His Mercies are New Every Morning {noon, or night}

I've been trying to slow down a little lately, to take time to be with the Lord each day and just talk to Him....but isn't it just like ole' Satan to make my life more busy and crazier than ever!? He will do anything he can to pull me away from time with God. I was reading Ann Voskamp's blog, "A Holy Experience" yesterday and was thinking about how crazy busy that homeschooling, farmer's wife, and mom of 6 must be! I raised a son, as well as was a stepmom to two ~ all who are now grown. My hubby and I recently downsized and moved to a cottage by a lake. I keep thinking, "Things should slow down for me." but it seems like time is so easily stolen away by all that still needs to get done before winter comes. My son, who has had some physical issues and has had to travel to get treatments has needed me to accompany him and will most likely be traveling (a 5 hour drive, there and back) about once a week. I just recently got a new very part-time job, working a few evenings a week, as a receptionist at my church. This week, my hubby and I have also been fighting off a mean stomach flu. Talk about feeling overwhelmed and consumed!

In my attempt to stay in God's Word and  fellowship with other Christians, I am currently involved in 2 Bible Studies, one at my church and an online book/Bible study. Finding time to be alone with God hasn't been easy lately. We currently are having our new lakehouse re-roofed and the roofers are here every morning by 7-7:30. (Though, they should be done within a week or so.) Since I am more of a night owl, I try to get some time in with God after my hubby goes to bed, usually around 10 p.m.  With the new job, though, that will be more of a challenge.

I love these verses! They remind me that I don't have be be consumed by a crazy, busy life. They give me a chance to start anew each day with a new perspective.  Thankfully, God's schedule is very flexible and He doesn't mind me coming to Him in the evening, instead of the morning. I also love being reminded that His compassions ~ or mercies(English Standard Version) ~ never fail...they are always right wherever and whenever I come to Him.

Did you ever just say to yourself out loud..."The Lord is my portion."? What exactly is a 'portion' anyways? 

One writer wrote:

When the psalmist speaks of God as 'my portion', it seems in one (very direct) sense to be identifying a relation with God as the lot he has identified himself as receiving: of all that could have come my way, what I have received as 'mine' is God - the ultimate of all gifts. But it strikes me there is also a slightly subliminal message, tucked into the nuance of the language: namely, that reference to one's portion is generally in minimalist terms. It is the 'little bit' I have received. So to speak of God as one's portion is to invert this. The 'little bit' I have received is, in fact, everything.

M.C. Steenberg

This seems to resonate with St Tikhon's words:

"For him, God alone is the pearl without price, for the sake of which he holds everything else as little."

I know He is my portion, but I'm still working on this, reminding myself each day that I am not consumed and that He is my portion!!  His mercies are new every morning, noon, and night!! Sometimes, just saying it out loud is enough to give me the right perspective.

Today, I am celebrating the last of the September Gifts.    October Gifts are ready and waiting, as I continue counting....
3 Gifts Funny
982. An adorable sailboat that sits in my porch window.

983. Especially the little "native" boy {originally a baseball player statue with an attached straw hat glued over his baseball cap}

984. Some scrapbooking materials I won in a drawing...{for those days you would rather scrapbook, than ANYTHING else}

3 Gifts Finished
985. Another load of laundry

986. My front porch fall decorating.
987. Decorating with my hubby's rocks!
{photos will be coming of these in future posts}

3 Gifts Flourishing
988. My potted mums 

989. A friend's new job, where many doors have opened for her.
990. We are doing great, living on the lake in our little cottage.

A gift unexpected, uneven, unpopular
991. Unexpected - Getting our roof replaced so quickly.
992. Uneven - Our roof, which was a challenge for the roofers to figure out how to fix it, but they did.
993. Unpopular - The doctor that my son is seeing; the kind of doctor who has great medical knowledge, but no bedside manners.
  
A gift shy, shelved, shining
994. Shy - The Amish roofers that are working on our roof, taking a lunch break.

995. Shelved - some of my favorite seashells.

996. Shin{y} - A large leaf, found in my front yard...

  

3 gifts that are new in the morning, noon, and night!
997. The sound of pounding and drilling at 7 a.m., knowing we don't have to do it ourselves.
998. Time spent with my son, talking, on the trip to see the doctor.
999. Time in quietness with the Lord, when all is hushed and family sleeps.

1,000th Gift!!!!!  The greatest Gift of all.....to be continued.(Ohhhh, don't you just hate when this happens?) I bet you can guess, but you will just have to wait to read it in my next post! 

 Linking over at these blog parties:

 Sharing His Beauty (Beauty In His Grip) 
Multitude on Mondays (A Holy Experience) 
Moms Against Manic Mondays @ My Mountain View
 On Your Heart Tuesdays(A Pause in the Path)

Word Filled Wednesday(Internet Cafe') 
Soli Deo Gloria (Finding Heaven)

Heart Reflected(State of the Heart)

God-Bumps & God-Incidences(Getting Down With Jesus)