YOU TELL ME

 Do you ever wonder if you made the right decision? You know have a true sign, like yes! Sometimes we step out in faith, looking for that peace we pray for or sometimes we just clearly see it's the right thing to do.

I'll explain.

In the cold vortex winter in February 2019 (I live in Chicago area) we got the call a offer was made on our house. We excepted the offer and began question will this really be the buyer? Where do we go? I had refused to look. We had looked for two years while our house would not sell. You begin to ask yourself, why put an offer on a house if you house is not selling? 

My son looks up houses in an area we didn't even consider in the two year process. We pray. Houses come up with criteria that we would like this time around. We drive by just a few, after all it's freezing out and did I mention I am in a medical boot for a torn tendon in my ankle? 

On that day we looked my husband decides instead of looking at the current listings why not go back a bit in the listings, and then one house popped up with our criteria. As we read through it, yes, it has this and that, check check check. Crazy! At the moment I was tired of even thinking about it and said to God really are you going to make this easy for us. This long journey...look at a couple of houses and buy. Not even knowing all of the neighborhoods. You know not doing alot of research or homework. Would that be dumb? Dumb as it was to the natural eyes of house buying people, we looked at the house and bought it!

I'm going to fast forward to now quarantine 2020, I'm outside and meet a neighbor, the conversation of where did we come from, what brings us here...blah, blah, blah. She talks about the things she does, like fundraising for the fine arts center down my block, which I already signed up for classes at. Can you believe I can ride my bike there? The most revealing part of our conversation was she mentions have you heard that around here we get quite of few sandhill cranes. I thought what? I love sandhill cranes! If you know in the past 3 years its my greatest adventure to go to Nebraska during March to see the mass migration of sandhill cranes. I'm like wow! 

I continue down the block on my walk and come to the intersection Crane Rd. and Crane St. Do you every pass by or see something daily and never really think about what you are seeing? WELL, that is what I did? For one year living in this neighborhood I never ever questioned why the main road I have to take to get to my street is called "CRANE RD."! Why? Because that area sees CRANES! Walking distance from my house is Primrose Farm and that land sights Sandhill cranes quite frequently!

This revelation was like duh, hit yourself on the forehead! What the...

So the other day driving I saw them! I posted pic below. This is crazy, I stopped and observed and videoed and screamed with delight! Is it safe to say this was the confirmation I needed that we are certainly in the right place. A for such a time is this moment. This is where God has placed us!

YOU TELL ME!

I always like the Ferris Bueller saying, "Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Is that a statement I could find in the bible? The bible has this verse, "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul  Mark 8:36 NIV? This is my favorite question in the bible!

If we don't stop and look around at who God is and why that matters for now and eternity...we miss a great part of ourselves, which is our soul! Understanding and wisdom is lost. What's the purpose!

Do you have just pause to ask such an important question?

To emphasize the point I'm making is in life a sign could be right in front of our faces and we could miss it because we don't stop, pause and ask important questions! In my case, why is the street named Crane? It was a great question to ask because it points directly to my prayer in February of 2020, "Lord will you make moving this easy for me? Make it clear."

YOU TELL ME!

Let's pray:

God life does move pretty fast let me not miss the important that you are trying to point out to me. Amen.

Another similar statement in the bible that confirms with what I'm saying, "Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring, What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. James 4:14 ESV"

OH GNATS!

 After four weeks of battling the gnats in my kitchen, I was angry, fed up and ready to leave my home.

Crazy out cry! Right?

This message developing right in my own kitchen coincides with my life and faith. 

Let me explain.

Here is what I was not doing about the multiplication of gnats whirling in my home.

I was not reading up on them and what the experts say about them.

I was sinking in hopelessness, just accepting what was happening.

Until...I realized it was affecting my focus...and then I was like, I'll pray about this.

I want to admit that praying for gnats seemed like a crazy thing...until I did and my attitude began to change. What happened is my thoughts started to be more productive...like...look up gnats and what to do about them.

After prayer, then research, I made up a concoction of trap filled with liquid to lure them in.

Next I sat and thought where are they nesting? All to say, finally, I remembered our recent breakdown of  our trash compactor. When we opened it we discover month old trash. It became a he said/she said they would empty it kind of deal! Friends!, after discovering millions of gnats in it...we got that compactor out of the house and now we are dealing with the remnant. I telling you, upon discovering this and taking action...there was new hope...relief that the end of the critters was in sight. Till I woke up the next day to that not being all gone. I went into despair again. Feelings of giving up!  All to realize that I disappointedly celebrated a bit to soon and put many of the traps away to soon. I got the energy to put the traps back and wait. I did notice they were getting easier to catch, they were slowing down. 

Isn't life just like this when a struggle comes, we cower and give in. The enemy just loves that. The bugs just love that. They are thriving!

Reading my bible, praying, being with other likeminded friends all help to combat the struggle, the bug, lol! Staying fit and alert, helps the battle!

Despair is not an option!

The moments when I did the research, moved into action and saw results were hopeful and joyous. I am not going to be defeated by some bugs/struggles! 

The set back of them not being 100% gone and the recurring feelings that accompanied that was eye opening for me. 

It's a journey of faith and I must remain in the faithful, hopeful camp!

When I step our of the practice, I am filled with thoughts of giving up. 

I know I am talking about stinking bugs, buts there is so many similarities I could see the correlation between me and trusting. Praying about everything! Realizing God wants to be in my life. He helped my thoughts along! He helped me find the remedy. I don't have to go on a rollercoaster with God. With God it is a much more steady ride. He gave us the Holy Spirit to coast! I can coast with God!

Please step out with me and validate me that God is in the small and in seeing that we realize that He can be in the big! 

I thought of this in the end as the bugs are getting slower...as satan knows...the bugs know their time is short!

Pray with me:

God thank you for growing, showing me that way to go. You are faithful to show me. Amen.

Path is in the bible 77 instances.

The verse, "Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete John 16:24 NIV."

Assurance of answered prayer! 

Beloved friends! God wants us to have our armor up and ready to use. Prayer being huge! In this day and time, talk to him about everything!

Amen!

FREEDOM; LET YOURSELF GO

 Dear Friend:

I was serving in a 3 year old class and this was our coloring page for the day. At the same time I was chose to take out a children's bible and read the story of Moses life. First you must know everytime I use the simple bible or lessons for the youth, the presentation is straight forward and simple, with all clarity. When I got to the 3 rd plea of Moses asking Pharaoh to "Let the People Go", I stopped. I was convicted that not only was this story for the three year olds it was for me. The people were in slavery. My thought was you are in slavery..

I was like what? I had been trying to sell my house for two years and I wondering if I was not convinced about moving. We had just sold our house. I was second guessing the decision.  In that very moment, I realized I was like the Israelites, doubting the timing, doubting the provision, doubting the new place, doubting the new plan. Don't we pray Lord I want to trust you, lean on you for understanding and then you make our path. He made their path he made my path. The Israelites grumbled, "maybe we should go back to slavery!" No! The message of Moses!

I was asking to go back. Then as I finished the story I heard something within me, "Your house was good for twelve years, but it slavery now, you need to go to the place I'm calling you too. Do you trust me!

Stop! I can't go back. A strength within me came. I could not think about the house, only could only pack up with determination and get out, move forward.

I never look back or question. You know where the bible says the Lord will guard your heart and mind. I was protected. The guard was on my mind and it was a barrier, I can't explain it!

Friends, someone needs to here don't go back to SLAVERY!

Thank the Lord. 

 

LEGACY

 I wrote a paper in one of my college courses, the assignment was to sum up in less than two hundred words a life statement of mine. I don't remember all the criteria for the article but I am sharing this to inspire you to write your own statement. Pray about it.

"Leave a legacy of persistence, humbleness, caring, loyalty to myself and others, all with Christ as my focus or center. Be an example of Jesus. My purpose is to gain new insight about myself and new direction, renewed insight of my abilities, and gain clarity for work. Why I do what I do. To grow for Jesus, and feel accomplished. I want to grow up, be stronger, and maybe network with others. I pray there will be more doors open or possibilities. I want to be God reliant but also more self-reliant (meaning not dependent on others so much). To keep this going will require prayer and time spent with God."

I never will succeed when I go so fast.

I'm not very good at keeping things organized.

Something I'd like to change about myself...be more organized, be satisfied with myself, slow down what I think I should do, have less expectations for myself and others, stop asking what would so and so do and finally...begin to do. 

Friends:

I repeat the story frequently when in 1997 me and my little family made a declaration of dependence. Dependence on God. We put scripture on the document and signed it. I have the signatures of my then only two sons. My daughters weren't born yet. You know the idiom or saying, "Draw a line in the sand", which means to establish a figurative boundary that someone refuses to cross or beyond which no further advance or compromise is accepted.

We did this line regarding our direction for life with Christ. We no longer were going to be on the fence just teetering (meaning moving unsteadily; wobbling) in life when it comes to trusting in God. 

I love that document. I'll have to get it out and report back what the verses we selected.

Let's pray:

Thank you Lord for moments. Moments in time where we were brought to a point of realization that everything we have is yours. You created us. You love us. You want us to follow you. Amen.