finding my way through the fog

Sitting here, looking through the window this morning watching the fog had me thinking. In fog we cannot see very far, sometimes we cannot even see a stones throw. It is dangerous to drive in, and when they fog falls upon us in the valley, it too can seem as though we are living in a fog. As we drive in the fog, we turn our lights on, we turn on the defroster, we might even open a window a bit to keep the windshield clear, but we still drive at a snails pace, making our way through. Sometimes life is difficult trying to make our way through. No matter what we do, it seems as though the fog is heavy, and is not lifting, weighing us down. We wait for the day that the sun shines, the skies clear and we can see again. Today I find myself waiting on both. It is very foggy here, the skies are full, and it looks as though it could rain at any moment. As I woke this morning, I woke with a heavy heart, the feel of weight bearing down on me, the feeling as though the tears were going to break through at any moment. I was able to lay in bed and spend time with the Lord, precious time, where in His presence the fog is lifted, the skies are clear and the Son is shining. I have many things that are weighing on my heart, many thoughts that are not escaping my mind, but are surrounding all I am doing. If we are not careful we can get trapped in that fog, we can become surrounded by feelings of emptiness. I have been there and I can find myself there often when I am focusing on all around me, the situations effecting my life and those I love, but when I find myself in the presence of Jesus, He shines a new light on things. I can see more clearly when I look through His eyes and not my hurting eyes. In the fog there is so much unknown, we find ourselves driving, not knowing what is ahead, and that can be fearful. Our lives too can be filled with the fear of the unknown. In life on our journey, there are going to be sunny days, rainy days, windy days, and those days where the fog is thick. We can't allow the circumstances on our journey effect what is in our heart. If it is raining outside we can still feel the warmth of the sun in our hearts. If we are not careful we allow all those effects to determine our outlook on life, our attitude for the day, and our feelings of security in our hearts. For me I like preparing, I like being ready early(my friends would attest to that), I don't like the unknown, I don't like uncertainty, and that is exactly what I am facing right now, today. But whether our day is filled with sunshine or clouds, do we ever really know what is coming? Life changes so quickly, in just a second life can change forever. The only thing that I find myself knowing this morning, the only thing I am sure of, the only security I have in my life right now is Jesus Christ. He is the only never changing, never leaving, forever the same security I have. Everything around me seems to change daily, but Jesus is always there, always reaching out to me, and forever loving me. When I am in His presence all is right, no matter what is falling around me. When I feel His hand upon me I know all is going to work for His glory. When I hear His precious words, I know that He is with me through all, through the changes that come daily. Although I find it hard to see through the fog, although the pain is piercing in my heart of the unknown, I need to place my trust in the One who can see, who can lift me out of that fog, and fill my heart with a renewed Spirit full of joy. It is hard to let go of fear, its hard to face the unknown, and even harder to let go. Even though those around me may not understand, I know that Jesus does. As I face each day of unknown, I know that my Redeemer will see me through. When I place my faith in Him, it is a new day, a new moment, and a new time. When I open my heart up to Him, I know without a doubt He is there for the long haul. When I was listening to the radio yesterday I heard a song with the words, "This is my temporary home." As I sat listening to this song, the tears ran down my cheeks, with a new found peace. I know this is my temporary home, and all that touches me seems like it is here to stay, but it is temporary, just as the fog. The fog lifts, and we see the sun shine again. As night falls, and the darkness takes over, the stars still shine no matter if the clouds are blocking them from our view. Many times I may not see ahead, my vision may be clouded, but there is One who set the stars in the heavens that sees just where I am headed and what I am facing each day. He is my compass, He is my forever North. As long as I keep my eyes upon Him, He will guide me through whatever is blocking my vision.

Wherever you are today my friend, know that Jesus will see you through. He won't just see you through, but He will guide you, bless you, and keep you in His care. Just when the fog seems like it will be here to stay, it will lift, the Son will shine, and you will see your path clearly. He knows every plan He has for us, and just what it is going to take to get us there. Let Him be your sight, your ears, and allow your heart to follow Him. There is no other guide like Him.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

a leap or a limb?

Have you ever heard someone say, "I am taking a leap of faith?" Maybe you have also heard someone say, "I am going out on a limb here." These two phrases have very different meanings. When we go out on a limb, we are out there alone, we are without God, and we are depending on ourselves. When we take a leap of faith, we are not alone, we are following God where He is sending. Taking a leap of faith is not going off on our own. If I write a check for 1000.00 and have no money in my bank account, it is not taking a leap of faith that when I get to the bank 1000.00 dollars will be in deposited. Going out on a limb is doing something for us, we are trying to benefit from something we want. But when we take a leap of faith, it is not necessarily something we want, it may be something we least expected, but it is something God is directing us to do, or somewhere He is calling us. If He is calling us to Iraq to reach others for His glory, we are taking a leap of faith in Him, not ourselves. We are believing and trusting in Him and Him alone to make all things possible for His glory in the mission He has called us for. Going out on a limb is not very wise. On a limb, there is nothing to count on, there is nothing to fall on, or much to hold on to. The further we get out on that limb, we can see how weak it is, and how unsettling it is. There is no assurance at all, but with a leap of faith, we have all the assurance we need in Christ. If we are listening to His will, His call for us, whatever opportunity He has for us, we can without a doubt know that we are secure in all, for He is there with us. He is there when we don't know what is coming, He is there when we don't have the answers. He shows Himself and we as His children without a doubt know that this is what He is asking of us. That is why it is so important to seek His wisdom before any choice or decision we are making. It is important not to move until we do hear from Him, no matter how long that is, He will give us the peace to be still and know that He is God. As Christians we take a leap of faith daily, trusting Him each step of the way. It is when I leave my faith, when I leave His will and try to do it my way that I find myself out on a limb. When I was younger I found myself out on a limb many times, only to fall without a net. As I have grown in my relationship with Him, I have learned my leap of faith is building trust, and it is through that leap of faith that I see Him at work and not myself. Let go of that limb your holding on to today, and grab hold of something real, something true, that will never let you down, and lead you to where you were designed to be, Jesus Christ.

THE CHOICE by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Life is forever changing for Carrie Weaver, a young Amish girl finding her way in the Amish community of Lancaster County. Carrie is thinking of following her heart, and the heart of a young Solomon Riehl, who wants to leave the plain life and live as an Englisher, one who has a love of baseball and has a chance to play. Solomon leaves to carry out his dreams only to be brought back to Lancaster, finding himself, his faith and love, but it is a long ride getting there. Carrie marries the young man her father wished for her to be with, only to have tragedy strike, leaving Carrie heart broken and confused. As life keeps changing for Carrie, young Abel comes into her life. Can she trust him? Can she open her heart to another? Abel, just as Carrie is trying to move forward, the difference is that Abel is grounded in his faith, as Carrie is now moving toward a relationship with Jesus. So many beautiful characters are here in Lancaster with Carrie. Characters who are real, who are searching, who have pasts, and are trying to find their future through the choices they have made. The choices we make today will forever change tomorrow. I feel in love with Lancaster and with Carrie. You will be blessed by picking this one up. A story of forgiveness, of mercy, and a tender love story leading you right to Jesus. This book was a gift from Revell for its review and will be released January 2010.

Suzanne Woods Fisher's interest in the Anabaptist cultures can be directly traced to her grandfather, W. D. Benedict, who was raised in the Dunkard Brethren Church in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Benedict eventually became publisher of Christianity Today magazine. Suzanne's work has appeared in many magazines, including Today's Christian Woman, Worldwide Challenge,ParentLife, Christian Parenting Today, and Marriage Partnership. She has contributed to several nonfiction books and is the author of Amish Peace and two novels. Fisher resides in Alamo, California.

HOW TO REACH YOUR FULL POTENTIAL FOR GOD by Charles F. Stanley

Do you ever wonder what your potential is in life, your purpose? The best place to go is to God, to seek Him and He will show us. This book takes us step by step to understanding the will of God for our lives, and uses Scripture to get us there. If you find yourself searching, thinking this is it, is there more to life, this book is for you. It was for me, just at the right time. We are shown to pursue our potential. We first must have a clean heart, a pure mind, and a soul seeking the will of God. We must have an ongoing surrender to God of all we have in our lives, and surrender our hearts to Him. Mr. Stanley shows us the character of a man is shown not just by reading God's word, but by living it, by hiding it in our hearts and allowing God to move through us. Too many times we give up, we lose hope, and we lose sight of our way, but Mr. Stanley shows us today we can begin new, we can open our mind to all God has for us by giving all of our self to Him.God does not want us to live a risk free life, He doesn't want us to play it safe, He wants us to seek all of our possibilities, and gifts that He has given. If we are not using all He has given, then we are wasting the gifts He so lovingly gave each of us. We need to trust in Him, and not in our ways. He shows we often compare ourselves to one another, and that is wrong. We are not meant to be like another, we are meant to shine and to live abundantly, not settle. We don't often respond to God's challenges because we want control, and we are fearful of change. One of my favorite chapters is chapter 4, where Mr. Stanley speaks of having a clean heart. Of how many times we wash our hands in a day, and just how much we ignore the cleanliness of our heart. I love where he says, "Our heart is as clean as our last thought." This book was thought provoking, eye opening and was inspiring to me. These are words we all need to hear if we want to live as Christ, if we are seeking our way, and finding our potential. We can find it all right in God's word, in spending time with Him and listening to all He has to say. This book was a gift from Thomas Nelson for its review.

what an impact one person can make

We make an impact on the lives around us, that impact is either good or dangerous. For me, I have had both in my life, just as many of you have had. But today I am remembering someone who made an impact on my life, and who knew what kind that would be, but God. In second grade, my favorite teacher happened to be Ms. Brown, she was our librarian. At that time I was attending a very small school, but this teacher, this woman gave me the love of reading. She would share books with me, tell me stories,and give me a smile each day, asking how I was and what was I reading now. Of course at that time I didn't know just how much of an impact she would make on my life. I have no idea where Ms. Brown is now, but I know the things she taught me, the love of reading she shared made a powerful impact on my life. I loved going to the library, loved the smell of books, and the feel of the pages, and just where the stories took me. I still have that love today, so to her I want to say thank you, thank you for giving your time, and reaching out to a little girl that you brought to a whole new level just by sharing the love you had for reading. Those people around us can give a powerful impact on our lives. When we reach out to others, when we take others into our lives and share with them, we are reaching a place so deep that will forever be with them.

Lord, I pray with the life You have given me, that I use my life to bring glory to You, and make a powerful impact on those around me, bringing them closer to You, not farther away with my actions or words or opinions. May all my opinions, deeds and words point straight to You.

Micah 6:8 "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"

We must be wise in our actions with others, reaching out in a loving, Godly way. We must be careful in our words, and actions building others up, not tearing them down. Just one word can change the life of another. We can encourage others by being truthful, with love. Just as I had other teachers in high school tell me I was on my way to hell, and didn't take time to know my heart, they too made an impact on my young years. I believed these Catholic leaders that told me I was nothing unless I conformed to them. This put me on a course of not caring about myself. I thought, well, if this is true, why should I try? Today, I know I am special, I am a child of God. No man or woman has my salvation in their hands, only God, and I praise Him for that. Too many times we give our opinions to others and in those opinions we are not leading others to Him, but are making okay for what they are doing. That is not encouraging, that is moving in the way of danger, allowing them to think the path they are on is a good one. There is a difference in encouraging, and just fitting the mold. We must remember we are accepted in God's love, in His forgiveness, and He can renew us, and He can give us all we need.

Today, I pray that all I do, all I come in contact with I can impact their lives in a wonderful way by showing them who Jesus is, and being the example I should be to the world and those around me. Just thinking that one word, one comment can change one forever, can change the way they look at themselves, and others. May our words be pleasing to the Lord always.

is your wood wet?

We have an outside wood furnace, so we have a huge stack of wood by the house. My husband will cut the wood, load it and stack it. He is a man who can build a fire with no problem, me on the other hand cannot build a fire to save my life. If it were up to me for us to stay warm, we would wake with ice crystals on our eye brows. I can get the flame going, but to keep the fire moving, to keep it lit, that is my problem. Have you ever gone to a conference, left church from an amazing word of God, had a night of studying with a friend, and have just felt the Spirit move in you like nothing before only to have your fire go out soon after? I know as I have gone to Women of Faith with the ladies of our church, have been at church camp, been to teen-conference, listening to amazing speakers, even at church listening to our Pastor speak the words I needed to hear, or served a week in V.B.S, to come home refreshed, renewed, and on fire for Jesus, but then after a while, things tend to get right back to the old me, the world takes over, life is being added by double portions of stress to find myself wanting to be with Jesus as I was before. Its like the Lord spoke to me, straight to my heart, and I say, "Yes, Lord, I hear You", only to ignore Him later, to push aside all I had soaked in days earlier, to allow in things of the world to crush all that God had done to move me toward Him. As our Pastor would say, "Your wood is wet". I don't want my wood to be wet, I want to feel the warmth of the fire, I want to sit close to it, and never have those burning embers going out. I know each day is different, I allow stress and trials to come in, and as I concentrate on those things, I am pushing God aside. There cannot be room for both. If I am concentrating on Him, trusting Him, He will take care of the rest. I don't want to be in the dark, I want to be in the light, to feel His presence with me. As my husband goes out and checks the fire regularly, making sure the smoke is coming out, the wood is burning, and the fire is taking off great, he makes sure all day and all night that fire is moving, because he knows without the fire, we will be cold. Our home stays warm and is lit with love when we have the fire burning strong. When the fire is going out, the cold of the world can come in, and make us shiver to the bone, changing our attitudes. This week, I began my days with listening to the Word. I have had Christian talk radio on, and in the afternoons I have listened to Christian radio, soaking in the music and moving about my day. I can tell you without a doubt, this changes my whole day, no matter what comes, I have a different attitude. I am on fire with the Lord, feeling Him move through me. On those days when I choose to wake thinking upon what the day is bringing, and how much I have to do, I lose sight. When I have my eyes upon me, they are off of Him. I need to keep in check my heart and actions, just as my husband keeps in check our fire. It is a choice, a choice I make daily to live for Him and Him alone. Are you like me and wondering what has happened to the feeling you had last week? Yesterday? Our feelings change day to day, minute by minute, but the Lord can fill us with His joy, giving us a warmth, giving us strength and a new found glory in Him. We are forever changed when we accept Him into our lives, into our hearts. Christianity is a daily choice we make in how we live, our actions and our speech. Listen to this verse I came across this morning:

Ephesians 1:13-14 "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."

Now, if that doesn't light your fire, I am not sure what can! When we accepted Jesus as our Savior, He filled us with the Holy Spirit, we need no more, we have all of Him. We have an inheritance in Him, our future has been bought with a price, our salvation is secure, and in that and that alone should place such a joy in our hearts that we will forever stand with our eyes upon Him, waiting for His return, and in the meantime, we know He is here with us, in everything! Our beautiful Savior loves us, and wants us to not concentrate on the world, but on Him and His word. When we choose to fill our hearts, our homes and our surroundings with His love, our fire will keep burning. We must change our surroundings, change those things we are allowing in our lives, hearts and minds, and when we do we will see Him clearly, tuning out the world around us, and focusing on Him. Keep that fire burning by keeping close to Him~

some days

Some days we are full of joy, and others we are full of pain. Some days we are full of strength and others we find ourselves weak. Some days we feel beautiful and others we feel trapped in our skin. Some days we are the ones spreading joy and others we are the ones in need of joy. Some days we wake with a smile on our face, and others with tears falling down our cheeks. Days are never the same for us. Each day brings with it a different emotion and a different response to all around us. Some days we feel like being surrounded by friends and others we need to be alone. Some days we are full of energy, but others too tired to raise our head. In our days each moment is a choice. Our emotions can be a roller coaster, but we need to make a conscious choice not to let our emotions fuel who we are. Some days we see the sun shining down, and others we hear the pouring rain. Some days we hear the song of sweet birds, and others we hear the roar of thunder. Some days we pick up all our burdens and others we lay them all down. Some days we feel like dressing up and others we tend to stay in our Jammies. Some days all we see are our troubles and others all we see are the blessings from up above. Some days we feel loved and others we feel left out. Some days the anger takes over and others we feel the peace that surpasses all around us. Some days we feel like dancing, others we don't even hear the music. Some days it tends to be all about us, and others we see the needs of others first. We can make a difference in each day by making Jesus Christ first in our life. We can make a choice to see Him in all things that touch us. We can step out the door each day filled with His joy, looking up and not letting this world get us down. Some days we are fake and put on that smile, others we are grinning from ear to ear. Some days we have the answers and others, well, we feel lost in the unknown. Some days we feel like being honest, and others we hold it all in. No matter what each day brings we can have the confidence that Jesus is with us, and He is all that matters. Nothing can take Him away and nothing can break our faith in Him. Each day, why not open our eyes with a prayer, with a praise, and see the world through His eyes and not our own. Let us try waking to the beat of different drum and putting others first. Let us wake each day with the faith He has instilled in us, and lay our heads down each night being filled with His peace. Let us wake each day singing His praise and giving our heart to Him. Some days may come hard, and some easy, but we can know with each day, He is with us throughout all. Today put a smile on your face, knowing you are a child of the King of kings!!!!

Lord, thank You for blessing me with Your love today, help me to face each day with a renewed strength in You. Fill me with Your Spirit and walk with me through all that touches my life today. I cannot wait for the Someday that I see You face to face, for that Someday will be like no other.

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"

lessons learned

I am learning that when we are going through a situation, a trial in our lives, that instead of praying it away, ask God to show us His will and give us blessings through it. When we are in a trial that is the last thing we want to do, to ask God to keep us still, and to teach us through all that is touching us, but just maybe it is the first thing He wants us to do, to turn to Him, trust Him, and see all He has for us through the trial. I have learned that each step is just part of the journey, a journey taking us to where He wants us to be. I remember being in school, if something was really easy, what happened? I lost interest, I got bored, and nothing grew in me, but throw something hard at me, and I see it as a challenge, and it has my attention. Our trials are a way for God to grab our attention, to teach us and to keep our eyes on Him. Those pop quizzes were unexpected, but if we were studied up, had our attention on what was in front of us, we faced those quizzes, no matter how hard, we learned something. We might not always be prepared for what comes our way, but as long as we have Jesus as our focus, we will overcome, and not only overcome but be transformed into who He is creating us to be. It is hard to be facing something and try to understand there are blessings in that trial we are facing, but as I have walked through my trials, I have learned God does give blessings, and we see them if we take our eyes off our situation and place them upon Him. Our situations are ever changing, but God is always the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Our walk was not meant to be easy, just as training for a marathon, the trails are hard, each day has a new direction, but the destination never changes, we are always trying to get to the finish line. We are to keep our eyes on the prize, but it is too the journey of getting there. Each step is teaching us something new and giving us a desire to seek God more. For me, knowing that God is there makes all the difference now. I cannot figure all things out, I don't have all the answers, but knowing His wisdom and ways are higher than mine gives me hope, it gives me strength to know He is there seeing everything at a greater level than I and in each moment of my life He has given a purpose. That purpose is to bring glory to Him and to trust Him in all things that touch me. I continue to make mistakes daily, but when I raise my eyes to Jesus, when I confront my stumbling, He shows me my path, and with His love and grace He keeps me focused through all,getting back up after that fall, brushing myself off and starting again with His grace, grace that is given freely to me and you. It can be easy to lose faith in situations that touch us, we can begin to walk away, that is the last thing God wants us to do, and the first thing satan wants us to do. God wants our trust and faith, He wants to lead us in such a way that we are totally dependent on Him, satans goal it to destroy us, making us think our situation is winning and has control over us. No one else can open my eyes like God can. No one can move me like He can. I want to live to bring Him praise in the good times and the hard ones, the ones I do not understand, and the ones that cause great pain. He reminds us in His word that in everything under the sun there is a purpose, I just have to trust Him and follow Him through the fire, through the fire to be refined, to remove all the impurities, and allow the real beauty to shine forth~

Lord, I ask that everyday my faith grows in You, that in every situation I will trust You, and I will seek You on the bright, sunny mornings, along with those that are cloudy, bringing forth rain and wind. Help me to trust You, and to learn from all. Help me to seek Your word for greater wisdom, and open my heart to Your teachings.

James 1:2-8 "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

reflections

As I walk each day my life should be a reflection of the Lord, my heart should reflect His love, and my actions should be like a crown of glory to Him. In all I do, every moment of my life, should be pointing others to Christ, but too many times I am the focus and I am not pointing them to Him, but away. Each day is journey, a different walk, a struggle, but through that walk more of Him needs to be showing and less of me. How do we do that? How do we move in the background and allow Him to shine forth? We are to be His shadow, we need to let Him lead us, allow Him to move us, and keep our eyes on Him. When I wake each day, if I am focused and putting on my armor, I am ready to face the day, any challenges that come about, but if I wake and just stay focused on all I have to do, my vision is not His anymore. I have to remind myself to ask Him, "Lord, what do You have for me today?" Too much of the time I already have my day planned out, I have set all the things that need to be done before praying and opening my heart to Him and His will. But how much more blessed would my day be if I just gave it all to Him? Not putting a time limit on my time with Him. We cannot place a time limit on God. When He is moving, when He is speaking to us, we need to take all the time He has and bask in His awesomeness. When we begin placing time limits on God, we begin losing what He has for us. When I give my time to Him, everything else works out just like it is to be. I have to learn to let go of some things in order to have more time with Him. What is more important, my plans for the day, or the time spent with Him? When we think our time is more important, God has a way of changing those plans. He has a way of moving in our lives as to say, "Excuse me, I want to spend some time with my child today." How many times does our phone ring, someone comes calling, knocking on the door, and we ignore their invitations, we ignore that call, and say to ourselves, "I will call them back later, or I wonder what they are wanting." We must be careful of putting others off, and when we do that to the Lord, when we tell Him, "I am busy, just hold on." We may never know all the blessings we could share in, if only we would make the time for Him. He makes the time for us, He is always there, waiting to be with His child, to spend quality and quantity time with us. I have learned my body just can't be there, my mind also has to be there, along with my heart. Too many times I can be hearing the Word of God and my mind is wandering other places, the "things" I must do, my to-do list. God does not want half of me, not just a piece, He wants all of me. When I totally surrender to Him, when I give Him my all, my life will reflect Him, my life will be as a crown of glory to Him. Praise God, He doesn't give up on us the first time around, He is a mighty God of chance after chance. For, there are times it takes us a while to understand, a while to see all He has for us. As I walk, I see the places in my life that need His attention, I see those places that have have been a little clouded over. When the Son is shining, I need to look, and see that He is my reflection in all areas of my life.





Lord, I thank You for today, I thank You for giving me Your love and Your time. Open my eyes today to all You have for me. In this day that You have given me, I pray I bring glory and honor to Your name.



Philippians 4: 8:9 " Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."

Colossians 3:5 "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth."

free to be me

It has taken me to grow into my forties to really show me its okay to be me. I don't have to fit the mold of any other, I don't have to fit into a circle, and I don't have to worry if one will like me and wonder why they do not. I think we spend so much time trying to be people pleasers, people who want to be surrounded by others, people who are striving so hard to fit in somewhere that we lose sight of who we really are. And it is who we really are inside, who God created us to be, that will set us apart, that will allow His glory to shine through. I remember growing up and not really fitting into any one group of friends, or the stereotypes that we set. I just had friends all over, I just loved meeting new people, being around those who were different, not those who all wanted to be the same. I have spent my life trying to find me, and to find me, I first had to seek Jesus, for its through Him, that I can then see who I am and all He has set before me. Have you heard people say," I am just trying to find myself"? We can search our whole lives trying to find ourselves, trying to figure out just who we are and what we are to be doing. For me, I found myself searching in the wrong places, that wasn't allowing me to seek, it was keeping me still, keeping me trapped and going in circles. But no one could show me, no one could teach me, I thought I knew everything. Don't we all go through that stage in life, where the wisdom of others seems like foolishness to us? I had to find out for myself, search for myself, and in that searching, that real searching, is where I found Jesus. He had been there the whole time, I just wasn't paying attention. It is when we have seemed to lost all, have lost our way, and when we least expect to see anything, at that moment is when Jesus shows up, showing Himself to us. Its when we finally take our eyes off our self, our plans, and our wants that we can see His. Too often we don't want to see His, for we are afraid of change, we are fearful of the unfamiliar. But to really find ourselves, we have to face our fears, we have realize our plan isn't the best, but His is. We have to face our choices, our past, and come to terms with just maybe our wisdom isn't what we thought it was, and open our eyes to the wisdom of God. When we give our hearts to Him, He meets us right there where we are. We don't have to change first, we don't have to have all the answers, we just have to be willing to follow, be willing to listen and be willing to on an adventure, its on this great journey with Him, that each step, each little rock we step on across that creek, those little stepping stones, that shows us the depth of His love and the beginning of ours. I am blessed to have a family, and friends who allow me to be me. They love me when I am soaring and when I am stumbling over my own feet. They are my encouragement. But it is the Lord who leads my way, who lights my path and has set me free. Whatever path you are on today you can find each step with Him, He will show you who He has created you to be and you can joy in that, joy in knowing you are like no other. Don't try to be someone your not, our past does not define us, but it is part of who we are, and we can look back, gain from those times, and move to look forward, to a future surrounded by His love. You hear people while young say, "I always want to stay young, I never want to get old." I use to think that, but now, I know with each passing year, my life is bringing me to who He created me to be. As the gray hair begins to peek out, I am excited to see what is to come. The Lord changed my life forever, He opened my world up to seeing in a different light, seeing with different eyes and realizing my life is not my own, but His. So today I praise Him for making me, for giving me life and for walking with me each step of the way. It does take time to find ourselves, its not over night, it is a journey, a walk, and with the Lord's wisdom and love, He is showing me more of myself each day as I seek Him.

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Psalm 25:4-5 "Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths, lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; On You I will wait all the day."