More Thoughts.

It has been a long time since my last post, and might as well been years that went by. Life changed since the holidays and I am going along practicing all the tools I have in my tool box. Although I don't like this road I am traveling I realize I could not have done it in the past. I feel equipped and grounded, loved and prepared. Since God's will is pretty much a mystery, I follow along hoping for the best, yet preparing for the worse.

I had a client one day tell me that she thought God's plans were like a sick joke; because He was in control, nobody knew the outcome. I was saddened and surprised at first by her belief. Then, I had to give it some thought. That's when I realized that faith is the glue that brings it all together. We either have it or not. Even with lots and lots of faith God will be God and will do what He had already planned. Even without faith He will do the same. So, does it matter what we do with it? Can we change God's plan and mind? I used to tell my kids: "Imagine a girl praying to marry this guy, and then two more girls praying to marry the same guy. Obviously God can't say yes to all three of them. Maybe one will get the guy, or none of them. Let's pretend one of the girls gets the guy. She will be praising the Lord and think great things about Him. At the very same time two other girls will be disappointed and unhappy. One of them may say she did not like the guy that much after all, and move on. The other girl may just say God is a joke and leave Him. "

It is not so much about what God does or does not. It is about how we receive it. He would have done it anyway. I believe He may grant us some prayers according to His will, but mainly it is about our commitment and devotion, believing and following even when the outcome is not what we wanted. He hasn't changed nor will He ever change. “He is the same today, yesterday, and forever.” We, on the other hand, change and become what we allow us to become.

Our faith will be tested, no doubt about that. It is easy to say I will follow Him forever when I am having a great moment in life. My friend just lost her 23 year old daughter to leukemia. To say she didn't struggle with her faith would be a lie, yet she is being refined and purified until the day she sees he daughter again.

We can jump out or stay in. The choice is ours. We may even wander off for a while, hopefully to realize that there is no better place than inside. To all my friends going through hard times I can honestly say: "I understand, hang in there, we will make it through together and hang on God, who, although we may not understand completely, knows what's best."