What A Day!

18 Monday Aug 2014

Posted by Seeking Peace in God, God's love, God's provision, hope, joy

What a day! Often, it is a statement made at the end of a trying, hectic day. Today, for me, it is a statement of thanksgiving and gratitude, of hope and possibilities.

I start a new job today. I know it will be full of trials and adversity as is any job. It is also an opportunity to make a difference. To learn. To do new things and improve on old ones. To stretch and to grow. To dream dreams.

My youngest starts a new adventure in college. Certainly a time of hope and dreams and also a time of trials and adversity. A time to meet new people and work on relationships with old friends in different ways. Maybe a time to meet the woman of his dreams and a time to decide on how to begin his life as an independent adult.

My oldest begins her 3rd year of college. Her transition to being an independent adult is getting closer. She is already gaining confidence in her relationships and now starting to look at the days ahead of going to work. She took a job at school this year that will be great for her, will test her and will stretch her. She makes me so very proud and she keeps doing new things that keep the pride swelling. I tell her from time to time that I am thankful God let me be her dad because I aspire to be more like her. Strong. Determined. Sweet-hearted.

A day to reflect on a weekend that offered some trials and offered lots of hope and growth and opened the door to new people in my life. As I am continuing to create a new life with my VSW, we bump into some old bags from our past. I look forward to the day when we have thrown all the bags out but as I reflect today, I see all the joy that comes from the victory in working together to start tossing the bags and the hope I have for how wonderful the future will be. I have the joy of hope that I do because I see how we tackle the challenges that come our way. We are not perfect at it (yet) but we work through it in our own ways. I see a day coming when our own ways become our together ways and know that will be a wonderful time. I want a relationship that people tell stories about because there is richness to share and I believe God has placed a woman in my path that makes those stories possible. How awesome is that?

I have never been filled with more hope than I am today. A job that probably won’t be my last and will provide until it is time to take another step. A son that is in an incredible time of transition. A daughter who is in the latter stages of her transition. And a woman, a VSW, who fills me up with the hope and dreams of what a relationship can and will look like when people are committed to pushing through together. Wow! What a day!!

James 1:4. I look forward to becoming more mature and more complete. I am ready for it with my job, my children and my VSW. Wow!! What a day!!!

Grace and peace.

God’s Provision

24 Friday Jun 2011

Posted by Seeking Peace in God's chisel, God's provision, Uplift

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We will return to our regular programming, God’s Provision, in just a moment. First, please listen to this announcement from our sponsor, Camp Coldwater. “Bad water = bad health, even death. Please help. Donate to Charity:Water through the Camp Coldwater link to the right and help give the gift of health and help save lives. Thank you.”

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One of the chapters in my book (it’s still in my head) comparing my walk with that of the Israelites is my take on God’s provision. He gives me everything I need. When I need it. Pretty simple, huh? Of course, I want what he gives me plus a few other things and when he gives me some of those things I want a few more things. Pretty goofy, huh?

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A year ago at this time, I was going through some of the darkest days of my life. I was questioning God and not sure I really trusted him. My prayers had not been answered and my fears had become reality. I felt alone and empty and felt like all the bad stuff I had done had finally caused God to give up on me.

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I was wrong, of course. What I have learned is that God went to the shed to get his hammer and chisel knowing I was ready for some work to be done on me. That might not make sense until you watch this video: God’s Chisel by the Skit Guys (see more of their great work at www.skitguys.com).

It’s a year later and a time that could be filled with sadness but God has provided again. I’m traveling to Searcy, Arkansas with our church youth group for Uplift and will be presenting lessons on two days about faith and salvation. It hit me a day or two ago that God has taken a time I could choose to run a myriad of negative emotions and fill those days with thoughts and ideas about faith and salvation.

Tell me he isn’t giving me my daily bread.

I look forward to posting some things from Uplift in the coming weeks but in my absence next week, I plan to have links to several songs that spoke to me in dark days and helped me lift up my eyes to see Jesus at work and helped me open my heart to what God has in store for me. I hope they may speak to someone else as loudly and forcefully as God spoke to me through them.

I believe that God is sovereign and he does and will always provide all that I need. All I need to do is be still and be content in his provision.

Grace and peace to you.