When God Speaks

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever... " Is. 26:3-4

It seems silly to me sometimes, but it really is true. We get so hung up on ONE thing that we forget to live! You know how it is? We get so focused on one thing... and usually it's a BIG thing.. like finances or the health of aging parents or the difficulties in family relationships... that it consumes our every thought and all of our time and we just forget to laugh or even smile!

Just this week the group of girls that I sing with did a demo recording. It was SOO much fun!! We would sing and try to be all serious and we sounded ok, but we sounded so formal and choral-like and BORING! We decided that the God that we serve is SO not boring so we scrapped that recording and decided to dance (a little) while we sang! Each of us have issues... MAN DO WE EVER! BUT God told us that He is the reason that we sing! He is the reason for our joy! We prayed about our "stuff"... we laid it all down... we felt a little better SO WE CUT LOOSE! We would sing wrong notes and laugh our heads off! Oh it was so refreshing to laugh until we cried!! We haven't heard the final cut, but I know that we had FUN while singing His praises and that was such an amazing time!

God speaks to us in such different ways. Sometimes it is through His word and sometimes it's through a pastor, but sometimes it is through our husbands. Sometimes it's through our children and sometimes it's through our friends. Sometimes it's through and open or closed door in our lives and sometimes it's through circumstances. Sometimes it's through someone's blog post or even on Facebook!

I just know that when I get so caught up on one thing and my mind gets so focused on it that I can't LIVE.. it's harder for me to hear His voice. I have to MAKE MYSELF sit down and read my Bible. I have to intentionally listen to what others say instead of being so caught up in my own world that I miss what He has for me. THEN when He does speak... it's like a refreshing water to my soul!!

I have written quite a few times about our daughter and the things that we are facing with her. She is struggling in first grade (and she's repeating!) with behavior and academically. She's doing better in some ways, but in other ways... well, NOT so much.

The teachers are sort of at their wits end with her  and we could potentially need to find another school. (She is in a private school with few resources for kids with needs.) WHAT an emotional thing!! We have had multiple doctors appointments and have put her on some new meds. to see if we can help with the behaviors. MAN!! What a decision! I was so tangled up in that one that I wasn't sure how to focus on anything else!!

Then one day I sat down to have my quiet time. I am reading Isaiah right now and God just spoke so clearly! "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You..."

I DO TRUST YOU LORD! I trust that You are providing and I trust that You know best for our girl. You know best for our family and You know best for me! Keep us in perfect peace as we make decisions that affect our child and others that deal with her on a daily basis. THANK YOU! THANK YOU for your Word!

What a gift. God uses His word to help me get my mind on Him and His amazing gifts of love, forgiveness and peace and I can let those hard things go. Well, sometimes I take them back and stew some more, but I KNOW that I can lay them down 100 times a day if I have to! He's loving like that!!

Sometimes I wonder if He's watching me pick that thing back up all while shaking His Holy head! I'm sure He's whispering, "Don't do that child. Lay it down! Give it to me! You have a life to live for ME! Let me have that. Lay it down. Just lay it down!"