Well Galatians has given me some insight on frustration (my frustration) and the fact that things don't change at the speed I would like to see. Notice I'm talking about "I", which shows pride or self importance when it should be God. The insight is that getting frustrated with others is a sign of my attitude not being what it should be.

The beatitudes was a good review, and I'm glad I re-read it. We need to walk with God daily, and see ourselves overcoming for "now" which could be defined as a short period of time.

Well this isn't getting school work done, papers need grading, and some planning needs to happen. Getting caught up in that though can be detrimental. One has to be careful about priorities.

Matthew 6 Continuation of the beatitudes. This chapter talks broadly about being noticed by men, doing things to gain men's notice and that is your reward, but doing things secretly (and by secretly - such that only God knows about) God will reward you. It is possible to give to the poor without others being aware of it. "Don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing" 6:3. Pray to God in private, not openly or publicly, talk to Him as a Friend (because He certainly is or He wants to be). Don't be repetitious, don't try to impress God with your words or phrases (as if you could). Fasting? don't let anyone know. We're so conditioned to seek sympathy and attention this one is especially hard. If we food fast, our feelings of being run down and tired, lack of energy, then have some fuel in that we know we are not eating and others see it by our actions. Again it should be between you and God.
Treasures are another topic- where your treasure is, there is your heart. Want the newest gadget, the latest convenience? Some people accumulate wealth, others memories, the bottom line is are you holding onto this world or looking to the next one? God will do something new for you everyday, so holding onto yesterday's memories can become more of a priority in some people's lives than God.
Hand in hand with treasures is worry- will the finances hold out, why is there a question on that, just what are your treasures? If your paycheck doesn't cover everything then you are sacrificing yourself to the god of this world. Selling yourself into servitude for a clear television picture, some other convenience, some status among your neighbors. Who are you shorting?-God? How do you overcome it? Seems easy in theory but difficult to practice especially with a family. He answers that question- Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you (daily provisions) 6:33. As you seek the things of God the things of this world will lose the glimmer they may have, certainly the importance will dwindle. We also in doing that have a unique opportunity to practice faith. When the Israelites in the desert tried to collect extra manna it went bad. They had to trust that God would provide tomorrow's supply- tomorrow. He does that with our needs, but too often we want that assurance that we have it "covered", and we tend to then slip slowly and slightly toward becoming dependent on ourselves and not God. When we do depend on ourselves then worry creeps into our lives. We have to take things one day at a time, concentrate on today's troubles and ask God to show us what to do. We can't worry about a month from now, or a year, or that worry turns into fear. Our sin is very much like an addiction, our worldly lifestyle is too. Can we imagine fighting off the addiction for an hour which is easier than six months- almost something we could accomplish. Of course we need God's guidance and help in everything. We need to walk with Him in the now.
So a God focus and a day focus (or even the next hour) are the ways we seek His Kingdom and Righteousness. Oh help me Father to practice that- because I freely admit I by no means do that now. The stress of the world has made me realize and re-emphasized the importance of His teachings.