His gentle leading

"He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
He gently leads those that have young."
Isaiah 40:11

My evening devotional time led me to this passage this week.  I was particularly struck by the last line, "He gently leads those that have young." 

So I did some more research, and I found a reference back to this passage in Genesis when Jacob is returning to his brother Esau.  It reads: "But Jacob said to him, 'My lord knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young.  If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die.'" Gen 33:13.

I looked through some commentaries as well and found it interesting to note that it was apparently a well-known fact that young animals, and the mothers caring for them, needed to travel at a slower pace so that they didn't become over-tired and exhausted to the point of death.

To know that God, as our great Shepherd, cares for us the same way -- cares for me, as a mother, the same way -- is extremely comforting.  He is gently leading me through life at a slower pace so that I will have the energy I need to focus on my precious little ones.  I don't have to climb tall mountains in a single day or run marathons in record time because I have small children that I need to take care of.

He knows that.  And He is caring for me in a special way right now, at this time in my life, so I can do just that.

Oh, to be normal!

This morning I'm inspired to write what is on my heart, a bit because I'm bored, and none of the blogs I read has anything new to catch up on, and a bit because I'm really need to get an actual post out here.  God has been doing some major work in my heart and my life lately, and I'm going to put myself out there and actually try to articulate some of what is happening.

I've been struggling with depression again over the past few weeks.  I'm starting to feel like my battle with depression is so multi-faceted that I'm only just beginning to discover what it's going to mean for my life to deal with this.  I'm sure that some of it is related to chemistry and biology, and the fact that it seems to run in my family.  But at this particular moment, I feel like God is forcing me to look at my relationship with Him and how that is playing a role in my mental health.

There are so many things related to my faith that I'm having to look at that my mind gets a bit boggled when I try to pin point them all.  How to pray, the way prayer works, trusting God for strength, hearing His voice throughout the day, surrendering to His will in everything, accepting His infinite grace every.single.time I screw up, understanding that I am a sinner, and no matter how hard I try, I will never be perfect.  All these things and many more are lessons that I need to learn.

And slowly, I think I'm starting to learn them.  But it is a struggle.  There are good days and bad days.  Days when I seem to making significant progress, and then, days when I feel like I've taken five steps back.

So, I am "confident of this, that He who began a good work in [me] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Phil. 1:6  But gosh, sometimes, it would be nice just to be normal!

Menu Plan Wednesday

Well, it's been a whole week with no post, so at least you get my menu plan today.  I'll try to do better in the future.  :)  Here's our menu for the week of Feb 9 to Feb 15.

Wednesday - Roast & potatoes
Thursday - Spaghetti
Friday - Soup (not sure what kind yet, but there's a distinct possibility it's coming from a can)
Saturday - Sweet & sour chicken
Sunday - Pancakes
Monday - the kids get hotdogs; Tim & I are having one of those new PC Dine-In Tonight frozen entree things.  The one we got is Creamy tarragon pan-seared chicken.  Just our little way of celebrating Valentine's Day without going out.  Maybe we'll wait till the kids are in bed and eat by candlelight.  ;) 
Tuesday - Easy Chicken & Broccoli

Menu Plan Wednesday

Well, it's a snow day today, and the kids went to Laura's a day early, so Tim and I are enjoying some quiet time around the house for once.  I thought I should take the time to post something, even if it's not anything particularly inspiring.  I'm actually having a difficult time typing after mutilating my finger on the mandolin last night while I was attempting to slice potatoes for supper.  Looks like I probably won't be taking any transcription work this weekend.

I know a lot of the other bloggers that I keep up with will often do a Menu Plan type post, so I'm thinking I might start doing that too.  I've found that dinner time is a whole lot easier if I have all of our meals planned out ahead of time.  It also makes groceries a lot simpler, too.  I usually plan for two weeks at a time, based around the timing of our budget and when pay cheques are deposited.  I think I'll only post a week at a time though.  So here's my menu plan for Feb 2 through Feb 8.

Wednesday - Shepherd's pie
Thursday - Hamburger Helper
Friday - chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, and peas (I haven't decided how I'm going to cook the chicken yet.)
Saturday - Lasagna
Sunday - Chili
Monday - Sidekicks & homemade chicken fingers
Tuesday - Boerenkool

Thursdays have to be fairly easy meals as we're trying to get Tim out the door, so we're squeezing the meal in while making his lunches for on the road and packing his bag before dropping him off.  That leaves meals for just me and the kids over the weekend, and an easy meal again on Monday in case we have to go pick Tim up before or after dinner.  Then Tuesdays and Wednesdays are meals with Tim home, and hopefully something that will give us leftovers for him to take on the road with him.

There's a method to all this madness.  I do find it challenging to come up with meals for just me and the kids because I want them to be easier meals, but still tasty and nutritious, yet not feeling like I'm going to be making all kinds of food that no one is going to eat because the kids don't have huge appetites yet.  Dinner is often the meal they eat the least of in the day.

So that's that.  I think from now on I will try to make Wednesday's my Menu Plan post days.  If you ever want to come join us for a meal you particularly like, let me know, and I'll make sure we have enough for you.  :)