babble, babble, babble

I seem to be in a season of learning right now. Well according to Proverbs 1:5:

Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance

I should never stop learning. I hope one day to come back and reflect on my blog.

1. "Ordering your private world" and Changes that heal" are amazing books
2. Proverbs is insightful and practical
3. I am eagear to start a library
4. I am a typical girl who thinks to much about things and often confuse myself :P
5. I am accepting the fact that I need more rest than what others may
6. God is helping me gain a healthier understanding of the good, bad, work and rest
7. I enjoy resume writing and am thankful for the opportunities and experiences God has taken me though to mold me into the person I am today
8. Is thankful for the constant reminder from Jesus that I am righteous, not because of what I have done, but because of what Christ has done for me :)
9. Is seeing God broaden her interests
10. Is happy she got to use the cilantro she has been growing in her Indian food today!
11. Enjoys being proactive
12. I am learning that its ok not to agree with people's opinions and convictions, however I need to learn to communicate that in grace (so help me God)
13. Seems to break out into third person every so often, ha!

These are a few of my favourite things #3

I am learning a lot about myself lately, here are some of the more random things:

-Too much caffeine gives me the jitters (esp. in lattee form, need to ask for less expresso!)
-I LOVE the smell of linen candles!
-Small towns with boutiques=SMILES :)
-I am becoming a food connoisseur
-Board games and card games are AMAZING!!!
-Working out makes me feel good and motivates me to eat healthier
-Gardening is becoming a simple pleasure
-A rainy day=candles burning, comfies, a good book and a great tea
-I like trying different non-alcoholic beverages, especially store brands. President's Choice, Compliments and Life Brand actually make some great stuff!
-Book Stores new and old make my heart swell
-I LOVE photography! But I need practice!
-DIY Home decorating=BIG SMILES!
-Of course when the Holy Spirit gives me a deeper understanding of God's grace

"In acceptance lieth peace"

This Amy Carmichael quote has been my quote this past month.

I just finished reading a great book called "Changes that Heal" By Dr. Henry Cloud and I highly recommend it.

Once I began reading this book, I realized there were many things from my past that I had not dealt with. In these areas of my life I was not experiencing Christ's freedom.

As I read, I began to see that I had a really hard time dealing with emotions. I had a notion that any emotion that was not happiness was a bad emotion. I lived 23yrs of my life thinking it was bad to cry or get angry and as I began to read, I was assured that these emotions are all part of a healing process and that God has given us these emotions. I can't even begin to describe how much freedom I found in that.

I felt that these emotions were bad to show because for so long they had been attributed to weakness. Growing up, I was not allowed to show weakness, the motto was "tough it up and deal".

And although there is so much freedom in it, it's not an overnight process, this will definitely be a long lesson.

Lesson number 2, which also gave me a deeper understanding of God's grace is my attitude when I sin. So often I say to myself "I can't believe I just did that!" and I came to understand that is actually not a good attitude to have towards sin. Of course I am going to sin! My nature is sinful, so it should not come as a surprise to me, yet it does not justify the sin. Nothing makes the sin ok, but me saying "I can't believe I did that" is actually a prideful attitude to carry. It says I am better than that, which, I am not.

The overall lesson I have learned from this is that the more I understand my broken, sinful nature, the more I see the need for Jesus in my life and the more real He becomes to me.