And .........breathe

After this weekend, things will finally begin to slow down, for a couple of weeks anyways! We have been so busy for the past six weeks that I am ready for a breather. We have celebrated Jared's birthday, Christmas, New Years, my birthday, and we will celebrate Ben's birthday this weekend. All of this on top of starting back to school and the various things we have going on at church. We will get a little break before celebrating Machaela's birthday in February.

Over Christmas we added two more family members. One is a female Betta fish for the girls, her name is Ruby. And yes, for those of you that know, that is a family name. I thought it was fitting not only because it is a family name, but after she eats her Colorbrite flakes the red in her scales really comes out. Can you tell I am a little attached to her? I always wanted a fish when I was little, but was deprived as a child of this simple pleasure.

Our second addition is Leonidas IV. He is a male Betta fish for the boys. He is the fourth because we went through that many male fish to figure out that we needed a water neutralizer for the water. Somehow Ruby has survived despite having needed the neutralizer.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Now, I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, because I usually just end up breaking them and then I have guilt, but this year I have committed to making an even greater effort to draw closer to the Lord, in which I hope will be a year of peace and amazing growth for me. I hope this year you will seek that as well for yourself. If you like to read devotionals online or download sermons here is a link to a ministry called, Truth For Life. They post daily devotions on their website and allow you to download sermons.

Today's devotion said so perfectly what I want for myself this year. I tried to only copy the best parts so that it wouldn't be so long, but it was all good so this is the devotion in it's entirety. Enjoy!

I will be their God.
Jeremiah 31:33

Christian, here is all you require. To make you happy you want something that shall satisfy you, and is not this enough? If you can pour this promise into your cup, will you not say, with David, "My cup overflows."¹ When this is fulfilled, "I am your God," are you not possessor of all things? Desire is insatiable as death, but He who fills all in all can fill it. The capacity of our wishes who can measure? But the immeasurable wealth of God can more than overflow it. I ask you if you are not complete when God is yours? Do you want anything but God? Is not His all-sufficiency enough to satisfy you if all else should fail? But you want more than quiet satisfaction; you desire rapturous delight. Come, soul, here is music fit for heaven in this your portion, for God is the Maker of heaven. Not all the music blown from sweet instruments or drawn from living strings can yield such melody as this sweet promise, "I will be their God." Here is a deep sea of bliss, a shoreless ocean of delight; come, bathe your spirit in it; swim an age, and you shall find no shore; dive throughout eternity, and you shall find no bottom. "I will be their God." If this does not make your eyes sparkle, and your heart beat fast with bliss, then assuredly your soul is not in a healthy state. But you want more than present delights--you crave something concerning which you may exercise hope; and what more can you hope for than the fulfillment of this great promise, "I will be their God"? This is the masterpiece of all the promises; its enjoyment makes a heaven below and will make a heaven above. Dwell in the light of your Lord, and let your soul be always ravished with His love. Get out the marrow and fatness that this portion yields you. Live up to your privileges, and rejoice with unspeakable joy.

¹Psalm 23:5