the road not taken

Lately my husband and I have been discussing the future and what it holds for us. We found ourselves alone this Sunday at church. Our Sunday school class is losing some members to a move and some were sick or out of town. Instead of joining another group we decided to take that quiet time for ourselves. They come few and far between these days! We stayed in our empty sunday school room and decided to look for answers to some of the questions we have concerning our upcoming move. The Lord kept leading us back to Mathew 7:13-14 Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the road and broad is the path that leads to destruction and many enter through it, small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and few find it.

Sometimes the narrow road will be a huge choice, like whether or not to serve in a time of war. But often the narrow road presents itself in small ways on a daily basis. This might mean letting it go when your coffee creamer is consumed by a toddler and he is halfway through your backup stash of powdered creamer you have on reserve for days like this! There is a choice, i can get angry and have a meltdown or I can get on my knees and ask the Lord to calm me down, move the creamer to a higher shelf and look on the bright side :) Im probably a bit healthier for it and I have just given my son a new goal to attain, ah the silver linings. Sometimes this means smiling back at a princess who used the feathers and glue you bought to decorate your table instead of her craft. The good Lord asks us to rejoice in all things right? :)

So many times we will be challenged. We could push and manipulate our world and stay here in our grumpy funk or we can give it to God and see what he has in store. For us this means a move to a new state,a new climate , a new home, but most importantly new opportunities to serve the Lord. I loathe having to make new friends, or step into a room where I dont know anyone (that voice likes to hang out in those places). Most likely Beau will face deployment and I will face being a single mother of five! Im certain the Lord will use this time to draw us closer to him and closer as a family. For that I am excited to see what he has in store.

The enemy would love to make me feel that I am not up to the task. But in the past he has allways proven wrong. I have learned the hard way that when I dont understand God's plan, just roll with it. Only he can turn the world's worst baby sitter into the mother of a fabulous five! Take a born and raise memphian who has never left home and give her the power to make a home whereaver the army takes her. He can turn a football fan who loves his Sundays, into a sunday school teacher with a dvr! the Lord can move mountains for sure but you have to take his path and give him the chance. The easy road is only fun for a little while and never ends well. There was a time when I almost chose the easy road and gave up a special opportunity in favor of being a "normal teenager". Praise the Lord that inspite of everyones opinions and advice, i chose that narrow gate. What would I be missing out on now!

Im studying about the Israelites and their walk through the desert. For 40years they placed their lives in Gods hands facing struggles along the way. I like to think of our time in the military as our time in the desert. We have left Memphis which was our home, and we will wander until the Lord puts us in our permanent place. Like the Israelites we will have our struggles, but there will be many blessings along the way. Who knows why he has chosen this life for us, we all have difficulties to face but know the life you have is the one he has given and not your own. We are merely aliens in this world here for a short time, make the most of it whether life has given you lemons or honey , or a little bit of both :)