Being a twenty-something, part 1

As I am over the half way point through my twenties, I decided to look back and make a list for all those who are coming up, heading through, or moving out of the twenty-something title.

Twenty-something MUST do list:

·         Go to college
·         Always learn, even after college
·         Travel
·         Listen
·         Take care of your health / body
·         Start saving for retirement
·         Find a mentor or mentors
·         Read the bible
·         Figure out what type of person you want to marry
·         Decide where you want to live
·         Find a church, become a member
·         Figure out what you believe

Over the next few days I am going to break these down, but I wanted to give you time to sit, stew and think before I write my opinion. Hopefully we can create some amazing dialogue and learn from each other. 

Tha path I try to follow

1. John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
2. Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God
3. 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness
4. Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
5. Acts 4:12 "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved."
6. Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness
7. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
8. Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.
9. Philippians 4:8 8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Amazing love

Genesis 29:20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

For more WFW visit the Internet Cafe Devotions

Defining me

I have been blogging for almost six months and have decided to define who I am in the blog world.
So here it goes folk, hold onto your bloomers!

Twenty-something girl, seeking God, the truth, happiness and overflowing joy into all who touch her life. Honest, creative and willing to learn, change and grow in my relationships with God, my husband, family and new & old friends. 

A list

Today I:

• Am so tired, the raging thunderstorms kept me up since about 1am, probably got 3 or 4 hours of sleep total. On the bright side, no one was hurt, even though there were some funnels and touch-downs sighted

• Big changes at work. Someone is leaving. I am stressed and at the end of my rope. Even with the co-worker putting in the two weeks they do not recognize that we are over worked and stress out. I wonder how soon before the next person jumps ship. Not sure what is going to happen the 1^st week she is gone. Chaos is all I can imagine. Restructuring is going to be a must, but I am not sure how much more I can take

• I am at the end of my rope. I feel like crying more often than smiling, work is turning my soul black. I am not cut out for the stress and negativity. Even though I am “good” at my job I do not feel it is where God is calling me to be.

• I am praying. God is working, something good is going to happen. A friend was kinda in the same situation, God provided. I have faith.

                          "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Venom and Song

Book Description:

Now in the strange realm of Allyra, the Seven young lords confront a traitor in their midst, a creature-infested forest, teenage fears and doubts, inexplicable mysteries . . . and the Spider King himself.

In a rigorous training program that makes boot camp look like Disneyland, the Seven must quickly learn to harness their own powers, work as one, and elude the Spider King’s spies. But as the ancient Berinfell Prophecies are revealed, the Seven soon discover their training might not be enough. To stop the Spider King they must also unravel the secrets of the Rainsong, travel to a creepy, trap-infested fortress to find the legendary keystone, and lead the Berinfell Elves in an attack on the Spider King’s own turf. An epic adventure with powerful messages about true strength, forgiveness, and working together as one body that will grab the attention of intermediate readers.


I had a rougher time reading Venom and Song. Since I had not read the 1^st book in the series it was so full of characters and adventure that I was compelely confused. I basis of the story was great and I believe that if

I had read the first book in the series I would have enjoyed it thoroughly. A couple of my friends are teachers and were very excited about the series. They said that their students would love the book. I am definitely going to pass it on! I think kids who love Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter will love this series.

I added some photos on my Photography Blog! Check them out!

Missie's Shutter

I'm off

I am heading home to attend my brother’s wedding! He is marrying, Nikki, and she is super fun. I am very excited to call her my sister-in-law!

As well as attending their wedding I am also their photographer! I love shooting weddings because you get to be an intimate part of the day, spending alone moments with the couple and see the love and joy on their special day!  

Here are some shots from their engagement session at Munsinger Gardens in St. Cloud, Minnesota!

See you on Sunday! I will be working on editing the session, but I am sure I will be bursting with some images to share!

WFW

For more Word Filled Wednesday visit the Internet Devotion Cafe

I can totally relate

I was reading through Judges last night and man did I feel like I stepped into Gideon’s shoes more times than one! After hearing from God he asked God to prove himself…he asked for a sign. I don’t know how many times I have gotten down on my knees and begged for a sign.

^{Judges 6:17} Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. ¹⁸ Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you."
      And the LORD said, "I will wait until you return."

But the Lord was patient. He understood that Gideon was faltering, but loved him enough to wait and provide the sign Gideon needed.

 ²⁰ The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And Gideon did so. ²¹ With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared. ²² When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, "Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!"

Wow! Can you imagine, straight from God, a sign? Fire flared from the rock! I am pretty dense sometimes and definitely don’t have an unfaltering faith all the time, so man, I was a little jealous of Gideon. I wanted this amazing sign from God.

But then, Gideon wanted more. This didn’t really surprise me. I think I probably would have wanted more clear signs when God was telling me to bust up an idol that the people worship incessantly. Gideon knew there was going to be an angry mob with pitchforks coming his way.

So again, Gideon asked God for a sign that he was meant to save Israel.

 ³⁶ Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised- ³⁷ look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said." ³⁸ And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.

God provided the sign. No dew anywhere but on the fleece. That is pretty amazing when you think of the amount of due every morning!
But it wasn’t enough. Gideon asked God one more time, knowing that he was pressing his limits.

 ³⁹ Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew." ⁴⁰ That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

God provided another miracle, another blazing neon sign showing Gideon that he was all-powerful and in charge. Sadly enough, a lot of the times one sign isn’t enough for us, or we honestly don’t even see the ones around us daily. Faith is hard, and being called to a mission for God is scary. I can totally understand how Gideon was feeling. I so badly want to have a physical presence that I forgot to look around me at the people, things and spiritual signs God puts directly in my path to help me know that he is near.

My first blogging award!

Wow! I feel so honored! I recieved my first blog award today from Sheri @ I'm just saying! Thank you so much Sheri!

It comes with a few "strings" attached, but nothing I can't handle!

1.  Thank and link back to the person that gave you the award.

2.  Share 7 things about your self.

3.  Pass the award to 9 fellow bloggers that inspire you.

4.  Let them know about the award. :-)

So here to goes - 7 things about myself

1. I love photography! You rarely ever see me without my camera and I think I see more of the world through the lens than through my own eyes! I am trying to get my photography business going more too!

2. I love cooking, but I really wish I have more skills in the kitchen. 

3. I have always wondered what it would have been like to become a pastry chef, I might take some classes to fulfill my desire

4. I have lots of ambition but am lazy too often! I need to kick my butt into gear!

5. My family rocks and I love spending time with them. In college I took them for granted, but I have learned how amazing they are and how quickly time goes!

6. My blog has created an amazing passion in me to grow, learn and desire more. I love learning more about God, writing more and learning more about the web. 

7. I love my hubby, I am a newlywed and still learning, but I know that if my hubby and I put in the work, love each other more than anything else, we will make it through the long haul! 

And now - 9 bloggers who inspire me! Check out their pages if you are not yet followers, you won't be sorry!

Nic @ As my world turns

      Nic is awesome. She is honest, wholesome and devoted to the Lord through thick and thin!

Beth @ A work in Progress

     Beth is awesome! She is funny, kind-hearted and dedicated! I feel like I have gotten to know her so much in the last few months!

Lauren @ Living by Faith

     Lauren is so full of wisdom and she has such a dedicated heart for God. She is also working on adoption! 

Ashley @ Nicholson Photography

      Ashley does great work and she does it for the Lord!

Sue @ To Thither & Whither
       Sue and I went to college together! She is super funny and an awesome writer!
Jenny @ Life after Yes
       I just recently found Jenny's blog and I can totally relate! We are both newlyweds and are reading through the bible together with the 90 day bible challenge!
Alisa @ Faith Imagined
       Man! This girl rocks! She is a constant testimony to the love of our Lord. Her words sink deep into your soul!
Cassandra @ Adventist Homemaker
       Cassandra is my 90 day mentor! It is awesome getting to know her through her blog and knowing that she is praying for me!
Hannah @ Life as we know it
       Hannah and I were friends in middle school and have recently reconnected through Facebook, blogging and Wildtree! She is awesome and has a fabulous family!

Thanks again Sheri for the award!

This Week's Meal Plan

I am horrible at meal planning. I often look up recipes at work and run to the grocery store almost every day. I have seen a few bloggers posting their weekly meal plans and I thought it was a great idea! Not only will I save time and probably save less money, but I will hopefully stick to the plan and work on my weight loss plan as well.

I am really starting this week to try to follow the Belly Fat Cure guidelines. It is 15 grams of sugar a day and 6 servings of carbohydrates a day. Working on higher protein and less sugar intake!

Monday:
B - Poached eggs and toast
L - Subway Veggie Delite Sandwich with ranch
D- Scallops with citrus and Quinoa

Tuesday
B - poached eggs with toast
L- Salad with ranch dressing
D- Mexican Lasagna

Wednesday
B- poached eggs and toast
L -Lean Cuisine Meatloaf with gravy & whipped potatoes
D-Belly Fat Cure (BFC) Cookbook Pepper Fiesta Shrimp

Thursday
B- Poached eggs and toast
L - Lean Cuisine Alfredo pasta with chicken and broccoli
D - BFC Tantalizing Taco Salad

Friday
B - Poached eggs and toast
L - Lean Cuisine Meatloaf with gravy & whipped potatoes
D - Groom's dinner fare - will make sure to stick with low carb, low-sugar foods

Dragons of Starlight

I love fantasy books, new worlds, epic adventures. I dig them. When I heard about this book and its rave reviews I literally ran out the door to Barnes and Nobel before we left for the lake. Thank goodness the store had the book, I would have been devastated!

So, on to the good stuff. Starlighter is the first book in the Dragons of Starlight series by Bryan Davis. It was amazing, full of adventure, new plants, legends and dragons.

The dragons have capture humans to help with the tasks that require five nimble fingers. The dragons have their own language and can speak English as well.

The humans on both the plants Starlight and Darkosphere have legends about how they came to be, but it has been so long ago, and there is so much conspiracy that neither planet know exactly what to believe.

Jason, on the human planet, believes that the lost ones were taken to another planet and his noble and brave heart is going to help these Lost Ones no matter how dangerous.

Koren on the dragon plant is finding out more and more about her talents and she so longs to be free of the slavery. She is deemed a Starlighter, but her free-spirit, compassion and highly opinionated personality gets her into a lot of trouble.

I am very excited for the next book in the series.It appears, according to Amazon, the 2nd book will be out in January. This book would make a great movie as well!

Sharing a secret

OK, well, not really a secret, because my family is always willing to share, but it is a super special family recipe, so it is almost like a well kept secret!
As I am getting ready to go to the cabin for the weekend I browned some hamburger and got the taco salad sauces ready, I decided that this recipe needs to be shared! With you of course!

This taco salad is fabulous! It is a staple in our family, every potluck and family gathering, front and center. My husband was so surprised to watch as all family members, extended and immediate, took spoonful after spoonful of the salad. I could eat taco salad every day! It is SO tasty! Our friends even ask for it whenever they come over to the house or church is having a potluck.

Taco Salad
Ingredients: 
1lb ground meat
1 pkg taco seasoning mix (or make homemade taco seasoning!)
1 head lettuce
1 tomato, chopped
1 c. shredded lettuce
1/4 c. chopped onion
3/4 c. ketchup
3/4 c. Miracle Whip
3/4 c. Ortega taco sauce
1 bag taco chips (Doritos), crushed


Brown ground beef. Drain. Add taco seasoning mix per directions on package. Refrigerate until cool. Chop lettuce. Add tomato, onion and cheese. Stir in cooled taco meat. Mix ketchup, Miracle Whip and taco sauce. Just before serving, add taco chips and sauce to the lettuce mixture. Stir and serve.

So near #b90days

For more WFW visit Internet Cafe Devotions!

Can't hide nothin' #B90days

Sometimes it is so easy to just pretend we didn't sin, or to bury it and never think of it again, bring it to our graves, so to speak. 


It is also way to easy to just lie about the sin, pile layers of sin onto of each other to keep the fact that there even was an original sin from coming to the surface.


But, there is one BIG problem with hiding sin. We have a God who is a lot bigger than the sin. 
Take this gem of wisdom from Joshua 7:11-12

Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. ¹² That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

The Lord send the Israelites into Jericho (awesome story, btw) and told them to give all the valuables to the Lord's treasury. A certain someone, aka, Achan, decided that he loved a robe, some silver and some gold so much that he would bury it in his tent. 

Joshua brought all the families together and asked them "My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and give him the praise. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it."

Achan confuses that he stole a robe, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold. He buried the silver and then the gold in his tent. 

When the stolen good were found Achan was stoned to death. They made a living memorial of his sin by heaping rocks on top of the body. 

We cannot hide out sin. God knew that Achan had sinned, and his sin hurt more than just Achan, it also caused the people not to win their battle with the city of Ai. Once the sin was confessed the Israelites were able to win the city of Ai with the Lord's help. 

Despicable Me

Last night my wonderful hubby took me to Despicable Me! I have wanted to see this movie since the first preview during Up.
It was fabulous! Lots of giggle and a heartfelt ending! I totally recommend it to all families!
The premise of the movie is this villain who is not achieving his villainish activities up to par. A new villain steal the entire pyramid and Gru needs to prove that he is bigger and better.
Along the way three super cute little orphan girls come into the picture...and into Gru's life. They come from two very different viewpoints and cause a lot of hilarity!
The cutest part of the movie is definitely the mob on minions! I want a secret basement full of them!
So head out to the theaters! I loved the movie! It is playing in both 3D and 2D!

Walk in all the way

Deuteronomy 5:32-33
So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess

As I am reading through Deuteronomy I am amazed at the hope that comes from this book. God really wants his people to know that he does love them, and if they (we) follow him we will prosper.
It is amazing how the bible can still seem so relevant in the nowadays. We are still on a journey and often fall off the path, going to the right or the left, instead of staying on track with God. We are learning, God is guiding, we are often not listening, but when we do, God leads us on a path that brings us closer to him.

Get Active

Although I am out of town for the weekend visiting the in-laws, I wanted to share my Product Sample Saturday quickly!
I purchased EA Active for my Wii a few weeks ago and I love it. It feel like a "real" workout and, unline Wii Fit, it goes through a whole workout so you don't have to constantly go back to the main screen and pick the next workout.
I was actually sore after the first workout, and I found that it definately makes a huge difference if you wear shoes!
Plus, I have a really hard time running outside, but with the active I have run for at least 5 minutes straight. It is kinda fun watching my like "avatar" running on the virtual track.
EA Active costs about $59.99.

Follow and reap

Numbers 32:11 

'Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of the men twenty years old or more who came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-  not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the LORD wholeheartedly.

For a long time I believe that the Bible was hard to understand. I couldn't understand what I was supposed to do, or maybe I didn't want to understand. But, in the past couple of years I have really worked on reading the Bible and working on my relationship with God. 

This verse really hit home as I was reading through Numbers last night. The Israelites did not follow God, they constantly doubted him, constantly asked for more and more, constantly rebelled and disobeyed. 

Because they chose not to follow God, to walk by faith, even when they didn't understand, they missed out on what God promised them. They had to wander around the desert for more than some of their life times. Man, life would have been so much easier if they just did what they were told. 

It is easy to criticize when I am sitting here reading the book many, many, many years later. But this story plays out today, God still cares for us, gives us his word and wants us to follow his path so that we will reap his promises. 

It is laid out pretty clearly - follow him wholeheartedly and you will be given God's promised land. 

Angry God?

Numbers 18-20

¹⁸ "Tell the people: 'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The LORD heard you when you wailed, "If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!" Now the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat it. ¹⁹ You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, ²⁰ but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it—because you have rejected the LORD, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?" ' "

About a year ago I read an article in Relevant magazine where a Christian guy decided to read the bible and blog about it for a year (quite like I am doing). During this year he decided that God was angry, full of rage, mean and not worth following. He ended up becoming an atheist at the end of the project.

While reading Numbers last night I could only think about how completely off base this guy was. Yes, God was angry at the Israelites, but man, they were whiny and selfish people. I couldn’t help but wonder if would have been so much easier to have total faith when Moses spoke directly to God and God’s cloud led his people.

I know then and there, it must have been different, but it definitely gives me perspective on grumbling towards the Lord today. He listened to his people and even though he was highly frustrated with them, he listened.

I know I have so much and have been blessed with so much, but man is it easy to grumble when I don’t get the next best thing or totally disregard my blessings when others have so much less and know that God is good to them.

This blogger only chose to see the moments when God’s anger flared, he didn’t see the moments when God stopped to save Lot and his family because of Abraham’s request. He didn’t see how he listened each time Moses begged him for help because the people were being so unrespectful and whiny.

God listens, God was there. Yes, there are times that people died because they disobeyed God, but they were given instructions and warnings, but they chose to not follow him. If I was God I would have been angry too, luckily we have a God that forgives as well.

Our God, His people

For more WFW visit Internet Cafe Devotions

The Sabbath Year

Leviticus 25:1-7

 ¹ The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, ² "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath to the LORD. ³ For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. ⁴ But in the seventh year the land is to have a Sabbath of rest, a Sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. ⁵ Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest. ⁶ Whatever the land yields during the Sabbath year will be food for you—for yourself, your manservant and maidservant, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you, ⁷ as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten.

The Lord called the people of Moses to work for six years and the just “rest” the seventh year. They were to give the land a rest and to live off whatever the land produced on its own.

This blew my mind. What faith to just stop working, just stop farming, to just rest for an entire year.
I don’t think I would survive an entire year of rest; I would be awful skinny from lack of food.

These people had faith, they listened to the Lord and knew that he would provide. They were not scared by this request, like I was; they just knew everything would be ok.

I feel like I am at a crossroads at work, and I feel like a lack of faith is holding me back. I am trying to make all the decisions instead of having faith that God will provide. I know He hears my call.

I took off a few hours tomorrow morning to have a set-aside appointment with God. I am going to talk a bit, but mostly, I am going to listen. I feel like I either need to turn away from my current location and find something new, or I just need to make a decision that this is where I am going to stay and I am to stop complaining. I really hope God brings me clarity. Instead of being scared of what the future holds, I need to trust that God is there.

Fully depending on God is so so scary, but the Israelites left their homes and wandered around the desert, they followed God and knew that he would provide for them. Not saying it wasn’t a struggle for them at times, as well, but for the most part, they knew that during the Sabbath year they would be give food, nourishment and hope.

The world around me

As a photographer who loves nature and landscape photography I am always on the lookout for the next amazing picture. It just blows my mind that God created the ground we walk on, the animals we see (and those we don’t), the oceans, the sky, and the trees. Amazing!

Sometimes I am just blown away but my surroundings…I stand in awe of creation. I have been blessed to see quite a bit of the United States and some of Germany, Thailand and Malaysia. I really want to see everything, in person. Photos, ironically, are not enough for me. I want to travel everywhere, smell the smells, hear the sounds, meet the people and then, take the picture.

The first day of the 90 day reading challenge is the beginning of creation. It just blows my mind; it is written so simply, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” So, there it is. So simple, so concrete. 6 days and then we have this amazing world to live in, to experience.

I want to know more, I want to see more. I want to see God creating the mountains; I want to feel his excitement, his talent. I want to be there when he designs the animals, paints the clouds.  

This would be an amazing movie folks. Get Michael Bay and James Cameron together and we could have a movie that rivals all others EVER! God creating the earth is so passed over; we pay more attention to the Transformers and Avatar movies than what is outside our front door. We take for granted the hills, valley, trees, plains, lakes and oceans. They were created for us. The air is made up of the exact amount of chemicals we need to breathe. We are perfectly away from the sun so we can survive. This is AMAZING people! So I want everyone to see how God made it, I want more than the bible can give; I want to see God in action. I am excited to get to be in His presence, to learn more and more every day.

This is just the beginning of the challenge, but I already feel God pulling me closer. You still have time to join us; there are over 300 bloggers who are going on this epic adventure of reading through the bible, cover to cover, in 90 days. Check out Mom’s Toolbox for more information and to join up.

Twitter users the hash tag is #B90days. Monday nights are check in and discussion, feel free to join is! I created a list on my Twitter if you want some more access to other readers!

Shadow Sunday

Happy Fourth of July Friends! I hope you have an explosively fun weekend! 

Check out the blog next week for some fun 4th of July pictures!

For more Shadow Sunday visit Hey Harriet

Product Sample Saturday!

Today I wanted to introduce you to my Favorite Wildtree products (well, a few of my favorites, there are TONS). I have been selling Wildtree for a while now and I can't tell you how much I love the products and I love even more that I am eating all natural, no preservative foods.

Here are a few of the products I use weekly!

Taco Seasoning

Super tasty! And you can name off all the ingredients! I could totally eat tacos every day!





Scampi Blend

Garlicy goodness! I use this all the time! Chicken, roasted potatoes, roasted asparagus and even sprinkled on popcorn! Love it!







Meatloaf Mix

This meatloaf rocks! I finally can make meatloaf that stays in a loaf! I love it so much I crave the cold meatloaf sandwiches!






Grapeseed Oil

Healthier than Olive Oil, light and great with anything! I'm in love!








Guacamole Mix

This is a HUGE hit when we have friends over! I always make double because it goes so fast!

Ok, I could keep going all day, but you get the point! 

Interested in Wildtree? Check out the catalog, I promise you won't be disappointed!

Wildtree 2009 Catalog

Praying for an overflowing cup

Every day I go into work lately it feels like a struggle. I can only hope that my co-workers decided to “wake up on the right side of the bed” rather than the “wrong side.”

I have written about work before, and like most jobs, there are good and bad days. It just seems like a whole lot have been bad lately than good.

I cross my fingers that I won’t get angry looks, won’t be scared to ask a question because I am not sure how my co-workers will react.

Stress…I feel like I have to walk on eggshells. And it is tiring. Last night I cried myself to sleep, praying, pleading that God would show me what to do. After an extremely rough month end I found myself not wanting to go into work today.

Crabbiness, complaining, whining and negativity are like infectious diseases. They spread. And no matter how hard I try to be positive, to laugh off the crazy loan officers and to be understanding when others make mistakes, the diseased attitudes out way any positivity I can possibly create.

I know there probably is no real change unless I either decide to change jobs or my co-workers finally jump ship. I love them on the good days, but on the bad days I want to scream. I don’t understand some reasoning. 

I wish I could just show them that there are better ways to deal with stress. Venting helps sometimes, but seriously swearing, yelling, crying constantly, that cannot be good for a person.

I feel like I could do good at work, but something has to start giving soon or I am going to be destroyed from the inside out. No matter how I try to have a hard shell, I am an emotional person. I have a hard time staying strong, staying positive, and not letting the negativity in.

I am going to keep praying and try to stay positive. I do want to make a difference at my work place. I feel like I can do good, but after 3 years it has only seemed to go downhill.

My mom told me last night that everyone is negative and you will never find co-workers who enjoy their job. I do not want to believe that.

My friend’s dad tells her, “Once you find a job you love you will never work another day in your life.”

This I agree with. So for now, my job is to get people into their dream houses and to show my co-workers that having a relationship with God and depending on His strength will ease the stress, release the burdens and help me to stay joyful when it feels like my cup is empty.