When Plans Go Awry

God has plans for the people He created - that is, everyone - including you. :) Needless to say, oft times our plans and His don't line up. When this happens, remember...

• We can't see the future, but He can
• We don't know what's best, but He does
• We are limited, but He is not.

Our job is to stick to His plan, even when we don't understand. He is a loving Father, a faithful Friend, and ever-present Helper.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
~ Jeremiah 29:11-13(NIV)

Share a time in your life when all you had was God and you discovered that He was/is enough.

Blessed & Broken

I've had so many blessings overtake me in the past week. Friday, I was blessed to attend a southern gospel concert. Blessed to buy floor seating at the door - at group rate price. :) Blessed to find up front parking. Blessed to hear wonderful songs that encourage the heart and uplift the spirit. Blessed to laugh and spend time with my mother. The list could go on and on and on. God has proved time and again Proverbs 10:22 - "The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it."

The following clip is one of the songs sung at the event that has been stuck in my head. May we be like Maggie. Share the blessings God gives you. It doesn't take much to make someone's day better.

What blessings have come your way this week?

Youth Hunting - Oxymoron?

This past weekend makes me wonder if the phrase "youth hunting" is an oxymoron. Deer hunting for younguns accompanied by an adult ended this weekend, so my mother took my niece and nephew out to the deer stand.

First rattle out of the box, my mom suggests they bring a jacket because it'll get colder as the sun goes down. Do they take that advice? Of course not - well, at least not my nephew. Did he regret it? Of course he did. :)

But that was only the beginning of the fun. These two have ants in their pants and for them to sit still is a feat in and of itself. They're shushing each other and arguing over who gets to sit where - all in all making more noise than a hen house under a possum invasion. All this racket sets my mom to laughing until her sides hurt. She comments, "A deer'd have to be blind, deaf or sick to not hear you two and deserves to be shot."

Soon after, my nephew claims her lap and goes to sleep. He snores - loudly. Can you believe they didn't shoot a single thing? :) However, my mom says she knew that would happen. The point of the trip was to make memories and they made a slew of them.

Do you have any oxymoron moments?

Why God Made Litttle Girls

Yesterday, I pulled out the Bible I used as a kid - homemade Bible cover and all. Lo and behold, I found a bookmark within with my name scribbled in childish handwriting on the back. On the front, a poem by an unknown author called Why God Made Little Girls. I enjoyed it, so I'm sharing.

God made the world with towering trees,
majestic mountains and restless seas.
Then paused and said, "It needs one more thing...
someone to laugh and dance and sing.
To walk in the woods and gather flowers...
to commune with nature in quiet hours."
So God made little girls 
with laughing eyes and bouncing curls, 
with joyful hearts and infectious smiles, 
enchanting ways and feminine wiles.
And when He'd completed the task He'd begun,
He was pleased and proud of the job He'd done.
For the world, when seen through a little girl's eyes
greatly resembled Paradise.

Don't ever lose that little child inside.

 ³And [Jesus] said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

~ Matthew 18:3,4 (KJV)

 

New Year's Jumping Jacks

Ever had any of those crazy moments with fire crackers?
Well, I did on New Year's Eve. My niece and nephew invited me to share the joys with them, and it was quite an experience.

The honor of lighting the first bottle rocket fell to me, but everyone else got the most zing from the show. You see, I just happened to grab the one that was broken on the end (my fault :\). It lit. It fell. It shot toward the house (where everyone waited), brushed over the rooftop, and burst in a shower of sparks in the backyard. (The dog didn't like that - lol :D )

But I got my own dosage later. I took a string of jumping jacks. Lit them. Tossed them. Well...most of them. A few broke off and popped between my feet. I did my own form of jumping jacks which set the whole porch to laughing. My mom's oh-so-worried comment - "How'd that go again?" :)

What's your story?