Sometimes when I sit down to blog, I haven’t the faintest clue what I’m going to write about.  There is almost a swirling of emotions and thoughts and words that I feel like God is speaking to my heart…things I want to say to encourage others…yet sometimes it’s actually ME who needs the encouragement!  Today is one of those days.  I feel like all these swirlings are like jigsaw puzzle pieces in my head, and if I simply lay them all down in sections one at a time they will start to form a picture…the right picture that God wants me to see today.  It’s a good thing I love jigsaw puzzles!! 😉

The first section of “puzzle” I’m putting down is that our family is in a season of “waiting” as my hubby is looking for a job.  His boss sold the company he worked for and so his last day was Jan. 2.  Since then, he’s been doing the whole job-hunt, resume touching up, interviewing, and waiting thing!  If you’ve ever been in THAT boat, I’m sure you can relate and you know how hard it can be!  We are trusting God to bring something wonderful…but at times I admit I get scared wondering how long we are going to be in “this boat”.  But people say it’s all “who you know” in finding a job…and we KNOW Jesus!! 😉  He’s absolutely got this!  I refuse to allow fear any foothold inside my door!

Phew!! That was a big section of puzzle!

Then there’s the puzzle section where we are taking what we know to be true…God’s word…our “sword in the spirit” and we are standing strong…for the most part.  We have tough moments though…I won’t lie.  When we begin to focus on our fears, it takes our eyes off of Jesus, and we start to sink. Faith and trust and standing against discouragement from the enemy are no easy tasks.  It’s like a battle sometimes, because it’s easier to surrender to fear than stand in faith believing that when God’s word says He will bless you…He will!  We are no different that all those Bible people who had to do the same.  I often think of Joseph in that prison…after God told Him in dreams that He would do great things…and yet here he was, falsely accused and in prison!  But God brought him out!  There was a wait involved for him.  I know what God has for Mike and for us is worth the wait…so I’m determined to stand my ground.  When I get knocked over…I may cry and drag my feet a little…but eventually I get back up! 😉

But even soldiers in battle get tired and need a rest. Lately, I’ve felt tired of standing and trusting God when I don’t see anything happening…and God saw that because He gave me another big chunk of the puzzle this morning in a verse.  Romans 8:26 says, “The moment we get tired of waiting, God’s spirit is right alongside helping us along.”  Thank you, Lord, for seeing my heart.  Thank you for helping me along today.”  Oh how good He is and how He loves us!!

There is one other section of the puzzle I’ve been working on lately…and I just got it to fit with the rest of the puzzle.  It’s this:  It’s not easy trusting God when you can’t see anything happening.  BUT…I know that He is faithful and has a good plan…a beautiful plan…a PERFECT plan…and I CHOOSE to trust Him even when it’s “hard” because He’s done so much for us in the past!  We have seen God get us through rougher waters than these…MUCH rougher, and we have lived to tell of it!  We’ve seen His faithfulness time and time again…so really, why should I worry one iota??  All I need to do is look back down the road we’ve walked on and see all the many times He’s been faithful and has gotten us to safety. That renews my hope in a HUGE way!  He’s simply stretching our “faith muscles” and I’m grateful for it.  It makes us stronger.

So…puzzle pieces…my puzzle is coming together nicely today.  I feel like the swirling in my head is calming now and I am seeing a beautiful picture.  Maybe it’s a boat on tranquil waters, or a meadow scene with flowers, birds chirping and buzzing beetles! 😉  It’s peaceful anyway.

I had a feeling this blog was for me. 🙂