God is so good...

Just feel like I need to take a second and just jot down what I am thinking...God is so good. I could never list all of the blessings that God has given me throughout my life...it would be too long. I am incredibly fortunate to have the life I have but, like many other people, I get caught up in the day to day and really take things for granted. Recently, I have been trying to step back and really look at the big picture and the things that really matter and it opened my eyes to how great God is.

*I know someone who has been dealt less than ideal situations in their life and is really trying to make some changes for the better but, still has been facing some troubles. The other day they posted something on Facebook about needing better housing in a price range they could afford. (Side note-I am not a good prayer...I never have been but, I WANT to be. I felt like I never knew the "right thing to say" but, there is no "right thing to say". Just talk to God. Just tell him how you feel or what you are thinking and He will hear you). After reading this person's status, I just said a prayer that God would hear her cries for help and provide her sweet family with something that would work for them and not long after that, they posted that they had found a house! God heard their cries and provided for them!

*something that has been weighing on my heart pretty heavily lately has been tithing. We don't tithe...or, should I say, we didn't. My husband and I discussed it and he said if it something I am feeling called to do, then go for it. Our church is in the process of maybe moving locations and while it will be less rent in the long run, up front there will be some costs to renovate the possible new space. Since our pastor brought this up, I have REALLY been feeling a tug on my heart that we needed to start doing our part. I have really been trying to work on our budget lately and just felt like there was no money after the bills were paid, but there have been some changes and yesterday, after some prayer for guidance, I made the decision that we would start tithing immediately. I do not feel stressed about this at all. I just feel peace. Today, I reworked our budget just to see how things would fall into place and it is tight, but they did! (a few notes about this-we as a family and also my husband have made some decisions to change our spending and discontinue a few things that didn't make sense to have at this time but, would hopefully be a temporary change. My husband made the very UNselfish decision to give up something so we can save towards a retirement...something neither of us have saved for thus far). Then, my boss came up to my desk and said he was giving me a raise!! Please do not get me wrong. I do not mean that we want to tithe for something in return. My point of all of this is, put your faith in God and He will provide. He will take care of us and make everything work out how it should. I just needed to shift my focus and really, really put it in God's hands.

Sorry if this seems like rambling but, sometimes I just need to write it down. and, sometimes, I just need to share how God has touched my life at that time. I am not a perfect Christian...I am not always the person that God wants me to be but, I am trying. Trying to be a better follower, be a better wife, and a better mother. All it takes is a lot of prayer and a lot of faith.