I sure miss those days when I had all the time in the world to hang out with Jesus. I'd wake up late (clearly, I'm talking about pre-children days), make a coffee and then open up my Bible and linger there for a looooong time. I know those days aren't gone forever but right now my alarm clock is my 7 month old daughter and once we're up it's nursing, coffee, breakfast for both kiddos, get ready and get on with our day!

Usually I don't get my quiet time until both babes are quietly napping....and that's ok. This is my current season and God has been so faithful and so full of grace. Maybe some of you mama's with little ones can relate!

Today I'm so excited to share with you an e-book devotion called Just a Minute by Lani Lupul. It's an amazing resource that will encourage you and help you in your daily devotion. You can read it like a book or use each chapter as a daily devotion.

"He draws near to us (James 4:8). And sometimes through all the craziness of life’s changes, all we need is a just a minute in His presence to reset and hear His voice."-from the intro of Just a Minute.

Here's an example of one of the daily devotions:

Fruits of frustration

| Scripture: John 14:15-31|

I totally bombed this weekend. My domestic duties took a nose-dive and I swore and nearly cried in frustration on Troy’s shoulder over what had happened. Let’s just say my cooking skills left our house with a distressing burnt odour and it consumed our Saturday as we cleaned up the mess. I had envisioned us celebrating our upcoming second anniversary with a nice family outing, not cleaning and doing laundry all day with a four-month-old strapped to my tummy. I was so upset.

Not. What.We.Had.Planned.

But this thought had been on my mind prior to this, and even more so after the long Saturday gone astray: I don’t want to live my life reacting out of frustration.
There will be daily opportunity for frustrations. Frustrated when I’m late, yet again, because I realized I didn’t pack the diaper bag, Elizabeth spit up, again, and needs a change, and that one phone call I needed to make before I left the house didn’t get done. Frustrated when Troy and I can’t get the time I want and know we need. Frustrated when a speeding ticket comes in the mail. Frustrated when someone doesn’t respond the way I wished they would. And as Elizabeth becomes a toddler, I am most certain there will be opportunity for multiple frustrations.

However, I don’t want to be a frustrated mommy, wife, friend, daughter, or sister. I want to live out of the peace that Jesus has already given me (John 14:27). I want to be a peace-bringer, if that is such a thing.

But how do I live out of peace, rather than reacting with frustration every time something doesn’t go the way I want it to? Because in each opportunity for frustration, I’m pretty certain there’s an opportunity for fruit as well; for something new to grow.

In John 14:15-31, Jesus is telling His disciples that when He goes, He will send the Holy Spirit. They will not be left alone. Jesus promises to leave peace, His peace. And the following chapter, 15, starts with Jesus telling them to abide in Him, His love, His words.

Friends, the way out of frustrations, as I can see it in scripture, is to abide in Him.

Abide means: to remain stable or fixed in a state, to endure without yielding, to wait for.

In the moments when I’m frustrated that things didn’t go my way (just ask Troy, this happens. A lot.), I want to quiet my heart and abide in the peace Jesus has already given me. Stay in that fixed state of peace. Find a thankful heart. Thank Him for what He’s already done for me, and all of His good gifts. And crawl out of the bowl of frustrations into the fruitful vineyard from the better choices He will help me make instead.

In fact, I want to start my day with peace, rather than hitting the ‘go’ button on the to-do list that will always be there.

They say when life gives you lemons, to make lemonade. Well, when frustrations happen, and they will, daily, I want to abide in Jesus’ love for me and all that He has already done, and hold on to the fact that in every frustration there is opportunity for fruit!

Here's a bit about Lani- Married to her favourite carpenter with two young sweetheart daughters, Lani Lupul loves everything about home. With 10 years of corporate communications and travelling the globe in her past, she now counts diaper changes, recites nursery rhymes, and attempts dance parties in the kitchen at supper time when everything is often falling apart. Her quiet nature lends itself to great introspection, with a desire to help others live full lives close to God’s heart. Her lifestyle blog, This is How we Home, is her breath of creativity as she grows as a wife and mom, and shares her stories of faith, creating home, and natural health. Her self-published ebooks, After I Do, and Just a Minute, can be found on Amazon and Apple iBooks.