Forty Days and Forty Nights...

I find it more than a coincidence that our "goal" date to finish our new home is October 31st--exactly 40 days from September 21st which is the day that I began writing my story. (on my computer--I did not start posting it to Blogger until the following day.)

When we leave this place, and move into our new home, I want it to be a completely new start--for me and for our entire family. I want our home to be filled with God's love. When you walk into my house, I want you to feel warmth and peace, not chaos and strife. And I know that this is my task, mine and mine alone.

In God's Word, Proverbs talks about how the woman is the one who sets the tone of the home. So it is up to me to work at providing stability and setting the Godly example for my family. If I am constantly overwhelmed, and negative, and unhappy, that is going to manifest itself in my children, and it will wear on my marriage. How can I provide a home filled with God's love if I am not letting him fill me with that love? How can I pass on something that I do not have to give?

Forty days...the same amount of time that Jesus spent in the Desert. It is now clear to me that these next 40 days are going to be my time in the "Desert". The more soul-searching I do, the more that I realize that I am thirsty...thirsty for him, thirsty for his word, and thirsty for his perfect love and the peace that passes all understanding. So I am going to use this time to grow closer to him, and to make the changes on the inside that I know need to be made. That is my goal, and the real, true purpose of this blog: Writing about my experiences helps me reflect on them and see and absorb things that I might have otherwise overlooked.

Forty days from now, as I prepare to move into new home, I want to be a new person--this time on the inside. I want to be closer to Christ Jesus. I want my husband, children, family and friends to see the light of Jesus shining through me. I want to be the Godly woman who is an example to everyone around her of what Jesus is like. And the one who can smile and praise God even in her darkest hours.

Again, I ask for your prayers.

All my love,

~Michelle