Bridget A. Thomas
Every day is a gift!
Housekeeping
Personal Housekeeping
Every so often, we each should perform some housekeeping in our lives. What do I mean by housekeeping? We should analyze the current state of things, dig around to find any areas that might benefit from some changes, and then proceed accordingly.
This is something that is important to do in all areas of our lives. Today we are just going to focus on three primary areas of our lives – spiritual walk, relationships, and health. But you can also do this for any area of your life, such as work, education, etc.
Our spiritual lives should always be our first area of focus. When our relationship with God is in the right place, when our thoughts and actions are aligned with His will for our lives, then the other areas are easier to adjust. We can walk in peace because we know that each step we take is on the right path. So take some time today to look at your spiritual life. Ask yourself if there are any changes you can make today in order to realign yourself with the Lord.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:13
Next take a look at your relationships. Start with those closest to you, and branch out to other relationships as well. The enemy will try to pull families and friends apart. So make sure you keep this in mind when you analyze this area of your life. If there is any discord in your relationships, then it could mean that the devil is trying to cause division in your life. Ask yourself if your relationships are where you want them to be. If the answer is no, then ask yourself if there is anything you can do to improve the situation.
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. – John 13:34
Third, take a look at your health. How have you been feeling? Are there any issues you have been ignoring? What has your diet looked like lately? Do you need to make any changes in this area? And how about physical exercise? Do you move throughout the day? If not, how can you implement some changes? Our health is often something we take for granted. We don’t worry about it until we are faced with an issue of some kind. But striving for good health is important. I think many people are realizing that now more than ever. When the stores were running out of toilet paper, they also were running out of things like hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies. Let’s make our health a lasting priority, not just when we are faced with a pandemic.
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Ultimately, when we do some housekeeping in different areas of our lives, it is important to keep in mind that we are to honor God. So when you analyze your spiritual walk, relationships, health, and any other area of your life, ask yourself – am I honoring God?
Blog Housekeeping
With all that being said, I will be making some small changes around here. For starters, I will try to post on Tuesdays now, rather than Saturdays. This day will work better for my schedule. I am trying to avoid posting on the weekend. There are various reasons that come into play. One reason in particular is that I am trying to solidify a better Sabbath routine. To read more about that, you can click here. I want to ensure that I can devote more weekend time to the Lord, to my family, and to slowing down.
Don’t forget that I also post every Thursday on the Christians Read blog. If you are not following it, I encourage you to do so. There are several writers that write for that blog. This keeps the posts fresh and interesting, and you will be guaranteed to read something that resonates with you.
This brings me to my next point. I am here for you and I am here to honor God. Therefore, I want to provide content that is useful and encouraging. If you have any requests on topics which you would like for me to write about, please don’t hesitate to ask. Or if there were certain posts you enjoyed more than others, let me know that too. This will help me to focus on the topics and content that are most beneficial to you.
Most of all, I just want to say thank you for being here. It makes the journey so much richer when we have friends by our side. When there are people out there who walk beside you, bring you fresh insight, and inspire you – those things are truly priceless. So thank you from the bottom of my heart. God bless you!
© 2020 Bridget A. Thomas
This sunset was taken the day before Easter. What a beautiful way for God to remind us that incredible things were about to happen.
Photo by Bridget A. Thomas
Bridget A. Thomas 
Such good points you raise here. Not only regularly checking on spiritual health but also our relationships and our physical health. I think with relationships we can just let it remain less than ideal and do not always put in any effort that bring about change. Although the outcome would depend on the other party willing for change too.
I like how you tied it together with honouring God in all of this, that should be the reason to reflect and change what we do.
Love the picture, what a beautiful sunset.
😊💙
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You make a good point. Too often with relationships we do just shrug our shoulders and walk away. But yes, you are absolutely right. Sometimes when we do try to fix things, the other party is not willing. So we can only work on our side of things.
Honoring God should always be our goal. But I do realize that many people don’t think of it that way. They think their relationship with God is separate from other areas of their lives. But when we put Him in the center of things, it makes a world of difference.
I am glad you loved the picture and enjoyed the post. Thanks so much, Manu! God bless! 💜
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Thanks so much for this. It was sort of a confirmation kick in the pants. I’ll share more in tomorrow’s post, unless the Lord leads differently. Lol. I have to stop promising when I’m going to share things! Too often I’m wrong.
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Hi Tina. I am glad you enjoyed the post and that it helped confirm some things you have already been thinking about… And about promising what you will share on your posts. LOL. I was reading a Priscilla Shirer book recently and she said something similar, except it had to do with speaking engagements. She said she stopped sharing ahead of time what she would talk about because so often she would prepare something, then when she was walking up on the stage, God would lay a different topic on her heart that pertained to what those particular people needed to hear. So it’s not just you! In a way it is a blessing that you are able to hear from the Lord and know which direction He is leading. ❤️
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Yes, exactly. That is exactly what happens. I have quite a few things in my drafts and sometimes it takes a long time before they ever make it onto my blog. But that can be a good thing and for another reason. Often a piece isn’t truly as finished as I believe it to be, then I gain some more insight and have to change some things, add something, or remove something. One of my issues is taking things too fast. I’m over eager. I still can’t quite calm down and wait for direction. But God is speaking. Now I just have to listen and then put it into practice.
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I definitely know what you mean about changing posts. I do that a lot as well. But I think all writers do. Actually another blogger recently shared this quote from C.S. Lewis: “First, I do not sit down at my desk to put into verse something that is already clear in my mind. If it were clear in my mind, I should have no incentive or need to write about it. We do not write in order to be understood; we write in order to understand.” I also understand what you mean about being too eager. I am that way too. I run ahead of God all too often. I am trying to slow down and savor the moment.
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I so love C.S. Lewis. He always put thoughts to word so wonderfully. He’s one of my favorites.
Yes, exactly. Savoring the moment and savoring our savior. That’s the direction I’ve been aiming for, but I’m struggling as I go. Dissapointments and discouragement keep tripping me up.
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I know exactly what you mean. I tend to stay so busy trying to do things for God or I try hard to connect with Him, but I don’t just savor Him. So thanks for that. You have given me something to think about 🤔
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Awesome advice!!! Love that you noted housekeeping with God first!! And to include relationships with others in a “housekeeping” topic is so applicable. God wants us loving others even when things are difficult so to analyze those relationships is truly important!
I checked this post out from Tina’s post, so thankful for networking!!
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I am so glad to know that you enjoyed the post. Yes so often we just keep doing the same things every day because that is what we know. Routines are generally a good thing, in my opinion. However, sometimes things in our lives are not always ideal. So we should take a look at them, and prayerfully seek God’s will in each situation. Thanks so much for stopping by! I too am glad for networking! God has brought some wonderful people in my life through our blogs!
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I agree indeed! ….with guilt I admit there are times my prayers feel routine or spoken out of obligation..ugh…breaks my heart!!
…So now that I’m more conscientious of this I’m sincerely praying out of concern over the fact…I trust God will fix my issue❤️
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I know what you mean. Prayer is something I have to work on at times as well. It can feel overwhelming at times when there are so many things to pray about. I like keeping a list. I might not pray about everything on the list every day. But it still helps keep me organized and focused.
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Love that, thank you for the inspiration 😊 Have an amazing day!
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These are all great points! I love the idea of personal housekeeping. I think it’s something we probably don’t keep up with enough. Blog housekeeping is a good idea, too! I recently had to blog a few spammers who seemed very legit. It’s so frustrating that there’s people out there like that.
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I am glad you enjoyed the post. 😊 Very true about the spammers. I have had issues in the past with that as well. ☹️
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