Catching promises

Everyday for about 5 brief minutes, a vase in my living room catches the sun and casts a small rainbow on the wall in vibrant colors. The children seem to find it everyday and they put their small hands in it and try to "catch" the rainbow. I told them where the rainbow comes from. God made it as a promise. God promises a lot of things you know. While he doesn't promise adversity will never come, He does promise to uphold us, He promises joy, He promises to never leave or forsake us. It was enjoyable to reflect on His promises today as my children caught rainbows in their hands. Unlike this fleeting rainbow, His promises are true and solid and constant.
Many days I grasp at them since I have daily struggles and fears. Worries and deadlines can crowd my mind and drown out the quiet voice of God saying, "I am here." I often clog my days with too many things to do and fall into bed exhausted, out of sorts, and impatient, wondering, where is that joy I was promised? The joy of the Lord is our strength we are told.

But God operates on a different agenda than I do. I have so many things to "fill" my day with, but what has God asked me to do today? Meaning, I can never complete everything that I have on my "to do" list. The demands come at me from all sides. But did I finish the work that God gave me to do today? Am I distinguishing the demands and things that I think "I am supposed to do" from what God has really asked me to do today? Often I see other women accomplishing what appears to be so much more than I am, and I can quickly compare and become discouraged. But the tasks God is asking me to complete are not going to be the same as someone else's. I once was sharing with husband that I feel like a failure because I can't complete all the tasks that I thought I "should" complete each day. He asked me, "who said you 'should' do them?" I realized I didn't have an answer. It was an imaginary agenda made up from my perceptions of what I thought other people wanted from me. He remarked that instead of comparing myself with my upbringing or with other women, I should only regard my day only by the light of what God has asked me to do.

Joy, fulfillment, and a peaceful spirit come from being able to let go of the things that I cannot do, and simply do what God is asking me to do today. Some days it may be cleaning the house so my husband comes home to a clean environment he can relax in. Other days, I may have to let the house go, to focus more completely on the needs of my children. Sometimes, it may be that I need to spend time on my business. Keeping my heart in tune to the needs of my household and family, and being able to let go of things that aren't beneficial to keeping a house in harmony, is hard for me. In no one day can I keep the house up, work on the business, make meals, play with the kids, discipline the kids, attend to my husband, run all my errands, spend time with God, and keep up my friendships. I think a peaceful and joyful heart is one that adapts to the need of the day, as God shows to me throughout the day what the most pressing needs are. The promises of God are a direct result of following God. May I follow Him in what often appears to be the mundane, but all-demanding, tasks of each day.

In honor of bright colors, here are some new shoes I just created today for the shop. They are bright, bright, bright. Maybe more suitable for summer or spring, but I enjoy these colors at all times of the year.