What I am Learning

I am exhausted today. I know you have days like that, too. Right after breakfast, while I was cleaning up, one of our pembantus (house helpers) came in to get me and wanted me to quick go outside. Once I got to our gudang (laundry area) I realized why. Cale was dumping the cats into buckets of water so they could go swimming. However, with the cats so strongly protesting many of the buckets were getting dumped over so there was water everywhere. He thought they would like it.
We had errands to run this morning, followed by racquetball (that was fun), and lunch for everyone, making a double batch of Grandma Susie’s Gingersnaps, along with 30 pounds of chicken breasts that I am in charge of washing, cutting up, and cooking once a month, mountains of dishes, homework, homework, homework…dinner, devotions and bedtime for the kids. Tonight is Open House at school for the High schoolers-Garth went so I didn’t have to. (How nice!) Garth has started volleyball practice for grades 8-12 every Monday and Wednesday and every Friday is a game. He does a good job and really enjoys the interaction with the kids.
Garth asked Cale yesterday what his whole name was-He said, “Cale Scott batman.” Sophie came home from school and told me that a boy from her class who had been in the States was back. She asked him how the economy was doing in the States but he didn’t know. She prays for that all the time. She said if she had three wishes one of them would be used to make the economy better.
I was frustrated last night about a bunch of things and was laying in my bed talking to God about it, and reading my Bible. And I found this verse, Psalm 90:14 In the New international version it says, “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” God has what we need to be satisfied. We are all looking for contentment and peace, right? Well, stop looking anywhere but to God, because God is the only one that can satisfy us so completely that we can sing for joy all of our days. I remember reading a statement when I was in High school that said, “True contentment is not a result of your circumstances.” That means that I need to find contentment here, on the other side of the world, without my family, without my beautiful house and all the things that I love in it, without my friends, without toilets that flush and grocery stores that have what I am looking for, and so on. I need to find it here. Why? Because this is the place that God has asked me to be right now. And if I don’t find a way to be content here, than I am missing out on the extent of God’s blessings, and the lessons He is trying to teach me and the peace that He wants to give me. The same thing is true for you. Wherever you are. Whatever you are doing. Whether you like it or not is not a factor in this. Ask God if where you are is where He wants you to be. If it is, than find contentment in it. That means your marriage, your house, your children, your job…everything. It is easy to think, “Oh, if only I could change this one thing, than I would be so much happier.” Forget that lie. It is not true. True peace and true contentment comes from God only. Nothing else can do it. I am learning these things slowly. I share them with you so you can be a part of my character journey. I don’t want to leave here the same person that came.
Please pray for me to find contentment here and to sing for joy all of my days.
You are precious to me-
Rachel