This week is majorly intense. As I just wrote an email to a friend of mine about my schedule between now and NEXT Thursday, I realized just how STRESSED I am about all of it! GOOD things, but stressful nevertheless!

So, knowing me, I know that it is easy to focus, fixate, OBSESS about things and not be in the present moment with my eating, to allow things to kick into automatic pilot and miss the moment with the Lord, fellowshipping with Him as I sit down at the table to fuel my body with food He provides.

One of the biggest causes of “flesh machinery” for me is travel. Even when it is to the Thin Within retreat I know that I can be in danger! I will choose to be vigilant. Flying across the country may not be a big deal to some folks, but it is to me. Make part of that be a connecting flight at Dallas-Fort Worth airport and I am a nutcase! So…I will just use this as a chance to apply some of the things God has been teaching me through my horsemanship…such as changing my thoughts. Or taking them captive. When I find panic welling up in me, I will choose to give thanks, to practice gratitude. Since God inhabits the praises of His people, I know that praising Him will cause me to sense His presence afresh.

The change of schedule and scheduled eating, like what happens at a retreat, can cause panic, too. I will, again, choose to praise the Lord in those moments…to change my thoughts from ME ME ME and how *I* am feeling and panicking, to the Lord and HIS goodness, HIS provision, HIS power and PRAISE.

With all the things on the schedule the minute I return from the trip and the need to have dinner planned and house clean for a wonderful group of 18 ladies next Tuesday night…I know that I can feel so overwhelmed that I shut down and numb out…I will choose instead to PRAISE God that I have this privilege. It is one I *DO* get excited about! So what if a fur ball rolls across the wood floor at an inopportune time? 🙂 I trust that they will have such a wonderful time fellowshiping with eachother and the Lord that they won’t think about the fur ball the day after our study is done! LOL!

Thursday is my daughter’s 14th birthday and we will be going out for meals and going to the movies and shopping for clothes…all flesh machinery things if I am not VIGILANT! I will choose to maintain GODLY boundaries and surrender my thoughts to the Lord. I will praise Him!

Tomorrow is an all day horsemanship clinic that I am coordinating…my thoughts are “When will I eat?” Goodness…like for everything else, I will pack crackers, peanut butter, almonds and some water. That should hold me just fine!

All is well…I know it is. Now I just need to bring my experience in line with my knowledge. Reality where I live *can* match up with what I KNOW to be true. What I *feel* does NOT dictate truth. GOD does! He is faithful! HE is present! He provides!

Praise You, Lord.