Life Interrupted

Life Interrupted, isn't it an interesting idea?  Is life EVER exactly how we plan?   

No, not typically. <---(Too bad though... it would be so easy if it  was!) But that's what makes it life. 

  

Being an individual with a type "A" personality I struggle when things fall out of my plan or timeline.  In fact, while writing this post I found a page that explained "type A" personalities like this; "they quickly become impatient with delays and unproductive time..." Wow, it might as well have showed my picture next to that definition!  

However, as most of us know our time isn't always aligned with God's clock.  For someone with a "type A" personality, like myself, life can seem completely out of whack when time isn't on our side and plans don't seem to pan out according to our schedule.  This last year has been difficult, to say the least.  My husband and I had a 5 year plan!  5 years!!!  We were going to enjoy being married for 5 years and then start a family!  5 years have come and gone and it was time to start that family.  Lucky us, we were pregnant within a couple of months.  The timing couldn't have been more perfect!   I found out we were expecting on what would have been my beautiful Grandma Mary's 90th birthday and told Tyler the following day, Thanksgiving!  What a wonderful thing to be thankful for!!  We would have a doctor appointment just before our trip home for Christmas with our families where we would have the perfect opportunity to announce the news to everyone in person! However, at our appointment we found out that our baby, only 8 weeks along, had quit growing and was without a heartbeat.  Long story short, we waited out the time to see if we would lose the baby and honestly we were praying for a miracle that the doctor was wrong.  Unfortunately they weren't wrong and Tyler and I lost our first child on the day of our 5th wedding anniversary, just 4 days before Christmas.  Ugh... so much for perfect timing... 

You know what though? Through this difficult time my husband and I have grown closer as a couple and closer to God.  It isn't ideal circumstances and to be honest dealing with a miscarriage and struggling to get pregnant again has been one of the most difficult things I have ever been through emotionally.  So here we are, still trying to start our family.  Right now we don't know what God's perfect plan is for us but we are trying to hold our heads up and hold on to Him for strength, direction while holding on to His promises.  There is one promise I cling tightly to and that is Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 

In times like these when life isn't going according to my plan I have to remember God is the ultimate planner of our lives and he WILL come through!  

Head on over to the Blog Hop to check out other blogs from the "Say Yes to God" study. 

The Word as a Weapon

Psalm 85:11- For the Lord God is a sun and shield.  The Lord gives grace and glory; He does not withhold good from those who live with integrity. 

This scripture from Psalm 85 is awe-inspiring.  It's saying that God is our light in this dark world, our shield against anything that could hurt us.  What an amazing shield to have!!! God protects us emotionally, spiritually and physically.  The next part of the verse talks about God's grace.  I don't know about you but I need reminded daily that the Lord gives us grace.  It flows freely, forgiving us of yesterday and preparing us for tomorrow.  It also says that God gives us glory.  As if His grace isn't already above what we deserve He even adds glory.  Glory- Honor, praise, thanksgiving.  The last line of this scripture is a promise that God doesn't withhold good from those who live with integrity!  What an amazing promise!  To know that God recognizes when we are living with integrity and that he will not withhold from us good things!  It isn't a promise that our lives will be without difficulties but that through the tough times God will turn them to good.

I have really learned a lot through this OBS "Yes to God" study so far and verse mapping was one of the first things they introduced to us.  It is an amazing tool to use to help you dissect a Bible verse in order to understand it better.  I wished I had been shown this technique many years ago because it really did change the way I understand God's Word and memorize it.  Check out this blog post and try verse mapping for yourself!     

Please head on over to the Blog Hop and check out other  blogs by some amazing ladies!  Have a great week friends!

     

Radical Obedience

Ahh... we're so plugged in!  All the TVs, cell phones, computers, tablets... gosh I could go on forever! All though these devices have a wealth of information and knowledge sometimes I wonder, when is enough enough? How can we expect to hear God through all the noise? This week in our Say Yes to God Bible Study we have been faced with the question of, "is there something God is asking you to give up?" In the crazy world we live in I wonder if there is ever a time where there isn't something God would like us to give up.  Whether it be time watching TV, filling the air with background music, eating too many sweets or drinking too much coffee or even spending less time on YOU so you have time to serve someone else.  It is easy to get into a routine of doing the same thing all the time but sometimes it becomes more like an addiction than just a routine.  Why is it so hard to give up things such as mindless entertainment in order to seek God with more focus and determination? Don't we know in our hearts that we will find more joy in the Lord than in watching the next season of Suits, Drop Dead Diva or Teen Mom? Okay... let me be honest, I'm writing to myself here!!!  I feel like God is challenging me to unplug a little! I've pondered disconnecting the cable TV or just choosing a select few shows and limiting the TV.  My husband and I are in the praying process about how God wants us to go about this and I know God will give us direction soon. Other steps I am taking to unplug include turning off that background music when I am sewing or crafting so that I can enjoy the silence and listen for God's voice.  Also, I am working on spending less time on Facebook and Pinterest.  It is nice to know what is going on and what is the latest DIY project but none of it is really crucial to growing my relationship with God.   So with this challenge I will continue to pray that we are able to hear God's voice in every aspect of our lives.   I will also be praying for others of you who are on this journey too.  If you have had an experience where God has asked you to unplug I would love to hear how you did it! I hope y'all have a God-filled week!   

A Soul Longing For More

Why have we become so familiar with God yet so unaware of Him in our everyday life? Why do we not see the divine appointments and lessons in our life as extraordinary and something worth noting? I could spout out numerous instances where God has unquestionably had his hand in situations in our lives. Through those instances we have grown and learned so much.  With God so evident in our lives why don't we see how amazing these everyday appearances are?  As humans we do things everyday to help us accomplish things to make us who we want to be so why not do things everyday to become who God created us to be.  After all, we know what God has for us in exceptionally better than what we could do on our own.  I'm left with the question of what can I actively do daily to seek God's will for my life?  Let me start with a morning quiet time and Bible study.  For me, having a quiet time in the morning is mucho important because it will set the tone for my day!  Also, I need to make it a point to talk to God throughout the day and even more so to listen to what He has to say to me.  I plan to focus on scripture, reading it, dissecting every word and memorizing it, hiding it in my heart so I can use it every day.  I am going to expect to see Him working in my life.  Living purposefully to be the woman He made me to be.      

Here are some words that inspired me:  

"...we have become so familiar with God yet so unaware of Him...Women who say yes to God will see life like few others....because they sense God's presence all around them, all through their day....they pursue the adventure of the moment-by-moment divine lesson and appointments God has in store for them.  They expect to see God, to hear from Him, and to be absolutely filled by His peace and joy-and, therefore, they do and they are."  

-Lysa Terkeurst (What Happens when Women say Yes to God) Page 14

Its funny how things work out isn't it?

My mom invited me to start an OBS (Online Bible Study) with her about a month ago and I checked it out, deciding it looked like something I was interested in I signed up and was excited for it to begin. click here to check it out for yourself!  This past Sunday the study began and we have hit the ground running!  It has been so exciting and it has only been a couple of days!  I feel like things sure have been falling into place lately. *Even though some things could have fallen a little softer* ;)  Today while checking out the emails from the study I was looking for something I saw earlier when I glanced over the weeks work.   Then I realized what I had seen was called a "Blog Hop."  Let's be real.  I had NO idea what a blog hop was so I called my mom and she enlightened me that we would have to have blogs to participate in this *optional activity*.  Bummed, because I thought the idea of writing about the topics really seemed to peak my interest.  However, since I didn't have a blog to share on I decided I would just do it as a journal entry every week so I began writing...  Then it hit me like a TON of bricks... I DO HAVE A BLOG!!! I started one several years ago but didn't it didn't seem to stick. Through the course of the day I found myself warming up to the idea of giving the whole blogging thing another try.  Well... as you see, here I am giving it another shot!  I am not certain what my blog will entail.  My life has changed drastically from when I began this blog.  I will have to do some design work to freshen up the page and obviously update some of the information.  If I could guess though, it will have a lot to do with my walk with God, my life here in San Diego, my relationships with Tyler, friends and family, and crafting *of course!*.... I can't wait to see where this ends up!  Here we go... :)