Can I Please Have Your Hair?

I'm very grateful to be able to say that my cancer journey is over! I'm done with the chemo, radiation, and surgery, and am gaining strength daily! But there are still a few loose ends that need to be tied up. The main one being hair! I've been hairless for a year and a half, and though my hair is 3 inches long now, I feel self-conscious walking around with a 'burr' haircut! As I lay in bed the other night, thinking about my hair dilemma, I remembered seeing a YouTube video on headband bangs many months before. I Realized that if I just had some bangs, I'd be ok with my little short nubs! The more I thought about it the more I realized that I HAD to have some hair and I needed it NOW! In just two days, my husband and I were planning to go to a formal dance. It had been a long time since we'd gone out. The treatment and related side effects had sapped my strength, and my required daily activities took everything I had. It'd been a long time since we'd been able to have a little fun! I longed to have hair for the dance!! There was no hope of finding extensions in the remote area we live in and there was no time to order anything. Besides the hair that was growing out, was an odd mixture of colors that would've been extremely difficult to match! So after some deep thought, I decided my only option was to MAKE headband bangs. So I called a few beauty shops in the area and asked if they could save some hair after a haircut for me. I estimated that I needed somewhere between 5 to 8 inches. When I explained my situation, the beauticians were eager to help, but said that it is unusual for anyone to get that much hair cut off, and it was Easter weekend, so most shops would be closed!

One of the ladies though, suggested that I make a post on social media. I thanked her politely, but hung up, disappointed, thinking I'd have to ditch my plan because I was just too embarrassed to make the post. What would I say anyway? "Can I please have your hair?" But, I guess desperate times call for desperate measures. After some serious thought, I decided that everyone who knows me, suspects I'm a little bit crazy. I decided I would just confirm their suspicions! So before I could change my mind, I made the post. Within 10 MINUTES I had 3 offers! One from a little girl with beautiful, thick, black hair. Another from a friend who is about my age who had a mix of brown and gray hair. The last offer was a wiglet from a teen who lived nearby. I was amazed and floored by the generosity of my little community. I went to talk to the little girl and her mother, and they told me that she had donated to Locks of Love before and she would happily give me her hair. Problem is that her hair was very dark, and I didn't really think I could lighten it up enough to blend with my cinnamon and sugar stubbs. Then I went to see my friend, Gloria. It turned out that her hair was very similar to mine. We visited for a while, and during our visit, she realized that I was anxious to start my project. So she said, "Have you ever cut hair before?" I assured her that I was the family beautician, and I had cut everyone's hair, including my own, many, many, times throughout the years. I may have omitted the fact that my haircuts were never terribly appreciated, but nonetheless I did have experience! So, then and there, we cut her hair! Unbelieveable! I posted at 5:30, and before the night was over, I had real human hair that matched my own! I am astounded by the kindness of those around me and my heart is brimming with love and joy right now! There is a beautiful verse that comes to mind as I consider the sweetness that was shown me. The verse is 1 Cor. 1:1-3. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Thank you my friends for showing me that love!!!!! (The picture above shows me with my new bangs. I was very happy with how they turned out!)

                                           A View On The Crucifixion of Christ

The other day I was talking to someone, and she asked me a question.  I had tossed around the same question with no good answer years before. Her question was about Christ's death.  She asked, "Why did it have to be that way, why did it have to be so violent?"  My friend was resigned to not knowing the answer this side of heaven, but her question stirred up my curiosity and made me wonder all over again.

Funny how her question collided with my daily meditation and somehow the two caused me to come up with a new understanding.

I realized that even though Jesus was sinless, He was carrying our sins. It was our sins that caused Him to be tortured and to die a horrific death.   None of that was new, but I realized that without Jesus our sins would cause us to have the same sort of torture, only it wouldn't last a day or two. It would last for an eternity! His death was just a glimpse of what our future would hold without Him.

When I look at His crucifixion that way it makes absolute sense, and it reminds me of God's great love for us.  2nd Peter 3:9 tells us that God wants that no one would perish, but that all would have everlasting life.  I'm no theologian, but I think that God was giving us a very graphic picture, and He was also letting us know that no one is exempt from judgement.

Truth vs. Lies

Last Sunday morning at the Cowboy Church, the preacher asked if I wanted a preview of his sermon.  I said sure!

He said, "Christ can only tell the truth, and Satan can only tell lies."  

I knew the first part of the sentence was true, but I'd never spent much time thinking about Satan.  I knew he is a thief that comes to kill, steal, and destroy, but I'd never really thought about it much more than that.

That little conversation made me think ... which lead me to investigate Gods messages to us.  He never give us messages about hopelessness and worthlessness. He tells us repeatedly throughout the Bible that He is love, that we are His children, that we are not alone, and that we have value.  He tells us 365 times to 'fear not.'  

Jeremiah 20:11 sums it up.  It 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."  

So where do those little 'voices' telling me I'm unloveable, or I'm a loser come from?  Certainly not from the One who created me! Those types of messages are totally inconsistent with the messages He gives us in the Bible.

But those types of messages are absolutely consistent with the one who cannot tell the truth! The bible tells us he prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to destroy!  So to buy into his lies is to deceive ourselves, and to give power to the one who's only desire is to hurt us!

Any thought contrary to that verse in Jeremiah comes straight from Satan, the father of all liars! If I want to live a beautiful life, I have to purge Satan's lies from my mind and abide in the beautiful truths of Christ

Looking Backwards

This past September, before I was diagnosed with cancer, I took a part-time job at the school, teaching children who had difficulty reading. It was an ideal job while I was going through chemo because I worked with children individually, or in small groups.  I was so weak that managing a large class would've been overwhelming! 

It was good for me to work during this season of my life. The new challenge of teaching kept my mind busy, and the children gave me tons of joy!  The only problem was that (as one of my friends put it) I was working in a petri dish full of germs!

Chemo is notorious for annihilating the immune system, and I was no exception! Throughout treatment my white blood count was lower than low. There were times we would get to El Paso and there would be a debate about whether I could tolerate more chemo because of my blood count.  

I thought about wearing a mask to protect myself from the germs, but because I was using multi-sensory teaching techniques, the children needed to see my mouth and clearly hear my words.  A mask just wasn't an option.

My next thought was, if I can't wear a mask, maybe the children can. I got the greenlight from administration, then explained to the kids about the cancer and my fragile immune system.  I showed them the masks, and asked them to wear them if they had any symptom of sickness.  We spent a few minutes writing their names on their masks and decorating them, then I put them on the shelf where the kids could get them!

Throughout the spring semester the children would consistently come in and go straight to the shelf, get their mask, and put it on if they had a cough, or runny nose, or just felt bad. I never once had to ask them or remind them. Once the novelty of wearing the masks wore off, they were a pain, but the children continued to wear them to protect my health.  Even now, when I think about it, I get teary-eyed because the children were so caring!

Much of the spring semester I felt like I worked with a combination of the flu and a stomach bug.  It bothered me that my 'chemo-sickness' would negatively impact my classroom. Thankfully, the children progressed beautifully in their reading, writing, and spelling skills. 

Beyond academics there were some pretty important life lessons happening too! Certainly, lessons in consideration, and helpfulness!  Hopefully I demonstrated lessons in pushing beyond tough circumstances, while maintaining a good attitude!

This may sound like the year was kind of dreary, but In the midst of the difficulties, there was lots of laughter!  The funniest thing that happened was while we were doing an activity, my cap fell off. The kids were shocked to see my bald head, and they weren't sure how to react. Their precious, confused little faces were so adorable I couldn't help but laugh! When the kids realized it was ok, we all just sat on the floor laughing until tears ran down our cheeks!

I guess when you pass through hard times and look backwards, you can see the many blessings.  My blessings came in the form of precious students, supportive administration, and my sweet fellow teachers, friends, and family who sent floods of cards and messages of support, hope, and encouragement!  

I will always remember the 2017 - 18 as the hardest year of my life, but it's a year I wouldn't trade for anything. As I reflect back I have great gratitude for the many blessings this year brought!

Tenderness

Today, Teryn and I celebrate 37 years of marriage.  He doesn't know it, but he gave me the best gift ever this past weekend.

I've been having a post chemo complication for 5 weeks now.  My legs and feet are swelling, and when I stand or walk my pulse skyrockets, and my legs feel like jello.  Since I can't sit back during the day with my feet elevated, that's what I do when I get home from work.  Teryn waits on me hand and foot.  He brings me water, cooks, cleans, and does everything, while I just sit!

The other day, I was getting pretty frustrated, and said, "What if I'm like this for the rest of my life?"

Without a moments hesitation, Teryn answered, "Then I'll spend the rest of my life taking care of you!"

Cancer has changed our usual joking relationship, and the rough, tough cowboy has become very sweet and tender!  His answer to my question was the best gift he could have given, even after 37 years together!

Life Story

I often dream about the things that I see or hear during the day. The other day I read that Hemingway was challenged to write a six word story. The story was, 'For sale. Baby shoes. Never used.' 

That story packed a powerful punch, so it stayed with me, and I wound up dreaming about it. In my dream I was asking people to write their life story in six words. All night long, I'd wake up and work on my six word story, go to sleep, just to wake up and continue working on it. 

The next morning I told Teryn about it. He came up with his six word story within minutes. His was, 'Lost. Found. Forgiven. Redeemed. Eternal life!' After thinking about it for days, I think mine is, 'Ordinary life transformed. Now purpose-driven. Extraordinary!'

So, to continue my dream, can you write your life story in six words? If you can, please share!

A Beautiful Explanation of GOD

In a mother’s womb were two babies. One asked the other: “Do you believe in life after delivery?”The other replied, “Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.”

“Nonsense” said the first. “There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?”

The second said, “I don’t know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can’t understand now.”

The first replied, “That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded.”

The second insisted, “Well I think there is something and maybe it’s different than it is here. Maybe we won’t need this physical cord anymore.”

The first replied, “Nonsense. And moreover if there is life, then why has no one ever come back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery there is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us nowhere.”

“Well, I don’t know,” said the second, “but certainly we will meet Mother and she will take care of us.”

The first replied “Mother? You actually believe in Mother? That’s laughable. If Mother exists then where is She now?”

The second said, “She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. We are of Her. It is in Her that we live. Without Her this world would not and could not exist.”

Said the first: “Well I don’t see Her, so it is only logical that She doesn’t exist.”

To which the second replied, “Sometimes, when you’re in silence and you focus and listen, you can perceive Her presence, and you can hear Her loving voice, calling down from above.”

God and Suffering

I joined the Sisterhood of Cancer Survivors back in December when I was diagnosed with cancer. This was definitely not a club I ever thought I would join!  But, one thing I've been very clear about is that I want to glorify God in all that I do....even if it means membership to this dreaded sisterhood!

So I did a search and found the following quote. "God can use suffering to cause us to: 1) mature and grow, 2) to lovingly use it for a higher good, 3) to display His work in me, & 4) as a way of chiseling me into the image of Christ."

I know many people would debate that an all powerful, loving God would allow pain and suffering!  God didn't create this world to have suffering. He wanted it to be perfect, but He is a gentleman and would not override man's choice. When Adam and Eve chose to disobey, sin (and all the other bad things) entered this world. 

The good news is that God is a good and perfect parent, and He can use our suffering for His purposes!  A good parent will see to it that their child grows to their full extent in every way possible. If a child is struggling with a lesson they need to learn, the parent won't rescue that child, but will be there loving, guiding, and teaching!  Even if the parent is watching through their own tears!

That's a picture of God. He is that good, loving parent! I can't fully know or understand the spiritual realms. But He does! Maybe he allowed this, and is using it to prepare me for what lies up ahead. 

Certainly, this trial has already caused me to grow spiritually, and to have deeper levels of love, compassion, appreciation, and gratitude.   I'm also learning what's helpful (and not so helpful) regarding how to comfort others who are suffering, and learning to witness to others more effectively.  And I know He's there every step of the way, loving, guiding, and teaching.  How can I be anything but thankful?

"I'm pissed that you got cancer!  You don't deserve that!"  Those were the words of one of my friends this week.  I have to admit I felt that way for a little bit. But the further I get into this, the more I understand that our trials are truly blessings in disguise!

This trial of cancer slapped me out of the trance I was in, it forced me to make a decision.  I could continue to trudge forward, taking life for granted, feeling like it was an obligation rather than a gift, and let nature take its course, or, I could sign up for the battle by getting treatment.  

The problem was, I'm not afraid of death. I have absolute confidence that after death I will be in a perfect place that is far beyond my greatest imaginings, and at this point in my life, that place seems extremely inviting!  

So why fight?  It didn't make sense to prolong life, at great physical and financial expense, if life was just an obligation.  The only way I could justify getting treatment was if I could see life as the treasure God designed it to be!

Kathy Mattea sang a song in the 80's,” Standing Knee Deep in a River and Dying of Thirst.”  The main chorus follows.

          They roll by just like water, and I guess we never learn.

          we go through life, parched and empty,

          standin' knee deep in a river, and dying of thirst...

My experience of life is that many of us are standing knee deep in what we long for the most, and we don’t even know it's there.  Maybe it isn't wrapped up quite like what we thought it would be, so we don't recognize it. And all the time it's just sitting there waiting for us to notice.

I realize now that the thing I wasn't noticing was that love is all around me.  But because of some extremely difficult rejections, my eyes were closed to the love that remained.  So, as I stood at the cross-roads trying to decide what to do, my eyes began to open to those around me, who love me, not out of obligation, but out of an overflow of their own love of God. It wasn't a love I had to earn, it wasn't a love I had to fear losing. It was simply love for love's sake! I was standing knee-deep in it and didn't know it was there all because it was wrapped in packages I didn't recognize.

So, my dear friend, don't be angry! My world needed shaking so that I could truly see. This trial helps me know more fully God's mercy and grace, and His love for me.  I can't imagine a more perfect way to get my attention, than to have me stand where I was, evaluate, and make a decision.  

Without this trial, my eyes may never have been opened to the beauty surrounding me.  And because this isn't something I can overcome quickly, I will have the time I need to fully make the heart changes that need to be made.  I can say, truly our trials are blessings in disguise!

New Season

 Well, we are entering a new season of life! I was diagnosed with breast cancer on December 22. It seems like an unreal dream!  But this process continues, and yesterday I started chemo.   They gave me some strong anti-nausea drugs along with steroids before the chemo started and so far I feel fine!   My project this morning was to give myself a chemo cut in preparation for what's to come, and to document the blessings involved with this trail.  I hope this blog will help me keep my eyes focused where they need to be, in gratitude of the many blessings I have.  I also pray that it might bless someone else who may be going through their own trials!

The picture below is phase 1. The chemo cut. There is a lot about this cancer I can't control, but I can control this... for now..so I'm going to have a little fun with my hair!

I think most people who know me well would not say that I have too many control issues. But maybe I have control issues over myself,  thinking I should be able to control all things Cinda.   Maybe this cancer is revealing areas in my life that I need to deal with.  This cancer is something beyond my control! That may be the hardest part of it right now.  There's not much I can count on .. I don't know if I'll be able to keep working, appointments with the oncologist 3 hrs. away keep popping up, I'm afraid to eat because of the possibility of nausea. The list could go on. But I am thankful that even when I'm not in control I know who is. I know that "God is a disruptor a false peace, He is the developer of dynamic character, and He is an ever present deliverer."  I am thankful to the Lord for the work he's doing in my life, even when I don't fully understand or when I can't control the things around me...I know Who is truly in control and I can rest in that!

FRAMES

I talk to clients about REFRAMING a lot!!!  That means when we look at a picture it looks a certain way, if we change the frame we place around it, it begins to look totally different, without the actual picture changing one iota.  Frequently we look at things and place a negative connotation around them.  If we are willing to consider an alternative frame for difficult situations we can handle them more effectively! 

For example when something is taken from us, it's natural to think, "It's not fair," or,"all is lost!"  But if we continue to dwell on the unfairness of the situation, we WILL eventually go into a depression!  If instead we can think, "Yes, this is difficult, but maybe it'll open the door for something better down the road."  That thought is hope giving, and life affirming, 

What I really love about all this is that it's straight from the bible: 2 Cor 10:5 (NIV) says, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 

I would love to influence people to center their thoughts (and lives) on God through this blog, but even if I can only help someone recognize that they can take their thoughts captive and reframe situations, this blog has helped!  Learning new thought habits takes time and effort, but the pay off for the time spent is of great value!!!

So why did I put up a picture of my donkey's ears???  If you look closely, you will see the cattle at the top of the photo.  This was the first ride out after training him to the saddle, to gather cattle, and I just thought that everything looked better when framed by my  MiHijo's ears!!!

Nudges

Much to the embarrassment of my family of die-hard horse fanatics, I love donkeys! I have a young donkey that I am training, and I am delighted by how quickly he learns tricks, and how to work under saddle. Lately I've been concentrating on getting him to respond to foot commands. If I nudge him with my foot on the left, I want him to move to the right. I practice with him all the time. As I ride through the pasture, I find all sorts of obstacles to nudge him around. If he doesn't listen to the nudging, I get a little more aggressive with my feet, and finally, if he won't pay attention to me, just before he goes past the obstacle, I pull him around with the reins. The other day as I was riding, I was thinking about how I want to be receptive to God's nudgings. I don't want God to have to 'get aggressive' to get my attention, I want instead, to live with my entire attention focused on Him so that when He nudges me, I will notice and obey. I am so pleased with MiHijo when he heeds my nudgings.  I believe that it is the same when you take it up several levels!  When I heed God's nudgings, He is happy with me!  THAT's the way I want it to be!!!

Puzzle Piece

As I was counseling this week, several times individuals made the statement, "if only I could understand why this happened, I could accept it." I've come to believe that one of life's hardest lessons is having faith that there is a larger picture than what we see, and knowing deeply that God is working for the good of those who love Him. I thought of this poem each time the topic arose, and I wished that I had it with me, to help clients understand, so I decided to blog it, and next time I need it, I'll have it! I hope you enjoy it.

Puzzle Piece 

by Cinda Muench

I was strolling down the road one day, pondering 'bout my concerns.
I was feeling down and lonely as I mulled on life's tough turns.

When something caught my attention from the corner of my eye,
and I paused and stopped to look at it, before I walked on by.

It was just a tiny puzzle piece, I examined it and turned it around.
Just my luck, I shook my head, at the piece of trash I'd found.

I wondered about the puzzle piece. What was the bigger scene?
Then stuffed it in my pocket as I finished my routine.

I found that little puzzle piece that night when I undressed,
but my outlook was different then, and I realized I'd been blessed!

That tiny piece of puzzle was a simple reminder to me,
that life is so much bigger than the things we feel and see.

Each thing that happens in this life impacts on something greater.
Maybe, the hard times we go through now will strengthen us for later.

Or, maybe, my sorrow somehow, will open doors for others.
We'll never fully know how we impact on our brothers.

My life is like that puzzle piece, it's value has no measure,
how strange, a tiny piece of trash could really be a treasure!

Rocking Chair

Rocking Chair 

My favorite place to sit and relax, is a big, comfortable, “cushiony” rocking chair.  The chair has pockets in the arms that overflow with all my favorite things… bible, devotionals, dulcimer, and music,.  I love sitting there just rocking back and forth as I study, read, and practice!

In many ways worry is like that rocking chair!  I have all my favorite, “comfortable’ topics that my mind defaults to when I try to relax.  My brain overflows with possible subjects…the children, finances, work.  I can spend hours sitting there going back and forth, without actually going anywhere! 

I don’t like to spend precious time worrying, but it’s an old friend, and it comes naturally… a leftover vestige from pre-Christian days!  I recognize my worries don’t solve anything and they keep me from fully experiencing God’s amazing peace. 

I can waste my energy on a useless, destructive habit or I can pray and hand my worries over to God who is infinitely more capable than I will ever be.  Truth is, I’m sure those who are the focus of my worries would be much relieved to find out that I have let them go and given them to our Creator!

 

Verse: 1Peter 5:7 (KJV) Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Prayer:  Father God, I thank you for being there night and day, to handle the things that I can’t!  The beauty surrounding me daily reminds me of Your immeasurable wisdom!

Thought for the Day: The Creator of the Universe has it all under control!  

The Blessing was Mine!!!

How blessed I am that God entrusted 3 precious lives to me! In so doing, He showed me the endless depth of a parent's love for a child, and I began to understand about His love for me. My children also taught me about the kind of love spoken of in John 15:13. Had I not had children I would never have fully understand what it meant to love that deeply! When we serve others with pure hearts, WE are the receipients of the blessing!

Splitter or Unifier?

We live on a huge ranch. The fences are adequate to hold the cows, but the goats can go where ever they please! We feed the goats at night in the pens, so they rarely browse further than a few miles away. They also stay in a group...usually. The exception is when we introduce new goats to the herd. When that happens, they get confused, or they don't know who to follow. Either way, inevitably, we have to go out and find stragglers. We got a beautiful new red billy the other day, and when it came time to let him roam with the goat herd, I was nervous that he might get lost. As I thought about the possibility that the goats would split up, I realized that the same dynamic happens among people.  Some people plant seeds of dissention that cause problems within relationships. The bible tells us that we are to seek unity and restoration of relationships. I'm happy to say that the new billy is a “unifier.” What about you?

Trust

My husband had to go out and fix fences the other day, and I told him I wanted to go. He said, “Sure, but we're going to go over some really rough ground and some of the places are going to scare you!” “I'll be fine," I said grabbing hat and coat, "don't worry about me!”  With that we drove across the ranch to an area of beautiful mountains, and deep canyons. He stopped to put the truck in 4 wheel drive and I could see that he planned to bulldoze our way over young cedars and ocotillo, to the bottom of a steep drop off. I was determined not to let him know I didn't like it, so I just braced my neck, closed my eyes, and held tight! As I was sitting, waiting to get to the bottom I thought about how much I trust my husband. He is a careful man, a great driver, and he knows the territory. I thought, “what a gift it is to be able to trust him so completely.” It make me think of someone else who I trust completely. God! When troubles are beyond my control, I can just close my eyes, and hand them over to the One who will never let me down. He would never hurt me, He is divinely wise, and He knows the territory! He's infinitely capable of handling what ever it is that I need to hand over to Him!

Hand Me Downs

I was looking around my house, and realized that a good many of my belongings are things that others have used, replaced, and given to me. The list is long... clothes, space heaters, a scale, a cane, plates, glasses... the list could go on and on! It's true, I am very frugal!  But I think the reason goes deeper! I do not like to throw things away, especially if they still have value! How cool when I can put cast off items to good use! Our culture tends to be a "throw away" culture.  Rather than fixing or 'making do,' we just throw things away and get the newer version.  It even applies to people and relationships!   As I contemplated this, I began to think about God and how He sees the beauty and value that underlies the external. He doesn't throw away, or give up on things either. Thank Goodness! If He did, he would have given up on me long ago! Thank you Father for your patience, and for not giving up on me, even though it took 'forever' for me to accept Your truth!

Obedience

Add caption

“Come here Chivo,” I called, sweetly encouraging him.  Chivo fell down, twisted around, yelped and whined, bewildered about the pressure he was feeling. I was trying to teach Chivo to lead by using gentle, steady pressure, and taking him exactly where he wanted to go anyway– his feed bowl.  But he didn’t understand, and he tried tirelessly to yank himself away!

Chivo was a puppy that would grow up to be a guardian dog for my goats.  His job would be to protect my ‘kids’ from predators.  He would be a large, strong dog, who would work independently, but he had to learn basic obedience so that I could intervene when needed, and take care things. 

As Chivo tried to wrench away from me, causing himself more pain than necessary, I realized that I was like him in many ways.  God has called me most of my life…gently, steadily, and sweetly, but like Chivo, I pulled away.  I relied on my own independence, and strength.  Even when things may have seemed fine to others, I often ‘fell down’, crying, bewildered about life!  My insistence on handling things my way made life much harder than it had to be.  

Thankfully, I finally surrendered to my Master.  The obedience that God is teaching me allows me to go to places of love, grace, and beauty.  Places that I always wanted to go anyway, but didn’t know how to find.  That obedience teaches me to let God intervene to take care of the multitude of things that I cannot.  Following my Father is the only thing that can truly keep me safe and make me happy.

Prayer:  Father, thank you for your guidance in navigating this world.  I don’t always willingly follow Your ways, but I am always glad when I do! 

Bible Verse:  But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.  Luke 11:28 (KJV)