Slacker

I have been a major blog slacker.  I need to get updated. Our little life has been really busy and fun lately.... I keep sitting down to write an update.  And then I get side tracked.  So, my plan is to get all updated next week.  But today, I wanted to write a short post about something that I read this week, that REALLY encouraged me.  And challenged me.  I wanted to blog it, because I dont want to forget it.  And I also think that maybe it can encourage some of you. 

I know we all have so many people in our lives that are experiencing deep pain and hurt.  Our family was walking in a dark valley a couple of years ago.  God gave us the strength to walk through that hard time.. although, honestly sometimes I wondered if it was possible.  But through that time, we experience TRUE healing not only in the physical sense in saving our daughters life... but in the emotional sense, when our marriage was at a breaking point.   I was telling Craig last night, I will never be thankful for everything that happened... BUT I will always be so so so so incredibly grateful to able to truly experience God's grace, forgiveness and love.  Amazing, is really the only way to describe it. 

It was always overwhelming to our family to feel the prayers of God's people, praying for our daughter.  So many people all over the world were lifting her up. Many, that we never "knew" and probably never will.  Humbling.  We consider it an honor to be able to pray for healing and peace for many family's that are walking through a dark valley, themselves now. 

I follow a pastor from Dallas, on Twitter.  His name is Josh Smith- his family recently got the devastating news that his wife, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.  You can follow their journey at www.jjoshsmith.org.  What he wrote in his blog earlier this week, was SUCH an encouragement to me.  He said:

"In Matthew 6:34 Jesus says, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” James 4 says it this way, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”
These verses make sense to me now. The reason God commands us to not worry or boast about tomorrow is because God does not give us grace for tomorrow. He never gives grace for possibilities. When our minds wander to how we are going to manage all this a month from now we are mentally and emotionally going to a place where we stand alone – without the grace of God. God does not give us grace to wander around in the realm of future possibilities. God gives grace for today. He gives grace for reality. So when we start to think about what might happen tomorrow it can only lead to worry. There is no grace for that. We are learning to live moment-by-moment, day-by-day. And as we do, we are finding that there is always sufficient grace and strength."

Wherever you are on your journey- I hope this can encourage you.  It sure did, me.