A couple of friends (Sarah at http://www.nestinginpleasantview.blogspot.com/ and Christy at http://www.hereandhome.blogspot.com/) had this on their websites, so I thought I'd join the fun!

For Today...

Outside my window... Gloomy and rainy, but the sunshine is coming back in a couple of days!

I am thankful for... God giving me the opportunity to be at home with my son while following new directions He has asked me to pursue. And for my VERY understanding and supportive husband who has stood by me through all of those recent changes.

From the kitchen... My least favorite place in the home (except when it comes to Christmas baking, and visiting with friends and family who always seem to end up gathering in the kitchen!). Today, I'm thinking fried potatoes for dinner with who knows what else - hopefully, something will come to me before then.

I am wearing... Comfy jeans and my "The country that prays together stays together" t-shirt.

I am reading... Still finishing up "The Passion Of Jesus Christ" by John Piper. It's very good, but also somewhat intense, which takes a lot more focused energy to get through. I'm also recommitting to my daily Bible reading - I confess that, while I have been reading my Bible every day, I have gotten behind on my 'through the Bible chronologically in a year' reading plan.

I am hoping... To receive my final approval and materials from the Leadership Academy in order in order to begin classes in the Ministerial Study Program. Then I'm hoping for God's strength and wisdom to help me get through the program!

I am creating... Seemingly more messes and chaos as I try to clean out drawers, boxes, etc.!

I am hearing... Continuous talking and questions from my 5 year old son (life is great!).

Around the house... Boxes, boxes, everywhere! Cleaning out my office at work has created so much disorganization around the house that I don't even know where to begin.

One of my favorite things... My first thought was my ipod because I love to listen to my music, especially Christian music, but I have tons of all kinds of music on there. But when I asked my 5 year old what he thought my favorite things are, he said kisses and hugs... I think his answer wins by a landslide!

A few plans for the rest of the week... Taking a new friend on Tuesday to get information on pursuing a part-time opportunity with my company and getting to know her better, driving to Westerville Wednesday to take my my in-college daughter to dinner, helping to facilitate Dave Ramsey's Town Hall For Hope meeting on Thursday (look it up and attend a live teleconference rence in your area!), taking my son to gymnastics Thursday and to our church soccer camp Saturday, enjoying my new schedule and more time to hang out with my family, and whatever else the Lord puts in front of me.

What does YOUR day look like?! Have a blessed day!

A Tale Of Two Women

Today, I want to share with you a story of two women who are very close to my heart. While similar in many ways, these women have experienced several different circumstances, and have also chosen to react to them in very different ways.

THE FIRST WOMAN:

Was facing a lot of confusion and changes in her life, and allowed that to distract her and stop her from moving forward.

THE SECOND WOMAN:

Was also facing a lot of confusion and changes in her life, but chose to turn to God and ask Him to guide her in the direction she was to take.

THE FIRST WOMAN:

Felt the need to make some significant changes in her life regarding her work situation and how she was spending her time. She made those changes, but continued to feel some loss about what she had given up, and often wondered if she had made the right decisions.

THE SECOND WOMAN:

Knew God was telling her to make some significant changes in her life regarding her work situation and how she was spending her time. She chose to be obedient to Him and, although difficult, willingly made those changes. She had no regrets because she was following the path that God had laid out for her.

THE FIRST WOMAN:

Wanted to know "what's next?" and what the future held. She had made many goals and dreams based on her work situation and the path that she had been on, which had now changed completely.

THE SECOND WOMAN:

Asked God to show her the next step, and was content to wait on Him to tell her the next steps when she needed to know them. She knew that His timing is always perfect.

THE FIRST WOMAN:

Took steps to move forward in a new direction that she felt led to follow, but was fearful of each step she needed to take. While she thought that she was doing the right thing and what God wanted her to do, she did not feel capable of accomplishing what would be required of her in this new endeavor.

THE SECOND WOMAN:

Confidently moved forward, asking God everyday for courage to do what He was asking her to do. She knew that God does not look for our ability, but for our availability. While she, too, did not feel very capable of accomplishing all that would be required of her, she trusted Him to equip her with the tools, wisdom, and strength that she needed when she needed it. She also knew that God's glory shines brightest when he accomplishes things through people that they could not do on their own.

THE FIRST WOMAN:

Faced guilt, regrets, and envy about what she hadn't achieved and what she should be doing, she felt as though she was letting down the people she worked with, and she had feelings that she was missing out on something. She did pray and ask God for help, but wasn't always very good at listening to what He told her. She struggled with holding on to "good", when God had something "great" in store for her, if she would only choose to listen and be obedient.

THE SECOND WOMAN:

Began every day choosing to surrender everything to God. She asked Him to show her where He was working around her each day, and asked Him to give her the courage to act when He told her to act. She turned all of her guilts, fears, and failures over to Him, and knew that He had a purpose for every one of those, and that He would take those and use them for good.

THE FIRST WOMAN:

Was prone to frustration and often had pity parties for herself because of challenges that she was facing and things she was going through.

THE SECOND WOMAN:

Also faced many challenges and went through some tough times, and got frustrated from time to time. She didn't enjoy those times, but she was grateful for them because she knew that it was during those times that God was working on her to form her into the person He made her to be - she knew that meant that He thought she was still worth reshaping.

THE FIRST WOMAN:

Allowed her frustrations and struggles to get to her, and often took those frustrations out on her kids and husband. She was often on edge and short tempered, and lost her cool over things that really didn't matter. Many times, those feelings came because she felt as though she had failed in the eyes of her family, and had not followed through on the goals and dreams that she had promised to fulfill for them.

THE SECOND WOMAN:

Was also often on edge and sometimes short tempered with her family, but was quick to realize it, correct her attitude, and apologize to those she had hurt. She also appreciated the fact that she was now able to give her family her full attention when they faced challenges; she had no guilt about other things that she should be doing, and she could be with them completely. She saw that many of the goals and dreams that she was trying to fulfill for her family were actually tied more to her own selfish pride, and were not really what her family desired most. She now believed her husband and kids who told her that they were loving her being home more often; she understood that they were more interested in spending time with her than in getting things from her.

THE FIRST WOMAN:

Continues to struggle with self doubt, envy, pride, guilt, and more. She says and believes the right things, but all too often focuses on herself and on what she thinks she has lost. She chooses to see where she is and who she is at the moment, instead of focusing on where God wants her to go and who He is shaping her to become.

THE SECOND WOMAN:

Struggles with those same challenges of the flesh - self doubt, envy, pride, guilt, and more. But she is so grateful for all that God has given her, for all He has done for her, and for where He has brought her. She appreciates the love of her family and is grateful for the wonderful friends that God has placed in her life. She is excited about what God is doing in her life and in the lives of those around her. She looks forward with hope and anticipation to whatever it is that God has planned for her. She is so excited (and a little scared!) about taking these next steps, and even about facing the challenges that she knows are yet to come, in order to be obedient to what God will have her do. Her only desire is to strive to stay in the center of God's will.

By now, you've probably figured out that both of these women are actually me! No, I'm not completely schizophrenic and actually believe that I am two separate people! I do, however, quite often deal with "spiritual schizophrenia" - I can have a whole conversation in my head, going back and forth between starting to believe my doubts and fears then knowing the truth about what can do in spite of me! My guess is that we all have two different people (sometimes more!) living inside of us. I would guess, too, that 'the first woman' shows up more times than we'd like to admit!

If you've been following this blog at all, you're aware that God has been asking me to make some significant changes in my life, and follow Him along a path that is way out of my comfort zone. Although it has all too often taken me awhile, I have been obedient in making those changes. It has been so exciting for me to be in a deepening relationship with Jesus Christ; one where I can hear His voice, feel His presence, and have the unbelievable knowledge that He chose me to have this relationship with me (and He chooses you!)! And yes, it has also been confusing and scary at times - this is where that "spiritual schizophrenia" comes in!

Over the last couple of weeks, I have had 'the first woman' showing up more than I would care to admit. Fortunately, 'the second woman' is always still there and wants to step to the forefront. So I'm asking some questions today: Why is it that I allow 'the first woman' to be the center of attention so often? What do I need to do to keep 'the second woman' as the primary resident of my life? What lessons can 'the second woman' learn from the mistakes of 'the first woman' (and the mistakes of 'the second woman')? What steps do I need to take to continually move 'both women' closer to God?

I think we all know the answers to each of those questions, so I won't try to elaborate on them individually. But to summarize, I think it all goes back to the message of surrender. And remember, surrender is not a one-time event; surrender is a decision that we must make every day. And surrender is not conditional; it is surrendering our own will and desires of our flesh; it is surrendering everything to Him.

I'm sure I'll have many more appearances from 'the first woman', and that's OK I guess, as long as I am continually striving to become the person God made me to be. Oh, and in case you're wondering... the past couple of weeks have also brought blessings from God beyond what I could have ever imagined, thanks to the choices of 'the second woman' in me!

God is good... all the time! All the time... God is good! I'm thankful today that God loves 'all' of 'the women' in me!

Vacation Home

Myspace Graphics, Christian Graphics at WishAFriend.com

We returned home from our spring break vacation today, and I got to thinking about the joy that comes from different types of vacations, as well as the joy that comes from coming home again.

We've taken vacations in the past to places like Disney World or the beach or Hawaii; places you go to be "entertained". While those vacations are relaxing and refreshing, they are also often very busy. Our days are spent going here and seeing that and doing this. There are also quite often schedules to be kept to make sure that we "get it all in". Don't get me wrong... we have a great time on those vacations, and we are not one of those families that "have" to do everything - we typically will go for a few hours in the morning, return to our hotel for lunch and a nap and maybe a dip in the pool, and then we may venture out again in the late afternoon or evening, but still taking things at our own pace. But no matter how relaxed we are with our time, there is still a "vacation agenda" that travels with us.

Other vacations are like the ones we just returned from where we take some time out to go visit family. These vacations are still very relaxing and refreshing, but they are not nearly as busy, and they don't come with a schedule that we have to keep. We may still have places to go and people to see, but more often than not, we spend most of our days just hanging out and enjoying each other's company. I didn't even wear makeup once during this whole vacation! There is a different "comfort level" that seems to accompany our "vacation with no agenda".

Of course, no matter which type of vacation we take, it is always great to come home again! It's true, I seldom feel like unpacking and getting back into our daily "to-do" lists, but at the same time, I can't wait to get to sleep in my own bed and get back to our "routine". It's great to get away, but it's always great to come home!

So what does any of this have to do with anything?! Well, it seems to me that having a relationship with Jesus Christ is kind of like having the best of all three - the "busy" vacation, the "family" vacation, and the "coming home" vacation.

In our walk with the Lord, we do have an "agenda" that we want to keep - we are striving to surrender our will to His, and be obedient to what He asks us to do; to love Him with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind, and all of our strength; and to love our neighbors as ourselves - to name just a few!

We also have the pleasure of just enjoying being in the presence of the Lord with no "agenda" - He wants us to just "hang out" with Him; to talk about the events of our day, and our joys, and our struggles; to ask for His guidance and His help; and to just "be still and know that He is God" - again, to name just a few!

Of course, the ultimate "end" (or more appropriately, "beginning") to our vacation with God is when we finally get to go "home". Obviously, I haven't experienced this part of my journey yet, but I can only begin to imagine the joy that will come from getting to begin a whole new "vacation at home"! First of all, there will be no unpacking to do or "to-do" lists waiting for us! While I'm sure we will not need to be "entertained", I know that there will be more beautiful things to see than our minds can even dream up. We will be surrounded by all of the people we have loved, and all of us will be blessed to be able to "hang out" with the Lord for eternity!

Our "vacation home" kind of makes our other "vacations" pale by comparison, doesn't it? But guess what... There is no comparison! All of these vacations and comings home are all part of our ongoing journey to know the Lord more deeply - and He is "hanging out" with us at every step along the way. So while our days may be filled with routines and struggles and challenges, and our human bodies may yearn for a vacation from time to time, as long as our hearts are focused on Jesus, we can enjoy being on "vacation" every day!

Changes

Well, spring is finally in the air, and with springtime comes changes... the flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, that fresh smell overtakes the air... the wonders of God seem to be screaming their presence for us to see. Some changes, though, can also create challenges. Spring often brings a whole new calendar of activities for those who have children active in various sports, allergies can sometimes increase with the new spring air, and that feeling of needing to do some spring cleaning may begin to start pulling at us (the results of spring cleaning are wonderful, the task of spring cleaning not so much!).

So I'm thinking about changes today. As I've shared before, God has been working on me for some time now, and asking me to make some difficult changes in my life. While they are exciting and always prove to be the best thing for me, the process is not always easy. What God requires of us changes as we go through different seasons of our life. At times, He may ask us to simply 'Be still and know that He is God' - pary continually, spend time daily in studying God's Word, praise God no matter what our circumstances are, etc. Other times, the Lord may ask us to give Him everything we've got - listen for His voice, trust Him completely, be obedient to what He tells us to do (even if we don't really want to!), and make changes that may be difficult for us to make at the time. No matter what season we are in, though, we must keep our hearts and minds focused on Him, and praise Him at all times. God's Word tells us that "to whom much is given, much is required" (Luke 12:48). But I've learned that with God, 'to much is required, much is also given'! When God requires much, He is faithful, and He will do even more - you can never out-give God! Sometimes, God requires a lot from us simply so we can have the privilege of being in a living, breathing relationship with Him.

I'm on spring break with my family this week at my in-laws house in North Carolina. I'm ashamed to say that this is the first time in several years that I have taken this trip with my family. They come down here every year, but in my misdirected "loyalty" to my business and my teammates in the business, I have chosen to stay home the last several years. I hate to confess it, but I also did the same thing many of the last several Thanksgivings. One of the major changes that God has had me make over the last several months was making the decision to give up my office and go part-time in my business. It was a very hard decision for me to make and I denied His calling to do so for several months, but once the decision was made, it has become a blessing in more ways than I could have ever imagined (as the song says, "I guess the Lord knows what He's doing after all"!). I have enjoyed being home with my youngest son and getting him off the bus from preschool. I've been able to be there for my daughter when she has gone through some difficult times the last couple of months - not just in body, but I was able to be with her 100% and give her my full attention, without feeling guilty that I should have been doing something at work. I've been able to be at sports banquets with my oldest son, and show him by my actions, not just my words, how important he is to me. And I have been able to take this vacation with my family, and enjoy just being with them, doing absolutely nothing!

I'm thinking about those "changes" that God asks us to make. It's true that some are difficult for us because of the things we have to do, the challenges we have to face, or because they force us to get out of our comfort zone. But many are difficult because we have to look ourselves honestly in the mirror and face the reality that we have allowed things other than God to take priority in our lives, even if they appear to be good things. How many times have we settled for good when God had something great in store for us if we had just listened to Him and been obedient to what He told us to do?

So I'm making some changes today - again! (And I'm asking the Lord to forgive me for the times that I did not uphold the changes I've made in the past.) I'm changing how I look at things and what I decide is really important in my life. I'm changing the order of the priorities I keep in my life to be God, family, then business (not just the order that I say I keep!). I'm changing how I look at the times when I am privileged to do "nothing" with my family - some "nothings" are way more important than many of the "somethings" in my life. And I'm changing my commitment to the changes I'm making, and I'm counting on Jesus to help me keep my commitments when my human nature is tempted to forget!

God is a God of changes... but He is also a God of faithfulness, and He promises to be with us through all of the changes we are required to make. How blessed are we that the Lord loves us so much that He pursues us to be in relationship with Him, He guides us down paths to unbelievable treasures, He shows us where we need to change to reach those destinations, and He helps us make those changes as He molds us to be like He made us to be?!

I hope you will join me in praising the Lord today, no matter what season of change you are in today!

Whose Lives Are You Touching?

I've had this post on my mind since last Friday, but I have been blessed with a lot of 'wonderful chaos' the last few days and have not taken the time to write it. My husband and I went to a dinner on Friday to celebrate a good friend's retirement from the Air Force after 29 years of service to his country. It was great to see him and his wife and share their joy as they begin this new chapter of their lives. His friends had put together an awesome slide show, and several of his coworkers gave funny and heartfelt presentations - we had a great time!

But the thing that kept coming to my mind is how many people's lives he had touched during the course of his career. Many were there to celebrate with them, but I know there are hundreds if not thousands of others that have had the pleasure to know him over the years. Of course, he has impacted people's lives in very big ways and through very significant military programs. But what stood out to me the most were the "little things" that he is remembered for: the way he made sure he shook every person's hand every time he met them; his sense of humor; his leadership; the day-to-day things that he did for people that were over and above the call of duty, and that showed them that he truly cared about them; how he could take charge and get the job done, but also enjoy the process, and help others to enjoy the process as well; the way he made sure that every single person in that room knew how much he appreciated them being part of his life; the love he showed for his family and his friends; the way he made everyone feel special; the very real appreciation that he showed for each person taking time to share that event with him; basically, how he made each and every person a better person because they knew him.

So the question that came to my mind was, "What kind of impact am I making on the lives of those who I come in contact with?". Am I taking time to show my appreciation for the people in my life? Am I an example of "enjoying the process", no matter what path God has me on at the time? Am I showing God's love to my friends, family, coworkers, and others who cross my path? Do I take time to make others feel special just because they're them? Can others tell by my words and my actions that I am living my life for Christ? Am I doing everything I can to take them on that journey with me, and help move them closer to God? Do people feel better or worse after spending time with me? Are people better off because they know me?

I hope this doesn't come across as if "it's all about me" because that is certainly not my intent. In fact, I'm asking myself tonight (or I should say this morning!), "Am I truly living my life to be "all about Jesus", and putting others first in my life as He would have me do?" I want to leave a legacy for my children and my children's children; not necessarily a monetary legacy, but a legacy of faith, of love, and of being the type of person who does what is right and makes other people feel better about themselves, whether anyone notices or not.

I don't have the answers to any of those questions, but I pray that by continually asking myself these types of questions (and counting on the Lord to help me), I will stay focused on the "little things" that are oh so important! After all, when I get down to it, my job is pretty simple... love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love my neighbor as myself, right?! And thankfully, the Lord will guide me every step of the way to do both of those things, if I only ask Him.

And in case I haven't told you lately... YOU are special, and I appreciate you!

A Grateful Heart

I mentioned a couple of days ago that I thought I had messed up a phone interview impacting a change in direction that I've felt God leading me to. I also mentioned that while I felt that I had failed God, He reminded me that He will never fail me; and that if this is really God's will and the timing is right, than even I couldn't mess it up. You guessed it! In spite of myself, I received a phone call yesterday giving me the approval to go ahead to the next step of this process. I was so excited! Not just because of getting to move forward with this, but because it was so obvious to me that God has had His hand in this process every step of the way, especially in changing my heart and mindset towards it. Like I said the other day, it's crazy to me that I got so upset when I though I messed this up, when just a few short weeks ago I didn't even want to think about the idea of walking down this particular path that He has laid in front of me! On my own, my reaction would have been "whew... I got off the hook with that one!" But instead, God has opened my heart to this next step, and has given me the confidence to know that although I question my own ability to succeed in this, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." So my heart is grateful for new opportunities, and especially, for my growing relationship with Christ. Which, by the way, I'm learning that having a personal relationship with God comes from being obedient to what He tells us, and that our relationship with Him begins because He pursues us -He is the only One who can create that desire in us to seek a personal relationship with Jesus. Wow, how amazing is that?!

My heart is grateful today, too, for the simple, daily moments with my family. My baby boy, Kevin, is turning five on Saturday, so we spent yesterday afternoon baking, icing, and sprinkling cookies for him to take to school. All too often I forget how special these moments really are. All Kevin could talk about the last few days (except for how many more days it was until his birthday, of course!) was getting to make those cookies! I sometimes wonder at what age it is that we lose that enthusiasm for the little things. I'm praying that from this point forward, I will begin seeing those "small" things as the "really big" things of life - that is my prayer today for you, as well.

My daughter, Kelly, came home from college yesterday for spring break, so I am looking forward to sharing many of those "really big" moments with her over the next week and a half. One of our firsts in going to be taking Kevin to Chuck E. Cheese on Friday (how blessed am I to have an 18 year old who is truly excited to get to go to Chuck E. Cheese with her little brother?!). I was also blessed to enjoy a couple of great evenings with my 16 year old son, Walter, over the last few days. One was getting to have a date night with him Saturday and staying out VERY late to see a movie with him (only for my children would I go to see a three hour movie at ten o'clock at night!). I also got to go with him to his wrestling banquet on Monday. To be honest, I'm ashamed to say that I really wasn't looking forward to spending the evening with a bunch of people I don't know and spending several hours listening to a coach talk. However, it turned out to be a great time; and the events of the evening provided a lot of great things for us to talk about after the banquet. Those are the moments that matter! My heart is thankful that the Lord keeps reminding me of this, and allowing me to experience these moments even when I am not looking at them as I should.

Of course, I can't have a conversation about gratitude and special moments without including my husband, Jeff! We have been married 21-1/2 years, and I know it sounds corny, but we grow closer and fall more in love with each other with every passing year. We have learned so much about each other and about ourselves, and we have grown so much in our personal walks with Jesus over the years. We have been going through the Fireproof series at church and in our small group, and the conversations that have stemmed from those sessions and from our homework each week have been great. Just the fact that we have been setting aside a particular time each week to go through the couples section and talk have been great moments together. Plus, we talk a lot more on a daily basis, and look forward to hearing about each other's day. Of course, we've had our share of bumps in the road, and even all of the changes that God has had us make over the last couple of years, although good, have had some challenges that went along with them. As always, though, God uses everything for good, and these rough spots have only made us stronger as individuals, strengthened our marriage, and deepened our personal relationships with the Lord. In talking about our marriage vows in the Fireproof series, we realized that we both took our vows very seriously, we did not really look at them as a vow between us and God. We asked Him to bless our marriage, we were married in a church, and we knew that God was "over" our marriage; but we really didn't make our commitments with Him as the center. We look back now and wonder how we ever made it through some of the tough times in our marriage, as parents, and in life in general - but God is faithful, and He helped us through in spite of ourselves! What a difference it makes to live life with God as the center of everything, especially our marriage!

So what are you grateful for today? I encourage you to take time today to think of all of the special moments that you've had recently. Personally, I know that I am much closer to God and hear His voice more clearly when I have an attitude of gratitude. And I have so much to be thankful for!

"I Will Never Fail You!"

In my last post, I mentioned having a "you've got to be kidding!" moment with God. It seems I've had a lot of those lessons from the Lord lately in which God has called me to make some changes in my life - and frankly, I wasn't too excited about any of them at first. Obviously, the things that God has asked me to change in my life have proven to be the best move at the exactly right time for so many different reasons (go figure!). Every day, I make a conscious decision to surrender everything to God and to ask Him to help me to be obedient to follow where He leads me, and give me wisdom and courage to act when He calls me to. And I'd like to tell you that I have been a faithful servant and have responded in obedience whenever I hear His call - I'd like to, but I can't! I honestly do want to stay in the center of God's will, to listen and obey immediately, to have unshakable faith, and to trust God completely (and have my actions reflect these attitudes and beliefs). I have to confess, though, that as much as I want those things, I still seem to drag my feet, question what I know God is telling me, and somehow believe that He must be talking to someone else when He is calling me to something outside of my comfort zone. Again, it is very easy to for me to know that God is perfect, He knows all, He doesn't make mistakes, and His plans are always right - except for when He is talking to me!

It has taken me awhile to accept the most recent steps that I believe God has been calling me to take, but I had finally gotten to the point that I not only accepted it myself, but was actually able to verbalize it to a few close friends, and I started taking action on it. Without going in to all of the details, I was put in a position yesterday where I needed to share with a key person what my background and testimony is, why I am pursuing this venture, and what I intend to do if I should go forward and complete this undertaking. Well, let's just say I blew it! I was caught completely off guard, and really did a horrible job explaining myself and telling my story. Needless to say, I was frustrated and disappointed, and felt that I had failed God and had blown one of the first things that He has told me to do. Of course, if it's God's will, and the timing is right, then me sounding like a blithering idiot wouldn't have as huge of an impact as I made it out to be. I just want so badly to stay in the center of God's will and be obedient to Him - I know this is a process and a relationship, not a decision or any one event. While I am trusting Him for direction, I know that I also need to do my part when He asks me. It seems I am reminded every day in some way that it is all about the relationship that I have with Jesus, not so much the "what's next?" that stems from that relationship (You'd think I'd catch on sooner or later, wouldn't you?!). It is so overwhelmingly amazing to me that we can truly have this living, breathing, one-on-one relationship with Him! So, I beat myself up for awhile (I don't do that as often as I used to, but I am still pretty good at it!), and I whined and vented to my pastor and a couple of close friends (which then meant that I had to apologize to each of them this morning!).

In my prayers last night and this morning, though, I kept hearing the Lord tell me, "yes, but I will never fail you!". Wow - point taken! My job is to hold on to Him, listen, and be obedient - to surrender everything to Him everyday, and give Him my best every day - and trust Him to take care of the rest! He is always in total control, and everything that happens is either part of His perfect will or His permissive will - and He can use everything for good, no matter how much I goof up, as long as I keep walking closely with Him. Believe it or not, I am learning - I may be a slow learner, but I am learning!

What's funny in all of this is that I got so upset because I may have messed this up, when just a few short weeks ago I didn't even want to think about the idea of walking down this particular path that He has laid in front of me! God has been gracious and eliminated some of the desires of my heart, and He apparently has created new ones I wasn't even aware of! God is good... all the time!

So I don't know yet what the result will be from my stellar performance yesterday, but that's OK. I will continue asking the Lord or direction, listening to what He tells me, and doing my very best to be obedient the moment that He reveals Himself and His will to me. I often think that every experience is supposed to teach me something or reveal something to me; but I'm learning that sometimes we must go through an experience simply to develop our character and allow God to continue molding us into the person He created us to be. I pray that I will remain pliable to Him every step of the way in this wonderful journey of change, growth, and becoming closer to God.

What about you?... What is God teaching you today? Are you remaining pliable by staying in His word and seeking His direction? God has great plans for us, and He will see them through to fruition if we will only empty ourselves of everything that is not of Him, and continually allow Him to mold us into the person He created us to be... no matter how difficult the process may seem at the time! Remember, we are in the Potter's Hands - What better place could we be?!