Give it to God!

Sometimes ... life doesn't make sense.
We question.
we doubt.
We wonder where God is and why he's even allowing this.

Trust me, I've been there.
When God had my church split.
When after the church split, our close, close friends turned on my family and got us kicked out.
When I had to move 300 miles from all our family and friends.
When my cousin's twelve day little girl passed away from heart failure.

I don't always understand why God allows what he allows. But I know he's bigger than my problems.

And yet, sometimes the hardest times are when those we love are struggling. When they are angry and frustrated. Because then there is nothing we - as fallible humans - can do. 

And that, if you'll pardon the phrase ... SUCKS! It's horrible. And we cry out to Jesus, "Lord! Why? They don't need this, that and the other thing!" 

A lady in our church is going through cancer. Again. 

My friend is struggling with an issue. 

My mom is struggling being far from her family. 

Why? Why does bad stuff happen to good people? 

Well, I can think of two, biblical reasons for that off the top of my.

1) It's a test. 

     In Job, God allowed Satan to test Job. To see if he'd stay faithful to him even through all the crap that was thrown at him. And Job did. He didn't "curse God and die" as his wife told him to do. He knew he'd done nothing wrong and that there was a reason for his suffering. 

And ...

2) It's a trial.

     A trial is different from a test. A trial molds us, makes us and helps us to rely fully on our Creator. He is the only one who can truly help us through the rough times. Peter, Paul, and all the other apostles went through these. God always brought them through. Always. Maybe not the way we think, because God's view isn't the same as ours. We only see one puzzle piece. he sees the big picture. The full battle plan and our mission on earth ends when we are called home. To heaven. The best place ever! And that's a summons I cannot wait for! 

But I digress. Our questions aren't always answered the way we like. Our mission may take, to us, a turn for the worse. 

I laugh when I'm not going through the crap. I laugh at how people can't seem to grasp that we only see one page in the book. We can't flip to the end, we can't skip the boring or terrifying parts. 

We can simply take it to God and walk the path he has given us. 

And in the case of friends and their struggles, take it to the Lord in prayer! Seriously guys! The mightiest weapon we have is prayer.

Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (NIV)

No matter the outcome of our prayers, God's plan, power, and love is greater than every trouble, trial, and pain filled day we face.

So no matter how rough or smooth, high or low, scary or comforting as the path we, our family member or friend faces is ... it's where God wants us and them. And honestly? What better place to be, then on the road of life with our Creator? 

 

Trust Me, Child

Dearest Child,

I know the plans I have for you. Plans that are for your good, not your harm. Trust in Me with all your heart and acknowledge me for I know the path of them.

You worry about tomorrow, when today has enough to worry about. I hold you in My hand. I am the One who strengthens you. With Me, you shall walk and not grow weary; run and not grow weak. All I ask for, dearest, is trust.

Look to Me, for I am the One who keeps you safe. No one - not even the Devil himself - will be able to pluck you from My hand. I created the universe, dear one. Put the stars in the sky and I know them by name. I care for the birds and the plants. Are you not so much more wonderfully and fearfully made?

I brought the Children of Israel from the desert, Jonah from the whale, and my own Son from the grave. Your troubles, they are not so scary to Me. Simply trust Me child. I shall not let you go.

I'll walk with you through the mountain tops of life, down the valley of the shadow of death and through everything in between. I will never leave you nor forsake you. Everything will work out for your good. Everything. But only if you trust in Me.

It will be hard. But trust Me, My child. It will be worth it.

Love,

Your Heavenly Father.

The Weight of Our Words

"I hate you!" 

"You're such an idiot!" 

"Go to hell!" 

Our words cause damage. Once spoken they can never ever be taken back. I've posted about this before but I didn't realize how hard that can be in our culture to live out!

I've recently started working in a secular work setting and let me tell you, it’s rough. The cussing – whether the speaker meant to use the word or if it was a simple slip – is enough to drive me nuts! Every time someone at work cusses, I have to ask God to take it out of my head so I’m not tempted to use those awful, vulgar words.

Now, I know some ‘Christians’ who have no problem with cussing. But let me ask you … is swearing and other vulgar language biblical? Does the Bible even speak about our words?

I’m glad you asked! J

In church this Sunday, the pastor was talking about the fact that we are royalty! And as such, the things we speak need to reflect that that we are royalty. God is our King and he has set over us a royal law.

Ephesians 4:29  “Let NO corrupting talk come out of your mouth, but only such as is good for building up, as fits he occasion, that it may give GRACE to those who hear.” (Emphasis added)

Now, some of you may be arguing with me, “Well, sometimes a swear word gets my point across better than another word.”

Oh really? But does it give grace to those who hear it? NO! NO, NO, NO! It doesn’t!

In Romans 12:2 it says “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Dictionary.com’s definition of conformed is “to act in accordance or harmony; comply”. So the Bible says that we are to not be in harmony with this world. We are, however, to be transformed. The definition of transformed is “to change in form, appearance, or structure; metamorphose.” We are to be changed into the image of God.

So in short what this verse is saying is that God’s thoughts should become our own. We are to think about what is good, acceptable and perfect. What is perfect in this world? NOTHING! N-O-T-H-I-N-G! The only good, acceptable and perfect thing is God and his words.

Another verse in the Bible that deals with our words and action is another verse from Ephesians. Ephesians 4:31-32 reads “Let all bitterness and wrath be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Emphasis added)

So … if we are claiming to be Christians, our mindset should be that of Christ’s. If we are thinking the way he thought, then our reactions to rude, uncaring people won’t be to cuss them out, or say rude, hasty things. Instead it’ll be to show them love. Jesus’ love.

Proverbs 15:1- 2 “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commands knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.”

Let our actions and words speak of our royal heritage. That we are, in fact, sons and daughters of the King of Kings! 

"Look At Me, Son."

So I was watching The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies last night with my sister. And I was struck by a scene in a new way when I watched it.

It’s the scene where Bard, standing on top of the shattered bell tower, strikes is broken bow on each side and levels the black arrow at Smaug’s chest. The arrow is resting on his son’s shoulder. Bain can sense the great evil that is stalking ever near him and his father. I bet his heart is running rampant and he wasn’t everything to turn and watch. But when Bard calmly states, “Look at me, son. Just look at me,” Bain obeys.

For those of you how’ve seen the movie, and for those of you who haven’t, I find this scene so inspiring to my Christian faith. How, you ask? Well let me take it piece by piece.

To start, the Dragon Smaug is symbolic to the devil to me. He is ever stalking us, trying to bring us down with a puff of is fire. We, like Bain, are stuck atop a tower, sitting ducks so to speak. There is no way we could ever take down this beast. (If you’ve seen the movie, then recall Bain laying on is back, petrified with fear because he almost fell to his death.)  

Bard, on the other hand is our Heavenly Father. He is the only one who can defeat this monster. He is the one with the “black arrow” of Salvation (I rather think white arrow is a more fitting term). He knows that the Devil can never stand against him. And he is all lined up, willing to help us.

If we let him.

See, Jesus is standing there continually telling us to “Look at me, Son. Keep your eyes on me.” And we have a choice whether we are going to obey.

Now, we could say “No, Jesus. I’ve got this!” and turn, only to be struck by the petrifying truth that we are in no way a match for this beast. Or we, like Bain, can nod our head, even though the fear is so great, and keep our eyes on Jesus. It is only through doing this that we can conquer our demons. It’s only through Jesus that we can be saved.

Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV “...let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…”

Psalm 16:8 NIV “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

Proverbs 4:25, NLT “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.”

True Love Waits.

So we've all heard the quote that's my post's title. That phrase that just drives us nutty because, while it may be true, we haven't perfected the spiritual fruit of patients! I know that it's true for me. In fact, I'm going through this struggle right now. 

Everywhere I'm looking it seems that someone I know is either in a relationship or getting into one. You can't escape the love songs, even with Christian artists. TV, books and movie are all waving them in our faces. 

So, as a eighteen year old girl, I struggle. I know he (as in, future spouse) is out there. And you know what? It's infuriating to think about it! He could be dating someone else! And God knows we're going to be together someday. But right now? We could be half a world away.

I've quoted Proverbs 3:5-6 which says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path." But it's hard to live out. 

So that's why I'm working on this! I'm calling it ...

Five things to do while you wait for your future spouse

OR

The Waiting List

(Let me know your favorite in the comments!) 

Okay! Here we go! 

1. Write to him/her. Seriously! I do this and it's so cool to think about giving it to him on our wedding night. But a few warnings! Don't write to a specific person! If you're dating in high school/college, write to your future spouse, not your boyfriend/girlfriend. This will ruin your whole journal. I mean, who wants to give something to their husband or wife that was written for someone else? What I write is scripture passages that I want him to read, things I'm looking forward to in marriage, basically whenever I'm thinking about him. Not a silly crush, not an actor or other famous person. HIM. 
2. Pray for him/her. This is another thing that is so cool! Seriously pray for your spouse. I also use my journal for this! You can also pray for the person you're crushing on. Ask God to show you whether this like will turn into love. I did this on my last crush and fair warning, sometimes God's answer isn't what we want. But, he will always help you through it. 
3.  Feed on God's word. Okay so I am so bad at this one! I know it's important but when life is good, it gets easy to just ignore the Bible on my nightstand. But the only way to grow closer to a spouse (future or otherwise) is to grow closer to Jesus.  
4. Don't be a chaser! Be happy in your singleness! Until we can full accept being single, God isn't going to bring in a man to our lives. What do I mean by that? Okay so I know a lot of girls (and if you're one of these I still love you!) who don't feel like they're worth anything with out a boyfriend. They break up and then a month later they're dating someone else! Seriously?! I thought Bob Smith was the love of your life! Well obviously not. And see, that's the problem! We need to realize that God can use us whether we have a boyfriend/spouse or not. Lottie Moon and Corrie ten Boom were two single ladies who did amazing work for the Lord. God doesn't care about your relationship status. He cares about your heart.
5. Live your life to its fullest NOW! There are many things that, once you're married, you won't be able to do! So live your life right now. Do the crazy things you've wanted to do. Write that novel, go to that place, hang out with your firends, go to college, ect. Yes, marriage is wonderful. But once you're married ... you're married! The two of you become one and you're a team. You're now not only caring for yourself, you have someone else depending on you too. So life your life when it's yours.  

That's my list guys! And listen, I'm not anti-marrige. Not at all! :) Just check out some of my stories and you'll see that, like Anne Shirley, I'm a hopeless romantic. I dream and I wish and I hope. But above all I wait. And I now God'll brinig a man to me that's worthy of my heart someday. Maybe sooner than I think ... and when he appears? Oh what a day of rejoicing that'll be for me! 

Jesus, I'm waiting on you. You know where he is. You know who he is. I trust you to bring him to me when I am ready. I'm hiding my love away and saving it for him. Help me to wait on your timing. For you make everything beautiful in it's time (Ecc. 3:11a) I love you Lord! Amen 

For His Glory!

Gosh! It's been a while! Hey all! So sorry about the gap! I've been busy and life has been crazy and ... yeah. No excuses. Sorry!

So for this very late, very overdue post, I wanted to share two things I wrote eons (and by that I mean about a year!) ago.

One is a story that kinda illustrates what me and my family have been through. The other is a poem I wrote while we were going through all the crap. I felt lead to share them tonight as I sit in my new home, in a new town, in a new state! God has done so much in my life and when I wrote these things, I had no idea how much I’d grow and change thanks to it. It doesn’t make what happened easier, it doesn’t make the pain go away completely. But I think being able to publicly share these writings with you all shows that God is healing me.

So … without further ado, here is my short story which is entitled Where He Leads.

(Also I’m sorry for typos! I wrote this a while ago and haven’t really edited it!)

I stood in the back of the crowd of angry people, watching the degrading, hateful words they were throwing at my father.

How could they? How? These people, who had onced loved him and cared about him? How could they stoop so low? He was the leader of the community. The one responsible to the king! If the village failed to produce what they were supposed to, the king would come and demand payment. Payment none in the village could ever pay.

And it would be my father who was responsible.

The other members of the village, the ones who helped my father, stalked to the podium,

“What do you say James? Is this true? Have you yelled at the dear, hardworking farmers who slaved so hard to bring the crop in for the king?” David, the second in command, glared at my father, hatred and fear in in his eyes.

“I did.” My father answered calmly, “They was spreading lies about me and my family. I will not stand by and allow my family to suffer at the hands of others. You, above all else, should appreciate this David.”

David’ s face turned beet red, “Why are we even having this talk?” He bit out, “It is clear you are guilty of the charges the farmers brought before us.”

“Am I?” My father’s face looked pained and hurt, “I was hoping that after all we have been through, David, after everything that has happened in this village, that you would trust my word and know I had been sorely provoked. I agree, losing my temper was not he correct response. I have since asked the farmers to forgive me. Is there still reason to take my home, my position and my livelihood from me? Simply because of a misunderstanding?”

I felt myself bit my lip. My friend’s were standing at the foot of the podium. They were part of the families accusing my father. How could they? Why do people we trust turn on us when we feel the safest? It had happened once before to me. And I fell into the trap every time.

Please Dear Father in Heaven. Help me to trust you and you alone. Why is it so easy to trust people - men who are so faulty and deceitful - and not the Creator of the Stars?

I felt someone grab my hand. Looking up, I saw Peter, our farm hand. His face looked concerned.

“Are you alright, m’lady?” He always called me that, even though I had asked him so many times that I was just Rachel. We were friends after all.

“No, Peter. I am so hurt and scared. Can I trust anyone?” I felt tears as the crowd got louder and the hateful thing shouted at my father worsened.

“I’m taking you home. You aren’t safe here.” Grabbing my arm, he propelled me away from the hate and anger. His other arm slipped around my shoulder as he carefully maneuvered me to my house.

It felt like so long. So very long...we waited and waited for my father and brother to return. I cried, then sat in moody silence and then cried again. Peter, my childhood friend. He held me when I cried and then just sat next to me in the silence. He never pushed never prodded, just sat and let me be. I was so thankful. so thankful for a friend to lean on. A friend who, no matter how rough the going got or was going to get, trusted me and trusted my father enough to risk everything to be with us.

“Thank you Peter.” I whispered as evening turned into night. The stars started to blink in the sky and the torchlight of the crowd got brighter and the voices drifted on the breeze.

“What for?” He whispered back, a small smile teasing his cheeks.

I couldn’t help myself. I scooted next to him and leaned my head against his shoulder. My breathing was shaky, I was trying desperately not to cry. “For just sitting there when I didn’t want to talk. For holding my hand when I cried. For not pushing for what was bothering me. For just...being there.”

His arms slipped around me and he pulled me to him. “It is just fine, m’lady.”

“Rachel,” I gently reminded.

“Rachel,” His voice was a cascade of emotion. I wanted this. I had wanted this since we were young. We had always been the perfect team. In the fields, in the house, we were a team, ever since Peter had started working for us five years ago. “Oh, Rachel! I have no right. Your father is a respected leader. He-”

“He isn't any more.” My father and brother, Richard, walked into the room. Peter pushed me back, away from him and his embrace. I missed it already.

“Father? Richard? What happened?” I felt a knot form in my gut. This was so wrong, so very wrong!

“I was asked to hand my position over to David and to leave the village. For good.”

“Oh, Father!” I couldn't cry. I couldn't show him how painful this was for me. I had lived here for seventeen years! This was my home! How could I up and leave? Going into the great unknown?

“And what if you don’t sir?” Peter asked from behind me.

“They we will be handed over to the people, for them to decide what will become of us.” Richard answered, running hands through his hair. “We have no choice, Peter. We have to leave. Rachel, my father and I will be packed up and out of here within the week.”

“I am coming to.” Peter’s quiet voice was determined.

“We can’t ask this of you Peter. Your family is here and you future.” My father placed his firm hand on Peter’s shoulder, “We aren't asking this of you.” he repeated.

“What if I want this sir?” Peter looked my father in the eye.

“Then...welcome?” A small smile broke on my father’s face. “You have long been part of this family. A brother to Richard and son to me.” My father’s eyes found mine and a smile twinkled in them, “And to someone else...much more I believe.”

I smile then, tears streaming in two trials. When Peter looked at me I thought I would melt into a puddle on the floor. Yes, of course my father knew. He was a great listener and watcher. He had picked up on the ways I looked at Peter. The way I smiled when ever he was near.

“I wish it could be different though. I wish we could stay.”

“The Lord has a plan, Rachel.” Richard placed his hand on my shoulder., “We must simply trust him in everything.”

“Indeed,” Peter nodded, “This is the start of the grand adventure.”

“A grand adventure,” I nodded. I had my family and my one, true friend. Life wasn't great, but at least we had each other.

The Lord would be our safe haven, the one who helped us through all the trails that laid ahead. I simply had to trust in him.

♦♦♦

I sling my pack over my shoulder. The guards of the village stand right outside our door, waiting to escort us to the edge of the village.

“Are you ready to good, m'lady?” Peter sticks his head around the door.

“Yes.” I smile up at him and he returns it. Is this love? I'm not sure, but I believe it might some day grow into that.

I walk down the stairs and we meet my father and Richard at the bottom.

“It is time to go. An adventure awaits!” My brother smiles. He seems overly happy about leaving our home, but I know he is trying to simply boost our spirits. We walk out and ten burly guards surround us. We move as one; people jeer and holler around them causing me to cringe. Soon we reach the outskirts of the village.

“I am sorry, my lord.” One of the guards bows at my father, “I wish things we different. You are truly a great leader and we will miss you.”

“Thank you Jethro. I shall miss you all as well.”

“Where will you go?'” Jethro asks.

“I will go where my King leads.”

Jethro nods, but I can tell he misunderstands my father. My father is talking about the Lord our God. He will follow where He leads. We will follow where He leads.

And only him.

As we reach the crest, I turn to look back. My home, the only life I've ever known was there.

“Home is behind. Our new home...that’s ahead.”

Peter takes my hand and we walk into a new life. Together. God would help us and together with him, we would prevail against all odds.

And here is my poem Artificial Smile. I want to give some background on this poem. When I wrote it, I’d just come home from a very long, very stressful night at church. I was done trying to pretend everything was peachy and happy. I wrote this to deal with my anger.

You see it every Sunday,

That smile on my face,

But do you see the heart of it?

In my eyes, the empty space?

I go through all the motions,

I smile and I wave,

But like every actor on the stage,

It's easy once you know the play.

Somehow I want you to see it,

To guess at my artificialness,

And see deep within my heart,

The deep hidden angriness.

The anger that's inside me,

Is because of people like you,

I wouldn't have to be artificial,

If I simply could trust you.

But the sad truth is I can't

It really is as simple as that,

Because what little mouse,

Trusts a raging cat?

I've had my heart mauled before,

And so I hug it in tight,

And I smile artificially,

So you think that I'm alright

So I wear an artificial smile,

I simply smile and I wave,

And I fear I always will,

Till someone sees through my masquerade.

So … I guess that’s it! God’s brought me through so much. It’s so cool to now see how my past is helping others. I worked out at Camp Summit here in Illinois. It’s a camp for inner city children. It was amazing to be able to share my story with these girls and have them listen, ask questions and maybe learn something. It was an incredible experience I wouldn’t trade my week as a CIT (Counselor in Training) for anything!

God can use the good and the bad to change you. It may be hard now, but know that ultimately God will use it for your good and His glory!

This Marathon Called Life!

Hey everyone! Sorry for the long break! I have so many thoughts that sometimes it's hard to get them into a cohesive post!

So about a month ago I was lying in bed (I do some of my best thinking there) and I was thinking about running. 

Now if any of you know me, you know I am in no way a runner at heart! At all! I hate hate hate it. So you might be wondering why I was thinking about it. 

Well, I was thinking about it because I was thinking about my family's vacation last year. We went to Gull Lake Ministries out in Hickory Conner Michigan. It's a family camp and amazing and y'all should go! Anywho, I was thinking about the teen group (called High Tide) and the lesson for the week. It was called Tough Faith and basically it paralleled the Christian faith to that of a Tough Mudder. 

For those of you who don't know, a Tough Mudder is a crazy obstacles/marathon race. They have lasers, mud pits and all sorts of other crazy stuff. To learn more about Tough Mudders click here!

Anyways, I was thinking about that and just kinda expounded.

Picture if you will, a long, rocky road. Black trees line your path and you're running. You strain your eyes, hoping to see the end of the road, but all you see is a glistening something on the horizon. "Is that the goal?" you pant, growing weary. 

Now I'm going to explain a bit. In my head, the road is our life. The goal, ultimately what we're striving for is to be more like God and what we're heading for is heaven. Philippians 3:14 says, "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." We should keep our eyes on God. He is what will keep us from stumbling. But...

You here voices calling out on either side, enticing you off of the path. You're eyes flick to the side. A beautiful man stands there. His eyes glow like diamonds and he wags his finger at you too come closer. You slow your pace...

The enemy. The one who tries to wave us off the path. The one who knows this race is harder than what you can endure.

But you can.

The enemy is full of crap. Because you have a help mate in this race ... your Coach and He's not going to fail you. Not ever.

You slow your pace, but you don't stop. A gentle hand falls on your shoulder and you turn to see your Coach. He smiles at you and shakes his head. "You need to say on the track, my love." You nod and head back onto the path. 

The ground gets rough under your weary feet. You're eyes drift down and you sigh. The ground is full of sink holes and obstacles. Why not just give up? you think dejectedly. If this is what the rest of the race looks like than it sure stinks. 

Yeah. Life. It throws some crap at you. Trust me, I know. I've had friends betray me, I've had crushing words thrown at me, I've had Crap with a capitol C in my eighteen years.

But this I know. When I want to yell and scream, my Coach, my Jesus, has never left my side. and when I get to weak to take another step, he steps in and picks me up and carries me.   

You sigh and drop to your knees. You ball your fists and let the tears of frustration and rage flow. "You didn't tell me that it would be this hard! Where are you when I need you, Coach!?" 

"I am right here, my child." 

Strong arms lift you and you feel the steady throb of a man running. Running with you tight in His arms. 

Soon you're strong enough to run again. But yet again your eyes stray. This time, you see a bunch of your friends in a mud pit. They're struggling to emerge. But some of them are laughing and having a great time. 

"I should try to help them!" You think. So in you go. You struggle less then most and you pull and tug them out. But oh! That mud is fun! Before you know it, you're sucked into! Suddenly you're among the others that are struggling to break free of the mud's tight grip. You call out and suddenly you feel your Coach's hand in yours. He yanks you out, wipes you off and looks you in the eye. 

"Stay on the path!" he admonishes and off you go again. 

Ah. The mud pit. This is where the Tough Mudder comes in! The mud is sin. Hebrews 12:1 says,
"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us," (emphases added) It's so easy to get sucked into sin. Even when we go into it to help someone else out. The best way to enter into a situatian where we're trying to help someone else out of sin, is by praying long before hand. Otherwise, if we don't have the help of our Coach, we'll be just like the poor souls floundering in the mud of sin.

Finally, my last point is once again on looking toward Jesus.

Hebrews 12 continues with this verse:

"fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

You hear a noise behind you. You turn and see the mud pit again. Shame and guilt swarm into your heart. 

You feel a hand turn your head forward. "That's the past my dearest. Don't dwell on that. Strain for what's ahead."

And that's that. Look forward. Not behind. Run with Jesus, the founder of the race. 

In Jesus Christ, as a fellow runner of the faith, I want to encourage you! I am running next to you! If you ever need me, I'm here to pray for you as you run this run! It's though sometimes, it sucks sometimes (pardon the expression), sometimes you want to pass out and give up. But I'm here to tell you something ... it all happens to strengthen you!  There is a reason for everything. 

Crap happened to my family and me. Yeah. But I'll tell you something. That crap put us where we are, put us on what I'm calling the Augustine Adventure. Without that crap, this blog wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have meet many of the wonderful people I have. I might not have been on Crew of Hello Dolly or grown in many of the ways I have. 

This race and all the obstacles and struggles that go with it are for a reason. 

And honestly, if I'm running on the path marked out for me, in the race my Coach has prepared and trained me for, if I'm running with him ...

Than I'm right where I'm meant to be.  

And then there is really no better place to be.

For His glory,

Anna