...for blind eyes to see...

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...and broken hearts to be healed...

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...and hope to be restored...

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...and grace to be received...

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...and life to be lived well...

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Showing posts with label Trust God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trust God. Show all posts

Friday, June 20, 2014

Don't Take the Service Elevator


Most weeks I don't necessarily need a celebration for Friday, but this one threw me through the ringer. I thought it would never end. I've been mentally and physically exhausted, so though my weekend brings no reprieve from activity, when I say I was more 
than excited about Friday arriving, just know there was an extra three or four peps in my step.

It was one of my late mornings and I wasn’t traveling, so I didn’t have to be at work until 8am. I stroll through the double doors at 7:55, with my coffee thermos nestled in the crook of my left arm and water bottle in my left hand, rolling my workbag with my right, and ready to get this day over. So I thought.

I arrive at adjacent elevators right as the doors to both are closing. “Here we go,” I sighed, knowing I would have to wait for the elevator to stop on every……single……floor before making its way back down to the lobby.



As I waited "patiently," a young guy who works for another company in my building pressed the button to the service elevator and hopped on. He saw my confused face, and responded with “I always use this! It’s so much faster.”

Of course, I joined him. Wait for these other boxes? Ain’t nobody got time for that.

He promptly hit the button for his floor and then I asked for him to press the button for mine, as we made 13 seconds of small talk about the weather and the parking lot. He got off when it was his time and I rode to my floor, excited about this little secret I would get to share with my team.

Except…when I got to my floor the elevator wouldn’t open.

Let me retract that statement. The doors behind me opened, leading to some nondescript hallway I didn't dare explore. But the doors in front of me, the doors I needed to lead me into my office, wouldn't budge.

7th floor button. 7th floor button. 7th floor button.

Oh crap. (And I did not say “oh crap.”)

Open Door button. Open Door button. Open Door button.


Nada.

Crap. Crap. CRAP.

Do. Not. PANIC.

And then it hit me: just go back to where you started.

So in a moment where Jesus saved me from myself (because the drama was getting real, y'all), I pressed the button for the lobby and as I whipped my laptop bag out into the atrium, I met eyes with a very confused coworker, waiting to hear exactly what was going on. As I explained the scenario, she laughed and said “Girl, all you had to do was use your fob, if you have security access.”

Oh, that was it, huh?

There were two vital factors missing from making this a successful “shortcut.”

First, I had to know that my fob would allow me access to my floor from that particular elevator and to know to look for the pad on which I would swipe it.

Second, I had to have been previously granted the security clearance to even get off that elevator. Normally, when I take the elevators designated for my floor, I just have to swipe my badge to get into the locked doors, not to actually get out of the moving box.

Both pieces were integral, both very simple, but I had neither.

You see, what works for that young man every day did not work for me.

And that, I realized, was because we were going to two different places.

Where does God have you going that the person whose journey you're trying to follow will not lead?

What pieces are you missing that are holding you up on the route you chose, the route that is different from what God has for you?

It has been a hard lesson to learn the last year or so that my journey is not going to look like my sister’s, my best friend’s, my mentor’s, or anyone else’s journey. Nor should it.

But the more I fall into the comparison trap of “why can’t I __________” and “why hasn’t God _________,” the less I am able to focus on “but God saved me from _____” and “He’s preparing me for _______.”

Luckily for us, just because we don’t do things God's way the first time doesn’t mean we will never get to the destination He has purposed for us.

BBC (Before Brittany’s Coffee) Lesson Number 1
: Stop rushing. Whether you’re rushing God, rushing other people or rushing yourself…the outcome is rarely, if ever, positive. And more often than not, you’ll have to go back to the beginning to get on the right path.

BBC Lesson Number 2
: Stop thinking other people’s journeys will get you to your destination. Had I been going to the 3rd floor, I could have ridden with that nice young gentleman and called it a day. But I wasn’t. I was going somewhere else and the path I chose was not the way to get there.

BBC Lesson Number 3:
Wait patiently for your access to be granted. Stop trying to force things to happen that you may not be ready to receive. The security level attached to my badge is directly related to my identification and my job role. Higher security levels come with more responsibilities. If you're not ready for those responsibilities, you don't need to jump ahead of the line to use the access pass, either. I am right where I belong based on my experience and where God has placed me in this season.​ And so are you.

BBC Lesson Number 4: Remember that it is OK that God knows more than we do. Trust that He will share what we need to know, when we need to know it. Until then, trust what we do know. And we know that He is good. He is good and He will work all things together for our good, as long as we love Him. 

"Desire without knowledge is not good --
how much more will hasty feet miss the way!
A person's own folly leads to their ruin,
yet their heart rages against the Lord."
Proverbs 19:2 (NIV)

Monday, June 16, 2014

Those Who Have Never Been Told Will See

"Better to love God and die unknown than to love the world and be a hero; 
better to be content with poverty than to die a slave to wealth; 
better to have taken some risks and lost than to have done nothing and succeeded at it."
- Erwin Lutzer

It has been over a month since my last post, but that's not for lack of content to write about. 

In fact, life has nearly knocked the wind out of me and some days I'm not sure which way is up. While completing my assignment last night for my missions agency, I realized that I hadn't yet shared what God is up to, other than the conversations I have been able to have in person with a few of my close friends and family.

Yes, you read that right. Missions agency.

I have a missions agency, y'all!

I have officially been accepted as an appointee with SIM, an incredible international missions organization that has over 1,600 missionaries from 30 different nations serving in more than 60 countries. They live and breathe by Revelation 7:9, "After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands."


2nd Flo Single Ladies...and John...at SIMStart. I'll leave your nickname out of this one!

Though I was unaware at the time I began exploring a partnership with SIM, this was one of the many things God used to confirm His call and that He will protect me in this journey.

Ever since I said yes, God has been shaping and molding me and Satan has been equally busy distracting and destructing. But we all know that what he means for evil, God will use for His glory. So I'm learning more than ever to count it all joy.

I've spent my days meeting with recruiters from SIM, as well as meeting with a sweet family who is moving to India to explore the possibility of going back with them, partnering with missionaries with whom they will be serving in one of the most dense states in all of India.

I took the longest Scantron assessment of my life, but I learned that I'm not as crazy as I should be. 

I, along with many of you faithful friends, spent many hours praying for clarity, for direction, for peace, and for doors to be opened and closed appropriately.

I questioned. I doubted. And finally, last month at our four-day orientation, as I sat across a group of other young, unmarried, childless women who are all giving up their "American dreams" to move across the world I realized (again) that I have the greatest honor and privilege I could ever be given, and I yearn to share about the Person who has given me this honor and privilege to others. 

The One who continuously loves me and forgives me and teaches me no matter how bad I screw up (which is pretty bad and pretty often). 

The Father who makes me want to die empty so that others can be filled

So, funny story: I'm not actually going back to India. 

After many prayers over returning to India with SIM, with Joyce Meyer Ministries (with whom my church partnered for the short-term trip) or serving with the family I had met with several times (even though I share their passion for the work of which they will be a part) I did not feel God calling me back there. 

Pending confirmation from the field director, however, I will be moving to Lima, Peru next year!




Lima, Peru. 

South A-freaking-merica. 

The closest I've been was a short-term exchange program in high school where we stayed in Olmue, Chile and hiked the Andes Mountains. An incredible experience in itself, but it had absolutely nothing to do with missions. And pretty much nothing to do with Peru.

You can imagine that this, too, came with some unexpected fights. Yes, I fought with God. I yelled at Him again, because I clearly don't learn the first time. There were days I didn't pray at all. I just sat in a state of confusion. But the one thing I did right was listen. I listened to God, and oh, did He speak. And my prayers, did He answer. He closed doors...firmly. He turned deadbolts. He locked windows. He answered. And He gave me an incredible peace about the door that was wide open, the door I never would have chosen, the door He chose for me.

Though it is the furthest thing from what I am equipped to do, it is the most beautiful opportunity and I know I will only be able to complete this assignment by pressing into Jesus. And if that's not what this is all about, well then there's no point leaving in the first place.

So now I spend my days, between my two jobs and some semblance of a life, completing assignments for my missions classes and watching videos and planning outreach activities and preparing for this idea that has become a reality. I won't be leaving until Spring of next year (hopefully!), but life has drastically changed.

I mentioned in my post announcing my decision that I was terrified. And that was true. But since then I have been reminded over and over again that when God created me there were a lot of things He left out, and one of those is the spirit of fear. Thank God I don't have to attach myself to that spirit of fear.


"My ambition has always been to preach the Good News
where the name of Christ has never been heard,
rather than where a church has already been started by someone else.
I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures,
where it says,
'Those who have never been told about him will see,
and those who have never heard of him will understand.'"
Romans 15:20-21




I'll be posting soon about what I'll actually be doing between the Amazon and Machu Picchu so don't be a stranger.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Take My Heart, Take All that I Am


Beautiful God
Laying Your majesty aside
You reached out in love to show me life
Lifted from darkness into light

"Like An Avalanche" by Hillsong United is one of my absolute favorite songs. So much that I’m surprised I haven’t included it in a previous post. In fact, I actually may have. But if you don’t remember either, we’ll call today’s the first and keep whatever secret that may or may not exist between us.

There are many things that rock my world these crazy days. One of those things is how Siri works. No wires in sight, how do you understand me, freak machine? One is solar-powered energy. I can’t even…..Another one is how much Siri doesn’t work. I paid way too much for you to change things I would NEVER say and that NEVER fit into a sentence and call it autocorrect. Fool.

But another thing that rocks my world time and time again is how much God trusts me.

For the life of me, I can’t figure out why God trusts me so much when I keep proving that I trust Him so little. 

He blesses me. He teaches me. He waits for me. He listens to me. And then He blesses me again.

And it’s not just about material blessings. In fact, so often it is much deeper than that.

This week, several of my blessings have come in the form of lessons while praying for others. He trusts me to pray for His children. And I suck at it.

A dear friend of mine reached out to me asking me to lift up her youngest daughter and her recent clingy nature. This friend, who is an absolutely incredible wife, mother and ministry leader, is already struggling with guilt in regards to spending a great deal of time away from her beautiful children, and with the youngest’s regression into this “hold me in your womb at all times” phase, she is fighting with the enemy all the more.

As I’m praying for this precious child and her wearied mama, that God would release all negative emotions and break the strongholds of guilt and shame from Mama’s heart while at the same time wrapping up that baby in the biggest blanket of love so that she never doubts her place in her earthly family or in God’s, I hear one thing over and over: you should cling to Me that way.

Ouch. Dang God. I’m trying to be all holy and pray for someone else….is this really the time for convictions?

But He’s right (as if there’s ever a possibility that God is wrong). I should be clingy with God. I should be so desperate to remain attached to my Heavenly Father that the second there is even the slightest chance of separation I fall into such a state of despair that I have to readjust my entire perspective.

And I’m not. I’m far from clingy. I talk to God. Well, mostly these days I beg and I whine. I plead with Him to help lead me away from temptation and then I complain about not having what others have.

Will I ever get it together?

Probably not, because my same sweet sister in Christ reached out to me yesterday asking me to join her in praying for another friend who caught her husband in an ongoing intimate relationship with someone else. My heart broke for this woman. Shattered in pieces. Her circumstance surrounding this situation, her family, the decisions she has to make….I couldn’t handle it.

And so I prayed for her. All day. Whenever I thought of her. I prayed that the reality and the rawness did not smother her, and that even though it hurt more than I could ever imagine she would be able to see Jesus’s face throughout this ordeal. I prayed for her child. I prayed for comfort everlasting to envelope her in those tender moments when she wakes up in the morning and remembers that this is real life, even though she wishes it were just a nightmare. And then I set a reminder to pray for her all throughout the next few days, because that’s what Christians do, right?

Except my reminder said: "pray for friend whose husband is an adulterer."

What is wrong with me?!

Literally, while praying, I wanted to physically harm someone and was completely unapologetic about it.

Now, I’ll be the first to tell you, I ain’t no saint. And I can guarantee, if you’ve been around me for more than 7 and 1/2 minutes, you already know the same. But when God reminded me how absolutely broken I am, and how in my judgment of this man who is tearing his family apart, I am in as much need of grace as he is, I could do nothing but thank the Lord.

I am grateful for these painful moments for the sole purpose that they serve to push us straight into the arms of our loving Savior.

I am grateful for the experiences that show us the reason the only place we can run to is towards God because that’s the only place we need to run.

I am grateful for these times that suck so terribly bad, because they are the only place life is reborn.

And I am grateful for rebirth.

Good Lord, I am thankful for rebirth.
And though I spent the morning beating myself up for being a terrible pray-er, I spent the evening watching the rebirth of my purpose. 

Tonight I began training for my part time gig at this awesome Wine Bar to save money for Uganda. And while I was teaching a beautiful Caucasian woman with long curly hair how I twist my curly hair into an updo (read: upmess, but she liked it) -- right after I internally judged her for what I interpreted as a snobby attitude -- and I was explaining that “yes, I’m literally selling wine to fund my trip to share about Jesus…I know the paradox is uncanny, but can I get an AMEN!” I remembered how much Jesus loves to meet us where we are. 



He meets us when we’re clingy. 

He meets us when we’re independent. 

He meets us when we’re cheating. 

He meets us when we’re judging. 

He meets us when we’re hurting. 

He meets us when we’re broken. 

He meets us and He looks us in the eyes and says, “I love you, still."

And I find myself here on my knees again
Caught up in grace like an avalanche
Nothing compares to this love
Love
Love
Burning in my heart

*If you've never heard this song, listen now!

Monday, April 7, 2014

I said YES!

When God moves, He moves mightily.

Remember that time I said I didn't know where God was calling me, but I knew it was to missions? 

Remember how I asked you to pray those "unsafe" prayers with me? Well thanks, friends, because God has answered.

Guess what this season of preparation is for....

About six months ago I shared with my Life Group a prayer that had been resting in my spirit to become more bold in Christ, to step into the calling He has placed on my life a faith bursting from within. 

Ever since then, I have been drenched in confirmations everywhere I turn, and each time I ask for another one -- Are you sure this is what you want me to do, Father? -- I'm sure God either laughs at me or shakes His head in exasperation, but He obliges and puts someone else in my path to whisper or shout what He has already spoken.

Meetings on meetings on meetings. So many meetings. Forms every day. So much paperwork. So many questions. Dumb amounts of emails. Prayer on prayer on prayer. Beautiful prayer warriors lifting me up each day. Whispering God's truth in my ears at all times. Praying for me when I couldn't pray for myself. When I was mad at God for asking me to do this. Conversations. Fasts. Tears. Belting out worship songs. Arguments with family members. Celebrations with friends.

God gave me the choice. I could have said "No."

I still can.

But why would I dare?

If all God has done for me this far in my life is all He ever did for the rest of my time on this side of Heaven, that is more than enough. 

And I need to share that with someone who needs to hear it.

So, I'm quitting my job, selling my junk and becoming a missionary.

In addition to that (as if that's not enough), while praying through the opportunities presented before me in regards to my long-term commitment, there was another opportunity presented for a short-term trip exactly to the place my mother shared she felt I was called to go back in January, doing exactly what I wrote about before: Africa, serving women and children.

I'm well aware of how insane this looks to those looking from the outside in, those who haven't lived closely with me over the past few years. 

I understand that to those who have also never experienced the call for missions themselves to go and serve -- because ALL of us are called to missions, but many of us are called to stay and serve, and/or to send -- this may seem absolutely foolish and borderline irresponsible.

I get it. It seems that way to me. In fact, I have cried out to God, many, many times. 

Are you sure, God? 
How is this possible? 
Why are you asking me? 
Don't you know what else I have going on in my life? 

Newsflash: He does know. He knows, because He is making it all happen.

And then one night on my couch, selfishly drowning in my sorrows with Chinese food, red wine, and gross tissues crumpled on the carpet at my feet, it hit me: I'd rather look foolish for God than be foolish for man. 

I'd rather give God the opportunity to show up and show out in such a miraculous way that only He could get the glory because there is NO POSSIBLE WAY I can do this on my own. 

I'd rather do that than pat myself on the back for attaining everything I set out to accomplish in my own human strength.

Quite frankly, I wasn't created to climb the corporate ladder. I absolutely love my job, and I am so grateful for the opportunities it has afforded me. But if you want me to tell you the truth, I could care less about teaching a computer system.

When I think of the precious women with whom I will get to share God's love and tell them that they are treasured and that He sees them and adores them just the way they are, when I think about the darling orphans that I get to love on because they may have never heard that they were loved before -- that is when my heart really starts beating, that is when I truly feel alive. There is no salary and no benefits to match that.

God did not save me for me to sit on my couch. 

God did not save me to hoard His love for myself.

God saved me so that I could share His love with others. God saved me to give me the opportunity, if I so choose, to partner with Him and participate in His wonders and glory as He saves others and calls them to experience the freedom that comes from accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior.

There is no sin dark enough to keep us from God, all we have to do is run straight to Him. For that I am thankful, because my sin pretty closely resembles midnight.

God will rescue you from abandonment.

God will rescue you from abuse.

God will rescue you from alcoholism.

God will rescue you from depression.

God will heal your body.

God will heal your heart.

God WILL provide for your every, single need.

And I know this, because He has done all of those things for me.

As a product of adoption, and then later divorce, I know what it is like to grow up feeling abandoned. Especially in seeing my birth parents several times a year and feeling completely unwanted. Thankfully, I had an incredible mom who worked her ass off to make sure I knew I was loved.

As a victim of emotional abuse and later sexual assault, I know what it is like to feel used and unworthy.

As an abuser of alcohol, I know what it feels like to consciously make unhealthy decision after unhealthy decision just to numb the pain and assert "control" in your life.

As a sufferer of depression, I know what it's like to wake up and feel like you have absolutely nothing to live for so you just go back to sleep.

Unmarried, without children and giving up my corporate job is not where I imagined my life at twenty-five.

But entirely living for Christ, trusting Him for every thing I could ever need, and accepting this call, this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing.
To keep the glory of God's rescue and redemption to myself, to not share that with His children all over the globe, to not love them as He has loved me, that is the darkest sin.

You won't catch me tying God's hands behind His back because He wants to give me a gift that my fear and anxiety won't let me accept.

Yes, I'm TERRIFIED of quitting my incredible job to leave the only life I've ever known.

Yes, I'm TERRIFIED of asking people for money to support this call. So.Much.Money. What?!

But as I lay my dreams at His feet, I have no doubt that He will bring the desires that He has placed in my heart to fruition in the perfect time.

More so, I am incredibly BLOWN AWAY that God trusts me enough to ask me to do it, and I'm humbled enough by His faithfulness to say YES.

"And then he told them,
'Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.
Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved.
But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.
These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe:
They will cast out demons in my name,
and they will speak in new languages."
Mark 16:15-17 (NLT)


*I'm next to the lady in yellow, Mom :)

Sunday, February 9, 2014

The Sound of Heaven Touching Earth (Part II)


If you haven't yet read Part I of this post (The Sound of Heaven Touching Earth), things will make a lot more sense if you go back and do that. Click on either of the links above. They're in pink. No rush, I'm learning patience. 

Read it? Welcome back.

As I was saying, praising God and asking the Spirit to break out at the beginning of the trip gave Him the room to do exactly that. 

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Packing Up Identities


I just finished packing for India, and though I've been on mission trips before, things are a lot different this year. 

This year, instead of leading the trip, I am following someone else's directions. 

This year, instead of communicating back and forth with our ground contacts in the country to where we are traveling, I have been relegated to wait for these details if and as they come. 

This year, instead of making all the preparations and travel arrangements, I was tasked with two things: to pray and to raise money for support. 

And it is without a shred of doubt, my position on this team is very indicative of the season of life in which I find myself. 

Monday, October 28, 2013

Are You a Control Freak?

My mama said I need to start posting more frequently. I guess waiting every few months for a less than stellar glimpse into my mind was proving anti-climatic, so for the three people who read this other than my mom, you are welcome. :) 

I would like to start this post by declaring that I am not a control freak. I'm really not. Things just work SO MUCH BETTER when I am in control. Let's be real.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Gravity: It Is Well

Truly I tell you, 
whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, 
you did for Me.
Matthew 25:40



What good is it, my brothers and sisters, 

if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? 
Can such faith save him? 
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 
If one of you says to him, 
‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ 
but does nothing about his physical needs, 
what good is it? 
In the same way, faith by itself, 
if it is not accompanied by action, 
is dead.
James 2:14-17

A very wise young lady posted on Facebook, "I believe in God like I believe in the sun. Not only can I see the sun, but by it I see all other things."

Oh, how this has rang true for me. By Him, I am able to see how beautiful even the most wretched things of this world can be. Through Him, I can see how I play a part in either making them worse or better.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Wonderful, Fearful People


If you've never heard me talk about Emeli Sandé there's a chance we're not true friends. I'm sorry you had to find out this way, but my borderline obsession hasn't broken since I was first introduced to her artistry summer of 2012 and you're not going to come between that.

Someone asked me recently what took me so long to write. I don’t have an answer, other than I just wasn’t ready. I was journaling privately, but I wasn’t ready to share my thoughts publicly for many reasons.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Verdict....Not Guilty??

Last night, my handsome love and I were in Savannah enjoying an amazing dinner on the river while many were glued to the television anxiously awaiting the verdict for the George Zimmerman trial to be announced. I knew it was coming, but I wasn't checking any updates as we try to be intentional about not using our phones when we are spending time together. 

Monday, February 25, 2013

Never Work a Day In My Life?



"If you find a job you love, you'll never work a day in your life." 

I think that's a loose recitation of the quote, but you've heard it, right?

Well, I'm not going to go as far as saying I will never work a day in my life, but I will say that after last week I am so beyond excited to see what God does for me and through me in my new position.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

The F Word


Some consider it a dirty word. Others struggle saying it aloud, and many more have trouble submitting to it.

One word. Seven letters. 

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Chillin With My Lemons



Denial/Isolation.
Anger.
Bargaining.
Depression.
Acceptance.

These are the stages of grief.

I have skipped some, and certainly experienced them out of order, but as a whole they are all up in my face these days.


Monday, January 28, 2013

How Dare You, satan?


This past Saturday I went to one of the most amazing worship experiences ever, and it was simply a night of prayer and praise at the church I attend.

The spirit of God was in that place. All over everybody.

One thing one of the senior pastors spoke in her testimony was about a child she was carrying many years ago who was said to have so many tumors on her brain the doctors couldn't even count them all, and even if she made it to birth she would not live past her first birthday. 


Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Life is Like a Treasure Hunt

For you are a holy people, 
who belong to the Lord your God. 
Of all the people on earth, 
the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.
Deuteronomy 7:6 (NLT) 


Life is like a treasure hunt.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Praise


Someone recently asked me how I'm "doing so well with all of this." All of what? I started to respond, defensively. But then I realized what they meant. All of this tunnel season I'm experiencing. In need of a job and a place to live and I'm actually still living life? I "look so happy" in my pictures. I seem to be "doing so much." There must be some crazy secret to my glory, right? 


Let me first express the disclaimer that, while all intentions were good, those are some of the most obnoxious statements ever. 

I don't look happy in my pictures, I am happy; I am filled with joy.

I'm not busy for the sake of being busy; I am enjoying life with my loved ones because the gift of each day is what keeps me going and to waste it depressed in bed would be a sin against God.

Pity is disrespectful. If you feel sorry for someone, in any situation, please stop. If you feel burdened to pray for them, do that. But don't pity them. It's gross.

Anyway, here is my answer. This is not a fantastic post sharing life lessons God is teaching me, though I will update soon because He is doing some magnificent things.

Today I just want to answer this question, and it is simple: I refuse to look at anything as less than a blessing.

The call in the morning to substitute: a blessing of provision.
No calls in the morning: a blessing of rest.
Another correspondence alerting me of a company's decision to hire someone else: a blessing of protection. 
Interruptions: blessings of the Holy Spirit, reminders that my plans have nothing on God's plans.
Blessings, blessings, blessings.
In everything there is a blessing. You just have to choose to seek and accept.



So I give thanks.
Always.
Every day.
Throughout each day.
When I am extremely grateful.
When I don't understand anything.
When I don't feel like it.
Giving thanks for all of my circumstances.
Praising God for what He's done in my past.
Praising God for what He has already done in my future.
Praising, praising, praising.

That is how I'm "doing so well with all of this."

Thank you for asking.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

What Unemployment is Teaching Me


Unemployment sucks.

As in, being unemployed will suck the faith right out of you.

Not in an arrogant I don’t believe in God, anymore kind of way. More of a This is clearly in Your will and I’m quite certain it was Your protection because those people are cray cray, but now what in the world do I do? kind of way.

I mean seriously, unemployment sucks.

I spend hours upon hours scouring job sites, putting in applications, cursing my degree -- because it seems that the only thing a college graduate with a Sports Medicine degree who has retail experience, worked for a church and loves kids is qualified for is either a job in Sports Medicine, retail, working for a church or nannying. Go figure.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

NavigationGod: Not Your Typical New Year's Post, Part II



If you’re coming over from NavigationGod: Not Your Typical New Year’s Post, Part I, welcome! Jump right in. If not, you may want to head over and read that first, to get your bearings with this installment (all puns intended).

 

As I got over the whole GPS unnecessary re-calculation bit, I found myself chuckling at the way God reveals life lessons using the most basic situations. I love how He truly meets us where we are. I whispered a prayer of gratitude, turned up my music, and set out to enjoy the ride.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

NavigationGod: Not Your Typical New Year's Post, Part I



Let me first lay out the disclaimer that this is not your typical New Year’s post full of reflections and resolutions, in case the title did not indicate such with clarity.

Secondly, I must confess that while the illustration of God being your GPS system is a tired cliché, that’s exactly the illustration I am using. Sorry, I’m not sorry.