finding zeal

Today has been a nice relaxing day. It's funny how every one's lives in general are so wound up and scheduled that just a day that would have been considered ' normal ' years ago is considered a day of relaxation. I mean really I did a TON of dishes, and two loads of laundry, cleaned living, kitchen and bedroom. The main thing is I slept until I wanted to get up. ( after 10 ). I had a nice deep study for the WT You get so much more out of it when you have time to get lost in margin references and footnotes. That goes for the bible reading too. My goal is to consistently study my WT lesson in depth. I have started a little notebook of scriptures that run across that I'd like to remember. Or just a new thought. What was impressed on me the most out of tomorrow's lesson is the fact of having to go through tribulation. IT is a must. It won't be easy at all and we are fooling ourselves if we think we will easily get through the end. It is going to be hard work. " exert ourselves " Luke 13:24 says that " many will seek to get in, but not be able. " So there goes the idea of as long as you WANT to do what is good, then you are fine. I also like the scripture that says " we must enter into the kingdom of God through many tribulations." - acts 14:22 And these thoughts were just a little mention in the very beginning of the lesson , but it pays to linger on things that are interesting or thoughts that really make you think deeply. It is very noticeable to me how our WT lessons are really grooming us and preparing us for harder times. I'm really going to try hard to pay even closer attention to what we are being told. It's just getting more to the point now it seems. No beating around the bush. That goes for our bible study on thursday night too. WE get these changes a little at a time and we don't realize how much our meetings have changed until we just stop and think about it. It's more about us , our traits, the way we deal with each other and deal with our circumstances instead of how we deal with the outside world. IT's just all very exciting.
Another thing that weighs heavy on my mind is the way we are being STRONGLY encouraged to SIMPLIFY. And I can say that alot of the things mentioned in those talks about simplifying, we don't have. WE have already eliminated them. Like satellite and phone plans, video games....working more than necessary. after we came home from our assembly in Dec, I came to the conclusion that the next way we can get more simple is to get rid of this house. Man I want to too! Smaller house, less time cleaning, less space to heat...... less yard to keep in the summer, less payment, less insurance. I just want to get out from under it and build SMALLER! Small can still be cute. :o) Lee on the other hand isn't so into that idea. He still wants to do alot of work and get it to full potential to make a good profit off of it. I'm over that. I just want to shed that burden. I'd rather put my energy into hanging drywall and cabinets in my new itty bitty house. :o) So we will see..... I don't know how we will meet in the middle on this one. haha.