Guess a two year hiatus is grounds to disable blogs these days, HAHA! My Sweet Pea and I are still here and navigating the sea of life as best we can. Since our last (and final apparently) post on my old domain, there was a graduation from ETBU and enrollment in grad school for my girl. Sadly, due to financial and mental strain, she has decided to withdraw from grad school for a while to reassess what path she should follow. Prayers are appreciated.
Alas, that is only part of this post. I had intended to post at least twice a month to share the happenings in our lives as well as my faith walk, but life happened. Broken hearts happened. Doubts rose up. And I lost faith along the way. The good news is that we have a loving God who does not forget His own and, when one of His sheep gets lost or injured, He leaves the 99 to save the 1. With my darling girl attending a college whose mission is to be a Light on the Hill and help its students grow in faith, I was not without daily scripture messages or study as I helped Kimmie with her devotionals. One recent devotional was on Matthew 6:26 "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither reap or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" Kimmie's response blew me away! In part, she stated:
"To fully grasp the lesson being taught, it is necessary to back up one verse where the lesson gets started. Jesus was teaching about worry/anxiousness and offering assurance to the listeners that they will be provided for...(w)e should turn our anxiousness into prayer and wait for God to provide the way out and give us peace. Worry leaves us vulnerable to illness, interrupts productivity, impacts the way we treat others, and keeps us from fully trusting God."
Oh, wow <3! That ministered to my heart then - and now. My darling girl is growing so much in her faith and I get a front row seat! Like with this devotional assignment:
Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
"Our words and actions have a profound impact on us and others, specifically in the manner they are done. If my speech is not wholesome, or defamatory, while claiming to be a Christian, then I am a hypocrite. If my actions, privately and publicly, do not match up to what I claim to be, then I am not being honest to myself, God, and others. Simply stated, if I talk the talk, I need to walk the walk."
And this one from another of her classes really hit me square between the eyes:
Isaiah 46:4 “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”
"From the beginning to the end, God is the One Who has walked alongside us. He created each of us with a purpose and knows the struggles before they come. What a comfort for the believer to have this knowledge of a loving Father! Throughout our lives, we experience many changes in our cognitive processes, emotions, social lives, and interpersonal relationships. Hopefully all these changes are positive ones, but sometimes there are negative ones. With strong, healthy support constructs, an individual can navigate through life with very few regrets."
With all the challenges I have faced to this point, God has remained. I may not always feel His presence, but He is with me - step by step. I may not have much as far as monetary security, but God continues to provide for my needs. I do not have a wide network of ride or die friends, but I have a Friend who is always available and listens to me when I am sad, angry, frustrated, wounded, or filled with joy.
The day is coming, and maybe not in the too distant future, when my Kimmie gets married and starts her own family. When that happens I will be left in a very quiet, empty home with no companion or husband. That is really the only future scenario that I am not looking forward to because I already know how depressing being alone is. I troll through social media and see people that I went to school with or worked with and they are out enjoying gatherings with their network of friends and extended family. It is really sad that I live vicariously through their lives - hoping beyond hope that I may enjoy the same one day before I breathe my last. Again, I get drawn right back to my Best Friend, Jesus, Who sacrificed His very life for me when yet a sinner.
I will close for now by sharing some pictures from a variety of events (not in order of occurence) that are very special to us. Until next time, be blessed and be a blessing. Never know who is watching ~
