Busyness is all around us; cluttering our life and thought process as though it belongs. Pressuring us to hurry instead of being still. Life can almost feel like a siren; repetitious, loud, and making it hard for us to think clearly. How much of this is warranted, and how much of this is unnecessary? God is so gracious. Sometimes we are the Martha’s of the world, striving to achieve our own “self-validation”, while God is saying, “Come sit next to me. Rest with me, because you are my beloved. I loved you when you were the vilest of sinners, and I love you now.”

Money has a way of blurring lines, it immobilizes us to dwell on our innate desire for security and comfort, rather than assessing the overarching situation. This election is capitalizing on those fears, forcing people to question what is best for our divided country. The hope is that somebody will relieve the financial burden that is pitted on them and their children’s shoulders. This mirage has steered many away from the looming moral issues, and has formed a distraction, rather than get us any closer to a resolution.

In Exodus 17:11-12 we see two companions of Moses, Aaron and Hur, standing alongside Moses through this battle, when Moses raised his hand with the rod of God they were winning the battle, but when his arm grew tired, and started to stoop they were losing. So Aaron and Hur stepped in, and helped raised Moses hand. They were all in the battle together. In the end they all won.

After coming home from the Real Housewives Retreat, I could not stop thinking of the enormous flock of black birds that swarmed the dining hall that last meal we had together. It was enough for us all to get out of our seats and stare out the windows (nobody dared to go outside though!).

I think it is so important to be a good steward of all that God has entrusted to us, including our finances. When we were a family of 4 we were spending approximately $150 per week in groceries and toiletries. Since then we have implanted some simple transitions to our grocery shopping and although we have increased our family size to 5, we have still saved approximately $50 per week. Here are some of my inside tips.

We have goals and hopes that drive us. We know there will be sacrifices and dedication, yet sometimes our goals fall flat on their face before we can even get out of the starting gate. We compare ourselves to others. But God’s not comparing us to that person, so why are we?

I am about to get all #realtalk for a minute. Some times people annoy us. It could have been the person who stole your parking spot, or a rude comment; perhaps, it was someone being unsupportive or cold. Whatever the reason, sometimes we are on our last cherry coated straw, and it wouldn’t matter if the situation deserved our annoyance or not, they are going to get it; because at that moment, that final straw equals the stubbed toe from earlier, the burnt breakfast, the lost keys, the extra bill, the friend who you don’t talk to anymore. It’s a culmination of annoyances that haven’t been shaken off yet.

I have to admit, I have trouble overlooking words that scorch the heart and leave a bad taste in my mouth. I question the intentions of another when their actions seem so blatantly negative. Trust is a big deal to me. So when I feel vulnerable enough to offer my heart, this does not come lightly. It builds over time, and takes a while to feel that security. It’s not that I fail to acknowledge my own faults; I know they are there, yet I don’t want it to be the highlight of the conversation. Despite my trust issues, God still calls us to not pay attention to every word people say. To brush it off our shoulders as though it were a fleeting moment. How do we do that? I am still trying to figure that out.

As a Christian, it is hard to assess how to handle conflict, at least it is for me. Verses like “keep no record of wrongs,” and “turn the other cheek,” play in my mind as I question how to deal with this mounting frustration. In a perfect scenario I would be able to overlook every offense thrown my way, unfortunately I have not reached that point yet. Things still bother me. I still have hard days where someone cutting me off on the coffee line could initiate the stink eye. So how do we address people Biblically? Does God expect us to brush everything under the rug?

It’s all perspective. We complain over trivial matters; yet, there are people who have a reason to complain, but don’t. For the same energy it takes to complain, we should use those mental resources and think of things we are thankful for.