Marriage Quote to Ponder

There's Always More Going On Than We're Aware Of...

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His Track Record is Perfect!!!

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Let God Write Our Stories

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Important to Remember!!

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 So I need to remember this when my baby girl is screaming unstoppably and I'm trying to simultaneously answer questions coming from a little boy stumped with his math, a big girl at the piano, and big boy working on his writing assignment. I'm right where my loving Father wants me to be!!! (Too bad I didn't have this quote pasted on my kitchen wall this morning. :)

It might not make sense now, but...

Credit: 52Home

When I saw this quote it totally resonated with me.  THIS is why I'm OK with life not making sense.  With it not always going "my" way.  With tough stuff.  Because I've already seen how true this is...that once some time passes (maybe a whole lot of time), I will be able to look back and see how God was working through out each aspect of the journey.  He always has something up His sleeve to work for His glory and our good!!!

One Thousand Gifts re-opened

A couple years ago I read One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.  I loved it (stick with it and you will too!) and was profoundly impacted by keeping my own journal of one thousand gifts.  Very soon after we got the call that Emmery's little brother would not be joining our family, I felt led to pick up this book and re-read it.  It has been EXACTLY what I've needed to help me process this journey and has helped me wrestle through God's perspective on suffering.  Here are a couple quotes that have really ministered to me:
"All God makes is good.  Can it be that, that which seems to oppose the will of God actually is used of Him to accomplish the will of God?  That which seems evil only seems so because of perspective, the way the eyes see the shadows. Above the clouds, the light is always shining." (pg. 88)

Chilling in the stroller while her big siblings swim.

I recently had the privilege of reading Joni Eareckson Tada's most recent book, Joni and Ken: An Untold Love Story.  Any of you who know Joni's story know that she has experienced all kinds of suffering in this life.  Stuff that doesn't make any sense at all.  And yet she has been used by God in ways that (even she would say) would NEVER have been possible if it weren't for the trials she endures.

As Ann Voskamp says, "That which seems evil, is it a cloud to bring rain, to bring a greater good to the whole of the world?  Who would ever know the greater graces of comfort and perseverance, mercy and forgiveness, patience and courage, if no shadows fell over a life?" (pg. 90)

I think we always try to interpret the "God works all things for good..." principle to mean that I have to be able to see that it is good right away in my own life, or else it's not true.  I'm learning that God sees a much higher, bigger picture and is working for the greater good of the whole world (which is what's best for me too. :)  He is always working for our good and for His glory.  If it doesn't seem like it, then it's my perspective that needs to be adjusted, and re-reading One Thousand Gifts has really helped me with this process amidst recent trials.  So thankful God led me to pick it up again!!

Yes, she really is enjoying a little toe snack!

Moving

We have been so blessed with the rental house God led us to last year. It's been a perfect fit for our family, and we've loved being close to church (actually, on the same road!) The house had previously been on the market, but the owners took it off the market and said they would wait til the market improved to try to sell it so we were fine to plan on renting for a while. Well.... God had other plans! Someone who had seen the house back when it was on the market came along and bought it. So it's time for another move. We're getting good at this. :) Some of you may be wondering if we've ever heard of the option of BUYING a home. Yes, and we've even done that in the past. And we've tried to do that here. But God closed some doors and we know for right now it's His plan for us to rent. We're good with that. We are very thankful that He's provided another home for us to rent that, while being farther from church than we'd like, will still be a good fit for our family in many ways. And the house we're moving into is not for sale, so we should be able to stay there until just the right home becomes available for us to purchase! There are not many rental homes available in this area, so God truly is taking care of us!! So, we're packing away, and all the kids are very involved in the process, and three of them are very helpful. :)

Honestly, I didn't have a very good attitude for a while about this move.  But God's brought many things to my attention to help me process it in a way that is pleasing to Him.  This quote was one of those things:

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens.  

But so often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us." 

- Helen Keller

Quote to Ponder

“Education is not the filling of a pail,

 but the lighting of a fire.”
- William Butler Yeats

His Timing is Perfect

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We are making plans to rent another house that is on the market while we continue to search for a long-term housing solution.  Honestly, I wouldn't have planned to move at the same time as we are starting school, and preparing to travel for my sister's wedding, and Dan working extra hours because of a big project, but faith in God includes faith in HIS timing, and this is what He has for us now.  So bring it on, Lord!  We trust you!