That perfect cut

I'm so thankful this morning for power.  Last night we had tornado warnings and wind advisories.  And to answer your question, no, we do not live in Kansas or Tornado Alley.  We live in New York. It's been crazy.  I'm listening to the lovely sounds of backup generators and chain saws while sipping my decaf/caf cup of Bustelo.

I thought by now I would have my trestle table and cubby seats complete from Ana White and Shanty2Chic but I have been super overwhelmed and busy with homeschooling, which, by the way, has been going well.  The tough one is my 2 year old who needs to be kept busy ALL the time.  Monday we experienced our first crayon stuck up the nose.  That's always fun.

That's BBJ on the left and BBC on the right.  Now you know what I'm working with!

So although I haven't finished my project something major happened.  I conquered my fear of the handsaw, ALL BY MYSELF.  As my friend Layla pointed out, I should have practiced with the kids on how to call 9-1-1.  Thankfully that did not have to happen.  But I did give them a safety lesson for the day:

Always hopscotch with your safety goggles on.  Safety first!

Then there was this nugget to getting the perfect square:

 Can you guess what this is?  It's a quilting square! sorry guys.  I don't know what was going on this day. I'm not sure if I was tired, my carpenter square was off, or I was rushing to beat the rain.  I'm going to blame it on the carpenter square.  So I ran in the house and grabbed this.  I love when things are multifunctional.

Part of my problem this day was that I was thinking too much.  I had a lot going on, mostly having to do with people that were not even my family.  So I had to ask, "Lord, what are you telling me with all of this?"  Then I realized that that wood, with all it's imperfections and knots was me, and I was busy making crooked cuts.  I was trying to make those straight lines and cuts on my own, and I was making a mess of things (Andrea reminded me that we, as in me too, are messy crazy people).  But I needed that perfect edge and a grid to make me straight.  That perfect edge was my Lord and that grid was my Bible.  What did the Word have to say?  

               He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.~ John 15:2

I needed to be pruned bad.  And then I read this from Sally Clarkson and realized I needed a new life verse:
            Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you,  so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.~ 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

So, although I didn't finish my table, I was blessed with an answer I had been looking for.  It's okay to lead a quiet life.  A quiet life yields more fruit, at least in this season of my life.  I needed to refocus on the important things and start cutting out the unnecessary and the things that were not bearing fruit. 

My encouragement for you today is to lead a quiet life and let God make the cuts and straighten out those crazy lines. 

Be blessed, 
S. Vanessa