A few weeks ago my husband was told he would be going to a class in another state for 6 weeks. Now, some people will say "oh, it's ONLY 6 weeks" while others have said "woah, 6 weeks?"... and here I am thinking both. Yes, it's ONLY 6 weeks, but it's also 6 weeks away from the man I love... alone with all 5 of our children... without the normal assistance and companionship I get from him. That makes 6 weeks an awful long time.
And to be honest, I get kinda frustrated when people say that. I know it's only a short time, especially in terms of military duties. But, we haven't had much of this. And the last time he was gone, we had a terrible, horrible situation happen. So... yeah... 6 weeks, to me, is pretty intense right now.
So, I was pretty much freaking out. I am a worrier, big time. I go through all the worst possible situations and then fear them happening to us. I worry that I won't be able to handle it. I worry about every.possible.thing. And this brought tons of worry... Until...
A friend shared something the other morning, which just happened to be the last day he would be with us before leaving. She posted about how her foster child was happy, even though her life situation is anything but good. Here is what she said:
"This morning started out with me seeking God's direction in several
areas of my life. And as always, I was able to read some great truths
from Jeremiah, Paul in Romans and from my daily devotional.
But I
think the real truth came from the baby girl nestled by my side. She's
our foster baby and had woken up early this morning, hungry and wet, and
I had taken care of her needs. I'd snuggled her for awhile and then
laid her beside me while I opened my bible and journal to read,
write and pray. She'd been perfectly content, cooing, watching me,
playing with my fingers, and looking up at me and knowing I'm the one
who meets her needs. And then she quietly fell asleep.
But the truth of the matter is that her life is not so great right now.
Yesterday we received bad news regarding her parents. It breaks my
heart for this beautifully and perfectly created baby girl. From a human
perspective, the future of her life is unknown and it doesn't look
good. Yet she's content and she's happy. She trusts Scott and I and our
boys. She's joyful and is doing exactly what a typical 5 month old
should be doing.
And then I felt the Lord speaking to me that this is exactly how I should view 2015. I should view this year just as Baby V does. I have no idea what the new year holds but I can trust the One who can see into the future. I have no idea of the steep hills I'll have to climb or the valleys I'll have to endure but my Father will be there to walk with me. I'm not yet aware of my needs but I know who will meet all of them in Christ Jesus. Just like Baby V, this year is unknown and completely out of my hands. The only thing I can do is to be the child that God has created me to be, His child, and to place my trust in Him each day. And I have no doubt that I can look to Him to meet my needs, care for me and guide me. I'm so grateful for a loving Father who cares for His children."
And then I felt the Lord speaking to me that this is exactly how I should view 2015. I should view this year just as Baby V does. I have no idea what the new year holds but I can trust the One who can see into the future. I have no idea of the steep hills I'll have to climb or the valleys I'll have to endure but my Father will be there to walk with me. I'm not yet aware of my needs but I know who will meet all of them in Christ Jesus. Just like Baby V, this year is unknown and completely out of my hands. The only thing I can do is to be the child that God has created me to be, His child, and to place my trust in Him each day. And I have no doubt that I can look to Him to meet my needs, care for me and guide me. I'm so grateful for a loving Father who cares for His children."
Then it hit me. Why was I worrying? God's got this. I don't know what the next 6 weeks have in store, but I know that God will take care of us through anything. I do pray it's uneventful, but in the event we have something exciting happen, I know I have a dependable Father that will see us through. And THAT is comforting.
I also want to take the mindset through the rest of the year as well. I don't know what is in the year ahead. I know what plans we have, but I don't know what plans He has. I just know that I can trust His plans, even not knowing them. I want to feel the comfort of being nestled tightly to Him, knowing that He is taking care of my needs and that I can be happy there!
What is your mindset going to be for 2015?
