Where have I been

Thank goodness I am not making a living being a blogger! My family would be starving now and living on the streets. We have been very busy and I have been almost overwhelmed by life.

How do I know? Was it because I wept through, "Meet Molly, The American Girl" (Chris looked at me and said, "Are you really crying?") Was it because I cried through the Time Traveler's Wife? Was it because I cried through the music at church on Sunday (you know when you have to quickly wipe away the tears so no one sees you doing the ugly cry). Or when I went for a walk on Sunday I ended up walking for miles and crying as I watched the sunset. Hmmm - you don't have to be very intuitive to realize that all this crying is not normal. But it is not wrong - it is just where I am right now.

Recently, a neighbor I barely know asked me how I was doing. I discussed the things going on and she said... "So that is it, I mean I know that is a lot, but your husband hasn't lost his job and your house is not in foreclosure and everyone is pretty healthy." As a worship leader at our church she hears many stories. And even though I know that everything is relative and everyone deals with things differently - of course there are so many people out there that have much bigger things going on in their lives. But this is my life - and what is God trying to teach me right now?

I have always had this thought during difficult times - I know that taking a bigger perspective on things is key in growing from them. But I recently read a web posting that gave a wonderful step by step guide on how to do that... so here it is, borrowed from my friend Keitha's web site. I LOVE this way of approaching spiritual growth!

{SPIRITUAL GROWTH PLAN}::

Spiritual Growth Plans are part of our school day (life) as well. The purpose of the SPG is to teach my children how to identify places for growth or elimination in their lives and systematically take them before the Lord and "work their fields." It is a way to teach them to battle sin. Again, I have one as well.

Funny inside joke: we also refer to them as fire escapes.

Ok...heres how we make them....

The SGP binders are separated by tabs.

Tab 1::

Identify an issue in your life that you believe the Lord is trying to grow or eliminate (can be a good area that I need to grow or a sin I need to get rid of). If it is a behavior, be sure to be looking for the heart issue and to work on that. Its usually based in unbelief.

Tab 2::

Find key passages in Scripture to study related to the issue. If there is a book of the Bible that hits the issue, I shoot for the entire book. For the girls...just a verse. Sometimes it is multiple passages in different books. I try to focus my quiet time on the study of these passages.

Tab 3::

Choose memory verses related to the issue. The number depends on how long I think I'll be working on the issue.

Tab 4::

Select a good Christian book to read on the area of growth. Or, good teaching CD's, articles, etc. For the girls I ask them to think of p&w songs or hymns that teach the truths needed in their struggles. They become more personal when they think of them.

Tab 5::

Determine how I can look at this issue in the context of church service and ministry to the Body of Christ - if I am working on selfishness, make sure I am giving of myself in service, etc. For the girls...just writing out a battle plan is the norm. Ultimately we will be to service, not quite there yet.

Tab 6::

Make a plan to note change and growth. If you aren't looking for it, you may not see it. If we don't see it, we are less inclined to keep up such projects. This often requires help from people who know us well. Accountability from a spouse or friend could fit in here, but you want to be sure there are some specific changes that you want to see in your life that are measurable in some way. That way you are more sure to hit the target or to see when you are not.

FUTURE LIST::

In light of the above, I now keep a list at the back of my binder of areas that I know need growth. I also keep lists (yes, I am definitely a list person!) of books I want to read, books of the Bible or passages I want to study and verses I would like to have memorized. I try to look at these lists as very long term goals that I can pick from when I am ready to move on to a new area of growth.

I wish I had been taught this years ago. It seems so practical, but no one ever laid it out clearly to me. It can be daunting to see all the areas of growth that I need, but it is encouraging to work on one at a time. No doubt they will not all fall off the list forever, as something like pride will be ongoing. But hopefully there is victory and growth each time it is worked on. Also, victory in one area tends to overflow into other areas!

So... the brief rundown for KIDS. Its abbreviated in scale as is appropriate for the age of child. This is what ours looks like. I will use the example of FEAR to help you get a better picture:

Tab 1: Identify spiritual area for growth or elimination (FEAR)

Tab 2: Identify what to battle it with: verses, passages, etc. (JOSHUA - he had to stand alone, he had to do what was impossible)

Tab 3: Verse to memorize (Joshua 1:9)

Tab 4: Identify a song to sing in times of fear (Voice of Truth, Great is Thy Faithfulness)

Tab 5: Identify ways to face fear and battle it differently than before and have them write out or role play (depending on age) those battle plans. Little ones role play better, obviously. Writing out prayers is VERY helpful here.

Tab 6: (FUTURE LIST) : They keep a running list as they think of new ones to attack in the future.

After a period of time, they feel equipped in one area and we move on to the next that they chose; again, they have them listed in Tab 6. Thus they have the tools to work through any problem/ stumbling block or to tend any new leaf of Grace in their lives.