God is sovereign.

husband & i were having another one of our talks that i love so much...we had just gotten home from our Bible study wednesday night. after church, we use the car ride (& sometimes it spills over to when we're home) to talk about our thoughts of the sermon/study, pondering what pastor said, pondering different scriptures, thinking about other viewpoints, etc. wednesday was no exception, so we laid on the bed for quite some time chatting...

i often get sidetracked, but one important thought that crossed my mind...and out of my mouth came this:

NO matter what you're going through...or what you've been through...or what you may be put through...our Lord is King...He is so sovereign. He is totally & utterly in control. when our lives & world may be spinning crazy around us, let yourself be filled with peace because..He knows what He is doing. sometimes this can be very difficult to remember when things are going poorly. but i challenge you to tuck this away in your heart. He WILL take care of you.

Matthew 11:28-29 tells us, "Come to me, all you who are weary & burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you & learn from me, for I am gentle & humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

i was just going through a bunch of pictures i had saved to my computer & saw this one. i haven't even been going through a rough time lately (praise God, i am thankful for that), but it just struck a cord with me. 

if one of you lovies reading this is, i hope this encourages you. He knows what He is doing. sometimes when i'm finding myself in a crumby or challenging situation (no matter how big or small) or biting my tongue when i want to say something (gossip or 'sticking it to someone')...or turning the channel when i want to watch something (that is probably inappropriately dramatic, gossipy or immodest)...or putting away that food that i want to eat (simply out of boredom -- gluttony)... i remind myself that i am building strength. when i do something that i don't want to do & is tough for me (but i do it because i am a follower of Christ & He calls & directs me to paths of righteousness (Psalms 23:3), i keep reminding myself through the Lord's grace, He is making me stronger for the next trial...for the next time i face something difficult. and maybe if i can overcome these smaller obstacles, the bigger ones will be easier. 

separate, but similar thought: you don't grow much through the easy-peasy times. you find growth in times of hardship... looking back on my husband's life or my life, the time that the Lord allowed us to flourish the most was after a trial. it's actually pretty amazing to look back & say, "God, thank you for that difficult time. even though i didn't understand it at the time, You did have a plan." and then you can remind yourself the next time of that! of Him providing & taking care of you! who knows, maybe the next time i'm going through something difficult, i'll be able to look back at this & remind myself as well!

loves, 

j