Tag: God

Seek not Strive

FeaturedSeek not Strive

Are you yearning for something? Do you want more? Is there a void within you or a longing that is not satisfied? The world boasts its fulfillment through social media, television, latest trends, fashions, drugs, alcohol, sex, and money to name just a few. We work long hours, fill our schedules with events, over extend our budgets, and indulge in foods to satisfy yet still we are left unfulfilled. With not enough and the need for more we strive, often time striving to the point of burnout and complete exhaustion. In turn, this leaves us defeated, depressed, and so as we catch a moments breath we push on, yet only do we begin the cycle of striving once more.

We strive looking for more, when in reality what we need is less. To strive means to use great efforts to achieve or obtain. What are you striving for and why? What is the deep longing you hope to achieve? Are you striving to fulfill what is missing or are you striving as an act of obedience? Hebrews 4: 10-11says, “for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore STRIVE to enter that rest” The Lord tells us to strive for rest, a rest from our works as he did. It does not say strive for more, wear yourselves out and keep going. NO! Rest means minimal function – not more. The world may teach us to push and to strive for more, however our Father teaches us to strive for rest.

When we lay aside our works, our doing, our striving it is then that we can set our eyes on true fulfillment which comes through seeking Him.

To seek also means to achieve or to obtain, however, it is done without great effort. It’s natural, there is an ease to it. Throughout mulitiple passages of scripture you will see “Seek Him” “Seek the Lord” “Seek after God” “Seek me” or “Seek you” in reference to the Father. To seek after our Heavenly Father should be a natural occurence, one without hardship. The Lord makes himself available to us. He is not hiding nor does he make it difficult. In Deuteronomy 4:29 it says, “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.” If you seek him YOU WILL find him. So simply stated. Take notice that we do not need to strive which is to use great effort to obtain him, but rather it says to seek, which means to obtain Him without great effort. We are to seek him with all that we are, not more than we are. The Lord teaches us to strive for rest but to seek him.

Our efforts and our works need to be in entering rest so that when in rest we can seek him.

When we seek the Lord, we find his strength, and with his strength we can then move forward to all he has called us to. We don’t need to strive in our own effort when our Father so generously gives us his strength, however we do need to seek him to receive. The world has and will continue to boast its ways of fulfillment and satisfaction, yet it’s path will continually lead us to striving for more and in turn leave us exhausted and unfufilled.

True fulfillment within comes when we strive for rest and seek the Lord in all things, in all times and in all ways.

Full Circle

Full Circle

Today I had the opportunity to sit with a friend, a new and beautiful friend that God has placed in my life. As we sat and shared, cried and laughed, there was a phrase that came out a few times – Full Circle. To begin at one point and go around and then come right back to that same point. In our conversation the reference to full circle was a rewarding one, a blessing as oppose to one where you’re spinning in circles. It began with obedience to do a task that you knew in your heart needed to be done, even if it was a little hard or a little uncomfortable. As that one task was completed, it rippled to another task and involved others. That effect happened a few times till it came right back to the original person who began the task and in return was blessed, along with those blessed along the way. One gave not expecting, but in return was filled.

ONE GAVE NOT EXPECTING, BUT IN RETURN WAS FILLED…. How often do we give only to expect to receive in return? Or, we return because we were given to. That’s all good and well but to give and not expect in return is another level. A level that says I am content, I am good wherever I am at and with whatever I have. I may barely have enough that day but I will offer up what I have if the Lord calls upon me. It’s an unselfish outpouring of time, of encouragement, of talent, of food, or whatever is required that one is able and called upon to give. At times it may be a sacrifice, at times an offering, and at times an overflow of excess. No matter what it is or how it is given, when given with a humble heart and given unto the Lord in obedience the blessing will at one time or another come back full circle.

Full circle…a series of developments that lead back to the original source. As my friend and I spoke it was apparent that the circumstances that came full circle always included our Heavenly Father – what He began He finished. He finished in sweeter and more abundant ways than we could even dream possible.

His request – our obedience – His blessing

What is the Lord asking of you? What is he prompting on your heart? Are your listening? Are you acting in humble obedience or are you responding so that you may in turn receive? Think back to a blessing that you received, an unexpected blessing – can you trace it’s full circle? What was the Father’s request and how did your obedience play out?

ONE GAVE NOT EXPECTING, BUT IN RETURN WAS FILLED. What do you have to give? How can the Lord use you today?

Intentional Growth

Intentional Growth

Change is inevitable.  Growth is intentional.  

Change occurs within us and around us, without notice or with notice, scheduled or unscheduled.  Some of us try to prevent change and some of us run towards it. Time changes at the ticking of the clock as the day changes from dawn to dusk, and back around again, each movement propelling us forward in time.  Length of day and temperatures change resulting in seasons, which leads to change in our participation of them, our activities and our responses.  We change from infancy to adult with many stages in between.  Change often occurs due to sudden trauma or unexpected results.    This change, often without warning, can be startling and often invokes fear at the unknown.  Personal change can be hard and its lasting effects vary due to the lack of intentional purpose it came with. All around us there is change and it is inevitable.

Growth on the other hand is intentional.  Intentional growth is to develop or increase on purpose. We set our minds to be purposeful about what we are doing, when, with whom, and how we are doing it.  In doing so, growth happens; a daily, perhaps even lifelong progression. When we grow intentionally there is lasting effect. The time and effort we put in is rewarded by increase.  Increase in muscle tone as we workout, increase in skill as we practice and apply, increase in self awareness as we learn about ourselves objectively.  Growth is intentional.

We don’t always have choice in change, however we do have choice in growth.  Each day we are given opportunities to grow, to be intentional.  I have a choice to be intentional about the foods that enter by body and the way I care for myself, the friends and influences I surround myself with, the responses I give to situations that come my way, my time, my work; I have a choice to be intentional about my growth as a person and my growth in Christ.

Ephesians 5:15-17, Passion Translation says, “So be very careful how you live not being foolish as those with no understanding, but live honorably with true wisdom, for we are living in evil times.  Take full advantage of every day as you spend your life for his purposes.  And then you will have discernment to fully understand God’s will.” 

In Ephesians 5 Paul writes with instruction as to how we must live out our faith.  He instructs us to be careful, to live honorably and with true wisdom, making the most of every situation.  Paul is instructing us to be intentional with our faith.  Paul has his own  intention in writing, and that is for our growth in faith.

In 2 Peter 3:18, Passion Translation, Peter writes, “But continue to grow and increase in God’s grace and intimacy with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Peter is instructing us to grow, to be intentional in God’s grace and our intimacy with him.

Growth is intentional.  Growing our faith is intentional.  Growing our intimacy with Christ is intentional.  We have but a choice to be intentional in Christ, to be purposeful in our pursuit of Him. Growth takes time and discipline, however its effects are lasting and its reward gives us increase.

As we are intentional with Christ we increase.  As we increase we grow in all that the Lord has for us and in our relationship with Him.

I Thessalonians 3:12, NIV “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else”

Change is inevitable, but growth is intentional.  

In His Time

In His Time

I remember as a child I longed to be 13.  In my world and in my friends 13 meant many new freedoms and experiences.  Those in which I now look back and think are quite silly, but nonetheless it was our focus and what consumed our heart’s longings.   The wait was hard, but our eagerness was great, and so with excitement and anticipation we planned what we would do, what we could do when we all turned 13.  Our efforts in rushing the process was to no avail as time moved slowly, yet steadily ahead as it always had, and our eagerness only prolonged the days at best.

In looking back, I remember the anticipation more than I do remember the days that followed turning 13.   Probably because the wait was more painful with our minds so consumed with playing out scenarios of what it would be like, and not really having the answers.   I’m sure the days ahead were fun, but I wonder if it was truly worth all the energy spent in waiting for that day to come.  As I reflect on more current situations I am mindful of the energy often used and at time wasted on anticipation or in fear of things awaiting us that we truly have no control over.   So often we build ourselves up to a point of anxiety and feed ourselves with information that isn’t factual, but is built from past experiences or predictions and twisted thoughts in trying to figure out what will happen, how it will happen, when it will happen, or how will I respond when it happens.

As time didn’t change with my eagerness as a child, still it will not change in other circumstances of my life.  What can change however is my approach and my reaction to the wait.  When anticipation or fear begins to arise within and unknown circumstances loom around me, I have but a choice.  I can choose to dwell upon, to fret or fear and create anxiety within of a story in my mind that’s not factual nor proven or I can choose to trust upon my creator, the one who created me and knows me best.  The one whose promises remain true.

Time.  We didn’t create time, nor can we control time or the events which happen within it.  There are many things we do have control over, however, when things are beyond our control it is the wait where preparation and growth occur that matters most.  It is the wait that grows our Trust in the Lord.  When a farmer plants seed in the soil the result of what’s to come is not immediate.  He needs to trust the process and wait.  Over time and with proper care, the once planted seed grows and blooms to what the farmer trusted it to be.  Had the farmer not properly cared for the land during the season of wait the result would not be the same.  Even so with proper care, not all seeds will flourish as the farmer hoped for, but his preparation during the wait will yield a much stronger crop than had he not prepared at all.

Our wait is much like the farmers.  Our anticipation, worry and fears will not change time nor quicken our wait, however our trust in the Lord and our posture during our times of wait is what will grow us, sustain us and prepare us for the what’s to come.  Just like the farmer tends to the soil of the seed, our Father is ready to tend to our hearts.

As it is written in the Passion Translation, Philippians 4:6-8 “Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing.  Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude.  Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ.  So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind.  And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always. “

As we sit at crossroads of what is and what will be with much anticipation upon our hearts may we embrace the wait, through preparation and growth, and know that In His Time all will be as he purposed it to be.

 

 

 

Transparency

Transparency

“Transparency is removing the mask and revealing who you really are; it is getting beyond the surface to what is really going on in your heart.”

As she sat alone in the darkness bound by the fears within, the images in her head grew to the point that escape felt impossible and hope felt unreachable.  Deep within her gut she knew there was more, in her gut she knew there was hope but her head painted a very different picture.   This tug of war continued for days on end, for months, and years.  The war within so brutal and so isolating.  She longed for release from its grip that it held, for freedom.  She longed to breath without struggle, she longed to be seen for who she really was.   Within there was torment, however the surface looked much different.  In her struggle she learned to create, to form, to paint.  She became an artist of the mask.  She then became an artist of several masks.  Each one perfectly crafted to fit the moment, the time, the place it was needed.  As time passed and the torment within remained, her hope was in creating her masks, in covering who she was, the pain she felt, to be who she thought she needed to be.  The cover of the mask temporarily easing the pain and allowing her to outwardly appear acceptable, yet inwardly the war continued its conflict and destruction.

Have you been there?  I’m sure at some time or another we have all put on the mask to cover what is really going on within.  Maybe you’re a professional mask maker or maybe it’s just a hobby you pick up now and again.   To live within a mask is to be covered, whether for protection or for fear, it prevents us from being all that we truly are and all that we are meant to be.  In Ephesians 2:10 God says ” For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”  To be His workmanship means that He created us, formed us and crafted us just as we are.  He did this with a purpose and a plan, there was no mistake.  He didn’t create us so then we could create a mask to cover who he intended us to be.  In learning to accept that, and truly believe that, we then can remove the mask that we so carefully crafted and be who He has created us to be.  Our freedom is in Him, not in our works.

For years I have been a professional mask maker, covering my pain to appear acceptable to those around me or better yet, acceptable to what I felt was needed to be acceptable to me.  The masks don’t last though and the process and time to make them only adds to the pain and isolation within.  Just as pottery will crack from the stresses in the clay, so will our masks begin to crack as the stress within becomes too much.   In our weakness it is not more effort we need to put in to creating something that is not, but rather in our weakness we need to draw near to Christ and allow him to help us, to guide us, to heal us.  Isaiah 40:29 says “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”  The same God who created us, who formed us, who knows us will give us the strength we need.  Instead of  crafting and working so hard to independently create the perfect mask to cover, lets instead reach out to our maker who knows all the intricacies of us and allow him to heal and to give us hope and peace within.

In full transparency may we remove the masks that keep us hidden, the masks that bind us to who we think we should be rather than who we were created to be in Christ. And in doing so, the story of our lives, though still faced with challenges and difficulties, will be be written with hope and fulfillment knowing that we are who we were created to be.

As she sat alone in the darkness she was no longer bound by the fears within, the images in her head no longer grew to the point that escape felt impossible and hope felt unreachable.  Deep within her gut she knew who her hope was in and she felt a growing peace.  Her head no longer painted pictures of defeat and discouragement but rather of love and of the goodness of God.  The tug of war battle was but a desolate field being prepared for rebirth and new growth and new things to come for days on end, for months, and years.  No longer isolated she felt the freedom she once longed for as she took a deep breath without struggle, finally living her life unmasked.   As years passed and in her times of difficulty she no longer created, formed, or painted masks, but rather she embraced them and lifted them to her creator knowing that in His perfect time He would make all things new.  Her new artistry talent was one of words and of song – praises to the one who was, who is and forever will be.   Each praise and song humbly created in her time of need and spoken with freedom as she allowed the Lord to turn her weakness into strength.  As more time passed she grew stronger and rose in faith and in the steadfast love of the Lord.  Her inner beauty now matched the outer beauty and the land she stood on no longer a war zone but rather a field of beauty so lush and green with a bountiful supply.

 

Thanksgiving Thankfulness

thanksgiving

In just 24 hours my house will be filled with the most amazing smell of turkey cooking in the oven, the table will be set for guests as a colorful array of autumn beauty and I will eagerly be calling the kids together to sit with me and watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! This is how Thanksgiving has always been for me growing up and remains to be for me as I raise my family. A tradition I am thankful for and blessed to have.

This morning as I woke, facebook, though the use of posted pics years ago, was quick to remind me of Thanksgiving pasts. In those posts I was reminded of the many years I spent providing Thanksgiving feasts to my students in the classroom. The joy I had sharing my love for the most special holiday. We would dress up as Pilgrims or Native Americans, share the workload and talk about the history of that day. My deepest desire in my heart was to impart on them thankfulness and friendships. We would write what we are thankful for, thank friends around us and be joyful in a wonderful meal we shared together with classmates, parents, teachers and friends that came in to share.

As I looked at those memories this morning there was a little sadness as this is the first Thanksgiving in 22 years that I don’t have students to share this tradition with. But then I had to choose. Am I going to be sad about not having that this year or should I instead choose to be thankful for 21 years of memories and traditions that I was blessed to have and experience. Thankful that memories fill my heart and pictures remind me how truly special it always was. While I may not have my students this year for Thanksgiving traditions, I will have Thanksgiving and tradition with my family. The family around the table has changed through the years and some very special people are missed greatly. Again, I choose to be thankful for the memories of loved ones that once shared this special day with us and thankful for new memories to be made as my children are growing so fast.

THANKSGIVING IS ABOUT BEING THANKFUL! This world is filled with disappointments, failures, sickness and pain….it is also filled with love, joy, friendships and so much more if we CHOOSE to see it!!

While I reflect on Thanksgiving thankfulness I am so urged to continue to be thankful and to encourage others to be thankful for even the smallest thing. Today make your list of thankfulness greater than you list of disappointments. Say thank you to a friend, a loved one, someone helping you at the store or a coworker. A seed of thankfulness is just the start to growing a beautiful flower within oneself and within others. Let the true heart of Thanksgiving be a part of your everyday life and not just a holiday we celebrate in November.

“From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained.” Jeremiah 30:19

Wind and Waves

Through it all my eyes are on you. Through it all it is well with me. Let go my soul and trust in Him, the waves and wind still know His name. 

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Storms.  We can’t avoid them. Some come quickly and hit hard leaving a mess in it’s trail, a sense of hopelessness, a rawness of what was and what now is.  Other’s are slow and steady never seeming to end and continuing to grind and wear down what is in it’s path.  Pushing and pulling back and forth relentlessly till it’s grip is loosened.

Today I sat gazing into the ocean after a quick night’s storm.  The road behind me scattered with brightly colored fall leaves freshly fallen from the brittle tree branches and loosened tree limbs that lay across the road.  The waves crashing continuously with such rage and force upon the sand.  The wind blowing fiercely pushing against anything that comes in its way.   The parallel of storms so quickly brought to mind. The storms of nature and the storms of life that weigh heavily upon us.

There are varying types of storms both in nature and in life but none of them are often invited nor are they typically enjoyed.  Storms bring change.  Change that requires work and effort to repair, repairs that often take longer than we planned to allow for or repairs that cost more than we are willing to give.  Storms bring a surrender of ourselves.

To surrender to the storm that faces me I must cease resistance.   That does not mean to give up or to give in.  It means to fix my eyes on the one who CAN calm the storm.  It means to let go of self and to trust in Him when the waves crash.  It means to be still even when the winds continue to blow fiercely upon oneself.  Yes, storms will bring change. A change that is often needed and frequently avoided.  Sometimes a renewing of oneself or a reshaping of what once was will bring an increase that never would have happened had the storm not come through.  To surrender to the storm is to say “It is well with my soul.”  It is saying Lord I cannot see but I believe.  Lord I trust that your plans for me are greater than the plans I have.  To surrender is to lay it down at his feet and to rest in his presence knowing that he goes before me, he stands beside me and he is with me.

So many are facing storms today.  Some of the storms are relentless and some so sudden and breathtaking.  In either storm our posture and position remains the same.   We must cease resistance and fix our eyes on the one who can calm the storm.  The storm will inevitably stir up a sense of disorder within.  A disorder that needs to be attended to and one that can be if we surrender.  Surrender not in part but in full – all that we have and all that we are.   To step aside of the chaos and say “Through it all my eyes are on you. Through it all it is well with me. Let go my soul and trust in Him, the waves and wind still know His name.”

 

What Now?

What Now?

Have you ever come to a place in your journey of life where you can’t see a second in front of you?  Or better yet you’re afraid to even look because of all the storms you’ve been facing?  The future, of course is always unknown, but often times we at least have a plan, a projected road to follow or possibly some hopes and dreams to look to.  At times though we are faced with circumstances that blind our vision forward.

Last year, 2016 was a tough year for my family and for me and my health.  As I journeyed into 2017 I declared it would be different.  I even clearly remember submitting it to God with excitement as to what he had planned.  You see I thought I saw a glimpse of the road ahead of me and I thought it looked hopeful.  The road I thought I saw has been nothing of what it has really been.  This year I have endured great struggle with my health from chronic lyme disease, to kidney issues, and most recently a stroke in which I am still recovering from.  Along with health issues, the job I put my heart and soul into for the past year is now coming to an abrupt close and I am left looking at an unknown future.   The future unknown to me, but known to my creator and that is where I must place my trust.

Honestly though, I often feel like I am in the driest wilderness with the barely enough strength to look up.  I am reminded of what the Lord says in Isaiah 43:19, “See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”  What I really want to say to the Lord is, “NO – I don’t see it.  I can’t even see anything from the dry grounds I stand on.”  If I allow my focus to be on my circumstances I can honestly say I will die in the wilderness, but if I allow my focus to remain on the Lord I then can see his way and see the streams he will lead me to.  THIS IS A CHOICE I MUST CHOOSE TO MAKE!  This is not what comes easy and not necessarily what I’m naturally led to do.  This is a day by day submission to the Lord and to his ways.  It’s constantly laying it at his feet and saying, yes Lord, I will trust you.  I will trust you today and I will trust you tomorrow.  I will trust you in my pain and I will trust you in my disappointments.  It’s knowing as is said in Deuteronomy 31:8 that “the Lord God himself goes before me and he will be with me; that he will never leave me nor forsake me.  That I am not to be afraid and nor be discouraged.”

Without His word I am afraid and I am discouraged. But his word is what I stand on and what I choose to believe.  His word releases my fear and my discouragement.  His word gives me hope for a new day.  I don’t know what tomorrow holds or how long the wilderness will last.  Jeremiah 10:23 says, “Lord, we know that people do not control their own destiny.  It is not in their power to determine what will happen to them.”  While there are moments I think I know what’s best…truly I don’t as my thoughts are not the Lords.  So today I say thank you Lord for bringing me this far.  Thank you for another day and thank you Lord that you will guide me in my tomorrow.  When the question is asked, “What now?”  My answer is simply whatever the Lord has next.

Picture Perfect Christmas

Picture Perfect Christmas

Christmas….that time of the year when the world tries to paint a picture of a “picture perfect” Christmas…the perfect Christmas card sent, the decorations all in their places and of course the fairytale of how there was ample time to set up and the kids were on their best behavior with no arguments, the cookies weren’t burnt and tasted like Betty Crockers herself, there was money in excess to buy each present you wanted, the traffic and hustle and bustle was just Merry and of course the snow fell so perfectly like a snow globe as you danced and frolicked with friends and loved ones at the perfect Christmas dinner…the worlds picture perfect is a Hallmark dream most of us will never see. So what is picture perfect Christmas? Is picture perfect a vision before our eyes that the world dictates or is it something more? I’ve had what I thought were picture perfect Christmas’ as a child…family, food, presents, candlelight service at church all dressed up together, snow and fun times in NH, and of course…Santa…. I’ve also experienced such tragic loss and pain at Christmas. There’s also sickness and the inability to create what I thought was a picture perfect Christmas for me and for my family. Reality is Christmas is a baby that was born to an imperfect world in an imperfect setting. He wasn’t born in a castle with the perfect everything and parents of the highest rank…He was born in a stable to an ordinary man and an ordinary woman. He was born for us…and then He died for us. He was sent to earth for us for such a time. His birth alone was the greatest gift. This year as I reflect on the birth of Jesus I’m reminded that just ONE birth changed the world. This Christmas there’s nothing perfect…I have too many friends that are dealing with tragic losses in their life and many still mourning losses from years before, sickness continues to invade my life and many lives, the budget nor the time allows for the worlds perfect Hallmark Christmas. The reality is my Christmas isn’t perfect but it’s where the Lord has me and for that I am blessed…blessed to have the best gift one could ask for…Jesus! So when I look to the left and to the right of me and think I catch a glimpse of another persons perfect Christmas I am reminded that we live in an imperfect world and truly there is no picture perfect Christmas. This morning on Christmas Eve I am thankful that Christmas this year is filled with memories that will be dear to my heart….not perfect memories but real memories of where the Lord has me!
Merry Christmas!🎄❤️💚

Trust

How do we trust when we cannot see or how do we trust when the pain is too much and fear has crept in?  To trust is to believe that someone or something is reliable or honest, effective or good.  Today’s society pulls away from trust and instead moves towards self….assuming that self can take care of, or fix or even guard the things that come our way, the things we can’t necessarily control.  We’ve been betrayed, hurt and scarred…we’ve built up fear.  Fear of being vulnerable, fear of the unknown, fear of failing.  Our confidence fades and so does our trust.  There seems to be thousands of solutions,of fix it programs in this world yet continually we face and hear about heartache, loss, defeat and disease.  We read self help books, look for latest trends and seek out the best doctors all in hope to trust someone or something that will fix what’s wrong.  Trust.  Through life I’ve had my share of disappointments…I’ve lost loved ones, faced disease, been hurt by those I trusted, was unable to meet expectations set for me….I’ve lost trust in people and people have lost trust in me.  In recent months I’ve battled illness which has lead me to a place of quiet and a place of complete trust.  My trust is in the Lord and in He alone.  He created me.  He knows me yesterday, today and tomorrow.  My doctors can try to help ease my pain and heal my illness, my friends and family can come along side and cheer me on, encouraging words will lift my spirits for a time and that is all good and needed.  But in Psalm 56:3 it says “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.”  In Proverbs 3:5-6 it says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.”  I am not to lean on my own understanding…my ways are not His ways.  If I followed my ways all the time I’d be a disastrous mess!  I am so thankful for the times that He has guided me.  Submit to HIM….if I am to trust I am to submit to Him in all my ways…in all I do, in all I say, and in all I believe. He will make my paths straight…it doesn’t say He will make them easy. Deuteronomy 31:8 says “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”  The Lord goes BEFORE me…what better trust than to trust the one that goes before me and the one that stays right with me.  My friends and family, though faithful, will not always be with me.  My doctors will not always be there each time I need them.  Trust is to believe that someone or something is reliable or honest, effective or good. My God is reliable, He is honest, He is effective and He is good!  Though this year has proved to be hard and often arduous and unexpected….my God has been faithful and in Him I put my trust.