Paths and Guides

Going to church has been great for us! We are really starting to focus on what is important and every week we get a good reminder of the important aspects of life. Today's service was about sharing God's word with others. The question was asked if we remembered the name of the person who turned our lives around. Well, I do!

I know as a child the first person was our babysitter. She had taken us to church with her and I was very active with it! I was in the girls group and participated as much as possible. I went on retreats and everything. It was good for me.

I also had neighbors who went out of their way to make sure any child who wanted to go to church could. He drove a bus and picked up kids from all over our area and transported them. I wasn't AS active with that church as I had been the last, but it was still good for me. I got that time in and still had the reminder there for me twice a week.

All of the people involved in these churches (getting me there, teaching to me, just being there and everyone in between) played a large role in where I am now. My childhood could have been a whole lot different than it was but because of these God sent people, it wasn't.

Now, there is probably 1 name that I can attribute my new found faith to (God, of course, but the person who reached out and "touched" me). Jennifer. For years I had walked far from the path that God had planned for me and just as I was about to take another bad turn, she grabbed me and pulled me back! She reached out and spoke the words I needed to hear. I honestly believe that she doesn't think much of it, but her words (not at the time but now) meant more to me than most anything I've been told my entire life.

She reminded me that there is more to life than hiding and that when we really accept God's power, our lives can be better! And even when we happen to take a wrong turn on our paths, there is someone there to reach out and grab us! Whether it be a live person or the Spirit, someone is there to guide us to where we should be going.

I believe that because of Jennifer, I am back on the right path to where God wants me to be. I still have a long way to go, a lot to learn and many turns before I fulfill His ultimate plan for me, but at least I am back on the right path and heading in the right direction. Wrong turns are inevitable but with Him guiding me and the right people in my life, I am sure to be grabbed or quickly guided back to the right path!

Who touched your life in a big way? If it wasn't religious, who was the person who touched you in a such a way to guide you and your choices?

Different Dinners, One Table

For dinner I had fajitas, Filip had his fajita quesadillas, Darien had a corn dog and Adrien had pizza. Very different meals but we were all eating at the same table at the same time. Well, something else that I realized while having dinner last night was that while no one is eating the same meal, that shouldn't keep us from sharing one table.

Have you ever really sat and looked at all the people in your life? How many of them are exactly the same as the others? None, right!? We can apply the different meals sharing one table to the people in our lives. Even with our differences, we can come together as friends, and even as family!

What I mean is we are all human. We may not lead the same lives or make the same choices or even share the same opinions but we should love each other. God doesn't tell us that because we don't believe a certain way that he doesn't love us, He loves us no matter what we believe. Why can't we all have that same love for everyone around us?

Everyone makes mistakes, no one is perfect. Our place isn't judging those around us, our place is to love and accept them. We don't have to make them part of the family and be their friends, we just need to show love and acceptance. When we judge or degrade others because their beliefs are different, we are sinning against God.

It's even said that opinions are just that, an opinion. We don't have to agree, we just have to try to learn to accept the difference and move on. Calling people dumb or any other mean/degrading remark against another person, no matter the reason, is not our place. Would God call someone stupid or degrade them the way we do to each other? NO!!! So why do we continue to do this even when we call ourselves Christians?

The idea is to live life as close to the Godly way as we can. Not allowing people, with their differences, to share one table with us is wrong. We may be eating different meals, having different discussions, but we are all loved by God and should be loved by each other!

I am guilty of this myself. Judging people, making comments about them. I have really tried lately to make that one of my changes. In my last post I mentioned the thoughts I have that I pray right then for God to remove them, those are some of the thoughts I was talking about. When I see someone and automatically judge them based on appearance or how the speak, I pray for God to remove those thoughts and I then force myself to think of something nice about the person. Even if it's something as simple as they are wearing nice socks. Just something to veer away from the negative thoughts and not allowing myself to see that person in a negative way.

It's not easy to do and I am sure there are times I haven't caught myself and passed judgment or even laughed to myself about another person. I just want this to be something I continue to work on. I also want to teach my kids that judging people isn't right. They shouldn't look at a person and feel they have any right to do so. None of us do.

No matter how "Godly" we believe we are. No matter how moral we believe we are. No matter how another person acts, dresses or lives. NO MATTER WHAT! We don't have the right to judge, degrade or belittle others. Everyone will have their judgment day so lets learn to love each other and leave judgments up to the one person who has that authority, God!

Realizing His place in my life!

While cleaning the kitchen this morning, I realized something. I always listen to music when I clean, just makes it easier to do and I can sing along and have a good time with it. I just put my iPhone in the docking station and turn it up! My music ranges from Country to Rap to Christian. Well, what I realized this morning is that I might as well delete most of the songs that aren't Christian songs.

I've found that I tend to skip most other types of songs and listen to just the Christian bands. Now, this isn't like the normal Gospel music people are used to. This is Christian rock bands, Skillet and Kutless being the main ones. I just seem drawn more to those songs that anything else now.

There are some songs, like Breakfast At Tiffany's or Strawberry Wine, that I just can't skip over. It just seems weird to me that without me even acknowledging or realizing it, this is one change that has just taken over me.

I haven't really paid much attention to the changes in me, just trying to live for Him and go with the daily stream. Though, sitting here writing about the music, I realize there have been other smaller changes in my life. Like me slowly veering away from certain people or catching myself thinking bad thoughts and praying right then for Him to take those thoughts away. It's actually a much different life than what I had just 6 months ago. I like it!

I even find myself appreciating and loving my husband differently than I did just a few months ago. I try harder in everything I do, for Him and my husband. I've been happier than ever with where my life it at and find myself in much better moods on a daily basis! And we all know that women in good moods is a good thing for their husbands :)

Things are changing for me. GREAT changes that I welcome! Some will be harder than others, like releasing certain people from my life that have been around a while but are just bad for me. I am hoping that I continue to change and grow in His will and become a better person everyday!

Here's a few songs that have been my favorites to listen to lately! Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

http://youtu.be/7elxC8LXfzE

http://youtu.be/6Fxbz67SzSo

http://youtu.be/c_GD4MQspvc

http://youtu.be/BjSvml7iWeQ

http://youtu.be/i8qluy1ISL0

http://youtu.be/82hLvgGuDu8

http://youtu.be/A4ZRxcX1uYE

http://youtu.be/EUs4KxETz8Y

http://youtu.be/v3AzG6C6Q6w

Questions

Life in Germany isn't easy or for the faint at heart. While it can be an amazing experience for most, it can also be a horrifying experience for others. Being in a foreign country, away from family and close friends and sometimes starting or expanding families so far from home can be scary.

I for one feel half and half of it all. While I think living here is a once in a lifetime opportunity that should be taken advantage of, I still have a really hard time being so far from those I love. Honestly, the last two years have seemed to drag, making it feel like I've been here for five already.

We haven't done a whole lot of traveling, which I am sure is part of the reason I find it so blah and not completely happy. We are going to start planning more trips but it is hard with 2 small children and a baby on the way. Most tours and areas aren't necessarily child/stroller friendly and it makes the traveling a little difficult.

Missing family and friends is hard for me. I have met a lot of really nice people here but I don't know that I have too many I'd actually call real friends. They are nice, we get along but there isn't much time being spent hanging out. Between the colds that get passed around, husbands getting deployed and sent on TDY's, its hard to get people together. That, and those of us with small children find it more difficult, and more expensive, to get out than those who's children are in school or grown.

I do also hate that my family doesn't get to see my boys that often. Not having them around and knowing that the kids are missing out on having that closeness that I had as a child makes me sad. That causes a lot of grief for me, along with the fact that all my close friends who have small children and we aren't around them either. The boys seem to get along very well with my friends children and I'd love for us all to be closer.

Though, Filip's family is who'd I'd love to be close to. His family does have more children (since mine are technically the only kids of the family I am close to), all of which the boys seemed to bond with on our last trip to see them. Darien says that one of his cousins, Dominic, is also his best friend. He just loved him to pieces. I just wish we were closer to them and that the kids got to grow up knowing their cousins and other family.

Over the last two years, being in Germany has raised a lot of questions for me. Am I cut out for this lifestyle? Do I love Filip enough to continue living in unknown parts of the world and constantly being separated from family? Am I a strong enough person to still be mentally stable at the end of this assignment, or the end of his career??? Questions that do make a marriage hard and can sometimes end it. But, based on people I know and have talked with, this seems to be a normal part of being a spouse, especially a military spouse. We all wonder at times if we are "cut out" for this, but then we look at our husbands and realize that YES, we can get through this because they are there with us.

I may have questions at times, especially when the homesick kicks in, but I know that no matter how difficult living here may be, when it's all over I have a story to tell that many others will never have! I get to live my life with a man who has stood by me, every up and every down and never looked at me any differently than he did the day he married me. No matter my faults or short comings, he comes home to me every night to tell me he loves me and I know that I have his entire heart and body for the rest of my life!

I guess what I am trying to say is that I want all military spouses to understand that having these questions is normal. It's a normal part of marriage and especially military relationships. It just depends on how you answer the questions and what you do with them that determines their importance. I choose to answer them by saying my marriage is more important than the other stuff and that while we aren't close to them now, we will be close to family someday. He won't be in the military forever, so it's not like this will be the only thing we do. We just need to soak up what experiences we can while he's in and make the best of the next 10 years.

If you can look at it and answer the questions like that, just keep reminding yourself that it won't last forever. Even those who don't think they are strong can survive these times and make the most of it! Just remember to continually fall in love with your spouse as often and as many times as possible! Keep communicating and never hold your feelings in. Talk about them, to someone. Til next time!