Plans and Places

“For I have known the thoughts I am thinking towards you—an affirmation of Jehovah; thoughts of peace, not of evil, to give you posterity and hope.”

— Jerimiah 29:11, YLT

A new look will be showing up on the blog this week, I'm so excited! I hope you all enjoy it. And, if you follow me through a blog reader, hop on over to the actual site to see the difference! (It takes up to 72 hours for the changes to occur, so we'll see when that happens.).

With this new look, I should have the ability to update posts and add photos right from my phone. It was a tricky move, but I'm so excited to see what Squarespace 6 has to offer!

How are all of you this week?

Last week was definitely a hard week around here, but this whole season with little ones at home has been hard. I truly felt like I got a chance to breathe over the weekend. Weekends are definitely my favorite when the hubby is home, and the hardest when he's far away! I love the chance to relax, eat a big breakfast, and explore this part of our little world.

Going on weekend adventures is one of the  things we love about this military life. We've gotten to see so many beautiful places, all because the military transplanted us somewhere new.

It's hard not having much control over where we'll be sent next, or when. We always make suggestions, but that's all they are, suggestions. At times, we get so caught up in the control that the military seems to have over us. We forget that there's always One whose control is greater. Yes, paperwork may say one place or another, but I truly believe that God's hand can control the direction.

Jeremiah 29:11 continues to be on my heart. Last week, those plans centered around my children, today, my heart is thinking about future places we may live. But the same verse still rings true. God has a plan. As I look at past assignments, and even where we are now, I see God's hand at work. He's blessed us with good churches and good friends over the years. Even now, I adore our church family, look forward to my Ladies Bible study group each week, and am so thankful for our little rental house. 

There are definitely places I'd love to live during these military years, and others, not so much. As a planner, i like to know whats going to happen ahead of time. I like to get everything in order. But, military life doesn't play out like that. Sometimes, we go exactly where we don't want to go. And that's where God's purpose comes in. If I believe that God is really in control, and that His plans truly are good, then I just have to trust, even when I don't understand. I have to walk forward, following my husband and his career, and trusting that God will provide for us through it all. It's a hard thing to do. It involves a lot of trust in the unknowns (when I'd rather have all the answers in place). Sometimes, we wait, other times we walk forward and see what's up ahead on the next adventure. Right now, our family is in a waiting period. We're not going anywhere, but just wondering what our next adventure might be. It's a good place to be, surrendering, and waiting.

Where are you at today? Do you have anything or any plans you need to surrender? Can you see God's hand at work, or are you in a season of just having to trust in the unknowns?

On the Move

Happy New Year to all of you! We hailed the New Year with friends, playing games and chatting until well after midnight. It was truly a memorable time of fellowship!

Now that 2013 is here, my brain is spinning with all the changes in store.
In two short months our family will pick up and move 1200 miles across the country. I'll be 6 months pregnant when this move takes place, which should be interesting! It is nice being a bit more seasoned for this move. The strange term PCS is one I've heard before. Moving can be exciting. My husband and I love exploring new places and nesting in different cities. There are so many knowns as well though. Where will we live? Where will we go to church? Will we make friends quickly? How will our little girl adjust to the change? Will we be able to get my prenatal care quickly taken care of? What will it be like giving birth in a city where we know no one? And the lists and questions go on.
Plus, it’s hard saying goodbye. When is it honestly not? My heart is rather sad to think about leaving this place. As much as I haven’t liked being 21 hours away from family, this place has truly been home. The people, the experiences, the memories have all implanted on my heart. How have four years passed by so quickly? We moved here as newlyweds, had our first camping trip, explored so many new places, made dear friends, had a baby, watched her grow and change, and experienced our first deployment.
So many memories.
So many unknowns.
And so, what do I do with my swarming brain, filled with questions and thoughts about the unknown?
I focus on what I DO KNOW.

He is always with us:

Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
If I go up to heaven, You are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.
If I live at the eastern horizon
or settle at the western limits,
even there Your hand will lead me;
Your right hand will hold on to me” (Psalm 139:7-10, HCSB).

He brought us to this place, blessed us with wonderful friends and memories, and will continue to do so as we move on. As much as I may be anxious about moving to a new place, it’s nice to know that His plan is still well and good. He sees the entire picture, and will not stop providing for us when we move. He will put just the right people in our lives, at just the right time, just as He has always done. As we continue to seek His face and His will in our lives, He will continue to provide:

For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:11-13, HCSB).

The Clay

“The word of the LORD came to me: ‘House of Israel, can I not treat you as this potter [treats his clay]?’—[this is] the LORD's declaration. ‘Just like clay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, house of Israel’” (Jeremiah 18:5-6, HCSB).

With my husband being gone, all of the instruction falls on my shoulders when it comes to our little girl.  Although she’s only 14 months old, she’s already starting to understand the word “no”.  She’ll look at me, with a questioning look on her face, and then often do it anyway. She doesn’t understand that the correction is for her own safety and good, so that she doesn’t fall down stairs or burn herself or worse. The correction is for the ultimate good.

The same is often true with our Father up above. He sees the entire picture. He knows what the outcome of our actions will be. He is constantly molding and making our character, so that we can become even more like Him in the end. Sometimes this correction is painful. It may mean admitting that we sinned, that we were wrong about someone or something, or that we need to refocus of our heart and purpose.

The image of a Potter and His clay is such a beautiful on to me. I long to be that clay, workable and changeable, so that my Potter can make me into something even more desirable in the end.

How has the Potter been working in your life lately? What has He been improving in you?

Firmly Rooted

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence indeed is the LORD. He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn't fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7-8, HCSB).

Firmly rooted doesn’t exactly describe my life in the military. No, if anything, this life is a transient one. I unpack boxes only to pack them. I make friends, only to move a thousand miles away from them. It’s a life of unpredictability. It’s a life on the move.

This life on the move can be hard at times. New churches, new groups of friends, new households to set up. It honestly takes me a year or two to fully feel settled.  I warm up to people slowly, so it takes me that long to truly form close friendships with people, to sink my roots in.

This movable life is something God is working on with me. To be honest, I’m more of a hometown girl. I would have loved to have grown up in one town, married and died in that same place. I would have loved to have gone to my parents house for Sunday supper each week. But that’s not my life.

No, the unexpected happened when I married a military man. And what a wonderfully unexpected thing that was! This man has exceeded my expectations in so many ways. He’s such a wonderful caregiver, husband and father. His hard work is giving us a life full of adventure. But that adventure comes at a cost. 

The constant moving, the deployments, the distance from loved ones, only hammers home the importance of my faith being rooted in something immovable.

Other things may constantly change in my life, but my God remains the same!

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8, HCSB).

What is your faith rooted in?

An Interceding Savior

“The LORD said: Assuredly, I will set you free and care for you. Assuredly, I will intercede for you in a time of trouble, in your time of distress, with the enemy” (Jeremiah 15:11, HCSB).

What have you been set free from? Where has God been faithful in your life?

There have been times of grief, of depression, of worry in my life. Those were awful times, times I wouldn’t like to repeat. It’s only by looking back that I can seem my Savior working, through people, through songs, through His word. He was by my side through it all, interceding for me when there were no words, being my friend when I had no other. He was faithful, and I have to believe that He will continue to be so.

Sometimes I have trouble expressing what this deployment is like. I have trouble writing down words that make any sense. But God knows my heart. He knows my daily battles. And He’s right there beside me, each step of the way.

You’re not alone today, dear friends. You have someone walking right beside you during whatever battle you’re facing. Be encouraged!

Survive or Thrive?

Right now I want to cram every last memory into these final weeks before the deployment.  There seems to be a part of me thinks that I’ll stop living while my husband is gone. There will certainly be fewer memories, fewer things to take pictures of. But will life really be on a giant pause while he’s away? Will I seriously sit around and do nothing while he’s gone?
Or will I continue to love every moment of this life God has given me?
Will I sit and home and count the hours until his return, or will I remain involved in my church, my community, my friends, my social groups?
Will I stop exploring and achieving? Or will I continue to search out new things, new ideas?
Will my relationship with God be on hold? Or will I continue to be a willing vessel?
Will my relationship with my husband be on hold? Or will we continue to communicate, growing and changing through this deployment?
I’m finding that I have a choice to make about this next year. I will either chose to survive or thrive.
Consider the definitions of these two words:
Survive: to endure or live through (an affliction, adversity, misery, etc.)
Thrive: to grow or develop vigorously; flourish
Which do you chose? Do you want to survive or thrive in the life God has given you?
The answer, for me, is easy. I want to thrive. I don’t want to just “endure” these coming months, I want to grow and develop and learn and change. I want to come out of the end of this deployment more in love with my God and my husband than ever.
Lord, please help me to thrive and grow in every situation. Help me to live out the words of Ephesians 4:15 which say, “Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ”(NIV). Help me to grow during this time of deployment and to believe that you are working for the good in this and every situation. As Jeremiah 29:11-12 says, “‘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 upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you’”(NIV). Help me to believe the truthfulness of these words, that you do have great things in store of me, even during this time of deployment. Help me to thrive in this and every situation in life.