Pumpkin Bread?

Yesterday was my 9th anniversary with my husband. It has been 9 glorious years married to him, he’s a good man and he is crazy about me. He shows me every single day what I mean to him in small ways, but let’s face it, I am a hopeless romantic! I want Hallmark movies all year long in my home! HA!  Like every other year my husband asks me what I want for our anniversary, and, as always, I say oh nothing honey! And like always, he shows up with a card and I get disappointed because my nothing honey always means nothing is brought home! I love gifts and surprises, but Chad is not a gifts and surprises guy. He’s shows me every single day that I am special. Every now and then, he’ll plan a date night or buy me something that surprises me. So I sit here last night, as he’s lying in his chair because he doesn’t feel good, legit doesn’t feel good, and I think well this anniversary stinks! In the middle of my feeling sorry for myself, my friend sends a picture of pumpkin bread she’s just made. Well, that will make me feel better so I get up and make my own! Half of the loaf later, I’m lying on the couch telling God that if he will take my sick feeling away, I promise to never do that again. I mean I am so miserable that I cannot breathe and let’s not even talk about how much I struggled at the gym today! I mean, seriously! As I prayed and meditated this morning for inspiration on what to write, God said pumpkin bread. What? Pumpkin bread?? You want me to share my recipe or what? No! Why did you do that to yourself last night and eat all the bread to the point of being sick? The Bible says “Cast all your cares upon him; for he careth for you.”  I understand my feeling sorry for myself is pretty insignificant but we don’t cast our cares on him. We need to feel like we fit in so we shop for clothes we can’t afford, to feel better about ourselves, and run up credit cards. We need to feel loved and accepted so we spend money and hours and hours of time and energy doing things and buying things for people trying to make them like us and be what they need. We need to feel loved and want a man so we latch on to the first thing that comes along and overlook everything that maybe isn’t right in the relationship. We can’t handle life so we medicate with food, drugs and alcohol. Then we wake up from our high or drunkenness or food coma and the problem is still there. So then what are we left with? Credit card debt that takes years to pay off, an extra 20 pounds of fat, or years wasted in the wrong relationship? We’re left picking up the pieces from a broken heart.

There is rest in God, why do we do this to ourselves? One of my favorite scriptures says weeping may endure for the night but joy cometh in the morning. So what is your pumpkin bread? For me, it’s almost been all of the things I listed above. I don’t need eat a loaf of pumpkin bread to feel good! I don’t need to buy anything for anybody to know I am special! I don’t need to fit in with anybody but God! So why spend so much time and energy trying to be and do all those things? Let’s stop and let’s stop today!! Pray, work out, meditate, feel good about the amazing person you are!! Things will fall into place when we focus on all the right things that we have in our lives, and are grateful, not spending time focusing on all the things we don’t have or bad things in our life. I dare you to try it for a few days and see if your mood changes! Just try being grateful for all you have! Don’t eat a loaf of pumpkin bread! I promise you will regret it!

With all my love, Shauna