of eternal significance. I don't do the "best" things, because they don't seem as urgent as my current three alarm fire. I must get it through my mind that my duties to God and my family must not be delayed.
"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God: Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;" Colossians 1:10-11

"Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." 2 Peter 3:17-18

Learning to rely on God, perform good works, studying scripture daily, learning charity and joy, staying on guard against the adversary, and accepting my weaknesses before God, I can grow in my production capabilities and joy factor. Worrying endlessly about things I cannot control does not help me to particularly increase productivity.

"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:" 1 Peter 1:7

I have seen much success in my life by embracing this idea. Anything worth doing is hard. It is joyfully hard to raise a family or build a strong marriage. Doing anything that is perceived different or out of the norm, like following Jesus Christ or being a homemaker is hard and a little lonely. But it seems to me that these hard things make life happier and more fulfilling.

As a young mother, I lived in a community and time when being a SAHM was perceived as a worthless pursuit. In fact it was considered the only thing a "stupid"woman could do. Even my own parents and daughters were quite vocal about my "lazy" choice. I didn't stay home to play with my children, care for my man, and keep my home, because it was the only thing of which I was capable. It was a intelligent and conscious career choice. Why would I have children to let someone else raise and influence them?

Now that my children are raised, my biggest struggle is to not allow myself to become lonely. I learned my job so well that I became a very orderly and efficient homemaker. I learned different ways to interact with people quite foreign to the way I was raised. I learned to be frugal. I loved my job. Now in mid-life, I've been forced into retirement. Thankfully, I still have my husband and home to care for. I still love to do this job. Although homemaking doesn't take all my time anymore, I don't think my new phase in life will find me out in the greater work force. I've taken this problem to the Lord so he can help me figure it out.

I'm not really sure where I'll be in the next five or ten years. God and I are still negotiating this next part of my life. I do know that whatever it is, I will still stay on the path He has designed for eternal families. I also know from past experience that it will be an exhilarating but difficult journey. I hope I'm ready for it.