Day Three of Packing...

I do not have a picture to share with this blog post...but I can tell you that the trailer is about 85% full and we are praying that that means we only have 15% of our stuff left in our house, backyard and the garage. Our eyes are telling us that we might have more like 20% of stuff to fit into the truck...so tomorrow afternoon could be a bit on the interesting side!:)

Today was a bit stretching for me. If you know me well, you know that I do not like to read manuals on how to put together or work things...just tell me what to do, or I'll try to figure it out for a couple of minutes before handing the whole thing off to Bryan!:) If it is something that takes a while to figure out or put together...than, in the end, it's something I will probably never use because I won't take the time to figure it out. Is it sin to be like that? I don't think so...but I know that I have often responded sinfully when put in positions were I had to do those things! Bryan,on the other hand, is GREAT at slowly and methodically working on things, putting them together, reading the manual, etc. I am learning more and more why it is a GOOD thing to be so different! :)

Okay...so back to the stretching part! Today was a day full of very SLOW, METHODICAL thinking, planning and arranging. The truck became like a puzzle and our household goods like puzzle pieces. We moved from boxes that could be stacked nice and neat to things that did not stack so nice and neat and required much extra thinking and many extra trips up and down the truck ramp looking for just the right item to fit into just the right space. See what I mean by stretching?:) It took so much longer today to see progress than yesterday and I started to wonder if the truck would ever get packed. See...I started to respond with sinful grumbling in my heart to the situation that He had placed me in. I knew that I would not be a good helpmate to my hubby and would not honor the Lord and glorify Him where He placed me ( going into and out of the house all day!) if I didn't start preaching to myself.

And...I am trying to remember that His will for me at all times in all situations is 1 Thess. 5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks." So...here are some things I started thanking the Lord for:

1) That Bryan's back and knee had not "gone out" with all the pulling and lifting and pushing and tugging he was doing.

2) That none of us had tripped or fallen going up or down the ramp 100's of times.

3) That it was, once again, over 50 degrees today and just glorious...and it looks like God has plans to change the weather to cold and snow on Monday...after we should be all packed up!

4) That our kids had servant's hearts and were big help when we needed them...and that they played well (hockey!) when we didn't.

5)That I can still glorify that Lord and honor Him even when I am doing something that seems as "unspiritual" as loading a truck.

6)That Bryan is my husband. He is the opposite of me in almost every way and that can drive me crazy in my flesh. But he is the most precious gift from God, apart from my salvation, that I have ever received and he is the exact person that I need to help make me holy!!! He is strong where I am weak...and these last couple of days he has been a wonderful example to me...not complaining (though I know he aches and is tired) but pressing on and encouraging me to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus and take it moment by moment!

With that said, it was a very fruitful day! There is more to be done, but we have the time to do it...and prayerfully, the space as well!:)I am off to bed...which is currently a sleeping bag on an aero bed in the family room!:)

Comments

I felt like you where talking to me personally. Thank you for all the wonderful reminders of how to preach to myself and bringing glory to God before I speak. I'll be in prayer about that 15% more stuff to pack. And thank you for all the details God really uses it to help me know how I can pray for you.
Aero beds rock! I've had some of my best night's sleep on them! :0)

Thank you for sharing all that you did, Kristin! I love the thought-processes---how you realized what was going on in your heart, how you started preaching to yourself, and then how you realized all the many blessings of that day and then listed some of them! Always an encouragement to me, as very lately I've been having to do the same things myself(preaching, that is)!

There are many times I find that I'm totally acting out "in my flesh",which accomplishes absolutely no good thing. So I am SO thankful when the Lord brings to mind that I really need to be preaching to myself what is true and acting on it, rather than listening to myself grumble. And I know that God truly uses your posts like this one, in my life, to keep reminding me...

Thanks for being used of Him and sharing so freely on your blog, Kristin! :0)