Blessing 1,453

Last night I was chatting with Lynn.  We were talking about how God works in mysterious ways, especially when we go through challenging times.  She shared that she recently put up a note on her wall that I think she will be okay with that I am sharing, since it is public knowledge that this is her common walk in life. 

" However things turn out, it will be good; because my Father (God) said so. "

Back in 2001, our family went through some tense & challenging times because of decisions made by one member.  At that time I chose to post Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  I put it everywhere I would look, both in English & Spanish (which I was studying at the time).  Little did I know, at the time, just how true that Scripture was in regard to that situation.  It has come true in many other areas of life on other occasions, too.  There were unimaginable circumstances that happened years ago, that later led to our serving as volunteers in the prisons.  This was & still is one of the greatest blessings we have ever received.  The men we worked with gave us so much encouragement & enriched our lives in ways that we never could have imagined, we are still in awe of it.



This is also when I started to place frogs all around in my world.  Not because they were popular or cute; but because of the acronym, F.R.O.G. which stands for Fully Rely On God.  I was doing that really well; though I was not always happy.  The things we went through from 2001 to 2004, because of this family member, were very difficult & many people judged our whole family for his choices.  It is truly a shame that people do this; but it is very common.  It was around the end of 2003 that I decided I needed to rethink my personal walk, so I added the JOY in front of frog & became JOYFROG.  Now it stands for JOYFully Rely On God.  We need to trust that not only will He use it for good; but we need to do it with a joyful spirit.  Now I am not saying this will always be easy; but it is possible with a bit of work & faith.


So many times, things we thought to be bad or wrong, God used later for His good.  He knows how to use what we humans think useless as useful, if only we let him.  Think back on your life, review how many times things that happened, that seemed like a wreck, later turned around & had a pretty good or even wonderful ending.  When that happened, did you remember how they began or that they even began on a not so good note?  Usually we forget that part; but it is awesome to remember; because then we get the WHOLE blessing when we can see the whole hand of God working.

Lynn, thank you for your walk & our chats.  I always love the heartfelt smiles & hours of laughter we share, whether in person or on the phone.  It always amazes me how much joy we find in the simple things that God brings to mind.  Don't forget to give Ken his chilly hug from Wisconsin.  Tell him it is sent with heartfelt love ;)

When you share with others how God has made a difference in your life, it often helps them to see the differences He has also made in theirs.  Take time to share, it can truly make a difference!!!