Things that God is teaching me. I'm amazed.

God has been teaching me so much about him through many different ways.  It's funny that I have been hearing the same things over and over again.  Some of it I'm not sure how to put into practice yet, but it's cool and convicting anyway.

1)  God's mercy, grace, and power are big enough to get through even the toughest things. For me in my life, this is anxiety.  I have dealt with anxiety my whole life, and pretty much had just decided that it was something I would always struggle with, every day.  I would go back and forth on medication, knowing that there was a better way.  I have finally come to a point in my life in which I KNOW that God's power is strong enough to take my anxiety.  Everytime I struggle with it, He reminds me of that.  I've also begun realizing where my anxiety was/is coming from, and it helps to realize that my anxiety is from having control issues, pride, and lack of faith (and horrible nutrition... which I am changing).  God is relieving me of all those things, for His glory.  Amazing.

2)  We should live a life in which we HAVE to have faith in God's power in order for situations to come through.  If we are living so comfortable that we don't "need" God's power, then we should re-evaluate what we're doing.  I have heard this over and over again through different people, books, etc.  So, I guess this is something that I'm needing to really understand.  I'm not exactly sure why, at the moment.  Kind of scary. :)

3)  I am reading Acts right now, and it's amazing to look at the early church and how they lived their life.  They all lived life together, giving to those who had need, and pretty much giving up anything that they didn't absolutely need (and for some, even what they needed).  Their whole life was loving on others, sharing Jesus with everyone, and performing miracles.  Wow.  How convicting?  How often do we make this life about us.  It's not about us.  We should be giving sacrificially more, sharing Jesus with others more, and just being there for others.  Robert and I are evaluating our lives and how we can do this right where we are.  It's changing a lot of our priorities.  

4)  How often do we (I) discount the power and necessity of the Holy Spirit?  Without Him, we wouldn't be able to do anything that we do.  Without Him, we would not be able to grow in Him, learn more about Him, or understand why.  We always talk about God and Jesus, but always just forget the Holy Spirit.  He is the power that is WITH-IN US.  

5)  It's not about what we do and don't do right, it's about LOVING GOD WITH ALL THAT IS WITH-IN US and LOVING OTHERS.  How often do we sit and focus on what we do right, what we don't do right; what others are doing right, and what they are not doing right.  WHO CARES.  Jesus died for all of that.  The thing that is most important is how obvious is your (my) love for God?  Does is seap out of us so that everyone wants what we have?  Are we loving others the way Christ called us to love others?  I can say in my life, the answer is NO.  I am praying that God will make it known how I can do this right here in the life that He has given me.  

6)  I believe that as a mom, my first ministry is to my family.  But, how much am I really doing if I'm not teaching my kids to look outside of our home?  How much am I doing if I teach them that it's more important for them to have everything, and kids/people outside have nothing?  This is a hard one for me... and I'm still trying to figure out my role here in this way.  We are trying to teach them that we just need the bare necessities, and we should be giving to others their bare necessities.  Someone needs to.  Jesus has called us to that.