Support

Last fall, during one of my cross Texas road trips between College Station and Dallas, I spotted the most beautiful tree.  Maybe this is my nerdy horticulture side coming out, but this tree looked to be the most perfect tree.  It had a perfect shape, a good proportion of trunk to brush and was in the middle of a gorgeous field off the highway.  However, it wasn't until I approached this tree that I actually realized this tree was comprised of at least three trees, growing close together.

I was initially bummed; what I thought was the perfect tree was really 3+  scrawny trees. Then the Lord revealed to me how each of those trees worked together to form perfection. One grew thin and tall and had all of its leaves in the upper canopy.  One tree grew on the left side, another grew more towards the right.  These trees would be incomplete on their own, but rather were a perfect fit together.

This realization came during a time when I was facing frustrations and thought I could handle everything on my own (surprise, surprise).  Instead, I realized I needed the support from my friends and family; their expertise, advice and guidance for my hiccups in life.  I wasn't alone in the game of life; rather, I had a handful of friends to help form a complete support group.

Up close we all have our issues, troubles, problems, inefficiencies and lack of knowledge.  But when we combine our experiences, love and knowledge with others, we can help create the perfect form of friendship to help each other out during our times of need. Someone will be there for you when you need an answer, a shoulder to cry on, a pat on the back or just need to rant.

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

Blessings,
RR

Learning to Delegate

About 3 weeks ago/mid May I reached a point of pure exhaustio . All I wanted to do was sleep all day, and the wedding to do list was oh so daunting. It was at this point (and maybe after suggesting eloping instead), that my fiancé took over for me. He contacted my friend who will be acting as wedding coordinator, my maid of honor, and took my list and helped me prioritize. I deligated tasks to my parents and recovered from this level of 'burnout'. This being said, it was then that I realized I could have deligated earlier-so many people were waiting to help. I could lie and say I don't know why, but I am pretty positive my decision to try to do this a lone was mainly due to my pride, confidence in myself, doubt in others, fear of any end result I don't like, and of course, the desire to want to plan it all myself. Of course at this point I realized all will go well and if it doesn't, I probably won't remember! I am so grateful to have so many helpful friends and family wanting to share this "burden" with me. (In church this past weekend, the pastor discussed briefly our "burden" we can share with others vs our own personal "load". One is meant to be shared to have help carry it, while the other the Lord has personally given us to handle. Or at least that's what I understood-thought it was a good perspective.) So a few weeks ago when I finally felt relief from the stress and didn't feel bad about admitting to my friends I needed their help, the big guy upstairs spoke to me. You see, this isn't JUST a wedding planning control issue, it's a Rachel control issue. I've tried to do everything myself, and I don't stop to realize I don't have to carry the burdens of life/my stress/my fears by myself. Just like my good friends, my God is waiting for me to give Him tasks, my stress, my fears, my burdens. He's waiting with open arms for me to admit I cannot do it on my own and I need His help. What a lovely realization/yet another one of those ah-ha/slap in my face moments. How many times do I need to wear myself out from stressing and stretching myself thin before I present my worries to the Lord? What a great realization this situation was! 3 days until the wedding! Hoping I will allow myself to relax and not play the host of this event I've planned (which is such a weird feeling). Blessings to all, Bride-to-be