Some Lessons I Have Learned This Past Week

It's so very awesome to see God at work in your own life, many times as a person we aren't able to step out and see the "Big Picture" of what God is doing in our lives. A few weeks ago I was so content as a person in everything that was going on, I was happily building up my business (albeit slowly), loving life, enjoying my family and just being near them and getting to know each and every one a little better, happy to be single for however long God wanted me to be, etc. I was just content. Then it seemed God threw a little bump in the road and upset my whole apple cart... now I'm not saying that I am not happy with any of the above stated facts. But, everything just seemed to happen all at once and all the sudden I don't feel so confident in my contentment anymore. In fact I feel down right vulnerable right now and I hate that feeling, because I love being in control and feeling strong.

 One evening this past week, while I was really feeling that vulnerability and I was at my weakest I decided to go outside and just walk in my gardens and be with God (not that He's in my gardens, but I always feel so much closer to God when I am outside, plus He is wherever I am). I was crying out to God for some answers (and I mean literally crying) and as I sat down at the edge of my herb garden Proverbs 3:5-6 came to mind the words flowed through my head as the tears flowed freely down my cheeks "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding; But in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.". There are times in our lives when we know in our heads what we need to do, but it's getting our hearts to freely follow Christ's bidding that is so hard (Jeremiah 17:9).
  God gave me a rare opportunity to step outside of myself (not literally), to step back and see a big picture of sorts and just see some of the things He had prepared me for, to see some of  what He had been doing in my life over the past few years. I was so shocked at what I saw. I mean in reality I shouldn't be shocked to see what God has done, but for me it is a lot easier to see God work in others rather than to see what He is doing in my own life (1 Cor. 2:6-12).
 God is so good to this child who's faith often wavers and sometimes seems to come crashing down, but Jesus is always there to pick me back up, show me where I was wrong and guide me back onto the straight and narrow. I know my heavenly Father loves me and is watching over me, and right now while my thoughts are swirling around certain things in my life that I am not sure where they are headed, I know that my loving, heavenly Father will always take care of me and that He has a plan for my life and I don't need to worry (Jeremiah 29:11).

Here are some things that God has taught me this week... He has taught me to daily lean on Him (and that's hard to do for someone who likes to be able to stand on her own two feet with no one's help), He shows me that my strength is not my strength, instead my weakness (or my vulnerability) is what God uses to make me strong through Him (2 Cor. 12:9-10), that no Glory belongs to myself, but to Him and Him alone...don't look back at the past victories that God has given me lest I think they are "my" victories(1Cor. 1:26-31) and last but not least God has taught me that He (not I) brought me out of nothing to something, He made me His child and I need not worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:33-34).

What has God been teaching you lately?