A Joyful and Faithful heart : A Rainy Weekend

This weekend was a rainy, dreary and lazy one. Dan has a major actuarial exam this Tuesday and he has been studying like crazy for the past two months! We are praying for diligence for him as he studies as well as a positive outcome! Meanwhile, I've enjoyed and savored a very relaxing weekend and the rain gave me a wonderful excuse to lounge, catch up on housework, devotions and read.

I'm so thankful for weekends like these and I really believe mindful relaxing rejuvenates the heart, soul & mind. Unwinding for me means quiet, peaceful afternoons in an organized and clean home. Preferably also with a cup of coffee and a book or devotional. My journal bible has been my saving grace since I purchased it online a few months ago. I can't believe I did not invest in one sooner! It has really transformed the way I read my Bible and interact with scripture. I can write, respond, underline, doodle, draw and reflect all I want as I read. So many of my beloved Bible's pages are already marked up! Before I got it, I was really struggling and feeling connected with devotional time and time with the Lord and I really can't believe what a difference my journaling Bible has made in my prayer life! It's so cool to look back and see answered prayer requests, past reflections, current prayers and just meditate on the word in a different and creative way.

In church today, the sermon was focused on Ephesians 3, and I am so glad we made it today. We haven't been able to make it to a service in a few weeks now and I was really feeling the effects of it. One point that was so sobering was this: "God looks as us and says: 'I am going to change you' and 'I am going to use you to bring my change to others'". I think I underlined this 5 or 6 times in my journal and it was so uplifting to realize that God even cares about us to change us, use us and transform our lives. I can think of so many transformations in my life that have resulted from complete trust in assurance on Him, and sometimes I can't believe how many blessings God has bestowed upon me, and I love watching the lives of dear friends be blessed and transformed as well! He is able and knows what He is doing =)

It is so peaceful to watch the rain and read, despite the dreariness that is the strange transition into Spring. I seized the opportunity to take some pictures around our home and attempt to capture our life moment-to-moment.