Consider the lillies....

Life has been a series of difficult events for me lately. Struggles that seem to zap my energy and my zest for life....for those who know me, I'm usually pretty "zesty" on living. Lots of changes, lots of stress, lots of emotional trauma that brings me to my knees both physically and spiritually. I have pretty much had the air knocked out of me and I often struggle to breath let alone try to help others which is what I love to do. I have been searching for an answer and struggling to find the path that God would have me take. It's not easy.
Of course, then as usual more things add on and on. The pile of junk gets higher and just when you feel yourself start to tip over the edge,something tugs you back in line with a jerk. For me that something that made me start down another path this time was a song that the group I sing with sings called "Romans 8:28". My cousin and I sing the verses and usually it's just a"sing it and get it over with" fast song that everyone can clap to. Not this time. It made me do a double take and actually think about the words and then I realized that I could not truly sing them right now. What a blow to my conscience.
The words are " Oh the devil may rob me of my happiness, but he can't take away my joy. Because joy is the fruit of the spirit in me. That's something that he can't destroy. So when it seems that everything in my life has gone wrong, I can still wear a smile. I can still sing a song. Cause all things work together for good for them that love the Lord."
I had this "wake up and smell the coffee moment" and saw what all of this junk is doing to me. It is stealing my joy.
Of course just realizing that did not make everything wonderful and great in a split second. In fact things keep on happening, but the difference now is that I'm looking for the good in my life instead of dwelling on the bad. Not easy, but definitely better then wallowing in the mire and muck. What good does that do?
In my quest for the good in my life, I have been replaying all the miracles that God has sent my way. They help me remember to thank God that he is in charge and that things are not left up to me (That's a good thing!)
Blessing # 1
My husband... Who would have thought that 1 month after telling God that I was perfectly happy being single and understood that I would grow old that way, that I would have a man tell me we were "unofficially engaged" on our second date (or first date. It's an old argument) God sure blew me away with that one and I still am blown away 18 years later.
Blessing #2
My children. They may get on my last nerve and drive me to distraction, but there is nothing like the love of a child for their parents. They see the bad I do, but it doesn't seem to faze them. They just keep right on ticking and ignore their embarrassing Mom. The really miraculous thing is that they are turning out to be great kids in spite of my goof ups. Go figure!
Blessing #3
Our extended family. I love each and every one of them right down to the "Dead People" in my genealogy. What a blessing to know where I come from and also to know all of these great people. Even the ones that don't like me...cause you know what? You can pick your friends, but you cannot pick your family. THEY'RE STUCK WITH ME!!!!
Blessing #4
Our pets. My Sam dog, Gabberdeen, my cat and even Stinky Pete are fun to have around. Even when the dog "lies" to me by doing the "potty dance" and then just sniffs the air when we get outside. Then there's the crazy cat who comes to get me yelling in the night because she's lonely.
Blessing #5
Our home. It's not just a house, nor is it just the mess that you sometimes see. It's a home that is open for anyone that needs a friend and is right now a home for friends who just needed a "home" to come home to. People feel comfortable coming in and raiding the frig or whatever. Some even make their own Christmas plans around being at our house for Christmas Eve. That's a blessing!
Blessing # 6
My music. I remember clearly the 3 weeks years ago that I could not speak or sing at all. Scary for someone who has always been able to just open her mouth and belt it out. It may not be the greatest voice, or even really a good voice, but boy am I loud! I enjoy singing and I love playing the piano. It's an expression of feeling for me and I do not know what I would do without either one.

There are many others that I will not bore you with, but I just want mainly to remind you of something that I had forgotten somewhere along the way.. Life is hard. Life throws you curves. People can be so unkind. Feelings can be crushed so easily. Happiness can be misplaced. Stress can take over BUT
God is good. All the time. Blessings are abundant, when you look for them.

Think about a storm for a moment. Everything is wet. Sometimes cold. No sun shining. The wind is blowing. Things change. Trees blow down. Windows break. Puddles form. Creeks rise. Houses flood.
But after a rain, the air feels clean. The plants grow. New life begins and takes root. Houses are built in safer places. Windows are replaced with newer and better ones. Things change, but LIFE goes on.
Do you think that sometimes God sends the rain to remove things from our lives that we needed to get rid of but never did? Sometimes old ideas (windows) just need to be replaced with better ones so that we can see what's going on around us more clearly. Sometimes we need to build our house on safer ground. Maybe sometimes we need the rain to wash away the crud and clear the air.
My blessings are what I am focusing on right now. The rain is here. The storm has arrived, but my God can speak peace and I'm counting on Him for that. I'm claiming Romans 8:28. It is a promise from God and He keeps his promises.
If he cares for the lilies in the field or the little tiny sparrow, how much must he care for us?
Below are pictures of a couple of my "blessings" . There are too, too many to list, but going through our pictures brought some smiles that I thought I would share.
God Bless.
dea