"if this life I lose, I will follow You."
It struck me that the odds of my dying in my pursuit of God are not too great right now. However, I may lose my life as I know it--the things I enjoy, the dreams I have for my family, my plans. Those may be lost as we jump into the unknown.
As you know, we decided to take the leap of faith.. We followed where God was leading.
We have experienced loss. One of the losses that my girls have struggled with the most has been the absence of my oldest daughter. She moved out when Davina moved in. In addition to missing her, we have had to navigate having a new sister/daughter.
During this time, I have seen God answer prayers and work in my family more than I have ever seen in my life. I stand in awe of how gracious and loving God has been. He has tenderly met the day to day needs of my family.
During this time, I have seen God answer prayers and work in my family more than I have ever seen in my life. I stand in awe of how gracious and loving God has been. He has tenderly met the day to day needs of my family.
Recently, one of my daughters had a really difficult day. As I dealt with the stress of the day, I sensed God at work in me--giving me strength, wisdom, and patience. I was grateful for His presence and provision.
A few days later I read these words from John Piper:
He (God) beckons us into the obedience of suffering not to demonstrate the strength of our devotion to duty or to reveal the vigor of our moral resolve or to prove the heights of our tolerance for pain, but rather to manifest, in childlike faith, the infinite preciousness of his all-satisfying promises.
(From "Desiring God")
In my light suffering (dealing with a raging child is difficult, but in reality, it is low on the scale of suffering endured by other believers), I am learning that my hope is in Christ alone. As I deal with difficulties, I experience God in new ways and I begin to see more clearly that He is all sufficient and that my joy is in the sufficiency of Christ. My most satisfying joy does not come from obedient kids, a clean home, or an attentive husband but from Christ alone who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. When my joy comes from the all sufficient Christ, my circumstances don't matter. My hope is fixed on Christ. His promises are precious and He meets my deepest needs.
This is such a liberating truth that I am only beginning to understand. I am grateful for this journey and how God is revealing Himself to me.
I want to end with some pictures...While the point of this post has been the joy that I have in Christ, I have a lot of fun and laughter in my everyday life. I want to share a few pictures of my girls. Following are pictures of Halloween and of Yuly, Riza, and Davina meeting the FSU Lady Noles Basketball players. Both events were tons of fun!!
(From "Desiring God")
In my light suffering (dealing with a raging child is difficult, but in reality, it is low on the scale of suffering endured by other believers), I am learning that my hope is in Christ alone. As I deal with difficulties, I experience God in new ways and I begin to see more clearly that He is all sufficient and that my joy is in the sufficiency of Christ. My most satisfying joy does not come from obedient kids, a clean home, or an attentive husband but from Christ alone who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. When my joy comes from the all sufficient Christ, my circumstances don't matter. My hope is fixed on Christ. His promises are precious and He meets my deepest needs.
This is such a liberating truth that I am only beginning to understand. I am grateful for this journey and how God is revealing Himself to me.
I want to end with some pictures...While the point of this post has been the joy that I have in Christ, I have a lot of fun and laughter in my everyday life. I want to share a few pictures of my girls. Following are pictures of Halloween and of Yuly, Riza, and Davina meeting the FSU Lady Noles Basketball players. Both events were tons of fun!!
