Thank you for those of you who had prayed for me regarding this change and my continued request for a reasonable accommodation for my managers to allow me to work, not exceeding 8 hours per shift. Please keep me in your prayers and thank you from my heart for remembering.
When it comes to worries, it’s still not easy to not somehow get a little anxious when faced with a new challenge. My priority was always to care for my family as I had enjoyed being off on weekdays. I was able to keep the house, cook more nutritious meals, prepare lunches for my husband and son, and just be there to drop off or pick up my child to and from school. But now, things will change. Priorities will definitely change.
As I had a quiet time with the Lord tonight after dinner, I had been at peace about this change since the last few days. I know that everything has a purpose in Him. As I consulted Him about this change, He reminded me how pressures, demands, or tasks can assault our schedules. Somehow, we tend to run out of energy and time in the long run. Until there is little to give from our part. Everything is a rush! And the truth is….we often leave behind those priorities that truly matter the most.
I have been working weekend nights enjoying this schedule and same agenda for many years. And now with this change, it’s actually awesome that the Lord is bringing me back to reflect on what should matter the most in my heart. Being off on the weekends now, I can truly give priorities to Him as number 1 and secondly, I will actually enjoy my time more with my family as my husband is always off on the weekends. How often I talked about the Lord in my previous posts, and yet I somehow put Him and categorized Him as one of my “to-do” lists.
God showed me the short book of Haggai to reflect more about Him. Centuries ago, Haggai, the prophet, challenged God’s people to set and do the right priorities. The people of Judah were exiled to Babylon and Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed. Under Cyrus, the king of Persia, the Jews were allowed to return to Judah and rebuild their Temple.
Through Haggai, the Lord said, “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins? This is what the Lord Almighty says: Consider how things are going for you! You have planted much but harvested little. You have food to eat, but not enough to fill you up. You have wine to drink, but not enough to satisfy your thirst. You have clothing to wear, but not enough to keep you warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!” – Haggai 1:6 [LAB]
How true that Haggai’s message still applies for us today! We put our energies into those things that do not give back any value to us. But if we put God first, He provides for all of our needs and sometimes, it’s more than we can handle.
“Take courage and work, for I am with you, says the Lord Almighty.” Haggai 2:4
God is truly with us with that wonderful promise!
As this new schedule begins, I know I must set my priorities on returning to the Lord. Putting Him number 1 in my life. It’s time to work. It’s time to not allow these changes bother me, but it’s time for me to be the one to make changes. At home. At my workplace. With church family. With those I meet anywhere. Even through this blog land. God wants to change the world. Through me. Through you.
It's time to rebuild this temple [my heart] and make it beautiful by making His presence known.
