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

Inside Out, Part II

Me: Yes?!!! What do you mean, 'Yes'? You are seriously trying to kill me?
Him: You said, "More of You and less of me, God." More of Me means getting rid of you.
Me: So you mean I will have NO life?
Him: More of Me means less of you. You choose your life.

Let me stop here to say that I was still a fairly new Christian at the time. Yes, I went to the occasional service growing up, and I attended catechism classes, but I was never really encouraged to read the Bible for myself or to develop a relationship with God for myself until I went into the Army and saw some new things. So there in Leesville, LA, I had a choice to make. I'd like to say I completely sold out to God and have been serving Him faithfully ever since. That would be a lie, though. The truth is, I did gain more of the Lord. Much more; but I also chose to keep some of the "me" He was willing to remove. In the end, I settled for a relationship with a man that was less than God's best for me. I know this because, although we both appeared to be serving the Lord, the commitment did not last. Instead, within several months, I began to see my new husband's violent side and knew that it was just a matter of time before the verbal and emotional abuse I suffered would turn physical. Thankfully, when I prayed for an out, the Lord provided me with one, and I was able to break free.

However, how different could my life have been had I truly trusted God and waited for Him to complete the work He started in me the first time?

I wish I could say I totally sold out for God even after the wedding debacle. Oh, I had periods where I was on fire for the Lord, serving Him with gladness and really growing in Him by leaps and bounds. I sang for the Lord, I worked with God's children, I had a robust prayer life. However, I still continued to have one foot in Heaven and the other in the world. In fact, I often sought my own way and, before too many years had passed, found myself back in a situation where I again settled for "good enough." But then again, there should have been no surprise there because I did not choose the BEST CHOICE as my first choice in the first place.

Fast forward to 2013.

Pt III tomorrow...

Killing Me From the Inside Out

I woke up this morning to the thought of an incident that happened while I was in the Army, stationed at Ft. Polk, LA. I was the only female soldier from my unit who lived in the barracks, so my experience was QUITE interesting. There was very little to do in Leesville, so I found a church that I loved and became an active member. This church offered many ministries, so before long, I was attending several times per week. Most of my fellow soldiers would see me at PT, at work, occasionally in the mess hall, and in the evenings heading out with my fancy little Bible case on my way to church. Many of the guys in my unit obviously decided that I needed protection from the wolves and declared themselves my big brothers. These fools grilled anyone who came within 10 feet of me and screened my calls (no cell phones at that time!). You would have thought I was under witness protection or something!

One day, a guy who had been checking me out from a nearby battalion stopped to chat with me as I was returning to my barracks from duty. My barracks was one of many that housed several battalions and formed a large courtyard type of area. Unbeknownst to me, a soldier from a neighboring signal battalion saw this guy approach me and decided to take it upon himself to let the guy know that I was off limits.

"Hey, you can't talk to her. That's 'The Little Church Girl'!"

The guy who wanted to talk to me then stepped back quickly as if he had been seared with a hot iron, contorted his face and said, "YOU'RE 'The Little Church Girl'? Oh, I'm sorry. Sorry." He quickly proceeded to exit stage left.

Seriously, Dude?!! Who in the heck was the idiot yelling out the window from across the way anyway? I didn't even know him. And what in the world had people been told about 'The Little Church Girl'? I was angry and wanted immediate answers at that point, so I grabbed the nearest 'big brother' by the scruff of his collar. (Truth be told, I could probably beat the crap out of most of my 'big brothers' despite them wanting to protect me!) In fear, he just said, "It's nothing bad. It's just that everyone knows that you are... like... really HOLY." I didn't know if I should laugh or slap the daylights out of him, so I released him.

Well, I see I won't be getting any dates at Ft. Polk.

At church, the prospects were slim to none as well. There were some single guys in my age range, but they were trying to find who they were in Christ, so all of their conversation seemed to include "thee" and "thou" a lot. So yeah, there were going to be no dates there either.

It was high time for God and I to have a little talk because this was getting out of hand. (How young and naïve and stupid I was! LOL)

Me: What is the deal, Lord? First off, ALL of my friends got these cushy assignments overseas, but you sent me to the armpit of the Army. Now you have made me a social leper. What is my lesson here- to see just how long it takes to kill me from the inside out?
Him: Yes.

To be continued...

To Him...

Okay, God, I am listening...

He Restoreth My Soul

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the path of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
--Psalm 23 (1-5)

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.)