by leaps and bounds

Sometimes answered prayers can lead to a whole new situation that you need to pray about.  I have prayed for months for a way to work from home and be able to help support our family and the opportunity literally came knocking at my door……well, a phone call to be honest.

After being hired and working for the first two weeks, I struggled a lot.  It has been over thirteen years since I have been in the work force, and it was quite an adjustment.  Apparently, the world does not revolve around me and the office and workforce has continued to evolve and morph into a workplace where paper is dead and everything is electronic.  Nevertheless, I still show up with my spiral bound paper planner and fancy pens.

The first thing I struggled with was time management, luckily my husband and kids have stepped in and been a tremendous help with responsibilities around the house.  I can really get use to his cooking (hint, hint).

The second struggle I had was that I was so tired that I have neglected my personal Bible time and prayer with the Lord.  I found myself apologizing to the Lord on a daily basis.  I was exhausted at night and fell asleep early and got up just in time to start the morning routine for me and the kids.  So, over the weekend I had a talk with myself and realized that just apologizing the Lord wasn’t going to fix my problem.  I had two choices.

1.  I could get up earlier and start my day the way I use to.
2. I could find some time during the day for the special time.  No one said it had to be the first thing done in the morning.  (Even though I prefer to start my day that way)

So, I began to take a hard look at my day and realized that I had a block of time mid-day that I could utilize for my time.  I’m a creature of habit and once I have a routine, I like to stick with it, but it wasn’t working out for me anymore.  So, the new time was noontime, at lunch.

My third struggle was with this opportunity I couldn’t make it to church on Wednesday evenings.  I contemplated not working and making that time up on Saturday mornings, and I considered to continue the regular schedule and miss services but continue to listen to them later that night while getting ready for bed.  I was lost.

 I was whining about my dilemma one day and I was reminded by my husband that he had not been able to make it to mid-week services for years due to his work schedule and it made me stop and think, what does the Bible say about working?

In 1 Timothy 5:8

Anyone who does not provide

for their relatives,

and especially for their own household,

has denied the faith and

is worse than an unbeliever.

What good would our world be if all the nurses would not work on Sundays and Wednesdays?  Our local police were all in a pew on Sunday mornings, our highways would be raceways or worse!  Your local grocery store shelves would be empty on Monday mornings if all the truckers decided not to work on Sundays and be there bright and early to deliver to your coffee and doughnuts to the supermarket on Monday mornings.

Thankfully today most church’s livestream their services on YouTube or Facebook so they can be watched after work or the next time they have a break or a day off. 

Even if you are not able to attend every time the doors are open remember that you still need to make time to spend with the Lord and take advantage of technology to stay in touch.

As for me, I am still praying about my situation and listening to see if I am being selfish by not working and going to mid-week services and missing work opportunities or if I am being selfish and worrying more about providing a paycheck and not enough about being present with my family at church.   

To be continued……

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Tammy Bassett is a speaker and the author of the Mopping Up Your Blessings blog. She was born and raised a country girl who’s roots run deep in the mountains of Appalachia. She has worked a wide variety of jobs ranging from radio to insurance agent. She is now a stay-at-home mom, who along with her husband, are raising five daughters (ages 10 to 25), seven cats and one dog. She uses her accounting and business administration degree to help run her busy household.
She loves spending time with her family and homeschooling her two youngest children. She spends a lot of her day trying to conquer the obstacles in her home. With four of her children still living at home the laundry pile (nicknamed Mt. Wash-more) is her nemesis. Some days she wins and some days she doesn’t, but she always gets up the next day and tries again.
She also loves camping with her family as long as there is a camper with air conditioning, a comfy bed, and indoor plumbing. Her downfall is her obsession with iced coffee. Thankfully the closest Starbucks is an hour from her home, or she would be broke. She also loves reading and learning new skills such as homesteading, being more self-sustainable, gardening and foraging.
She relates the most to her favorite animal, the alpaca. They are both kind of weird and look like they are two months past due on a haircut. Much like alpacas she makes a gentle humming noise when happy and if irritated she often stamps the ground with her feet. Her husband has refused to buy her an alpaca much to her disappointment.
But more than anything, she loves the Lord and is growing more in her faith each day and hopes to inspire others to do the same. She wants everyone to understand that God’s grace is truly amazing and has changed her from the inside out and he can do the same for you.