Honesty Pants

Week 8. Went Hard!

This week? Wenatachee 4, dats wassup.

Our cabin mascot? A whoopie cushion named Fred. (can I get a ‘yes, please’).
To sum it up? Incredible.

I think the Week 8 is one of the hardest – physically you might be thinking, ‘if I do one more opening day, my shins just might explode and I will be walking around on nubs the rest of my life’… and emotionally you might be thinking, ‘I’m in a glass case of emotion!’ (haha. Okay not really, but that’s all I could think up…. But the rivers of emotion are running dry.)

Going into this week, I was really convicted about doing things for the approval of man, rather than the approval of the Lord. To put it bluntly, I don’t exactly mind if all eyes are on me. I like it when people listen to what I have to say, how I say it, and pay attention when I say it.

And that’s a problem.

So going into this week I felt like the Lord wanted me to focus on one word:
LISTEN.

I came out of the gates of opening day, sprinting as hard as I could to do just that . . . and BIT IT HARD.

As the tide of my emotional ocean began to recede and as my flesh began to rear its ugly head at the beckoning call of my exhaustion, I forgot my word of the week. Because of my forgetfulness, I replaced the quiet beckoning call of 'listen' with a harsh and scratchy 'demand'.

On Tuesday, I had a choice. I could continue to allow my flesh to eat away at me and sell out, push 'cruise' for the remainder of the week... OR I could fall on my knees in front of the Savior and plead for strength, patience, compassion, love, and the ability to listen.

Selling out is for sissies.
The rest of my week? Amazing.

I realized this week that one thing I struggle with is that I want to be heard. Honestly, I don't know why... because really, I don't know if what I say makes any sense at all. And if it does make sense, it's probably pointless. Haha. But I almost rejoice in the fact that people listen to me.

Holy Guacamole. Thank Goodness I'm human, and God is so good.

I realized this week that my failure to listen is the a reason behind my failure to love.
I cannot seem to love if I do not listen.... listen to my girls, listen to others, listen to my authorities, listen to God....

I love what Proverbs 8:30-31, 34 says... It basically sums up the lesson of this week - I will not rejoice in my circumstances, how "good" my girls are for the week, what is going well, what is not going well, who is by my side, who isn't anymore, or the plans I have.

Rather, I will rejoice in HIS presence.
And, I will listen.

Proverbs 8:30-31, 34.

"Then I was the craftsman at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
Rejoicing always in His presence,
Rejoicing in His whole world, and delighting in mankind.
(34) Blessed is the man who LISTENS to Me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorways."

sometimes I just need to shut up and listen.