Lord, I need a map!

Ever feel like you are just lost and you don't know where God wants you? You think you are going in the right direction and the next moment there's a huge stop sign; something difficult happens that prevents you from going the direction you were heading! At that moment, you start to doubt everything! It sure would be nice in those moments for you to be able to go into google maps/directions, type your name in, and have directions all mapped out for you!

Recently we have been deciding different directions for our children. The path they take now can determine alot about their future. We recently had talked to our son about joining the worship team and he became terrified; he refused due to fear! I knew this fear was the devil trying to keep him from moving in God's direction and it was a very hard month of prayer. After much prayer, he finally was willing to try. To ease his fears, the worship leader told him, they would just have him practice and not even consider putting him on stage for several months until he was ready. I dropped him off and picked him up an hour later to find him a changed kid! He ran over to me in excitement and exclaimed that he was going to get to play on stage tomorrow if it was ok with me! What had happened to my fearful child just an hour before? Because of prayer, and the willingness of him to at least try, God had removed all fear from his mind. He instantly became full of joy and it had completely changed his view! Even though I knew it was the right direction for him, he could not see it. He was blinded by fear and he couldn't see the steps that God had placed for his life. What if he had never walked into the church that day and began to follow a different path?

There are days when I would love a map, and for God to say, go here...step there...don't go that way! God does give us a map through people, but it's a daily, small map! He uses people around us to confirm or stop a direction. We had been taking my son to a music teacher for years and he had to take some time off. At that moment, God opened the doors for him to be a part of worship, where they are not only going to teach him more about music, but encourage him in worship and how to be in God's presence! What an amazing change of path that I never expected! So, even though I would love a map, the moments of surprise and amazement at God's plan and direction is what makes not having one so worthwhile. Knowing that God has a specific plan for each of our lives and trusting that each tiny lit stepping stone or twist and turn is always for our good.

Jeremiah 29:11 "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."

Be Interested in the Lives of Others!

Have you ever heard the expression, "leave someone better than the way you found them"? It means to help improve someones day. In this world, we are so caught up in our daily routines and sometimes just feel like we are barely making it through, that we forget about the person next to us!

When we think about helping others, we tend to think of things like charity work and helping the church. We many times think we have to have money to give and that is not always the case. Sure, we need to help our church and give to God what we owe Him and try to bless our missionaries and other charities. The one thing that I think we miss most of the time is the simple, inexpensive things we can do for others around us.

Ever since I was born, I have been known for my giant smile. I have had more comments made about my large toothy grin than I begin to tell! One time, when I was only about 8 years old, my pastor asked me why I smile so much. At the time, I didn't know how to answer that. I never thought that I smiled more than the average person, but I guess to him I did! At that moment, I looked back at his beaming face and realized, I had brought him joy. Now that I'm older, I realize how hard being a mom is and how life can get you down. I know the trials that one can face and how just a smile from my children, husband or a friend can brighten my day! Sometimes, I will go through crazy Walmart and just put on a perma-grin and see how peoples attitude change just by seeing a happy person go through and actually say "excuse me". Or, I may stop and chat with the cashier and ask them about "Their" day, rather than them always feeling obligated to make me, the customer, feel welcomed. Whenever I stop to say, "and how are you?" to them, they always look back with a smile and seem surprised that someone would ask them that for a change!

So, let's take those small, inexpensive talents that God gave each one of us to bless someone today. Bake a cookie for your neighbor, smile understandingly at the mom who seems overwhelmed with her 3 children in a cart, help a person who can't reach that top shelf or just wait patiently in a line and smile at the person next to you. Be on the lookout for someone to encourage and then I guarantee you will stop thinking about just yourself and it will not only help others, you will feel good about yourself too and improve your day!

Philippians 2:4 "Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others."

God gives us gifts, big and small!

Recently I had a tough week. My son, whom I love, was dealing with some teenage type of issues and I felt as if I had no idea what I was doing! Through it all, God knew each step and used each trial as an important teaching tool. After that horrible time, God began to give us blessings to encourage us. First my sons were able to meet the players of a local football team, where they got autographs and pictures, then I found out that our church was going to help pay for everyone's hotel room for an upcoming JBQ tournament. Then after trying to plan my son's birthday party, I had casually signed up for a chance to win a free party. That week, I had found out that I had won! I couldn't believe the blessings God had given me to encourage me after having such a struggle just days before.

Now, these are blessings that I can truly see, because they are not things that usually happen to us. But, what about the amazing daily gifts that God gives us? Each day I try to think of something small that God has blessed me with and thank Him for it. There are so many things that we take for granted. Just being able to breathe each day is a blessing, for there are so many who struggle with allergies and other health issues. Two beautiful children that I teach each day, and the freedom that I get to teach them amazes me! Heat, a bed, more clothes and shoes than a person needs, are all blessings. Parents who love me, a husband who has taken care of me...and even if it was all stripped from me tomorrow, a God who saved me. Let us remember not only the big, obvious gifts that God gives us, let us remember the daily small ones too! As we begin to give God thanks, we will realize that no matter what we are going through or how little or much we have, we are truly blessed!

James 1:17 "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

Following God's Will, Not Ours!

We've spent lots of money, time and plenty of effort to get our children involved in different activities. We have tried soccer & baseball, along with lots of activities through the associations and involving them in personal music lessons. As the kids grow older, we begin to look toward their future and what God would want from them. I know personally, I have tried to do what "I" think is best for the boys. I always want them involved in things so they stay active and sometimes I need to just stop and realize that it may not be what God has in mind for them. I recently tried to get my son involved in a certain activity and no matter how hard I tried, nothing ever came of it. I ended up just completely dropping the subject and left it in God's hands. About 6 months later, I was just chatting with a parent and mentioned the activity my son was interested in and this sparked a flood of excitement. Instantly things were in the works to get him involved in this particular area. My son commented how I got this all going, and I told him that it wasn't me at all. I wasn't even thinking about him being involved in this situation, and God completely opened the doors. It was God's special timing!

In all of this, God reminded me that I am not completely in charge of my path. If I am truly in tune with Him, He will allow me to move forward through the doors that He has planned for my life. It is easy to try to take life into our own hands, and when we do this, it never turns out right. We continue to fight and fight to obtain something that can never truly be fully achieved or that you feel completely satisfied with. When we pray for God's will and let Him choose His perfect timing, then things just fall into place, filling us with joy and true contentment.

Psalms 32:8 "The Lord says, 'I will make you wise and show you where to go. I will guide you and watch over you."

Forgiveness!

When I was in 7th grade, I was a busy little thing. I was in band, choir, cheerleading and FCA. I was also big into making new friends. We all know what it's like to be in 7th Grade and we all know at that moment in life, how important to feel accepted is. I had plenty of friends, but I decided I wanted to branch out. So, I began to make friends with others. I started spending time with one girl in particular and we just hit it off. We began to go to each others homes and spend all our study halls together. After awhile, out of the blue, another girl would come up to me and just start screaming and swearing at me. Each day she would come over to my locker and just let me verbally have it. Then she began to do it more often and started screaming at me in the locker rooms until it would bring me to tears. I couldn't figure out why she had focused so hard on me. Assuming she was a crazy person, and had lost all sense of reason, I began to try to avoid her as much as I could. No matter what though, she still found me. Finally one day, my soft, bubbly, little teenage heart had had enough and I just started screaming back at her. She stopped and began to leave me alone. After talking with my new friend, I found out that this girl use to hang out with her all the time and she wasn't actually crazy, but jealous of me. I had taken one of her friends away from her and she had been overcome with emotion. Here I thought this tough girl who acted like she wanted to harm me, wasn't tough at all. She was hurting inside and didn't know how to truly express it. At that moment, I could have continued on and tried to hurt her for all the times she attacked me. Instead, I decided to forgive her and try to understand the loneliness she had been facing.

In Psalm 103:12, the Bible says, "He has removed our sins as far from us as far as the East is from the West." Here it tells us of God's unending love for us. His forgiveness knows no limits. It is so easy for Him to forgive us, yet we seem unable to do the same. Someone says or does something cruel to us and immediately we are hurt and want to retaliate. We should always take the time to cool off, pray for that person and begin to leave it in God's hands. Now, I know how tough that can be, but as we do, God will begin to soften our hearts towards that person and give us understanding. We may not see what is going on in their life that has caused them so much pain. Remember, there are two sides to every story! Let's begin to pray for those who upset us and not be quick to judge them back. We need to begin to ask God to heal them of what is causing them hurt and pain. In return, God can heal you of the pain they have caused you, and help you to truly forgive them. Remember, we are all imperfect and have all done things that have hurt or upset others. God forgives us for all the many things we have done, let us forgive others and let it go!

Turning Tragedy into Faith!

On Saturday, I was getting my hair colored. The hairstylist was a woman who had married a man who left a religious colony. He had run away at the age of 19 and is now living for God with his family, and are now members of a Christian church. We began to talk about different religions and the subject turned to one of my relatives who had recently been diagnosed with brain cancer. She told me about her husband's cousin who was living in the colony and had also developed a brain tumor years ago. They had told this man there was nothing more that could be done and that he should begin to prepare to die. Being that they were no longer in the colony, my hairstylist and her husband were not allowed in unless they were granted special permission. They asked their family if they could visit him and pray for him. They were told they could come, but they shouldn't pray for him because it would do no good. They went in and saw him and he allowed them to pray for him. They laid hands on him and said only a short little prayer in front of skeptical, onlooking family. After they had left, the man was to have another scan done. When they saw the results, they were amazed to find that the tumor was beginning to shrink and was dissolving into water. As the months passed, the tumor had completely dissolved and he is now completely whole. In complete awe of what just happened, the family began to believe in the power of God and prayer. This life threatening tragedy had been turned into faith.

As I listened to this woman's story, I was reminded that even though we go through trials, God can use what we are going through to bring us or someone else closer to Him. This man was facing death, not just physical death, but eternal death. God allowed him to go through this trial in order to save not just him, but his family. No matter what you are going through today, begin to pray for God to show you His plan for it all. Usually when I go through hard times, there is a great lesson to be learned, not just by me, but those around who are watching. I also want to remind you, that even when we pray our hardest, healing is not always what God has planned. In those moments, we need to continue to pray for peace and understanding and allow God to increase our faith during times of tragedy.

Romans 8:28 "We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love Him. They are the people He called, because that was His plan.

Making it Through by the skin of God's Teeth!

I love to play those cheesy little computer games. You know the ones where you have to blast the balls, or match the colors. Every time I think I'm about dead, I somehow come out alive and live to fight the next round. Sometimes I breeze right through a level and other times I barely make it by the skin of my teeth; I think I've lost and out of nowhere I make it through.

When I barely squeak through, God reminds me that my life is alot like that. There are moments when life seems like a breeze and everything is going my way. Finances look good, children are healthy, husband has a good job and the weeks fly by. And then there are the times when I feel like I am barely squeaking by. Finances may be very tight, the children are constantly sick and the weeks drag on as if they will never end! God reminds me that He is in charge of it all. He blesses me with hope and strength to stand on my own during the good times and carries me through those rough times. I may feel like I won't make it to that next level in my life, but somehow through the grace of God, I make it! After those times have finished, I look back and stand amazed at how difficult and hard it was for me, and yet miraculously God brought me through.

In Psalm 56:3 it says, "When I am afraid, I will trust in you." At those moments when you feel your heart stop and you feel like you are barely making it through, just drop it all in the lap of God. It's funny how we think we are somehow in control of it all and that we are the ones just squeaking by in life. God knows every part of us and we need to learn to just trust in Him and let him walk beside us at times and carry us at others.