Week 4--Water

Contemplations

In this week's Bible reading, I spent a lot of time in Genesis, specifically reading about the patriarchs and their families. These men are often considered "Bible heroes" and are revered for their faith and obedience. But what struck me as I read through this time, was how messed up they were. If it's been a while, go back and read over the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob's sons.

Two thoughts run through my head as I think about these men: 1) God's faithfulness and 2) my sinful heart.

It is clear from the Genesis account that these men were far from perfect. They were human just like any of us and sinned as is the way of humanity. But God chose them despite their failures because of His great love, mercy, and grace. They became great not because of their own efforts, but because the one true God who chose them made them great. Even when they were in sin, God was there repeating the covenant to them, protecting and prospering them. Does this mean God was rewarding their sin? Absolutely not! For they suffered greatly for their sins. Abraham's house was full of strife between Sarah and Hagar and his two sons, Isaac's wife and son deceived him in his old age, and Jacob had to flee from his father's house and was deceived by his uncle. And these are just some of the consequences they faced. Yet through it all, God was with them.

These very sad accounts also point out the darkness of my own heart. Unfortunately, I am all to often the Pharisee of Luke 18, "God, I thank you that I am not like other men..." I give in to the sin of self-righteousness and think of myself as better than they were. But the honest truth is that all of our hearts are "deceitful above all things" (Jer. 17:9). Without the work of the Holy Spirit in my life, made possible by the justifying work of Christ, I would be held captive by sin heading for eternal condemnation. I must daily remind myself the depths from which God saved me that I might not fall into temptation.

Habits in Progress

1. Scripture Saturation: Now that I have fully given over to the idea of breaking up my reading time into small little segments, it is a lot easier to get my Bible reading done. This week was really busy and I fell a bit behind. But last night I was able to get a lot done after the kids went to bed! I am still only two-and-a-half days behind! I'm really enjoying the Bible reading plan I chose. It's interesting how the passages sometimes seem to complement each other so well.
2. Toy Pick-Up Time: Robbie and I have both felt the relief of this one new habit! Our house has so much more order and the kids can usually find the toys they want.
3. A Hug and a Kiss: I really made an effort this week to stop what I was doing and greet Robbie with a proper hug and kiss when he came home at the end of the day. Except for one day when I was in the middle of nursing April when he arrived, I put aside my busyness to let him know how happy I was to have him home!

This Week's One New Habit

Most of my time is spent caring for my husband, my children, and my house. And that's the way it should be. I love the role God has given me and wouldn't trade it for anything! But sometimes I neglect myself. I've noticed a few areas where I need to care for myself more diligently. And I'm not talking about the world's "take time for yourself, you deserve it" care for myself. I'm talking about God's "your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you" care for myself. In order to most fully glorify Him through the roles and responsibilities he has given me, I need to make sure I take adequate care of the body He created and gave me.

Lately I've noticed that I've been letting myself get really dehydrated. This has actually been a problem my whole life--I never really did like water. But with caring for Robbie and the four kids, my housekeeping responsibilities, writing, cake decorating, church events, and everything else that consumes my time, I've really been neglecting to consume enough fluids. Even at meal times, I'm often too busy getting food for everyone, cleaning up messes, feeding April, and cutting food for little mouths that I either don't even get myself a drink or don't drink the one that's in front of me.

The result of this seemingly small thing is that I don't always feel my physical best. Dehydration can cause fatigue, headaches, dry skin and lips, lactation problems (I'm still nursing April), as well as a host of internal organ issues.

My goal from this point out is to drink more fluids. But, going back to the reason behind my dehydration, I often get so busy that I don't think about it or forget. So, I will attach fluid intake to something I do regularly each day--eating. Before I can eat my breakfast, lunch, or dinner, I will drink a whole glass of water. The average size of the glasses in our house is about 16 oz. This will get me at least 6 cups of water each day. Add in a cup of tea or two and milk in my cereal and with dinner, and I've got my recommended 8 cups of fluids each day.

So, I hereby resolve to drink an entire glass of water before each meal every day in order to help maintain my body in a way that is honoring to its Creator.