"My ideas are always great ideas"

first off - I'm quoting something I giggled over that was spoken to my heart via the Lord.

A truck just drove out of my driveway, hauling my little-turned-big girl's kitchen set. You know the type, plastic and filled with more plastic foods, plates, the phone & coffee pot. It's gone. Gone in a flash. Belle came to me in her way too mature for her age, fashion, and said, "Mommy, I don't want the kitchen thing in my room anymore. I think we should give it away. I mean, I never play with it. Can we do it this weekend?" She relayed the info. over a month ago. My response was, "Are you sure??? You're not going to miss it???" She said, "I mean, I'm really too old for it now."
oh.
My baby is going into grade school this year - yikes. I love it. I love how she's growing, and she was right. Time for the little tykes or fisher price thingy to make room. She wanted her art table/writing area moved into her room. And who could blame her?
So... the thought of finding the time/energy/room in my Jeep, to load up the kitchen stuff and ship it to the local thrift store - well it remained an exhausting thought. The kids are with the grands today, so I thought, "Okay, I'll tackle this and bless my little girl with a surprise." As I packed up the plastic accessories, I was having a mental conversation with the Lord about quite a different and much more noteworthy issue, when the idea popped into my head: put the thing by the road! duh. Ooo, good idea. I dragged the bulky item, through the den, across the porch, scraped it down the driveway, and placed it purposefully aside the road. I went inside, scrawled a sign, which stated the obvious: "FREE!"; taped it, and returned inside to begin rearranging Belle's room. I'm going to tell you what, not 2 minutes passed before I heard a "beep beep" in my driveway. Outside was a sweet couple in a truck that asked if I was giving it away (perhaps the sign wasn't obvious enough - hehe). "Oh yes," I say and grabbed the bag of plastic goods to accompany the toy and they told me about the little granddaughter they had that was going to love it. Precious.
I went inside and said, "what a good idea." The whole process took like 5 mins and no sweat. All good things come from the Lord, so He's got all the credit. How fun. But here's what I'm learning a bit about. Unfortunately, I've been retaking this "class in faith."
Our God consistantly says, ASK ME.
(including myself) as a nation will ask our "besties" (0h I love speaking my cheerleader's language), hubbies, if we've got 'em; we'll ask Dr. Phil or somebody's blog, or we'll ask US Weekly or if we're intellectual, we'll ask Newsweek... or Fox News, or one of my personal faves - the mirror.

From Robert Whitlow's The Trial (good good fiction):
end of conversation, w/ two lawyers discussing God's hand in a major decision one character made... Don't skip it
"Mac sat back in his chair. "Interesting. Do you know the problem I have with what you've told me?"
"That it's too subjective."
"Right."
"That I could find a Bible verse to support any decision or plan that suited my fancy," David said.
Mac smiled. "Counselor, you're doing a good job anticipating the judge's response to your position."
"I can't deny the subjective componnent of receiving direction from God. However, even though we like to think we're completely rational, reason-oriented creatures, a lot of what we think and do is not based on objective assessment of facts and data. I've never been in love, but I don't expect it's a completely rational expreience."
Mac stared past David's shoulder at the bookcase behind him. "I have. It isn't."
"And I've been told there are levels of communication that only a man and woman who love each other can experience. It's the same between a Christian and Jesus. My personal relationship with the Lord is the doorway to communication with him."
"Every woman on the jury is eating out of your hand."
"Thanks," David said with a grin. "This communication thing involves risk, but I've decided to take my chances..."

I was reading this in Isaiah (7:9-12). King Ahaz, was stubborn - oh how similar are my ways.
"If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all. Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, "Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights." But Ahaz said, "I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test."

MANY time I've heard, "stand firm in your faith," and thought in broad, sweeping terms, of "do not reject the fundamentals of what I believe." You know, do not reject my Lord completely and/or generally, continue to believe that He equals salvation. But one of the verses that I eluded to in a previous post from Habakkuk, reminded me on the precision of that truth and what that looks like on a Saturday in the life of me or you. In 2:4, the LORD says, "the righteous will live by his faithfulness." Full of faith. Full of assurance in the thing unseen and the promises sent via the heart. That is creditted as righteousness. Paul quotes this passage, and if he brought it up more than once, then let's do the same.
You are the Lord's babygirl. He LOVES you. HE wants you to seek Him. Let's not be like Ahaz, and say, "Nah. not about this." If you're seeking, full of faith, He says Himself that that equals righteousness. (undue, but righteousness nonetheless).
The Lord is full of some huge ideas about your marriage, your job, your children, ... that big plastic toy you don't want to have to take to the thrift store (just kidding - only sort of). Whatcha waitin for - ASK.