Always Present

Events that have transpired this week:
1. My stepdad, Bill's father was hospitalized - and we learned he would never come home
2. PRAYED HARD....multiple times!!! God sustained a great man while family from hundreds of miles came to see him.
3. We discovered water had saturated our living room carpet for the second time in less than a year
4. Prayed that I wouldn't lose it; I managed not to!
5. Met with our apartment manager after the water remained on our floor, virtually untouched for over 24 hours
6. Prayed that my mouth wouldn't get us thrown out of our usually wonderful apartment complex...it didn't; I was calm
7. "Jose" (some of you know who I am talking about!) ;)
8. Prayed that God will reveal everything in His time; I know that He will!
9. Jared's car broke down in a not so safe area
10. Prayed that this would be the last straw for Jared...it was!
11. Haggled with car dealers for 3 1/2 hours...to no avail
12. Prayed for patience...haha...I know...even so, we managed to maintain our clarity of mind.
13. Wised up and went to a better car dealership the next night...then another...finally, after 4 hours found a car
14. Prayed a prayer of THANKSGIVING! We have a new car!
15. Got lost going back to the dealership the next day to pick up the car, almost wrecked my car because of the rainstorm on the way...finally got there and signed on the dotted line.
16. Prayed Jared would drive our new car safely home; made it safe and sound!
17. Got a call at 1:00 A.M. this morning that Bill's father had passed away... :(
18. Prayed for my family; thanked God for Dee's amazing life -- God has been and will be glorified by the legacy he leaves.
19. Decided to take a half day off today...came home and discovered that maintenance had broken a lamp in our living room...and had not cleaned it up
20. Prayed I wouldn't cut myself cleaning up the mess; I didn't!
21. Cried as I watched "Birth Day" and scared myself by watching "Mystery Diagnosis" this afternoon
22. Prayed that I will be a great mother some day; prayed that I wouldn't contract an undiagnosable disease --Regardless...my steps will be guided by the Lord.

And it's only Fridayafternoon...those are just some of the events...and that's just a small list of the prayers. I can't imagine not having God to turn to when life is chaotic. God - on those weeks that I turn to You multiple times a day - and on those days where I go about practically failing to pay attention to You...THANK YOU for caring and for ALWAYS being there!!!!

Live for Today

When I moved to Blacksburg over 4 years ago, I remember sulking because I missed my friends and family so much.  In fact, I sulked so much that I believe I missed out on developing some really great friendships.  When we moved to Charlotte, I missed my job a lot!  I realized today that I actually have been yearning for that part of my life back and am missing out on what I do have - albeit a job that I'm not particularly fond of all of the time.  Lately I've been worried about the economy and what we would do if Jared or I lost our jobs, worried about friends and family and have agonized over a delayed dream.  It seems that there is always something to miss in the past and something to worry about in the future.  That's not how we're supposed to live!  Matthew 6: 34 says, "Therefore do now worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."  That's not a very encouraging verse - unless you like thinking about how today has a lot of troubles - unless you read the verse before it, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."  Instead of thinking about the past, or worrying about the future, we should be focusing on seeking God and becoming more like Him now.  So I challenge you to look around and ask God to show you how to live today to the fullest. While it's nice to have memories and important to plan for the future, it's even better to live in the moment with your steps being directed by God.