Down the Rabbit Hole

 You may or may not know that we have a house rabbit. His name is Waffles Nicholas. He's cool and big and possibly the softest thing I have ever felt. We rescued Waffles from the animal shelter in April. (rescued sounds way more noble than just adopted) It was a way spur of the moment deal. But what a great choice. He is litterbox trained, so he just runs around the house and let's us pet him...sometimes. He does a lot of hiding under the dining room table. That is his little or not so little rabbit hole.  Once the kids are in bed he comes out and runs around and rubs against our legs.  The kids are a little scary to him I think.  Especially Lincoln, he swings his arms around a lot and runs at him.

Here is what I have learned about rabbits since we got him:

1. Rabbits teeth constantly grow, so they have to chew to wear them down.
2. He likes to appear really vicious.
3. Rabbits shed every 3 or 4 months, every other time is like a huge loss of hair. (I read about one rabbit that gets almost naked.)
4. A rabbit cleaning its ears is incredibly cute.
5. I am very concerned about how Sharp a rabbits teeth actually are.
6. A rabbit will find and eat or chew up anything and everything.
7. Rabbits are super fun to watch.

I just wanted to share because Waffles is beginning to shed...his second shedding since got him. This time I won't stress he is dying and that somehow we killed him. Now I know better.
Also we just got a puppy. She is a bassett hound and beagle mix. Her name is Apple Sally. Arabelle like to pick out middle names. She is also awesome! We are now a family of 6.
Have a nice weekend bloggies!

You're Not Common

Happy Saturday bloggies!

So, I have been busy lately.  Work and kids and family and BSF and small group and church...you know how it goes.  Anyways, God has been busy working in me on something the past couple of weeks and I find it's time to share. 

God has really been working on my thoughts of being common or lacking in something.  A few years ago I struggled with severe anxiety.  It was awful and I never ever want to go back to that.  I was sick to my stomach constantly worrying about what if this and what if that.  In my inability to identify why I was anxious I became guilt ridden.  I convinced myself that something I had done was causing the anxiety.  Or that maybe I am not good enough and that's why If felt that way. Sometimes I feel it trying to creep back in and I have to fight it.  There is a good chance that this is just normal every day anxiety caused by hormones or lack of sleep or a myriad of different things, but since I went through what I did I immediately find myself going back to that place.

The thing is, I know God healed me.  I know God forgave me for all of the small and big things in my life and continues to forgive me and work in me when things pop up.  I also know that God made me special and with a purpose.  I was reading in Acts 10 where Peter first goes and speaks to the Gentiles about Jesus and they are baptized both with water and the Holy Spirit.  This was a huge event because the Gentiles had been considered unclean.  This was a huge jump for the spread of the gospel.  But one thing that I haven't been able to get past is how God speaks to Peter about his concerns.  God says to Peter in Acts 10:15 What God has made clean, do not call common.  In the immediate and obvious context this deals with what we eat and foods that were considered unclean, then it applies to people that aren't like us and how God still loves and desires that people who aren't perfect love him.  For me though, I have been thinking about how we are forgiven and how God knew us in the womb, how he formed us (Jeremiah 1:5). 

We get so caught up in life and our circumstances that we forget what God has done.  We forget the importance of what Jesus did for us and who we are in Christ.  We get stuck thinking we thought we might be more.  We thought we would have a different job, we thought we would have kids, we didn't think we would have kids, we thought we would be married, we thought we wouldn't be struggling with something, we never thought we would get sick with a certain illness...the list goes on and on.  We forget to think that maybe we are exactly where we are supposed to be.  That just maybe God has a bigger plan and knows more than we do.  Just maybe??  We think about what we can do and not what God can and will do through us. 

We are far from common bloggies.  We are not defined by our shortcomings or past sins.  We are not beyond God's reach.  We are created in the image of God with a purpose and by a creator who has a well defined and unfailing plan for our lives. 

Psalm 139:14 "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.Wonderful are your works;
                        my soul knows it very well."

Dare to be uncommon bloggies!  Step into what God has for you and never look back.