What A Week It Has Been!

I would say that this past week has been one of the most roller-coaster weeks of my life. First there would be good news, then bad news and then the shock of my accident finally wore off and I couldn't believe how much I was crying...It reminded me of a book one of my kids had, it was called Alexander And The Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day. At one point, I started to think, "What else can go wrong?" but I took that back fast!

However, in the middle of this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week, the Lord sent me some very special moments that I want to share.

It started with a devotional called Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence. I had a copy of this devotional at one time and I loved it. At one point, I passed it on to another friend who needed encouragement and so, I no longer had it. One day, my sweet mother-in-law sent me a message asking me if I had read that morning's devotional. She thought it really applied to me. I admitted to her that I no longer had the devotional. She gave me her copy as she now had it in digital version, and I read the devotional on February 19th that she mentioned. It talked about how you can feel overwhelmed by problems big and small that seem to need more and more of your attention. How what you need to remember is to spend quality time with Jesus. That your problems will pale when you spend more time in the Light of His Presence. One of the main verses was Habakkuk 3:17-19 that said:

 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.

I realized that while I had been crying out to Jesus because of the pain and heartache I was going through, I wasn't using this time to draw closer to Him! So from that moment on, I determined to use this time to draw closer to Him, the Lover of my Soul. It has been a wonderful time while also a little heart-wrenching. He has shown me things I need to come up in and areas I need to work on while also showing me just how much He loves me and cares about every little tiny bit of my life.

Another book that I carry with me constantly is called The Quotable Oswald Chambers. A dear, sweet friend gave this book to me before my accident not even knowing that I love the writings of Oswald Chambers, nor knowing what an impact this book would have on my life after my accident.

I have also had several conversations over the past couple days that changed my outlook and attitude on life. One day I was talking with a friend, I was telling her how I didn't understand why God had allowed us to buy our new (to us) van only to have it wrecked 8 days later. We had prayed about this van, we had laid out a fleece and He had answered. So why the wreck? She said that maybe God allowed us to buy the van so that I would be in it, (instead of my little car) when the accident happened. Wow...I hadn't stopped to think about that. I wasn't mad at God but I had just been so frustrated that all this had happened and trying to deal with the "why" factor. If I had been in my little car, the accident could have had a whole different ending. One that would not have been good at all...

You know I just can't get over how much God cares about...me. It amazes me. There is absolutely nothing special about me. I am just your average wife and mother who lives an average life. I am not special in any way. There is nothing so outstanding about me that should call attention to the God of Heaven. But...He cares about ME. He loves ME. He wants a relationship that is closer than the relationship I have with my sweet husband. He. Wants. Me. Realizing that, changes everything. It changes how I think about things. It changes my perspective on God. He wonderfully saved my soul when I was a confused 18 year old and He has been there ever since. But something about this car accident and what I have been through in the past two weeks changes everything I ever dreamed about my relationship with Jesus!

He wants that same relationship with you!! This is what amazes me about God: He can have an intimate and personal relationship with EVERY person who allows Him to. Maybe you are like me and have had a relationship with Christ for a long time but knowing that He wants more from you. Maybe you have never had any kind of relationship with Him and you are struggling to understand why He would want you or maybe you thought He didn't care.

I have news for you: God sent His Son, Jesus, down to this lowly earth as a baby. He was a tiny, innocent baby boy who couldn't defend Himself. That baby grew into a man and gave His life for us. Each. Of. Us. It says in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son. That whosoever, believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." He SO loved the world. He gave His ONLY Son. For whosoever...you, me, every person in the world. So we won't end up in a lost eternity, in Hell. But have everlasting life...with Him...in Heaven.

Now that you know that...what will you do with it?