Thanking the Lord for Shattered Dreams

There have been many times in my life when I’ve not gotten what I wanted. I’ve had many desires and longings, dreams and plans that just haven’t worked out the way I would have wished. I’d like to say I’m always trusting and full of faith that God knows what He’s doing when I’ve had those upsets and disappointments, but I can’t. However, when I lose my focus and my faith wanes, He remains faithful. Somehow, each and every time I haven’t gotten my way, I have been able to look back and say “thank you” as I see the goodness and mercy of the Lord sparing me from my own desires.

Psalm 27:14, a photo by Sapphire Dream Photography on Flickr.

Right after a major upset of one of my dreams, someone close to me told me, “I know you’ll look back at this and be so grateful that this didn’t work out the way you wanted. You’ll see God at work in your life sparing you from something you’d later regret. Even though it hurts now, I know you’ll be grateful for this.” At the time, I didn’t really like this comment at all. Why would I thank God for destroying my desires and dreams once again?

I can smile now as I look back. Life is hard. God is good. And I am so grateful He spared me from my desires and longings once again. It’s good to be alive and I have so much to be grateful for in my life. When I’ve been a complete mess at times, He has remained faithful. I’m testimony to His abundant, unmerited graciousness and love.

Yes, my life isn’t going the way I foresaw it, but that’s okay. I have so many opportunities, so many plans, so many new dreams. God is filling my life every day with new challenges and new ideas. He is so faithful.

In those times when I was at my darkest, when I was crying myself to sleep wondering where my life was headed, I begged God to give me joy and peace and a new dream. He has fulfilled that and filled my life with good things.

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. (Psalm 34:6, ESV)

I realize now that what I wanted so badly at the time was not at all what the Lord wanted for me at all. There were so many times when He was trying to gently grab my attention and show me the truth, but I stubbornly drove headlong to see my dream through. It took an unexpected jolt to make me see the light and even then, it took me awhile to admit the truth.

I can look back with regret on those times in my life when I stubbornly ignored God’s gentle promptings and instead strove to fulfill my desires. It’s easy to wallow in shame and regret, bitterness and remorse. However, if I confess my sins, He is faithful to forgive and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) He wipes my slate clean and gives me a new goal, new purpose, new desire.

Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. (Psalm 34:5, ESV)

Maybe one day I’ll learn to focus on the Giver of my dreams instead of the gift. Hopefully, I’ll learn to pursue Christ as I worship Him through the gifts and dreams He has given me. He’s spared me from myself and my own selfish desires once again and I can’t be more thrilled. I know my life would have been miserable if He would have granted me the desires of my heart. Thank you, Jesus for being faithful in my life yet again!

Because of Christ, I have new beginnings, a bright future, joy in my heart, and the promise of His help every day. May I purposefully live only to His glory and not ignore His gentle guiding Hand.

“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:13-14, ESV)

 - This guest post was written by Melinda Ruth of MelindaBlogs.com, where you'll find her original scribbles, heartfelt praise, and hopeful dreams.

For I know the Destiny I have for You

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm You are probably very familiar with this verse. It is quoted often to us in times when we don’t know what is coming next. I know that I have heard it many times. I have often flipped to Jeremiah 29 just to read that eleventh verse. However, when I read it I always imagine it differently.

Bye 2012, Wish you a happy new year, 2013!!, a photo by "The Wanderer's Eye Photography" on Flickr.

In day to day life, we are always making plans. We have calendars, day planers, and electronic organizers to keep us to the plan. Yet, our plans often change or are changed for us. Things happen, meetings are cancelled, coworkers call in sick. In short, our plans not always what happens. So when I read Jeremiah 29:11, I like to put the word a different word in place of the word plans. God’s plans for us never change. They are not like our plans that have to constantly be adjusted. God’s plans were worked out before the foundation of the world. That is why I like to use the word destiny when referring to the plans God has for us.

Your destiny is not something that changes, no matter what you do. God’s destiny for each of us is something he mapped out for us before the world began (Ephesians 1:3-8). His Destiny for us is not changeable, and it is to give us hope and a future. Next time you fill worried or discouraged about what is coming next, read Jeremiah 29:11 and replace the word plans with the word destiny.

For I know the destiny I have for you,” declares the Lord, “a destiny to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. you, plans to give you hope and a future. 

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

--This guest post was written by Sarah Holman. Sarah is a not so typical mid-twenties girl: A homeschool graduate, sister to six awesome siblings, and author of three published books and counting. If there is anything adventuresome about her life, it is because she serves a God with a destiny bigger than anything she could have imagined. You can connect with her through her blog thedestinyofone.blogspot.com.

Memorising the Word

Since I was about two, I’ve been learning memory verses. By now, I have quite a few verses committed to memory. Learning Bible verses is something that (I believe) every person should do. Working hard to memorise something is good for you, because not only do you hide the word in your heart (see Psalm 119:11), but you also have a huge bank of scripture in your mind for daily encouragement.

Bible Reading~Devotion, a photo by Chineka on Flickr.

Countless times over the past years memorised scripture has been a treasure to those who memorised it. Although the initial memorisation might be a little harder for some people than others (some of my brothers especially struggle with it), it is still possible and even extremely helpful in cases! Let me give you a few examples.

One good example from history is Corrie Ten Boom. I’m sure you have heard of her. When she was put in prison by the Nazis during World War II, she didn’t have a Bible with her. For several months, she relied completely on what she had memorised as a child and adult. The verses she had in her mind could never be taken from her—and they became her Bible. They were a constant source of encouragement for her, especially when the Nazi guards were less than kind to her.

Another good example is the story of Gracia Burnham. Gracia, along with her husband Martin, were missionaries in the Philippines for quite a few years. In 2001, they were taken and held for ransom by a band of Muslim men. During their ordeal in the jungles of the Philippines that spanned a time of about 13 months, the only Bible they had was what they had previously committed to memory. Since they were captured by Muslim terrorists, they were only allowed to read the Quran—the Bible was off-limits.

In my life, I’ve never had any moments that I needed the verses I’ve memorised in the same way Gracia or Corrie needed them. I’ve never been to a place where I wasn’t allowed to own a Bible. I do know, though, that when relating to different situations, I was very thankful for the stash I have because they’re such an encouragement!

Over the past years, I haven’t only memorised verses. I’ve also memorised songs—great for road trips when you don’t have a hymn-book along! Songs can come in handy when you really aren’t feeling like doing a job (in my case sometimes it’s washing the dishes!), because they are so good at raising your spirits and helping you focus on the One who invented singing. 

  Poems are easy and fun to memorise. I really appreciate poems, because they’re a good source of “just-get-to-it-and-get-it-done”. For example, take the poem “It Couldn’t be Done”, by Edgar A. Guest. I like quoting the line, “Somebody said it couldn’t be done…” to my brothers when they’re stalling at getting something done!

For me, memorisation has been pretty easy and straight-forward to do once I sit down and work on it! Everyone has their own system, but the one that I’ve found helps the most is just repeating the verse five times or so. One thing I’ve found very helpful lately is www.scripturetyper.com. Basically, you put in your scripture verse (or verses) and then you type it over and over (preferably saying it out loud while you type) until you’ve memorised it! It’s extremely simple.

If you don’t like using the computer for memorisation, the same principle holds true. Before I used Scripture Typer, I would repeat the verse out loud about ten times each day for two to four days (depending on the length of the verse), and I would have it memorised. For extra reinforcement, sometimes I’d write the verse out several times just to get it “down pat”. After I’ve memorised the verse, I review it from time to time.

To help me to remember and review all the verses, I collected them into one document on the computer and printed it off. I made a set portion for each day (about one to one and a half pages single-spaced), and then each day I review a portion besides practising my new verse. After memorising a verse, I add it to the end of my verses list, and review it every two to three days. After reviewing it every two to three days for two weeks or so, I up the time to once a week and then add it into the daily portion somewhere. So far, this system has worked well for me, although others might find different ways to do it. :)

Memorisation, like I said previously, is a very important thing to do. I strongly encourage you to try to memorise some of the Bible, because now is the best time to do it. The more you get into your mind now when you’re young the better because as you get older it gets harder and harder to memorise anything. By the time you’re fifty or so you’ll have processed so much more by then that it will be a lot harder to memorise verses. And who knows, it might just come in handy some day!

This post was written by Esther Rose, a young teenage woman with a love for the LORD, a passion for writing, and a vision for encouraging other young women her age. She blogs at

 

Joyful Maiden, where she tries to share (in a nutshell) her life as a daughter of her Heavenly Father.

 

She has never been blessed with sisters (she has six brothers, all of whom she loves), but tries (through her writings in Jewels of Jesus) to bless her sisters in Christ around her. Her life motto is: "Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can." (famous saying of John Wesley's

 ) 

Why You Should Bake Cookies… Erm, Build Community

This guest post was written by Rachelle Rea.

About fifteen young women piled into the small apartment that day and split into two groups. Most chose the living room as headquarters and plopped down on the couches and the floor. Their job? Writing Bible verses and encouraging notes on slips of paper to go in the bags of goodies we were making. A few of the girls—including myself—chose the kitchen as base. Our first order of business? Searching the cabinets for pans and bowls.

I love to bake, so when I learned that my Bible study group was meeting to bake cookies for a campus event, I knew I wanted to go. I thought I was going to bake. What I did was laugh, smile, joke around, and talk about Jesus.

You see, somewhere along the line of living this set-apart life I equated separate with loner. Big mistake.

Our Bible study met on Wednesday afternoons last semester in one of the dorm lounges, and Wednesday afternoons quickly cemented itself as my favorite time of the week. Those times of prayer, fellowship, and digging into the Word right alongside young women my age meant a lot to me—those are memories I treasure. The icing on the cake was that the girls who sat around me were just as in love with Jesus as I.

As the scent of cookies baking permeated the small apartment, music wafted from the living room. Bags that would soon hold cookies were beginning to take shape. The cookies themselves were starting to take shape, too, beneath several sets of doughy fingers.

After pulling a green bowl from one of the cavernous cabinets, I mixed one batch of cookie dough and rolled cookie circles until my wrists were sore. But I hardly noticed because we were laughing and talking and having a good time swapping stories of how our semesters were going.

Sister, don’t make my mistake. Don’t trade in the fellowship and think holy means lonely.

I learned last semester that spring can be a time of renewing in so many more ways than one. I saw God’s love play out every Wednesday afternoon and in our cookie-baking excursion. I see His love even now, because those friendships have endured.

If there’s one thing I could tell you today it would be this: make time for the cookie-baking, erm, community building. Find those kindred spirits and rub shoulders with them in a squeezed-tight kitchen. You won’t regret it.

Dealing with Doubt

We know the answers to the questions. Theology was a required subject in our school. And yet, we are ashamed because sometimes, when we are alone we doubt. We wonder if we are doing things right, if we really know God, or doubting whether what we have placed our faith in is right.

Doubt, a photo by Beshef on Flickr.

I have to admit, I have been going through a rough patch where I have been doubting and questioning a lot. I felt like reading my Bible and praying wasn’t helping. I just wanted God to take the fear and doubt away and the verse kept coming to mind “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV)

I was scared. I thought everything that I had built my life on and I knew was true was slipping away. However, as usually happens God used a devotional I was reading to help me. The author reminded me of the verse “Your enemy the devil is prowling around outside like a roaring lion, just waiting and hoping for the chance to devour someone.” (1 Peter 5:8 The Voice)

The evil one cannot snatch us out of Gods hand (John 10:28). But he does seek to make our witness ineffective. He whispers lies to make us doubt. So when he whispers a lie, you combat it with the truth. Truths like:

• God loves you and NOTHING can separate you from that love (Romans 8:38-39)
• God is slow to anger (he isn’t going to me mad if you doubt sometimes) (Exodus 34:6, Numbers 14:18, Nehemiah 9:17, Psalm 86:15, Psalm 103:8, Joel 2:13, Jonah 4:2)
• Jesus was tempted in every way (I think that means he doubted as well) (Hebrews 4:15)
• God will never leave you or never forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5)
• Rebuke the evil one and he will flee (James 4:7)

We doubters are also in good company:

• Moses doubted God’s plan, even as he spoke through a burning bush.
• Peter doubted while he was walking on water.
• The disciples doubted after they had seen Jesus risen from the dead.

I would like to leave you with these verses.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” 

- John 14:1, 27

Sarah Holman is a homeschool graduate and lives in central Texas with her family. She works part time at the Texas state capitol, which still gives her plenty of time to write books, blog posts, and articles. If you want to contact information, learn more about her, or her published books, visit her blog http://destinyofone.blogspot.com/.

Adjust Your Sails

A guest post by Jessica P.

Imagine you are on a boat. You are enjoying the sun shining down on you. You breath in deeply and relish the scent of salty freshness. You look out over glistening, azure waters and sigh blissfully. If only life could always be this good. But it can't. In the distance you see dark clouds looming and soon enough, you find yourself in the midst of a storm. Your thoughts are muddled. You are fearful as the wind picks up and angry that God has allowed you to be in this situation, and most of all, you feel completely lost. As the rain beats down against the deck of the boat, you look out from the helm and realize you can't see the shoreline anymore. Both the rain and your own tears have blurred your vision. Suddenly, it's clear that you no longer stand in a position of control.

Storm Sailor, a photo by Abaconda on Flickr.

There are so many experiences you can have in a boat. There are days when there is no wind and you are just floating out there, dead in the water. Then there are times when you get bashed around in the waves. And there are some days when the winds are constantly changing directions and you have to keep adjusting your sails in order to move forward.

Life is like that. Events and circumstances come up that we weren't expecting and we have to adjust. I have experienced many such instances in my life. Loved ones fall sick, finances grow tight, friendships fall apart... and through it all, it can be hard not to feel disheartened.

Taking Peter as an example (Matthew 14:28-30), we need to make sure that our focus isn't on the circumstances, but on God. When you focus on the waves, fear and worry tend to set in. But when we focus on God, we are able to find strength, courage, joy, love, and comfort.

Going through life's storms can be a humbling experience. However, remember this – in our weakness, God is glorified. When we can't fix things in our own strength, it only stands as a testimony of God's goodness.

Satan will try his hardest to rock the boat and make you drown. But take heart. God is on your side. Keep your eyes on your spiritual compass. Let God be your guide when you can't see ahead of you. And remember, above all, God loves you and wants what is best for you, even if it takes a storm to draw you closer to Him.

Jessica is a Christian young lady striving to serve God in everything she does. She is also a home-school graduate. She loves all sorts of crafts, but has a special place in her heart for all things writing. She blogs at Literary Pursuits, Young Homemakers, Meditations Of His Love, and Meditations Of His Love Daily. 

Shaky Hands

A guest post by Rose H.

I stood up in front of the class and signed Born For This. I made some mistakes, due in large part to the fact that I was really nervous. Normally I'm more confident in front of people. That day my hands were shaking through signs. By the end of my song, I knew I hadn't done a great job.

365.28, a photo by Dyanna Hyde on Flickr.

That day I went home depressed. Was this really going to work? Come on, I've been taking ASL for four months and I still get nervous when I sign. It doesn't matter whether I'm talking to my teacher or an actual deaf person, I tense up and my hands shake. I get scared I'm going to sign something wrong or that they won't understand.

I tried to sort out my conflicting emotions. I wanted to do well, but at the same time I felt like I was failing. It was then that I felt God's gentle whisper (some through my parents and friends), He spoke to my heart. He asked me the why I had taken the class. My mind wondered back to the reasons. I wanted to communicate with the deaf and learn what I thought was one of the most beautiful languages in the world. It hit me that I was doing that. I had been able to communicate with some deaf people. I was learning ASL.

Then I came to another conclusion. God can use shaky hands. For God it doesn't matter that I have poor self-confidence or that I shake while I sign. He just cares that about my heart to reach out to others.
When you think about it, God has never chosen the best qualified. He has always chosen the people who were weak, forgotten by men, the broken-hearted, those with shaky hands.  When we are weak we show God's strength.

In the months since this realization, God has done some amazing things in my life. Not only have I learned a ton of new ASL, but I'm also meeting more deaf people. I'm getting to know them as friends. And sometimes I still shake. Yet the more I let God work with these shaky hands the more people are blessed.

What about you? Are you weak? Broken-hearted? Struggling to make it through the day? 

No matter what you struggle with, God is there with you, ready to take your weakness and turn it into strength. Just trust Him and keep using what you have been given for Him. You'll be amazed at the results. 

My name is Rose H. I live with my amazing family tucked away the country in Texas where I enjoy a myriad of activities. I love singing praise to God, cross-stitching, crocheting, and card making, spending time with family and friends, listening to audio books and reading spiritual books, being out in nature, enjoying a long walk out in the woods behind our house, teaching at a local home school co-op, filmmaking, blogging and sharing my thoughts with others. 

God is at the center of all that I do. I could not live without Him. You can find out more about me from my blog homemadeministry.blogspot.com or forhimsimplethoughts.blogspot.com.

Decisions

Decisions, decisions, they seem to be persistent.

I go here, I go there, and still I face decisions.

Red or Green? Pink or Blue? Large or Small? False or True?

Yes or No? High or Low? Hot or Cold? Shy or Bold?

Forever? For Eternity? Or just a small, small while?

For Him? For Her? For two, or one? To Hold? To Drop?

To Walk or Trot?  I must make a decision.

Oh!  I know what I will choose!  Not red or green, not pink or blue,

 I will choose to call on God to make the right decision.

Now I know just what to do, I'll ask God first and then I'll choose.

Although my decision may seem to be not wrong or right, just a choice in my life.

My life is made of the big and yes, small, even seemingly insignificant decisions.

For if I learn how to wisely choose, yes even red or green,, or pink or blue,
I will learn to choose how to live and what to do.

Should I marry?  Should I not?  Should I buy a car or not?
Big decisions I now can make, for I've learned to look God and wait.

I can trust Him.  This I know.  For you see, I've tried His way and He has a perfect way.

Decisions, decisions, I can now make.  Who knew?!

I can make decisions.

- This guest post was written by Christina Crain. You can learn more about her and her family at www.CrainsNestBand.com

or pink or blue, I will learn to choose how to live and what to do.

Should I marry?  Should I not?  Should I buy a car or not?

Big decisions I now can make, for I've leaned to look God and wait.

I can trust Him.  This I know.  For you see, I've tried His way and He has a perfect way.

Decisions, decisions I now can make.  Who knew?!

I can make decisions.

The Joy of Music

There are so many different types of musicians. Some see music as a language to be interpreted to their audience, they are the translator you see. For others it's merely a cluster of sounds.

music of my heart, a photo by kedondeng on Flickr.

For me, music is a very spiritual thing. You put your heart and soul into trying to tell your listeners what the music means -says- to you. The slightest change  can turn a sound of joy, into a pit of despair.

Music is one thing people of any nationality can relate to. It needs not words to tell someone if your sad or happy, thoughtful or moody.

Music is such a blessing in that God can use it to soften even the hardest of hearts. Music has a way of softening the rough edges, and filling the holes left from past woes.

It has a way of finding you where you are and relating to you. It can express so many different feelings!
Music is one of God's greatst gifts to mankind. Why must we use it to destroy?!  Why must we take everything God has made, and try and make it evil?

Because the devil is lurking, just waiting for the one moment of weakness when he can grasp your fears, uncertainties, and doubt, and jerk your feet out from under you. He wishes to destroy all that's good and right.

So,  let us fight him with what God has given us! Let us use the music God has placed in our hearts to bring Joy,  Peace and Comfort! To let a lost and dying world know there is a better way!

Use the skills God gave you to let everyone you may meet know there is a God who loves and cares for them!

Beware! The devil will try and discourage you, to make you proud and haughty, to seek mans approval rather than Gods approval. Take courage! And fight the fight! God will triumph in the end. And if you feel attacks by Satan, be glad, for if you were not being used in some way by God, he would let you alone! He would not need to cause you to fail!

God is with you and forever will be!

Sing, Compose and Play. Translate His love in the one language all can understand. The language of music.

- This guest post was written by Christina Crain. You can learn more about her and her family at www.CrainsNestBand.com

He Won't Fail

I'm not going to lie. Life is hard, whether we want it be or not. There are moments when I am so frustrated, mad, sad, disappointed, I just want to break down. I have always been a girl to worry about everything. I am so not a laidback person, and I can always manage to think up a bad situation out of nothing.

That's why the subject of trust has been on my heart lately. And before I even wrote this post, things happened in my life that have gotten me even more down. I know what trust is, I could probably give you several verses about trust right now, but yet I have always had a hard time trusting God. Maybe it's the aspect of having to submit to someone you can't see, or maybe I just feel like I have to control everything.

The other morning I was reading in Psalms and I came across a verse. Have you ever just come across a verse that doesn't really apply to you, but it says something that just gets right to your heart? Well, that's what happened then. It was Psalms 89:28 "I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail."

There was something about the words "will never fail" that caught my attention. And then it hit me. God doesn't fail. Think about it, when has God ever failed? Ever. I mean, look at all that He has made, or read some stories about people who have come from a bad situation, and are now made new. He has never failed. Ever. And that gives me so much hope.

I used to wonder, "Why trust God?" or "How do we know that God will bring me through?" Because He has never, ever failed at His job. We fail, and if we try to fix our own problems we most likely will too, but God won't. It may not seem like He can do anything, but He can, He just wants you to trust Him.

One story that I always think of when I think of God never failing is the story of Noah and the Ark. We've all heard it before, it's a Sunday school story, but that has got to be one of my favorite stories. God told Noah to build an ark. And Noah trusted Him. Noah had enough faith to know that God wasn't going to fail Him. And He didn't. God brought him through, and showed Noah that not only does He keep His promises, He keeps His promise that when you trust Him with your life, He won't fail to make it something beautiful.

That verse gave me everything I needed to trust God with my problems. God didn't fail when He made the universe, He didn't fail when He made you. And He won't fail. Ever.

I am learning to trust God with my situations, worries, fears, and troubles, because I know that He will not fail to make my struggles end amazing. He won't fail. That is all I need to tell myself sometimes, when I am getting down. It gives me hope, it gives me peace, and it gives me assurance that God will hold you, and fix your problems in a beautiful way, if you just trust Him.

And now that I know that trusting God is the best choice I can ever make, I am just enjoying life. I am just giving my problems to God, and finding the simplicity and beauty in life. I am learning to dance in the rain.

That gave me a reason to keep faith, even when I am getting down. Because I know that my lifeguard walks on water, and my lifeguard never fails.

- This guest post and photographs are by Molly at the Molly Marie blog.  She is a girl who loves anything autumn, blue jeans, and the country. She is pretty much obsessed with music, playing both violin and guitar, and also loves to read, crochet, bake, and take pictures of almost anything.

Trusting in God

Every girl goes through times that try her spirit. Perhaps her Dad has lost his job, the family is undergoing financial stress, a person dear to her heart has passed away, or her best friend has moved out of state. No matter what the reasons, no girl has a carefree and perfect life all the way through. We all face trials at some point. And sometimes they can be really hard to bear.

Image source – www.thecountryhandmaiden.blogspot.com   

At times perhaps it seems like God does not hear your prayers. It seems everything that happens is just a turn for the worse. Why does this have to happen to me? You think. Why does God have to give me so many sufferings, hasn’t He given me enough? Hasn’t this lasted long enough? Trusting in God to guide your every step can be difficult at trying times like these. But you must persevere, for you are not alone.

God tests those He loves. He is testing you, because He loves you, and because it is for your own good. He is there by you, every step of the way, there to hold your hand when no one else can. You are his handmaiden, here to serve Him, trying to do your best. He loves to see that. So many people in the world neglect, and even reject Our Lord, and your faithfulness is a great comfort to Him.

God’s ways will never be understood, but we must follow His plan with willingness. We may not see the reasons for what we are going through right now, but in the end we will see them, and we won’t be able to believe how God worked out such a masterful plan for our lives. We will look in awe at how each incident worked together to bring us to where we are now. If Dad hadn’t lost his job, he never would have found one in Kentucky, your family never would have left Virginia, and you would never have met your best friend Sarah. What a blessing a friend is! Before you didn’t have one, and you were feeling lonely, and you couldn’t believe your dad had lost his job, but look where it took you? A little perseverance back in those months of job-searching, financial stress, and loneliness pulled you through and now look what came of it.

Sometimes we have to look at the ups and downs that God sends us every day as just another step in His wonderful plan for our lives. What may be difficult now, will be better in the end. All it takes is a little cheerfulness and a perfect surrender to God’s divine will, and all will be well in the end.

- This guest post was written by Miss Elizabeth at The Country Handmaiden blog. She is a stay at home daughter who is striving to learn the traditional arts, soapmaking, spinning, gardening, sewing, canning, etc.  She loves to bake, crochet, watercolor, play Celtic fiddle, ride horses and raise bunnies.