Holding my hand

For some time now, I’ve been praying for this.

I’ve learned from the past.

My heart knows that the best way is to ask God and then act upon what He directs.

Of course, I also spoke with Bell.

I wanted to give her a shower which would bless her.

We agreed that it would be a pleasure to work along side her fiance’s mother and sisters, her best friend, Anne and Sis, as well as my sister and mother.

Bell blessed me by requesting that I handle the decor.

So, after getting the things which were important to her, I began to prayerfully prepare.

It has been a truly wonderful walk with the Lord.

From small details to making things, God has guided my every step.

As the date approached I found myself worrying.

“Lord, I have to drive down, meet up with…”

Trust Me.

“Father, my asthma is struggling today, what about…”

Trust Me.

“Lord, I love this outfit, but shouldn’t I wear something else and change, or maybe…”

Trust Me.

The night before the shower I prayed.

My emotions were in control, but my thoughts continued to bring in worry.

Finally, I felt I had placed it all back in the Lord’s hands and fell asleep.

And I had a dream.

I was with the Lord.

He was simply listening to me.

Because I was telling Him everything I was concerned about.

He calmly reached out and took my right hand in His.

He squeezed it gently and said,

You don’t need to worry, I’m with you.

When I woke,

the memory of the dream was so fresh I could almost feel His hand holding mine.

The day was so full.

I didn’t have much opportunity to rest, but it didn’t matter.

Jesus was with me.

Details and the schedule changed, but it didn’t matter.

Jesus was with me.

As always, the unexpected happened, but it didn’t matter.

Jesus was with me.

Throughout the entire day, God’s peace just clung to me.

I walked through every moment with His abilities carrying me and found such joy in it all.

God brought many people alongside to give what I needed at the moment.

He brought people we love, to share our daughter’s celebration of her wedding.

When it was over, He brought many helping hands to clean it all up.

I wish I could have written each person’s name down, so I could thank God for each individual.

But even in that, God knows.

When my husband asked the next morning, “How did it go?” I knew exactly what to say.

“It was a miracle.”

What a joy it is to seek God, listen for His answers, and then walk in His ways.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You so much for all You did to bless our daughter and soon to be son. Please continue to pour into their lives that they might being this new family by seeking You, listening for Your answers, and walking in it with faith. Lord, You are incredible. I love You. Thank You for first loving me.

Daily living

Each day I try to follow a pattern.

Prayer begins before my toes touch the floor.

Praise and thanksgiving for all God has done which my sleepy mind can grasp.

Then, as I listen to my husband getting ready for work, or on days when he gets to sleep in (rare indeed), my heart begins to lift him up.

Prayer for his heart and mind. Covering his day and his seasons. Lifting up his physical body and asking for strength and ability.

Since we were newly married I’ve prayed for him to be like Joseph.

“And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand.” Genesis 39:3 NKJV

Lately, I’ve added to my prayers for him that God would bring about in him the traits of a Patriarch. A man who leads his whole family (wife, children, grandchildren) in the ways of the LORD.

Men like Job and Abraham.

Often my physical needs require attention by this time, but my prayers continue as I take care of my needs.

Each of our children, including our son-in-law are in my prayers.

Daily, I lift each one before the Lord and ask Him to bless them with a relationship with Him which will bud and blossom into traits of the people of God.

Often, the Lord brings specific scripture to mind and I pray that over the individual.

Then the Lord brings dear people to my heart and I begin to pray for them, however I feel God is calling me to.

After all this, I often begin my day.

Depending on what is on my calendar as well as what time it is, I make plans for my next steps.

One of my regular daily living habits is to ask God what I’m wearing.

This might sound strange, but getting dressed used to cost me so much time.

I’d try things on and then change my mind. My emotions getting more and more anxious.

Years ago when I was running very late for getting to the Academy I stood in front of my closest with a feeling of desperation.

Ask Me.

Things couldn’t go worse so I figured “why not?”. I took a deep breath and asked. “God, what do You want me to wear today?”

I was stunned at the instant response.

It didn’t take me even five minutes to get dressed and I was ready for my day.

I’ve never gone back to the old way.

Each day I ask the Lord what I’m wearing and every day it’s a joy.

The conversation I begin when first awake goes on throughout the day.

Whether I’m at the doctor’s office or teaching our children or blogging, I am speaking with the Lord or listening for His voice or singing a praise song to Him.

Most of the time my words are internal.

However, my family has gotten used to me and when I forget and actually speak aloud to Jesus they normally just smile.

Daily living with Jesus means I often have to surrender my own ideas about life.

At times it’s my schedule.

Other days it’s my physical abilities.

Many times it’s my concerns over the future.

Yet, it’s a daily life of living for Jesus.

I’m certain the disciples didn’t know the schedule for each week.

They simply lived with Jesus and did the task at hand.

Although our culture is time and schedule oriented, I feel called to surrender those things into the hands of Jesus.

Yes, it’s important I show up for appointments on time, pay bills, and stick to the curriculum so we complete all the requirements.

No, I’m not a machine and I’m not in control. If life brings something unexpected my first duty is to follow Jesus and handle each circumstance as He requests.

Sometimes that means an extra five minutes listening to a stranger.

Other times it means speaking with a family member or dealing with a heart issue.

Sometimes it means asking for help and admitting my limitations.

Daily life has changed for us so many times and in so many ways.

Yet, the one thing which has carried me through each transition is my daily walk with Jesus.

Dear Reader, I’ll be honest. This transparency into my every day is out of obedience. In no way do I feel my walk with Jesus to be the only way to walk nor am I the person who “has it all together”. If anything it’s far from that.

I understand each person’s walk is unique and therefore none look exactly alike. But I am certain we can encourage one another in sharing how Jesus walks with us as individuals.

I pray my transparency will bless and encourage you.

And I’d love to hear from you. What does your day with Jesus look like?