Trust in the Storm

A fragile yet so important thing we have is trust. Trust can help you feel safe and secure yet when lost, it can leave you brokenhearted. We put our trust in people only to have our hearts and lives stomped on in the process. Many times when this happens, that trust can never be restored or will take a long time to mend. Yet there is One that we can put our trust in who will never let us down. God can be trusted when times are good and when times are bad. It’s easy to say to someone “Just trust God” than it is sometimes to live that out in our own lives. When the storms come, we see only what is happening and nothing else. Our minds begin to worry about what will happen. The “what ifs” of life being to overwhelm us.

God takes care of His children. There is always a reason for the storm that you or I are in. It’s a storm that God wants to use for His glory because that is what it is all about. It’s not about what we want, but about what He wants to do in this world. We just have to hold His hand and trust Him when all we can see is the storm - the waves crashing onto the boat, the fierce wind howling - the deafening thunder - the lightning all around. The boat is rocking and we are scared. If we remember when this happen to the disciples, Jesus was asleep in the boat. He knew that God was in control. 

Jesus Calms the Storm
23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
Matthew 8: 23-27

He controls the storms in our lives by directing the waves and wind to mold and shape us into what He wants us to be. He controls the storms in our lives at other times to change someone else’s life. We just have to hold on and believe. Believe and trust that when the storm is over, we will look back and see the hand of God all over it. When the waters are calm and the sun returns, we will be better because of it. For without the storms in our lives, we would not grow and He could not use us for His glory.

So if you are in a storm or about to enter one, trust Him. Give him your worries and your fears and know that He has this.

Fear

Fear is a powerful thing. It can cause you to lose focus. It's can persuade you into not following your dream or giving up on something. It can immobilize you into nothing. Make you feel like you are worthless.
As time passes you wonder if you will ever be able to see past it then it hits you. Fear is not of God. God is not a God who wants to feel His children with fear but with love. In Matthew chapter 6 Jesus tells us to not be anxious. He has this. He wants you/me to step back, look up and ask one simple question - "God what are you trying to show/teach me?" God will help you conquer the fear that immobilizes you but you have to be willing and trust Him in the storm.
I know I have fears - fears of losing family, friends, jobs - the list could go on. It is when my fears begin to over take me that I must run then - I must run as fast as I can to my Father. He is there wishing I wouldn't wait so long. "Why do you linger in your fear my child?" He seems to ask in His loving voice. No condemnation for me - no "I told you so" - just assurance and peace that everything will be ok. For as a child of God nothing and I mean nothing happens in your life outside of the hands of God. So when it hits, I am running - all of my fears and worries - I am running to Him, the Author and Finisher of my faith. The only One who knows my heartache and understands my fears. The One who can bring peace and assurance like no one else.

The Hand

When people look at this picture they would say they see me after having the twins. Reasonable for someone to say that but I see something totally different. I see the hand.

I see the hand that held me when I was young. The hand that held mine when I was scared or crossing the street. The hand that played catch with me for hours. The hand that taught me so many things. The hand that would rub my back in the mornings to wake me up before school. I see the hand of my hero, my Diddy.

I don't think it was until he was gone when it stood out in this picture to me. There is was - in the midst of both of families and the older two kids in the room - in all that excitement there stood my Diddy right beside me. Right beside me watching over his daughter and his new grandchildren. You can't see his face but I know that he had a huge smile and was bursting with pride over two more grandchildren.

I can remember the morning of that dreadful day in February when the doctors told us there was nothing else they could do, that all I wanted to do was hold his hand one more time. I wanted so badly for him to squeeze my hand just one more time and tell me he loved me. That hand that was so big and strong. That hand that when I saw it in this photo, brought me to tears. He was always looking out for us and this picture just shows that.

Today he would have been 76. I miss him just as much as I did when we left the hospital that day without him. I know that I will see him one day and be able to hold his hand again.

Break time

Since the first of summer, Red has been running cross-country for the school. He has loved it and is currently the second fastest runner for his grade on the team. That was until this past week. While at his Dad's, he had the misfortune of having a metal bed rail fall on his foot. He came home and told us but it didn't seem to be bothering him so he continue practice as usual. He ran a 5K meet and his time was slower than normal. As the week went on, he ran but then finally, last Thursday, the foot had enough of the running. He had to stop practice and see the trainer. After a quick trip to the doctor this morning for x-rays, he has a hairline fracture and will be out for about 2 weeks. Needless to say, he has nice black boot to add to his attire for the next couple of weeks.

Time to Make a Difference

We have a new youth pastor at our church. The Sunday night before school started he spoke. One statement that he said blew me away - "We are to blame for the world that our kids are living in". Wow! We complain that this world is screwed up and it's a scary place to raise our kids. Yet his statement caused me to look into my own life and see that I am to blame. How many times have I not chosen to be different - to not stand up for what is right regardless of what others thought and only concerned myself with what my God thought of me?

It's time for me, for ALL Christians, to be different and make a difference in this world. Can you imagine your community changing because God's children started to look different from the world? It all starts with one person. You and I think "who will listen to me after all that I have done?" We are no different than David, Moses, Noah, Peter, Paul and many others. They like us made mistakes and yet God used them to change things. He used them because they made themselves available. When we finally decide to truly die to ourselves, our wants and desires and make ourselves available, God will work to change this world. Revival starts with God's children, not those that are lost.

It's time to make a difference.

Life

How many times have I or anyone mumbled to ourselves "that's not fair"? Probably more times than we want to admit. Life isn't fair - there will always be someone who has the bigger house, the "perfect marriage", the nice stuff, the appearance of having everything together, the always having the neat homemade gift for people, not a worry in the world - as we all know there will always be someone who appears to be "better off" then us. But isn't that where the issue is? We are too busy out there comparing our lives, our real lives, our lived in messy house, our imperfect marriage, our wild kids to other people's highlight moments. Think about it - you are scrolling though Instagram/Twitter/Facebook and you see all the photos, check-ins and status and think "why don't I have that?" And if you saying you don't, we'll then you aren't being honest with yourself.
When we compare ourselves to others we will never be content. We will never be grateful for what we have. But what we don't realize is those same people you are envying are doing the same thing with your highlight reel or someone else's.
It's so easy to get caught up in the things of this world and totally forget the One that created it, the One that allowed you to wake up today. We all need to stop, look around and appreciate what we have. We need to look to God and thank Him for today, for this moment and the precious things that money can't buy that He had blessed us with.
Life won't always be fair but when we look at life thru Gods eyes, it won't matter if its fair or not because we will look to Him for our satisfaction.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Be Quiet and Trust

Why is it that we can trust someone who we know will let us down over and over again but yet not trust the One that will never let us down? Tonight as I read, Job 38-39 this is the exact question that went through my mind. Many of us will never experience the circumstances that Job did but we all have times where we want to question God. Instead we need to be asking God what He wants to teach us, show us or heaven forbid what He wants to change in us. For nothing happens without God allowing it to be so. For see God sees the finished product while we only see right now. Maybe the circumstance that you so wish would change won't ever change and that's okay. It's hard to understand but it's not our place to understand. We just have to trust Him fully and remember He doesn't allow anything to happen that first doesn't come through Him. For Job lost everything and had no idea that God allowed it all to happen to Job so that He could get the glory. 

We just need to learn to be quiet and trust. Trust the One that "laid the foundations of the earth". Trust the One that told the sea "This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop".  Have faith in the unseen God. Have faith and trust He has everything under control. We have to give up our wants/needs/desires and follow Him. We have to go against the world and sometimes against our own plans. 

We have to shut up and trust Him.  

A Boat and a Pool

Years ago when The Hubs and I were dating, the kids bought him a boat for his birthday. His apartment was near a small lake and the kids thought it would be fun to come down to drive the boat in the lake with him. Needless to say, he moved shortly after we gave it to him so it's been sitting in the box for a while. Just recently, the kids discovered it and Red and Little Man wanted to use it.

The older two are at their Dad's this weekend, so Little Man begged and begged to take it to the "lake". So after dinner we took off to the pool to test drive the boat.

After Daddy showed them how to do it, it didn't take them long to figure it out.

The excitement on their faces was priceless. They loved driving the boat all around the pool. The hardest part for them was taking turns and staying away from the edge of the pool which made this Momma very nervous.

I am sure when Red gets home tomorrow, we will be making another trip to the pool for another test drive of this "fast" boat.

It's the small things in life that make the best memories.

Eight Years

I wrote this post on my phone around the time we sold our house and were moving. I finally got around to adding it and can do so without tears.

Eight years ago the kids and I moved into the house. It was a start of a new life for us. The three of us needed this new start and with it came blessings we would have never dreamed about. We were excited to have our own place and be in a great neighborhood. There are so many memories that will always be near to my heart.

There's the fence that my Daddy helped us build. (And by the way, I will miss the view of the field that I saw every morning through my kitchen window)

 

There is the place in the den in front of the Christmas tree that Friday before Christmas, where my sweet husband proposed to me along with the help of Red.

There is the dinner table that we left behind that was the place of many family dinners, long conversations and night of homework.

Eight years ago, we moved in as a family of 3 and eight years later, we move out as family of 6. I pray that the person that bought our house will have the same blessing and wonderful memories as I did when I first stepped through that door. The years in that house changed my life for the better and I am thankful to God everyday for those years and the friends we made there.

Now on to making more memories...

3 Years Ago

Today I was busy. Today Red had basketball practice and then the twins had a party at church. There were kids to be taken care of and no time to really think. Then it happened. That moment in the busy day when for a fleeting moment, things slow down and you think. I remembered. Today marked 3 years since my Diddy, my hero went home.

Today 3 years ago my world was changed forever. I could have been angry. I could have screamed out at God demanding answers but I didn't. I remembered. I remembered the things my Diddy taught me about God and His Plan. I remembered the time he had cancer and we were all worried yet my Diddy was at peace with things even when he was scared. I remembered the lessons I was taught growing up about God's peace and love because my Diddy and Momma made sure I was in church.

Yes I miss him daily.Yet today as I weep, I will remember the love my Diddy had for us and the legacy he left us. Today as I get a little down, I will remember the good times and laugh. Today as I look at my children, I will remember the things he taught me and pass those things on to them.

Today I miss my hero. Today I will remember that one day when God is ready to call me home, I will see him and my God. It's all about God and His plan and that brings a smile to my face amidst the tears. I can only see the here and now but God knows the entire plan. And who better to trust daily like my Diddy did then the One who has all the answers.

I love you Diddy.