March Forth!

Tyson, you knew this was coming didn't you? He's been telling me for a few days that I needed to listen to track 8 of volume 1 of James MacDonald's Daily Drive CD. Well, today after a good workout, I did. Here are some highlights:
This is how to handle a hard time- trust in the Lord, do good, stay put.
Keep doing the right thing
FEED on faithfulness
Do everything you can to be faithful
Make faithfulness your goal
your pursuit
your satisfaction
if I was faithful for another day, that is good
more than your satisfaction,
make faithfulness your admiration!
I admire faithful people.

Faithfulness is hard! The Lord allowed me to exercise that muscle yesterday. I should have expected it, right!? Exercise, working out, is hard. We rarely enjoy it...until it is over...and then...it feels so good! To have done it, to  have done it faithfully. I've been trying to exercise every morning. I'm getting to the point where I don't really want to get up and do it anymore. I've had some success with it and that feels good, so I can take a little break now, right? Each new day that I get up and force myself to endure that workout, to push my weary body on for one more day, I'm met with reward, with satisfaction. Faithfulness is good and satisfying. What a great reminder MacDonald gives us to keep Marching Forth in the Lord, to be faithful. You know, maybe I'm strange, but I kind of like tests. I always have. I remember in school...didn't like the homework so much, but when the test came, I was ready to see how much I really knew. I don't want to repeat those tests now because I think I've forgotten just about everything. I still in many ways however enjoy tests. Don't get me wrong, they are HARD, they are not fun. I cry a lot. I fail many. But, in the end, it feels so good! To bear through it with the Lord, to commune with Him in the hardest and darkest times, to allow Him to prove to us His faithfulness and His goodness. He is good. Afterwards, I look back at each test, each hard and difficult time, and thank the Lord for it, for growing me, for loving me enough to not leave me where I am. He loves me just as I am, but He also loves me enough to not leave me there. Thank you Lord! Let's see how well, I can be faithful and endure another night with a fussy baby who wants to wake up and eat way too often for a tired Momma. Maybe I'll have a better attitude with this perspective.

I was going to try not to add words, to simply state the next scripture, but I see that the Lord has plans to teach me through this. What was I thinking? I'm always too excited to share what He teaches me...how can I stay quiet? Next verse:

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.  1 Timothy 6:12