The Path

Psalm 16:11You will show me the path of life;In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 25:4Show me Your ways, O LORD;Teach me Your paths.

Proverbs 3:6In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Isaiah 42:16I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, And not forsake them.



Our piano teacher lives on a numbered county road. It isn't all that far from town, but far enough that you can't hear much traffic or noise except neighbors and this time of year especially, there are lots of farmers passing by with their implements. We always take the same route to her house and the same route home. Emma and Ruthie each take a 30 minute lesson once a week, so I have an hour of time with the two young ones to run errands. Today, after dropping the girls off for their lesson, I decided I really wanted to know where the rest of the piano teacher's road went. I had some ideas about where it might lead, but I wasn't sure. I told Olivia we were going on an adventure and off we went.

Turns out, about a half mile down, the road dead ends into a gravel driveway forcing you to turn either right or left onto another county road I was already familiar with. Some adventure. We basically saw some fields and houses on a stretch of road and then landed pretty close to WalMart. Big deal.

But, it got me thinking about our journey through life. Charlie and I are facing some choices about our next path in life and we've been carefully weighing all our options and trying to imagine the outcome of each road we could potentially travel. Of course we want to please the Lord and want Him to choose for us but, sometimes I think God wants to reveal something of greater importance--the desires of our hearts. What are we really seeking? What is it that we really want? Is it really to serve the Lord with gladness, or only to serve Him when it's comfortable and easy? What if His path takes us down an unexpected gravel road, to a place that's completely foreign? Are we still desiring to serve Him wholly?

On our way back to the piano teacher's house, I called Charlie and left him a message:
"Hi, honey, it's me. I love you. I just wanted to tell you that I don't really care what road we take as long as we're together and the Lord is leading. Wherever we go, whatever we do, it's fine with me. It will be an adventure!! I love you. Bye."

So, even if the road God has for us is really just a more scenic route back to the familiarity of life, I'll gladly travel it. Especially since He's given me so many amazing people to travel with!

Thank You, Lord for the adventure of life in You. I know You have a plan and that You are in complete control of all things. Above all else, let us glorify You. Drive all personal aspirations and desires out of our hearts and minds and allow us to serve You with whole hearts, bringing glory to Your name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Nine Years Ago...

...we said, "I do and I will" to each other and to God.

Thank You, Lord for my wonderful husband. For these four beautiful children. For these memorable nine years...filled with promises, faithfulness, blessings, and love. Thank You for faithfully remaining in the very center of our hearts and our home. In Jesus' name, Amen.

A supportive husband...

One of the things I love most about my husband is his willingness to be a servant. He quietly goes around doing all sorts of things behind the scenes to make my life better and easier. And, he doesn't need a parade or bull horn announcement for a thank you, either.

After reading my list of things I needed/wanted to do, this is what he did--

We had borrowed a jogger-type stroller from friends and he knew that I really loved using it. He also knows I'm just itching to get back to my running and fitness routine this Fall. So, although we have other strollers to maneuver baby about, he surprised me by purchasing this one for me today! He also spent about an hour comparing/contrasting car seats online, compiling a list of those with good reviews and the features we liked. What a guy!

Thanks, Lord, for such a wonderful, thoughtful husband! Bless him always and continue to teach me how to better serve him as well. Amen.

Top Ten Tuesdays--Anniversary Edition

Thanks to Ann at More Questions Than Answers for this meme!

Top Ten Memories With My Husband:

10.Our honeymoon trip to Jamaica--the extra night in Miami, the extra travel vouchers, the extra-large (and free!) ocean-view suite, the extra special grace God lavished on us.
9.Chasing down bats!
8.Telling him I was pregnant for the first time and the look of disbelief on his face--priceless!
7.Telling him I was pregnant for the second and third times and the look of anticipation on his face--priceless and a relief!
6.His hand holding mine during labor, so gentle and so strong...
5.Driving somewhere, anywhere, with him, 3 kids snoozing in the back seat, catching up on all that God is working in and through his life, listening to him share his love for our Lord.
4.Watching him whirl around endlessly in a theme park tea cup ride, getting greener and greener each moment, doing it all for the love of a little girl.
3.Watching him build a life-size igloo in our backyard for hours and hours in the freezing cold.
2.Waking to feed the baby in the middle of the night, only to find him already awake, pacing the floors with her and talking to her about Jesus.
1.The look of love on his face as I walked down the aisle as his bride...he still holds that look for me each and every day, though I don't deserve it.

I love you, husband! Happy Anniversary!

The Things They Say: Marriage

This was the conversation I overheard today at the lunch table:

Ruthie: Henry, you are going to have to spend time getting used to Emma so you can marry her someday.
Henry: Well...(giggle) I don't know about that...(more giggles)
Harmony: Well, Henry, you have to marry someone!
Ruthie: Yeah, then me and Harmony will be sisters.
Emma: No, Ruthie, that's not right.
Henry: Well, I'm not big enough to get married yet, but I know I can only marry one girl.

Long Pause

Harmony: I guess you better pick really careful then.
Emma: Actually, God picks who we marry. He has it all planned out in His big mind.
Harmony: Yeah, He has a really, really, HUGE mind!
Emma: We have to wait until he shows us who to marry. He makes sure they know Jesus and they think we are the most beautiful girl in the whole world.
Henry: I'm not a girl!
Emma: I know! You will think your girl is beautiful. Your girl will think you are brave like a Jedi Knight.
(Huge grin from Henry)

Ruthie: Well, I'm going to wait for the boy God picks for me cause I don't want to mess it up and marry the wrong boy.
Harmony: Yeah, me too!
Ruthie: C'mon Harmony, let's play grocery store.
Harmony: Okay.

Emma: C'mon Henry, let's play with the train.
Henry: Okay. Maybe God will make me see you beautiful someday, but it isn't today!
Emma: Ahhhh! Henry! I'm just little!

Lord, help these children to always take marriage seriously and to allow You to choose their mates for them. Thank You for their innocence and for the reminder that Your way is the best way. In Jesus' name, Amen.

(Some of the) Things I Love About My Husband

His smile.
His knowledge of the Word.
His patience.
The way he plays with the girls.
The way he always untucks his side of the bed each and every night.
His diligence.
The way he leaves me a devotion almost every morning.
His understanding of technical things (which baffle me!).
His faithfulness.
His eagerness to serve the Lord.
His friendship.
His eyes.
The way he loves me.