My latter will be greater... (Job 8:7)

I sought the Lord today about several things, one being the potential of a meaningful romantic relationship in my life. The Lord spoke to my spirit in great detail about some questions I had, and He spoke a word over my life that caused goosebumps to raise all over me.

There is a saying that people come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. The truth is that some people are just not called to fit into God's long-term plans for us. Perhaps they are there to teach us a lesson. Maybe that heartbreak was intended to be the catalyst that gets us moving in the right direction. Perhaps that person you thought just might be the one was really sent to renew the hope of something better and to get you to open your heart to receive the one God really has planned for your life. Just maybe that boss who seems to block your elevation at work has kept you from headache, stress, and a future that is all wrong for you. I am completely at peace with all of the answers that God gave me to the questions I had. Not all of them were ones I wanted to hear, but thank goodness that He does not operate according to OUR wishes!

Throughout our time together, I kept hearing, Your latter will be greater. Just trust Me and receive Me, and I will do some things that will blow your mind; things that will leave people scratching their heads in the natural realm. Trust and receive and I will show you that your latter days will be greater than your entire life before.

Wow. Just wow. I still have goosebumps even now. What God has for me is for me, and I want it. I receive it. My prayer is that you seek the Lord today and receive a word for yourself. You, too, can experience the greatest days of your life ahead. If God has a blessing for me, then He certainly is a big enough God to have one just for you.

I love you, and I pray all God's blessings over your life. In the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Plugging In

It really has been on my heart lately to reengage in my church. This morning, I investigated different ministry opportunities and sent out messages to the appropriate group leaders. In the meantime, I plan to set aside time each day to increase my one-on-one time with the Lord.

At church this morning, the first thing I did was write out my tithe check for the unexpected money I received yesterday. I couldn't help but marvel at the fact that God provided the seed for me to sow, and is still willing to allow that seed to be multiplied. Then the guest minister got up to preach and confirmed several things that the Lord has placed on my heart over the last few days.

I have a renewed sense of purpose and more hope than ever that my future is bright. I am so ready to continue pressing on and to walk out this wonderful life God has blessed me with. Although I do one day dream of walking out this life as part of a we instead of an I, I know that whatever the Lord has for me is just for me and is absolutely perfect.

I'll leave you today with something the guest minister said that I can chew on. Maybe you can too...

What I make happen for God's house, God makes happen for my house. - Steve Alessi 6/23/13

Right on time

I am very private with my troubles. In fact, there can be a friend who talks to me every day and still have no clue that I am going through something. At any rate, I have been in a really crazy position financially and, to be honest, I did not know how we were going to make it. I suffered a really severe allergy attack last night, complete with my face swelling. I took a dose of Benadryl and got somewhat better. I later told my symptoms to a neighbor who advised me to go to urgent care to get an allergy shot. The problem was that if I went to urgent care, I would not have had money left to meet any of my and my girls' needs should an emergency crop up. Although we were in a temporary bind, I never doubted though. After all, the Lord has sustained us through EVERY crazy time. I just thought, "Lord, You're going to have to move for me because I have nothing else that I can do."

And He did just that.

The sight of the mail truck caught my attention and I remembered that I had not checked my mail in a several days. To my surprise, there, in my mailbox, was a CHECK! Look at God! I returned to the car and burst into tears and started praising Him. My girls were concerned, and I explained that I was just overcome with happiness because there was a check in the mail. Kalyn said, "Mom, you only had a little money left and God took care of us." Yes, indeed He did. As usual, my daddy made sure that His daughters were alright.

Seriously, who wouldn't serve a God like this?

Highs and Lows

Life is a series of ebbs and flows. I woke up and received some news that really made my day! A friend and I were going to connect today and just spend some one on one time hanging out and fellowshipping. This friend is fairly new, but there is just "something" there that lets you know that the two paths were destined to cross for some reason. At any rate, as the day progressed, a comedy of errors ensued and, in the end, we never got a chance to connect. I really had looked forward to this meeting, so I was very disappointed when the opportunity to meet was lost for today. Sure, meetings get canceled, people forget, life gets hectic. As a result, plans change. It happens all the time. Why did this feel so different for me? Then I realized what had happened. It was that word disappointment. It signifies an emotion that I allowed to rule my life for a long time.

For many years, I kept myself guarded against others. Actually, I had set up a series of almost insurmountable walls around myself to keep others out of that very personal space within me where I was laid bare. The flaws and all would show, and I feared that people would use that knowledge against me and wound me. I somehow convinced myself to believe that it was just easier to keep people out altogether than to give someone an opportunity to disappoint- and possibly reject- me.

I am so happy that God does not think like that. How many times have we missed the mark, made mistakes, failed to show up for appointments, or just ignored Him altogether? Yet in the midst of our mess ups, He recognizes us as the broken creatures we really are and forgives us. Then He waits patiently for us to return to Him so that He may join us in fellowship. As unworthy as we are-and we are truly unworthy- He loves us where we are and accepts us just as we are. Flaws and all, He looks at us in our human condition, yet sees us perfected in Him.

Finally! I've made a decision.

Since the inception of this blog, I have vacillated between several different ideas I've had about the type of blog I'd like this to be. At some points, I've thought to make this strictly a place for me to chronicle my daily journey as a wife, mom, and teacher. On other days I've thought about covering politics and the issues of the day. Still other days, I've thought of making this a safe place for people dealing with the pain of infertility to come and receive encouragement and support. One thing was for sure-- uncertainty was certain!

Well, it all finally became a little clearer to me after I received an email yesterday. A really nice lady googled one of the topics previously mentioned and stumbled upon my little blog. It's funny how God works because I instantly knew where I wanted to take this blog after reading that email. So, thank you, visitor! (Yes, I do remember your name!)

So, ladies and gentlemen, I will still chronicle my journey as a wife, mom, teacher, friend, and citizen, but I will do it from a Christian perspective. I think I do that a lot already, but I really want that to be the overall theme of this blog. Am I saying that I have arrived in terms of my faith or that I know it all? Absolutely not! God certainly knows me and knows I have a LONG way to go. But I am, hopefully, making forward progress. Besides, I am hoping that we can discuss issues from a biblical standpoint and all learn some things in the process.

So, please feel free to share your thoughts, feelings, and issues you'd like to discuss. I'm hoping this can grow into a community of people who are positive and supportive as we look for God's fingerprints in our everyday lives.

Happy Easter!

I want to wish you and yours a very Happy Easter. Know that no matter what this life may bring, Jesus is risen. He conquered death, hell, and the grave, and we are able to BE because HE IS!

Never forget this.

I know many people have cooked huge meals, have hidden umpteen Easter eggs, and have filled countless Easter baskets. That's all fine and good as long as you do not lose sight of what Easter really is about. It is about the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Never, never forget this.

(Oh, and if you don't believe, you might want to check back next week, because this week will probably be all about JESUS.)