I am happy to report that though I didn’t even come close to waking up at 5:30 today J I did get up enough before the girls that I ate my breakfast, switched the laundry, and got in the shower. Praise the Lord! One other thing that helped my morning tremendously was having the kitchen cleaned last night after supper. I don’t always get that done because since we don’t usually get to eat dinner until almost 7, we spend time after dinner with the girls and putting them to bed then I feel obligated to sit and visit with Eric until bedtime.

But, it was such a huge blessing to me to wake up to a clean kitchen! I didn’t have those dirty, ugly dishes looming over my head and all in all, it was a great morning!

Now on to something else very meaningful to me. I am finally finishing up the book “Passionate Housewives Desperate for God” and I ran up against a quote I just have to pass along.

“ We feed the flesh until it has uncontrollable appetite with a mind of its own—pulling us in the direction of whatever feels good for the moment—led by our own carnal desires. Ironically, it’s an illusion, because the closer we get to what is supposed to “feel good” the worse we actually feel, the more we want, and the more our character suffers.”

This really hit me between the eyes. It has taken some time to build up with me, but I will ashamedly admit that I have let the media’s message of “you deserve it”, “give it to yourself”, “you work hard all day with your kids” get to me. I have allowed myself to give in to those carnal desires of small things that I get extra from the grocery store, or fast food, or whatever it may be. You know what, quite realistically, I don’t deserve a thing! Remember, I am a sinner. What I do deserve is hell. But, Praise the Lord I have been redeemed! Jesus has saved me from disaster and set my feet upon a solid rock. I do not deserve anything but by HIS grace and mercy I get to live forever. He promises me He will meet my needs according to His will.

What I need to give in return is my life’s service and obedience. Is it wrong to pick up an extra pop, snack, meal, of course it’s not. But, is it wrong when I’m borrowing the money from another envelope, when the money isn’t even there sometimes, when I’m not truthful with Eric about it? Yes…even if it was just $1.

I once heard Suze Orman tell a lady that every time she charged something on her credit card that she knew she couldn’t pay for right then, she was lying to herself! I am not sure I will ever forget that! Jesus let it sink in to me that any time I spend money I know isn’t there, I am lying! Surely the Lord doesn’t want me to lie and it is the opposite of living in His will!

I know I got off on a little tangent there but I wanted to explain what that quote from the book meant to me. Because all I got from feeding my carnal nature those little tidbits of I deserve this purse or this or that was GUILT! I never got lasting satisfaction.