Flowers

It's true. God makes everything beautiful in his time. Flowers remind me of this more than any other thing on earth. Perhaps that's why I've come to love them so much more than I used to.

When I first got married, I used to tell Jonathan not to bring home flowers. How crazy, right? To me, they seemed like a waste of money. I still thought it was such a thoughtful gift, but I never understood how someone could spend money on something that got limp and died in only a few days.

Then...one day I made a connection. God reminded me about the flowers, and how he makes everything beautiful in his time. Like a flower, we all start as small seeds, and even worse, we start out life in filthy dirt and sin. We don't deserve to grow, but God's word waters us, his love shines down on us, and God shields us from life's storms and winter's cold days as we slowly began to grow through different seasons of life. We are all different, just like flowers. We may be the same color or type of plant, but we are all completely our own, and we have our own fingerprint. We grow because the gardner, God, prunes our leaves and keeps us healthy in a community with other plants, and we are only able to grow because of him! We are growing for him and because of him, and that's the only thing that gives us worth. Without him, we would still be seeds living in the dirt.

The older I get, and the more I know the Lord, the more I appreciate stunningly beautiful, fragile things....like flowers. I would never call them a waste of money in a million years now, and if you asked me today if I would feel loved with flowers, I would say YES! I would rather look at flowers than almost anything else...well, besides my smokin' hot husband.

What kind of flower do you love? If I could pick anything, I'd get some beautiful pink and white peonies or yellow lilies. I love flowers. So so SO much.

Everyday Moments

What is God teaching you in your life right now? I'd love to know! It's amazing to me that God can be real to so many people all at one time! What is he talking to you about?

For me, God is teaching me to sit quietly and learn to hear his voice among the everyday moments. When I'm listening to a song I love, doing my makeup, traveling somewhere in the car with a singing toddler, or even in a scary medical moment, God is there, and he's whispering to me. Whether I'm talking about what to make for dinner, thinking about the to-do list, in the midst of a disagreement, or cleaning the house, it's still up to me to listen to God in the middle of it all. I am learning to hear more clearly the voice of my Lord, even in the busy moments. "I will take care of you," he whispers. He's always talking to me, but it's only in the moments that I'm listening that his voice reaches my ears. He's never pushy, but always present. Never in a hurry, but always gracious. I want to be more like that.

Then you will call upon 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 29:12-13

Rough Waters

Sometimes life has rough waters, and sometimes it's easy sailing. All I know is that whatever ship you choose to cross the ocean, choose carefully. If you had told me what the last 60 days would have looked like a year ago, I may have cried. I'll start with the hard stuff and end it well. Please wait for the magical finale. In my life, these are not just coincidental, these are truly amazing works of God, my Father, who daily bears my burdens...

Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness.Let the whole world know what he has done. 

1 Chronicles 16:8

• Our AC went out for the billionth time, so we lived in a hot house for a few days...weeks. Well, we have these really awesome friends, the Hamiltons, who let us move in with them for that 105 degree week, and greater still, our home insurance plan covered our new $7,000 AC unit so we only spent a measly $300 to replace it. Don't you think God knew?
• Our roof got pelted with hail, so insurance said we needed a new one. So we have this really awesome friend, Josh, who hooked us up with a roof for less than the insured amount just so we didn't have to pay anything out of pocket, and there was even some leftover. Who does that for people?! Don't you think God knew?
• Our house was robbed of all electronics, and more than that, we felt so violated and unsafe. Well, we happen to have the most wonderful support system on planet earth, who not only cared about us, loved us, and helped us, but gifted us with THE most wonderful blessings to replace what was lost. Don't you think God knew far far FAR in advance?
• We've been doing Dave Ramsey's Financial University, and that means no spending on pretty much anything. Anything. Yep, go ahead and duck tape those shoes back together (just kidding...kinda). We've been in this class for 6 weeks and already piled over 10x our normal amount on student loans. Never did I know that was possible.
• Jonathan and I shot the most gorgeous wedding a few weeks ago, and our 7 hours of footage was stolen (and hard drives) during the robbery, including all of those amazing photos! Good thing God is in the business of showing off and answering prayers, because the camera cards, which happened to be already erased, were not at our house that day, and were able to be recovered by a company far, far away. Thank you Lord! I'll take it.
• Our family has been plagued with sickness after sickness this month, including the throw up bug. Good thing we are now immune and have a healthy, happy, and walking baby boy!

And because I have seen God's faithfulness in the past, I will trust him with my future. My grandfather is in his last season of life, and I have been experiencing never-ending dizziness that has yet to be diagnosed. Even so, I choose to sail on God's ship through these continuing rocky waters. Cheesy at the analogy might be, it really paints such a real picture in my mind, because I know that there is a beautiful beach waiting just a few miles ahead, and God is going to get me there if I just listen to his directions, one turn at a time.

From his abundance we have received one gracious blessing after another. 

John 1:16

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness. 

Psalm 115:1

God is Trustworthy

If God says he'll do it, he'll do it. 

I've never had to lay awake at night wondering if God was going to come through on a promise. Have you? I'm willing to bet my life that you haven't, and you know why? Because he's completely trustworthy. In fact, he cares more about you than  you could possibly even care about yourself. He's your biggest fan.

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried through? 

Numbers 23:19 (NLT)

Need a place to study the Bible with a community? Check out http://shereadstruth.com/ and join us on a YouVersion reading plan adventure! Or, study the entire Bible for free through an easy, online study tool at Biblex.com.

Real Conversations

God, I feel like a mean person today. I keep saying things before I think about them. That's not typical me, or is it? Why is today so hard? I keep letting myself down over and over. Will you help me? I'll always help you. Stop, and remember who you are in me and stop living for yourself. You like to say what you like to say, but I have better plans for you if you'll follow my instructions. I'm trusting you to make the most of each moment. Help me God? I'm an amateur, but I want to be better. I'll help you. Just ask me first in every situation. I can't help if you don't ask. You're right. I should ask you first, because I trust you most.

Hey Michelle, you know that money you just made? I'd like for you to put that in the offering. Sure thing. How much? Half? All of it. But God, I was really wanting...well...stuff. I'm just being selfish for no reason. Gosh, red-handed again. I'm such a stingy person. You're not a stingy person. You're a generous person, and you believe so wrongly about yourself. I'm going to take care of your needs. Don't I always? Right now, there's someone that needs it more than you need new shoes. I want you to be generous, and I'm helping you practice. You don't need it, Michelle. Don't just say that you love me, prove it by listening to my voice. I trust you, God.

God, I'm lonely, and I feel misunderstood. I understand you completely. I made you and I will care for you. Remember Isaiah 46? I'm going to be with you for your entire lifetime. Do you trust that I will love you for eternity? I trust you, God. Now go ahead. I'm listening, and I'd like to hear about your day.

God, sometimes when I am working, I look up and feel overwhelmed by the time. A wave of panic rushes through my body because I see the clock and how much is left undone, and I begin to feel my body temperature rising and a wave of panic overtakes my mind. In those moments, just stop and talk to me. Pray. Ask me for what you need, because I have an endless supply of help, if you only trust me. I'm asking you to change. Nothing is too big for me to handle. If you make time for me, I promise that you will have time to finish your work. How's that for a promise? Nothing is more important than time with me. Nothing. I trust you, God.