Lately, the enemy has really been trying to get me down. he chose one little area at which to gnaw. When he saw he wasn’t getting anywhere, he decided to pierce it and cause it to fester. (Before the typo grammar/typo police start citing me – let me remind you that I NEVER use capital letters when speaking of satan. he’s not worthy.) Then he realized he hadn’t done much damage, so he chose to stick me in a few more areas. Anyway, I was fighting back and praying for God’s strength. Then the enemy chose another, more important area of my life to lacerate and another… he got me sooo consumed with trying to treat and bandage all of the different sores, that I began to weaken and lose sight of my priorities. I knew God was there with me, but I just felt so overwhelmed and defeated.
My life was beginning to look more like a three ring circus of horror instead of the blessed garden that I try to envision and strife for each day. I just felt like everything was spinning chaotically out of control and it was driving me crazy!
One of the main areas the enemy has been attacking is my “stay-at-home mommyhood”. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t stay at home because I have the luxury and finances to do so. Our family sacrifices greatly financially, but God’s Word and guidance has called me to do it. He has blessed us every step of the way. But, the enemy knows that this is a sensitive area for me so he uses it against me on a regular basis. Lately, he’s been working overtime.
I’m feeling an extreme amount of pressure to help my daughter begin college in the fall. I’m so thankful that she has prayed for and received God’s leadership for her future. My sweet husband and I have sought The Lord’s direction as well. We’ve been so reassured by all of the answers and confirmations we’ve received from God. It’s been such a blessing. I really should complain, because she has received several scholarships, but we are still falling short. There were several small circumstances that precluded her getting additional scholarships and/or funding, which ended up affecting us significantly.
You know how the enemy works: he uses the worldly and carnal point-of-view to take our minds off of the spiritual. So, I’ve been allowing the enemy to make me worry about how we are going to pay for college, and how to keep our family afloat. I hate to admit it, but I’ve even gone so far as to contemplate going back to work full time and homeschooling on the evenings and weekends or putting my children in public school. I know–CRAZY, right? WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS I THINKING!
I can blame the enemy, but really it all boils down to me allowing him to injure my faith. Our family has been through a lot! We’ve not had two full incomes since The Lord called me to work part-time from home in 1998, and we’ve been basically on one income since 2011.
To give the utmost to God and our family without sacrificing their well-being…This is our calling:
16She considers a field and buys it;
As a woman striving for Proverbs 31, I’ve been blessed with many ways to have multiple tiny streams of income. I do have affiliate links and on some posts in this blog and an Amazon store, but I really haven’t felt led by The Lord to develop it into a steady income. I’ve started another blog, Healthy Choices, with occasional affiliate links but again I’ve felt led to simply use it for help and encouragement rather than income. I have my BeautiControl account, but I don’t spend evenings and weekends away from my family to develop that business either. I did at first, but we realized our family was suffering because of it, so I may sell a little here and there or simply share my discount. I don’t even have my website with it anymore, so my clients have to contact me directly to order. I have a Swagbucks account which I love because everyday things I do on the internet add up to change in my pocket! I also have a Clixsense account which is tedious, but when I need extra cash I fit it into my schedule. CheckPoints is a pretty fun way to earn gift cards to Wal-Mart or Amazon. You can earn points for checking into local establishments and for scanning items you might purchase in stores. If you join CheckPoints, be sure to use my code: adufries that you can enter when you sign up. That would bless me with a few extra points as well. All three of these generate enough for us to use for gifts or gas money, etc.
Recently, I added essential oils to my list of financial helps. My initial goal was to simply get essential oils at a discount. It’s just another step on our journey to a more natural and healthy lifestyle. Then I got this crazy idea to hit it full force with a business strategy, sales, etc. I’ve had some nice, long talks with The Lord and my sweet husband about it and I’ve been reminded that the physical and spiritual care of my family is my top priority, not finances. If I share it to help others, then God will take care of the rest. I’ve been reminded that I don’t need to have all the world believes we should have, but only what God wants me to have, and only He knows what is best for me. If you are interested in essential oils, please contact me directly as I am no longer allowed to put links on my personal blog.
Well, these endeavors don’t amount to much, but every little bit helps. Of course, God has and will continue to bless my obedience and see us through it all. Why did I waste valuable time allowing myself to get all flustered and doubt His power?
I’m kinda hard headed–I have to learn the hard way some times. So I’ve let The Lord bandage my wounds with reminders of His faithfulness, through His Word, and through the encouragement of sweet friends and my loving husband. I encourage you to please hang in there. Don’t let the world convince you that it’s okay to neglect your family for the sake of money. Live your God-given calling as a Proverbs 31 woman. Your sacrifices are worth all the wounds the enemy throws your way. The Great Physician will bandage those wounds with wisdom, strength, healing and provision.
Linked up on Mama Moments Monday & Time Warp Wife Titus-2sday