Satisfied with Him.

Do you ever get cravings? 

Have you ever gotten a sudden desire for something sweet, salty, or sour?

Or maybe it's a longing for a friend, relationship, travel, or a certain TV show (Sherlock, anyone? ;).

I know I do! 

 Websters 1828 Dictionary defines "crave" as:

To call for, as a gratification; to long for; to require or demand, as a passion or appetite

When a hunger like this comes, more often than not, we like to fill it. If chocolate is on my mind, I do everything I can to get a taste. If I'm feeling a wander-lust, planning a trip would be just the cure! I believe that as humans, we naturally want to do just that. (Now of course there are those fleshy, not-so-good desires, that we must abstain from with the Lord's help. But I'm talking about more of the small, practical ones.) Anyways, I was thinking the other day about something.

For the last several years in my personal walk with the Lord, I have prayed that He would satisfy me. I really love these lyrics by Tenth Ave North:

And when the day is closing in like the stars in the night I am falling into the pull of the earth and its affections 
In me, O Lord, can You create a pure heart Because I'm afraid that I just might run back To the things I hate 
Satisfy me, Lord, oh Satisfy me, Lord, oh Yeah I'm begging You, help me see You're all I want, You're what I need Oh satisfy me, Lord

Really and truly, this has been a cry of my heart through the years. I pray that God would make me want Him. That I won't settle for some temporary happiness, in place of His living Word. That I would long to spend time with Him. That I will purpose to connect with Him daily.

1 Corinthians 8:11 ..but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have.

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

And that's what brought me to this thought:

Do I crave the Lord?
Do I desire to spend time and meditate on His word?
Do I do everything in my power, to fill that hole with Him?
It's a challenge, definitely. And since it challenged me, I hope this will challenge some of you as well.
Seek the Lord, and ask Him to draw you in. To cause that longing in your soul for something bigger, greater, and stronger than some Gharidelli.
-Sarah

You make me smile like the sun, fall out of bed....*insert gigantic ear-to-ear grin*

"They're a couple!!!" "A couple of what?" 

And if you needed clarification, Abigail and our wonderful Gentleman are officially together! xD 

**lets out very loud and very excited squeal**

Yes. We are so thankful to the Lord and the way He's working in our dear brother and good friend. :) Love you both so much and will be praying for you in this exciting season!

-Sarah

So You Think There Are Nuts on Your Family Tree?

"There's no place like home for real comfort!"

"Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first
associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no
subsequant connections can supply..."

-Jane Austen

Doubtless when Jane Austen penned those words, she was thinking of her own home and family. To put it plainly, and in blunt English, we can quote my Grandmama:

"We all love our own weird family!" :D

This does not imply exactly that one's family is weird, only that we are all most comfortable amongst our blood relations! :) I must say, it feels good to have Daniel back in our midst! Like in the Austen quote above, though Matthew did his best as a cousin to fill Daniel's place, there is nothing quite like the original! (no offence m'dear! :) I am so blessed that Dad and Mama have instructed us, and placed great value, in our building good relationships with our siblings! It always saddens me to see grown men and women fueding over simple things, because they have never had good relationships to begin with as children! I know we are not perfect. Far from it! I'm sure every member of my family can testify to the fact that I lose my patience sometimes, and can be quite as snippy as the next person. But the difference comes in the way we handle the not-so-godly times. It is the contrast between Nellie-Oleson attitude being the norm, and a bit of crabbiness once in awhile. Do I throw up my hands, roll my eyes and say, "Why do I even try?!?!" with a self-piteous moan, or do I humble up, apologize, and put my shoulder to the plow and wrangle the attitude? God has given us our families to be in it with us for the long haul, including all our quirks and oddities. We can either fight against it, and constantly pull seperate directions, convinced that the "perfect life" is just over the horizon, or we can look around us, and realize that, all small quirks aside, we are a working, God-created team, built specifically to fulfill a special purpose in His plan. It is easy to put up a good, patient, saintly front for those people you see only once a week. But the real test is among the people you live with 24-7. Do they respect you? Are you treating them with the deference you show to everyone at church? I know I am probably misquoting someone, but it has been said, "A great man is respected best, by the people who know him best." I know that sometimes we can get on each other's nerves. But chances are, truly, that at least half of our "issues" with others, are of our own making. When the Walkers were living with us for 3 months, we had a huge poster up with this verse to remind us constantly of the Lord's will for our relationships: "1 Peter 4:9-11 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as with the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen" Right in these few short verses you have all you need to know to have successful family relationships. If, every time I opened my mouth, I spoke only the words God would put there, I doubt my siblings would have reason to complain! If I ministered to them with the gifts the Lord has given me, instead of maybe saving them for people I felt like serving (in my flesh) I am sure things would always go smoothly. Try it, and you will be surprised at the "change" yo observe in your family. Though I would beg to wonder if perhaps the change was in your own heart! :) Although this may seem like a rambling post, it has an object- I started it thankful for being a whole family once more, and I end it in the same way, merely challenging us all to try to make our home a place that our family members long to return to whenever they are away! :) -Rachel