One Day At A Time

In this life things certainly don't always go the way you plan. Take for instance my very first attempt at making lasagna. I had a moment of mental malfunction as I read the ingredients and ended up measuring the parmesan cheese wrong. No big deal...if it was off by an ounce but try 8 ounces! Not pretty, the cheese soaked up all the delicious sauce leaving a very salty noodle concoction that was virtually inedible (to everyone on the planet except my brother). Go figure! :)

Or maybe the entire direction that you thought your life was going to go in just didn't happen. I know I saw myself happily married, with 2.5 children and a cute house with a white picket fence, baking cookies and spending time with a family of my own. Never dreamed that I'd find myself in my mid thirties still waiting for this dynamic man of God to show up and sweep me off my feet. Actually never even dated much and definitely no bambinos :( I admit I sometimes look back at my life wondering whether I just missed it.

Or perhaps you did get married and it wasn't what you thought it was going to be and you have regrets. Maybe you lost a loved one way before you were ready to give them up or sickness or trauma entered your home. Perhaps your children aren't walking with God the way you want them to. Maybe you regret the relationship you have with your parents or that you hurt someone you cared about and you can't change it.

It's easy to become overwhelmed with life. The burdens are heavy when they are weighed down with good intentions, sickness, broken promises, shattered hearts and derailed dreams. It seems that nothing in this life is constant. Your entire world can change in an instant with one phone call, one choice, one act, one moment of weakness, insecurity, anger, hate or apathy, one turn of the wheel, one natural disaster, one second...

But in this world of constant change and disappointment, I am so thankful that there is Something that never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He knows the end from the beginning. He knew that we would face trials and tribulation yet He can work all things out for good (no matter what direction they take at first) for those who love Him. He is the Healer, the Redeemer and the Restorer. He brings peace in the midst of a storm. His timing is perfect. His ways are perfect. He doesn't make mistakes. He has a plan that is good. He calls us by name and knows every hair on our heads. He hears every cry of our hearts. He loved us enough to send His only Son to die for us so that even though in this life we may have hard times...the promise of an eternity spent with Him will be the Hope that gets us through.

So let's make this journey together...one day at a time...in Him.

His Grace is Sufficient...

There are some days when even a lot of chocolate doesn’t help and I just had one of those yesterday. This could be attributed to the fact that I am a woman and my emotions skyrocket out of control at the drop of a hat. For some strange reason at times like these, everything that I’ve learned in my entire Christian walk can just that easily flees from my memory at the precise moment when I really need to recall some of it. Go figure!

Situations between family and friends often get sticky. I absolutely hate it. I figure if I could design my own world everyone would get along perfectly…oh yeah, I can see how it must have been God’s desire too but what is that little pesky thing that always gets in the way again? Oh yes, sin and the flesh. Yuck! I tell you what some days I want to strip off this humanness with all its pain, selfishness, awkwardness and pride and throw it in the garbage where it belongs because it stinks.

It’s funny how the people we love the most, those who love us the most and those who know us best turn out to be the ones that give us the most joy but can also end up hurting us the most as well. What a concept. Could anyone have betrayed our Lord Jesus except one that knew Him so well? It’s a vicious cycle joy, hurt, pain, forgiveness, joy etc. However as long as there is forgiveness it’s okay because only then can Christ heal our hearts and repair what was broken.

It’s in moments of deepest pain when I forget all the promises of God temporarily, when I question His plan or purpose and doubt that He even has one. In the depths of my heart and soul I know those thoughts to be utterly false but it’s like verbal vomit and it just erupts from me based on my emotions and not what I know to be true. So am I ever thankful for the truth and the grace of God demonstrated through persistent and godly friends who talk me down from the ledge (not that I always want to hear it at the time) but eventually it builds a bridge from emotion to truth.

I know that God never gives us more that we can handle…some days I think I’m teetering on the edge of my threshold to be quite honest but here is one thing that I know…His grace is sufficient for me and His strength is made perfect in my weakness. So when something challenging comes along I can get upset or crazy or angry or sad but how I deal with it will determine how much control I’m willing to let God have and how much of my pride I’m willing to let go off or swallow I should say. That’s stuff a person could choke on! :)