Making Choices...A Novel Concept

Before I even begin, I have to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my Mighty Man!!! :) :) MM, I am so proud of you. So blessed by you. So honored to be your fiance. I always prayed for a man who would be brave enough to fight for me, and the Lord answered in the most clear and perfect way. You are my knight in shining armor, and I pray I can be the princess you deserve who rescues you right back. :) Love you!!

Okay...Gushy stuff aside. :)

It's been more than a month since I posted. Good grief! The time is flying! So many good things are taking place right now, but it feels like a I'm caught in a tornado screaming for my Auntie Em right now. :) But I think that's how life goes when you've got a reeeeeeally amazing life transition approaching. :)

Sooooo...We're getting married in less that seven weeks!!! Holy cow!! :) SO exciting! And this weekend I get to move into the place we'll be renting and start setting up shop before the Mighty Man joins me in October. I had my first bridal shower this weekend (THANK YOU to my amazing sister and friends for the most wonderful day!!), and we got the invitations and envelopes. Now...If I could only get a few minutes to address them. haha! :) Don't think you aren't invited if you don't get them until September 1. :) I'm breaking protocol on the 6-week rule, but only by a few days. It's just life.

Okay, so on top of all the wedding amazingness, I'm trying to pack up my apartment, which is taking a while. I spent time packing up the bookshelf yesterday and had forgotten just how complex of a task it is to pack books. It's like packing a jigsaw puzzle! You have to have the right sizes fit in the right spaces in order to maximize the box, which can't be too big, otherwise you won't be able to lift it. haha! It's a challenge! But it's fun. I rediscovered some of the books I'd stashed away that had meant a lot to me in the past. (Anyone remember my 6-month adventure of first dates back in 2006-ish? Yeah. TOTALLY found that book. haha!) But the books took a looooooooong time to pack. So, I'm having fun, but I'm like, "Okay...And I have how long until I move?"

Then, there's been work. I'm SOOOOOOOOOO excited!! I've picked up several more projects from the place I write blogs for, and it's been fantastic to spend my days researching different businesses and writing for their blogs. I couldn't think of a more fun job if I tried! And I've turned into a virtual encyclopedia. I even got to help my parents salvage their home foundation by sharing with them the need to put soaker hoses around the house perimeter to keep that part of the soil moist. haha! Again, huge blessing.

Of course, then you have the wedding planning itself. Like the invitations. YES!!! Praise God!!! I've always wanted wedding invitations and thought for years what mine would look like. Now they're in, and I'm so excited. They're GORGEOUS thanks to AMac and her amazing design. I can't wait to send them out! :) And the shot list for the photographers that I'm supposed to turn in. I get to look around online for wedding photos that I like so that they can see what kind of poses I want. And the playlist. I get to figure out what music we want at the reception. And the hotel rooms. And the tuxes. And the wedding ring for my MM. :) :) So much fun!!!

So little time!!! Hahahaha!

I've hit that point in life when there is physically not enough time to get everything done. And it's the first time I'm mature enough to call a spade a spade. To this point, I've always thought I could handle everything and do everything. I'd just kill myself trying to get everything done, not having any fun in the process and miss doing anything to completion. But I'm realizing now that maybe there's a better way. Maybe I have a choice. Maybe I can choose what gets done and what gets either delegated or delayed. :) Maybe I can ask for help. :)

Odd concept.

But at age 32, I'm finally realizing that I can choose. For so long, my life has dictated me. I've just kind of followed whatever was happening and not really chosen what was best. But a passage in Deuteronomy really caught my attention the other day. My Might Man shared this with me at a particularly difficult moment. It says: "This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live..." (Deut. 30:19).

God gives us minds. He gives us the power to choose. Life doesn't dictate us. We choose our actions. We choose to follow His leading, trusting that He has a good plan for us. We don't have to be dragged around by circumstances or busyness, which I'm convinced is a ploy of the enemy. He's trying to steal my joy out of EVERYTHING lately simply by telling me that I don't have time and that nothing will ever get done. But that's not true. And I can tell him it's not true. My God has everything under control (Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:28), and He has given me everything I need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). I don't have to believe the lie that I have to stress out and foresake the joy of the good things around me. I can CHOOSE to have joy in the midst of chaos, realizing that God has a plan and that the enemy can't touch it. If I simply follow in God's ways, He'll take care of everything and give me favor where I need it. I just need to choose to follow Him and prioritize according to what He's set before me.

It's actually a good lesson in choosing what is important. I get to determine priorities now instead of prioritizing EVERYTHING. Now I can choose what matters most and focus on that instead of trying to put out every 5-alarm fire in life. Nope. I only have so much energy and time, and I need to let go of the rest. And I thnk that's key to finding God's joy--choosing His path and trusting Him to take care of the rest. :)

So, now if you find yourself dancing to the same song over and over at our wedding reception, you'll know why. haha! At least I'll try to pick a good one.:) Just kidding. God will make time for that...Later.

Love you all! :)
- Jill