Not the plan

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 29:11

This week, I’ve been reading about Elisha. What an incredible story! It starts out with Elijah coming to his village one day, and Elisha being called to follow him. Elisha tells the prophet Elijah, “Hold on, let me tell my family good-bye, and I’ll catch up with you,” (paraphrased). Then, Elisha runs back, says good-bye to his parents, slaughters his oxen – giving the food to his friends and family, and then leaves – for good. – Wow! Doesn’t deliberate, doesn’t discuss, doesn’t hesitate. Legit, drops everything he’s doing and goes on a quest for the Lord.

That is some faith! Then, the Lord rewards him over and over, by performing incredible miracles and blessing him on his journey. I haven’t read anything yet, that states that Elisha second-guessed his decision either. Wondered if he really made the right choice. Just incredible faith being rewarded by an incredible God!

I always find it interesting how the devotionals I read, coincide with my life at the moment. Sometimes, I wonder, about making the right choices, am I on the right path (not in my relationship with God, but the rest of life). But, then, God reminds me of things that I need to hear, to let me know, that I am doing good.

Last night, my husband and I were musing about the fact that neither one of us ever thought it would be in the cards, to get married. Neither one of us ever wanted to get married. We both grew up during the time when marriages were mocked on television, divorce was very common-place, and we didn’t have particularly good models of marriages to look at. Why would anyone ever want to get married? I personally was going to be an incredibly successful business woman, and a marriage just didn’t fit into that plan. Nor, did I ever feel like I was going to fall in love with someone. I wasn’t one of those girly-girls who was sitting around waiting to find Mr. Right and get married. I had plans for my life, and a Mr. Right didn’t fit into that plan. But, low-and-behold, when I was still just a teenager, I met Mr. Right, and I have never looked back.

I think God put us together at such a young age because if we hadn’t met until much later, I believe we both would’ve been too far along in our plans to care that we had met. And, as we look back, our relationship has shaped so much of our lives. I always tell people when they try to compare their relationship to ours, that they shouldn’t, my husband and I have been together a long time at this young age, and when you spend a good portion of your formative years with your spouse, it changes your relationship significantly. And, even with all of that, we both still waited a very long time before we even got married, 8 years.

I’m sharing all of this today, because Elisha has me thinking, that sometimes when you make the choice, it just seems right. But sometimes, you sit back and wonder if you’re making the right choices, but if you let God guide your footsteps, you are making the right choices. If you just put your faith in him, He will guide your path. That He will reward you. He will reinforce the fact that you’ve made the right choice. Now, although I had not been wondering that I had made the right choice in my husband, I had been second-guessing my parenting techniques, my busy plans, and some other things, but I believe in all this, God reminded me that I’m with the right person to help me. That my husband and I are meant to be together, and that I have someone with me to guide me on the path, because even though he is not a believer yet – he still holds true to many of the morals and concepts that the Bible tells us, that he is a good person, and that he loves me and only wants good things for me. And, although, I know not everyone has this blessing in their life, I do believe that everyone has someone in their life that can help like this, and if you haven’t met this person yet, they might be right around the corner. And, even if I’m second-guessing some of the nuances of my life, I’m still on the right path, I just need some fine-tuning, and God has all the characters in play to help me get there. Just like Elisha and just like you.

Let’s Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You! Thank you for all that you’ve done for us. Thank you for blessing us, in the many ways that you do. For your little nudges and your big answers. Thank you for all the ways you integrate everything we need to know, into our lives. Thank you for guiding our path Father, for answering prayers. Thank you for all that you do, Father, and all that you would have us do. Thank you for your devotional time, that you use these words to remind us what we need to know, and to tell us where we’re going. Thank you for your great blessings Father. Thank you for the people in our lives who are meant to share this journey with us, whether for the long haul, or just a short time. Thank you for all that you do for us. IN JESUS’ NAME!! AMEN!!

Blessings

Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” – Luke 6:38

You know, one of the things, I enjoy the most about believing in God, about having this connection with our Father, is getting to see Him use me for others.

I’m a giver. It’s my biggest “love language” if you will. If I love you, I give you things. Sometimes, they’re small and handmade, sometimes I go all out. But, I’m just someone who gives. I love it. I don’t expect things in return, I just enjoy seeing the people I love happy. And one of the biggest parts of that, is that I love seeing people happy because of something I did.

Today, it’s been on my heart to share one of the best moments I’ve had that continues to bless me back. A few years ago, I had a budding relationship with a coworker. We were still kinda just getting started, and feeling things out. And, one day, I noticed that she seemed a little out of sorts. She was bummed out, something was bothering her. At the time, I couldn’t really stop and talk too terribly much and her schedule is always really crazy – so it’s not like there was a lot of time to connect. But, she just seemed like she needed something. So, as I was pondering this, it came to me. I decided to make her an origami bee. I looked online for a little bit during my lunch, and I found a yellow piece of paper, and I got to work. A few minutes later, I had a rough origami bee. I got a black Sharpie and put some stripes and a face on him, and wrote, “Bee Happy” because I’m super cheesy like that. Then, I trotted over to her office and dropped it on her desk while she was gone. We connected later that day and she’s like, “Was this you?” I said, “Yeah, just wanted to give you a little something, seemed like you were having a day.” And she was overjoyed! She ended up pinning it to her wall above her desk, it remains there to this day. And, it makes me happy every time I see it. It cost me nothing – I’m pretty sure she knows that. But, for me and for her, it’s a token of love and a reminder of our friendship.

Another aspect of this relationship with the Father, is the wisdom He has bestowed upon me. The incredible growth as a human being that I have gone through because of our connection. Every morning, I pray that the Father “bless the words from my mouth and the work of my hands, that they bring glory and honor to Him.” And, every day, I grow closer and closer to Him and enjoy the bounty that He gives me through the work I do to His glory, and my words that bless others and myself.

It happened again yesterday, but it’s happened so many times in recent years. I was talking to someone who needed advice, and I said, exactly what they needed to hear. As we moved this summer, I was being put in an impossible spot by the landlord but through calm and words that were not my own, we navigated the situation and came to resolution that accommodated us both. Deep in the throws of anxiety and fear, I have calmly talked to friends and family, and through words that were not my own have given them deep insight and understanding in difficult situations. Even with work, in discussions and negotiations with many people I have never actually met face-to-face, I am able to speak the exact words that need to be said to help navigate these trying and interesting situations we have faced in order to overcome and reach solutions that help everyone accomplish their goals. Through this blog, I believe I have touched lives and helped others gain perspective and understanding, and helped them grow in their faith as well. And, my seemingly small impact on this world has left has resounding ripple, I feel. That others may see His light through me. That I may help guide them down the paths that are meant for them. That we may continue to grow in the Father. That others may see me and know there is something different about me – because the Father lives in me. That I may shine His light.

Seems, I have stumbled upon one of the lesser recognized gifts of the Father. The gift of us, on others. I’m thinking that not many people think of themselves as a gift to others, and in this day and age, not a gift at all. But, as my mother was reminded this week as she looked upon an incredible sunset and thought, “Look at that beautiful creation from God”, and He reminded her – You are a part of that creation too. We are sent here to be blessings, and we are blessed through our interactions with others. We are blessed beyond words. These are some of the most cherished moments in life, are the moments, that you know and realize that the world is a better place because YOU are IN IT.

Let’s Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for these words today. Thank you for the blessings you bestow upon us, and that as the Heavenly Father and Holy Spirit you are working through us to show Your light to others. Thank you for making us blessings. Thank you for guiding us and protecting us. Thank you for helping us grow. That we may continue to glorify and honor you Father, all the days of our lives. That you may watch over us, and lead us in Your ways Father. That You may use us to make the world a better place. That others may be drawn to You through us, and receive the blessings You have to give. As the Good, Good Father who only wants good things for us, and that we are a part of that. That we may forever bring glory and honor to you – through the words from our mouths and the work of our hands. IN JESUS’ NAME!! AMEN!!

Featured

Every little bit

I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love. – Ephesians 3:16-17

The past two weeks have been a roller coaster. High’s and Low’s. A whirlwind of events as we begin to pursue the “new normal”. As I slowly step back into some semblance of normal and realize just how busy my life can get. But in that time, I have appreciated the constant that is God. That God is always there for me. That I can always find time to spend with Him. That sharing time in His Word and in my prayer time with Him just makes everything better and more manageable.

In the past two weeks, I have started morning devotionals again, as I had urged us all to get back into His Word a couple weeks ago, in Back to the Basics, I found myself wondering when I would have time to get back into a devotional, and low-and-behold, here was a 20 minute time slot in the mornings that I had filled with other things, that could easily be used for devotional time. And, I have grown in that time, and realized that it was right there in front me – I just needed to step back and see it.

I have found myself listening to more and more podcasts mixed into my Christian music listening, which of course, hearing the Word is a big part of how we grow. Listening to others and their interpretations helps us grow and put things in context. It’s also mixed in with the Word, and helps us find new scriptures we may not have read before or shine new light on passages.

Every little bit helps us grow in our Faith. But, God is constant. He is always there for us. He is always answering prayer. He is always willing to listen. He is always waiting for moments to show up and let us know that He is here for us. The Same God of Adam and Eve, Daniel, Joseph, David, Matthew, Paul, and Timothy, is the Same God that we serve. The Same God who has been speaking to us for thousands of years, and yearning for a connection, is the Same God we talk to today. It seems so important to drive that home. That sometimes, He seems so far away, so disconnected, because here He is – in a book that was written over 2000 years ago, and almost like we haven’t heard from Him since, but really He is speaking all the time – if we just listen. I believe that the Bible ended when it did, because He had said everything He needed to say to the masses – and everything since is a personal message. Everything beyond that would be His church growing each other, or Him personally speaking to you. We have everything we need from His word, is just applying it to our lives and to our personal relationship with Him.

One of the biggest things I have come to appreciate is the supernatural peace of God. That even though October has just started and it already seems intense, the peace of God has made it seem more manageable. That I’m not nearly as stressed as I have been in previous years, as we maneuver through all the things my Octobers seem to entail. That its more of a kid’s roller coaster, than a full blown, heart-stopping adult roller coaster. That each day and each moment are just taken in stride, instead of the pure-madness they’ve been before. And, that’s because I seem to have tapped into the peace of the Messiah. The supernatural ease that God gives. That God is peace and He is constant. And, that believing and growing in God, just gives me more and more of that peace. And, who doesn’t want more peace in their lives?

Let’s Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for the many blessings you bestow on our lives. Thank you for your gifts Heavenly Father. Thank You for being the supernatural, amazing God that You are. That you are the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the God of Now and Always, the Great Jehovah Jirah, Jehovah Nissi, Jehovah Rapha, that You are our Messiah and our friend. That You are all that we need, all the time. That You have all the answers and that You are the Great God of all. That we are so blessed to serve You and to know You, God. That You may bless us in all that we do. That we may learn and know Your ways, Oh God. Thank You Father for everything that You’ve done and all You continue to do. IN JESUS’ NAME!! AMEN!!