When I don't sleep...

I end up sharing with you my randomness.

It is has been a while since I blogged... well here on this blog it has been! Do you know I have another blog? Done with my friend Kristin? http://gogreenwisconsin.blogspot.com/ ~There it is! For your reading enjoyment.

So life has changed a LOT since I wrote last. Kimberly Clark did yet again turn us down for renting - that was way back in February. It was frustrating, yet a blessing. God obviously knew best. We are now renting a building at 430 Main St. Which is MUCH nicer than the other space. It has more character and a little less work to it. And natural light comes in the windows! AMAZING! Not a lot, but some to where I don't need to have the lights on during the day when it's myself there! It's a leap of faith renting this space, but God gave the green light and off we are. I "love" when people say "wow, if I could afford rent on a space like this..." and in my head I'm always like "we actually can't afford to either... but praying and trusting that God will make it work."

It's a challenge, more than a challenge. Some days I want to give up, but there is no turning back now. Been working hard at getting things together... cleaning, setting up, getting shelves, putting products on, getting all the products needed, trying to work with the kids (HUGE challenge) at the store, trying to get the kids to nap at the store, finding time to catch up on current online biz stuff... and the list goes on! Oh and trying to find time to sleep - thankfully my body just tells me to sometimes... but still can be hard when my mind is racing with a million and one things to do.

God is good though and teaching us. Now it's a matter if we learn or take what we're learning and apply it. It's a blessing even though at times it seems more frustrating than that.

One of the many things I've always wanted to express that well... obviously for not writing in a few months I've had "too much to do" - and the "too much to say" part has just gone to the wayside... is how talking to people about cloth diapers, raw milk (yes, we drink raw cow's milk and it is awesome... do you cook the breastmilk that you give to your baby?), and other natural things is really similar to sharing Christ with others. The difference can be in the people that it's shared with. Such as I'm not getting odd, weird looks or the phrase "that's really good for you, but that's not for me" from my friends that are Christians if I talk to them about Christ and Spiritual things. However, I can talk to others that are in Christ and they can give me those responses and think I'm totally crazy, possibly out of my mind for doing these options. And even better when a person thinks your crazy for being a Christian AND being natural.

^"13If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you." 2 Cor 5:13

But to me being "natural" goes in hand with being a Christian. God created this Earth and everything in it is his. As a Christian, I want to do my best to treat it as kindly as I can and respect what God has given us. I'm by no means saying I'm perfect and there are a lot of things I still need to change (as I eat my thin mint Girl Scout cookies that I won't even dare look at the ingredients listed on the box), but I know that when God created this Earth, he had us in mind.

"Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ³⁰ And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so. " Genesis 1:29-30

Where am I going with this? I'm not sure because as the title says "When I don't sleep..." well, this is what happens, I go on random tangents.

If I ate all that he provided and it was more accessible, I probably wouldn't need all the vitamins and essential oils and other stuff that I take to help me. But when I feed my body with things such as thin mints, ramen, and who knows what else when it's convenient, my body will feel ill or I become tired and other things that wouldn't if I nourished my body with things that God provided, that are good and healthy and all that other good stuff :)

Just as when we are hungry for something other than food, we often fill our minds with things that are not, well maybe not even things that are "bad" but things that aren't necessarily good. Like I could eat crackers like crazy and they aren't necessarily bad, but they aren't necessarily good and beneficial. But if we fill our minds with things of Christ, he will renew us.

" Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. " Matthew 5:6

Not the verse I was looking for, but it totally worked thanks to biblegateway.com!

Amazing though and so true - again! Isn't God really awesome like that. Oh and the hunger analogy was completely reminded to me when we were at homegroup this evening and talking about hungering and thirsting for more of God.

I know about hunger and thirst too - in my mind I do ( I know in 3rd world countries my saying that might be offensive). I am hungry and thirsty ALL the time! Right now I'm hungry, but I should be sleeping. I drink water and yet I am thirsty again. But when you drink the living water that is from the living God - you will thirst no longer.

^"10Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

¹¹"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? ¹²Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"

¹³Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."" John 4:10-13

Yeah, isn't he good! So true too - I'm thirsty all the time. Now that doesn't mean I should give up drinking earthly water, it's just to truly be filled we need the living water that comes from our Savior Jesus Christ.

So that is where I end and go to sleep because it seems fitting. And I think I got totally away from where I started, but again... that's what happens "When I don't Sleep!"

If you read this and it totally sucks, please don't tell me, but if you read it and like it, I'd love to know cuz I'm really self conscience when I make posts (hence another reason it takes for me to be so tired to post that I don't care) and I just need encouragement in general cuz I've been pretty down lately, so i'd appreciate it. Thanks!