Girl Time

                                                         
John has been traveling for work a little recently. I hate for him to be traveling. I miss him and all the little things he does to take care of us.  I realize when he is gone how much he does that sometimes goes un noticed.

But,  I also get excited about spending some one on one time with MP.  I love being with her.  When it is the two of us, she tells me funny things that normally she wouldn't say.  We laugh, sometimes we cry, but we really get to know each other. We eat popcorn and play games and enjoy being together!

I tell her what I was like when I was her age.  (Like what a telephone looks like being plugged into the wall and what you did prior to social media!) She tells me what she is excited about. I love hearing her talk about her hopes and dreams. (How we will ride to work together one day!) We share the desires of our heart. I long to spend time with her and to get to know her even more.

Then I had that moment, as I long to spend more time with her so that I can know her better. Our Heavenly Father is longing to do the same with me.  While He knows the desires of my heart, He wants to hear from me. He wants to share. He wants me to dive deep into His word to learn lessons He has for me.  He wants every piece of me to love Him and to show it.

MP's memory verse for this week is perfect for what I want (and what God wants) for our relationship to be.

"Love The Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your strength." Deuteronomy 6:5

But even greater than that go to verse 7!

"Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 6:7

Oh, how beautiful it is to talk about how we can love The Lord in our daily life. What does it look like to Love The Lord at school? Even in middle school? You bet! You don't gossip, you look for opportunities to be a friend, you are loyal, you are encouraging, you are honest in your work.

I treasure my time with MP. I love getting to know her. I treasure my time with my Heavenly Father. I love getting to know His plan for my life. I love that He gave us these verses this week to remind us to talk about this every day when we wake up and when we lie down.

Lord,
May we continue to trace events and happenings back to Your plan for our life. Fill our child with the love and an unending desire to know Your word. Help our lives to be an example of Your love for us. Help us to see Your glory in the rain storms and in the rainbow that follows.  We want to love You with our mind and our would and our strength.
Amen

Recalculating

I had never been there before. So, as I usually do, I punched in the address for directions. I set out and with each turn felt more secure in my path. 

Then, I heard those words....recalculating...I had missed a turn.  But, now I had a new route. I thought about how comforting it is to have a pre- planned route. How good it feels to hear, "Your destination is ahead on the right."  

Sometimes I feel like I'm recalculating in my walk with Christ. Did I miss a turn? I often wish I understood the route.  We prayed this year for direction and thought we had our answer. But, it wasn't going as planned...recalculating...had we misunderstood the direction He had given us? I doubt it. I believe we misunderstood why He wanted us to be on this path. We had prayed for one reason, but I felt Him telling us - I answered your prayer, but not for the reason you prayed. There was another purpose in this path.  

Our Godly Prayer Strategy (GPS) was in full working order. We had laid out our request and placed the prayer for direction. We had waited patiently for the answer. But, still felt like we were recalculating. We expected joy - we anticipated fun - we received fear and disappointment. My first thought was to turn "this car" around! But, the more we prayed the more our minds opened and we started to be more aware of what other reasons might be for this new path.

Some journeys would be easier if I knew the outcome before we set out on the road.

It is hard when you realize the path that the GPS returns May have some bumps in the road.  

I am thankful that in most cases, I can look back on hard roads and see pieces of His glory in that path.  

We commit this journey to You. We wait anxiously for You to reveal Your plan. If You choose to open our eyes, we ask that you show us now or in future years how Your detour led to Your glory. For now, we will rejoice in our ever faithful GPS.

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭16:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬