Be still...

Every morning, the first thing I want is a diet coke and an unfrosted, strawberry pop-tart. Timmy brings me this just about every morning. It is just part of my morning routine...I wake up, I take a shower, I brush my teeth, yada yada yada, and I have a cold diet coke and a pop-tart. Weird I know, but that is me! The only time this wasn't my breakfast of choice was when I was pregnant. When I was expecting the twins, I couldn't stand the thought of a diet coke and around Christmas last year, when I woke up with absolutely no desire for a diet coke, I knew something was up:)! That was my first inkling that Mr. Pate was going to join our family in about 9 months! Hadden and Kamryn also have something they like to do every morning....why, I am not sure?? They want to take off their pj's and put on their shoes. I never thought anyone could love shoes more than Timmy, but I think his daughters just about have him beat!

Anyway, I was thinking just the other day how funny it is that we have routines that we follow and things that we do every day without even thinking about it. Sadly, the act of praying, reading our bible, or praising God isn't always on the top of that list. Of course, as Christians, we WANT these things to be high on our list of priorities, but somehow the things of this world always seem to get in the way. I know all of you can relate. Things that really don't matter in the big scheme of things usually take precedence over what is eternal. Timmy and I wanted to do something to help change this aspect of our morning routine. Yes, it will still include a diet coke and a pop-tart, but I want it to also include the desire to get on my knees and thank God for another day. While in Hobby Lobby the other day, I bought a wall decal for our bedroom just for this reason and Timmy and I put it up last night. Not only is it a beautiful addition to our decor:), but it also serves another purpose. Right over our heads, we now read, "Be still and know that I am God," Psalm 46:10. As soon as I woke up this morning, this is the first thing I saw in the mirror on the opposite wall. It almost felt as if I had tied a red string around my finger to remember something when I looked up and saw the printed letters on the wall, reminding me of the goodness of God. Mission accomplished!
Let's think about this verse more deeply for a second. Be still...what does that mean? In my life, I have almost forgotten what it feels like to be still and my girls have apparently never learned what it means either! Anyway........when I think of being still, I think of peace, quiet, and a sense of being completely assured that everything is going to be ok. I get flustered pretty easily, especially with change. Ask Timmy!  I find myself stopping all the time to remind myself, "it's all going to be ok...." Usually I am making a bigger deal out of something than it really is. This sort of reminds me of how I used to help myself to not freak out over big exams in college. If someone would invite me to eat, for example, when I should be studying, I would tell myself, "Alana, technically you have 12 hours to learn this stuff----if you HAD to." It wasn't a lie. I could have stayed up all night to learn my notes!:) Needless to say, I did have a lot of really late nights cramming for exams because I chose to do something more appealing first, but look....I turned out just fine and usually made a good grade! On the same note, the preacher said something the other day that stuck with me. He said, "the things we worry about, usually never happen anyway," and the more I thought about it, the more I realized how true that really is.

Let's move on and think about the end of the verse...know that I am God. Say it again in your head.....know that I am God, know that I am God, KNOW THAT I AM GOD. Wow! Our heavenly father is the God of all things. The God over our life is perfect. The God over our life has a plan for all things. The God over our life NEVER makes mistakes. Many times, we say this verse without truly giving it the credit it deserves. I have a feeling that this decal on my wall is going to be very good for me and my attitude every day....

I want to share one last thing with you who are reading this....something that helps me day to day. When I am overwhelmed, anxious, or fearful about something, I usually talk about it with my mom. She thinks like me and we are so much alike. Thus, her response is usually very encouraging and something that I need to hear. Timmy, on the other hand, just tells me like it is and makes me laugh in a moment of seriousness and/or sadness. I need that too though! His strengths definitely compliment my weaknesses very well, but that's another story for another day! After I talk to my mom, I always feel better. She just has a way of saying things. Her words are like band-aids on a "boo boo," as Kamryn and Hadden would say. One thing that she reminds me of very often is that when I feel I can't take one more step, I should just speak the name of Jesus. The devil can't stand to hear His name and his tricks and traps have NOTHING on Jesus and His power. Another thing I like to do is play Christian music constantly in my house. How can satan attack me with the name of Jesus being glorified over and over again through song....he can't! (These days, I listen to Elmo just as much, but hey, he seems to be pretty positive too!) I encourage you to try these things the next time you feel like you need a little boost. It really works. For some reason, as I just typed that last sentence, a song popped in my head. I love, love, love the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and because of this choir, I have a dream of leading a choir one day! When visiting New York a few years ago, we were able to go to church there and this is the song that the choir performed. Listen to the words and be encouraged. We can be still and know that our God is not just any God....He is the lifter of our heads, our glory, and our shield.