After 4 long months away I'm finally back and ready to settle into the routine of blogging again. There has been much going on and we've stayed very busy and as I look back on it I realize I've simply napped through my blogging hours! There was the morning sickness and the early aches of being pregnant while having 4 children. Then vacations and events with the kids including a trip to Sacramento for the Easter Holiday. Suddenly here we are 4 months ahead in the middle of what seems to be a scorching summer heat here in Phoenix, Arizona and the days and months are flying by.
I don't want the speed of life to keep me from taking time out to reflect on my Lord, my Loves, and the One whom I'm doing it all for. Although it seems to easily wisk me away. That is in fact why I started this blog.
So, I'm back and hoping today begins a new beginning to taking time out to Honor Christ and what He is doing in our lives. After all, He is daily providing, loving, soothing, planning, and preparing our lives.
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I have many thoughts in my mind today as I begin my journey here at Taking the Challenge again. Over the past 4 months God has revealed himself to us daily and we've undergone quite a few changes. He has reminded of us of His always faithful provision even when things may appear hopeless and covered us in His love.
On our way home from California in early April our "new to us" conversion van broke down just 80 miles outside Phoenix. We could literally see the lights from the city taunting us in the dark from the side of the highway. After much ado and lots of time in the shop our van needed a completely new motor. This as you can imagine, is quite expensive but entirely necessary. So we took what was almost half of our savings to fix our "new to us" van. Only the quiet whispering from God that I managed to hear through the noise and laughter that is our children did we decide to hold on to our old van until we were sure the "new to us" van was properly working. So, fortunately for us we had another vehicle to drive while our "new to us" van was being fixed.
Blessings number 1. It took nearly a month to get our "new to us" van back from the shop. All that time we were able to continue on with life and activities in our old van. Praise God right.
Well no sooner had we picked up the "new to us" van, made a stop at the baby ultrasound shop to see that we were in fact having another Little Precious BOY, did the "new to us" van break down again. My heart sank. We had taken such a hit with the cost of replacing the motor I was just praying this break down was a simple problem.
I was in fact wrong. The Transmission was gone and irreplaceable. We would again have to tap into the rest of our savings to fix the "new to us" van in order to get it into running order.
Blessings number 2. We had savings left! This might seem funny but we are thankful we could even afford to do the repairs necessary on the van so that it was not an entire loss.
This put us in an extremely vulnerable state financially. A place we hadn't been in a very, very long time. It has been years since we've had absolutely no savings to speak of. I began praying again that God would protect us from further expenses and show us the path to gaining ground.
If it wasn't the very next day that our Air Conditioner went out. Not out like needed to be fixed but needing to be replaced completely. Could the timing be any more challenging.
In trying to make a long story short, there have been several more instances over the past months in which we have seen God's provision in remarkable ways as we've endured much hardship. It has been challenging to struggle financially as we have never struggled before and to also realize that it was not our savings that was keeping us from emergency but rather our Hope is in Christ and His ultimate provision in our time of need. I confess that I had much confidence placed in our emergency fund that should have been solely in Christ alone and His plan for our growing family.
We have been forced to our knees, seeking God's will and plan, prayerfully and mindfully aware of our spending and our habits, and seeking to honor Him with our time, funds, and family. There is still so much to be thankful for!
91. Steady and secure employment
92. A God that sees and hears all things related to our lives
93. His Love that stirs us
94. The children He has entrusted to us that we might teach them His faithfulness
95. Prayer
96. Hope
97. Grace and Mercy
98. Tomorrow
99. New Beginnings
100. Being Humbled by the Work of God in our lives and reminded that comfort can easily lead to complacency. Oh to have a heart filled with JOY in all circumstances of life that we might not take even a second for granted.
101. Finding our purpose at the Cross
102. Glorifying Christ with all He gives us even when it might be little.
103. Stewardship
104. His Word
105. Victory in Jesus
Father thank you for helping me come face to face with the reality that YOU are ALL we NEED and through you we can do ALL THINGS. Continue to remind me daily that this world does not dictate blessings, abundance, and status but that YOU ALONE have determined our value, placement in the World and Daily pour out your blessings of Mercy and Grace upon us. That every breath is a gift from you. Help me to teach my children that it is not things, money, savings, travel, or the other items our culture has determined of value that make our lives JOYFUL and WONDERFUL. That Father YOU are our purpose. Help us to wage the battle against the evil one, against modern culture, against paganism, and relativism that we might change the world for YOU.
