Eyes to See

I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me.  In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord...I will remember the deeds of the Lord, yes I will remember your wonders of old.  (Psalm 77:1-2, 11)

At the beginning of the year 2013, I felt like I was walking in a thick, black fog.  All my eyes could see were the struggles and heartaches facing me on all sides, and most days I awoke with a heart filled with fear, disappointment, and endless questions that seemed to have no answers.   The discouragements of my heart built a huge wall that seemed to hinder my steps and block my view from seeing beyond the troubles of the day.  I was stuck, caught in a deep mire that pulled me deeper and deeper into its grip even as I tried to fight back and go on.  

There were two spiritual disciplines of life that never waned throughout this time:  personal Bible study and times of prayer.  It was through these means of grace that God carried me through a dark valley and restored my soul.  

In mid-January, I began to realize that my perspective was askew and that a drastic re-adjustment needed to take place.  But I felt utterly helpless to change.  It seemed like everything was working against me - my emotions, my physical well-being, my natural responses to life and its pressures, etc.  But when God finally brought me to the end of myself, He gave me the desire to humbly ask this of Him:  "Father, give me eyes to see your goodness and cultivate in me a heart of gratitude."  

In talking with a friend shortly thereafter, they mentioned that they daily wrote down one gift that they saw God give them that day.  My heart instantly responded to that idea.  In order to cultivate a heart of gratitude and train my eyes to see life differently, I needed to consciously consider, "What has God done for me today?"

So, on January 18, 2013, I started my "God's Gifts to Me" journal.  I purposed that for one year I would daily record one gift of God to me.

Sounds easy, right?  Well, for me it wasn't - at first.  This exercise was quite revealing for when I decided to begin this journal, the trials of life only increased and intensified.  When I sat down at the end of the day with my pen in hand, I had to think hard.  I had to push aside my emotions and discouragements and look for evidences of God's love and provision for me.  My early entries reveal the depths to which I stooped to notice the simple things coming from God's hand:  the chirping birds on a spring day that reminded me a new season was here, the warmth of the sun on my skin after a cold winter, an email from a friend, a text message from another, etc.  They were simple things.  Yes, it didn't seem as if God was providing for any of the "big" issues going on in my life, but I slowly began to realize that He was indeed giving me good gifts and that He did indeed love me.  

Gradually, as the days and weeks wore on and I continued to write, the thick fog I felt trapped in begin to lift, and my joy at God's present work in my life returned.

"Eyes to see.."  I am so grateful that God led me to pray that prayer in January!  Although God had me walk through fiery trials during that time, He taught me that it is possible to possess a joyful, trusting spirit as long as my eyes are focused on Him and my heart is grateful for all that He does for me - big or small.

Eight months later this exercise has become easier - almost second-nature!  And not only has God enlarged my vision, but He has also given me a record of His faithfulness that I can read during seasons of doubt as well as share with future generations.  

This journal has become a treasure to me.  So I challenge you: Do your eyes truly see, and is your heart grateful?   

The New Complete!

Last Friday was an important day in our home as the flooring installation was finally completed!  After three weeks of our surroundings in a constant disarray, it has been so wonderful to have everything in its proper place and order (and peace) restored!  Today, as I sorted boxes and helped to put some in the attic and then cut down others for the recycle bin, it was hard to believe that a project we've talked about for 10 years or more was finally done, and that all the boxes we had been packing/unpacking and moving all over the house for the last three weeks wouldn't be used again for a long time.  What a relief!

I love these before-and-after pictures.  We'll treasure them years later when we recall all that we experienced throughout this ordeal.

It was certainly a family project!  Each one pitched in and did what they could while juggling numerous other responsibilities.  We actually really enjoyed spending time with one another while working toward a common goal.  I won't deny that it was a lot of work (and we did get a little weary toward the end), but the final product has been so rewarding.  We thank God for His provision and blessing and continue to ask that He use our home for kingdom purposes.

The Queen City: Day 2

Saturday morning came a bit too early for some of us, but we didn't sleep too long because we had to pack up and check out of the hotel before enjoying our outdoor recreation:  biking along the Ohio River.  We parked in Newport, Kentucky and walked across the bridge to rent our bikes.  (We found out later that this particular bridge was going to be destroyed, but three business men intervened and had it turned into a bridge for pedestrians only.  Now it leads one to the "backdoor" of the Newport Aquarium.)

Even though it was quite humid, we greatly enjoyed our hour-long ride!  The riverfront area in Cincinnati is beautiful with trees, flowers, paved paths, and historical markers along the way.  We biked the full length of the trail two times, across the bridge, and back before returning our bikes.

We did work up a sweat (which didn't evaporate in the humidity) so decided that a scoop of ice cream from Coldstone Creamery was in order.  It was both delicious and refreshing!

Before leaving town, we had one more planned activity:  a Ride the Ducks city tour.  That was certainly an interesting experience; not so much the water and street ride (which was fun!) but all the "extras" that went along with it.  But we did learn some fascinating facts about the city, such as the Paul Brown football stadium being the safest place in the city during a tornado because there are no touchdowns there.  Ha - I thought that was a good one! =)

When Dad and I visited Cincinnati earlier this year, we walked across a bridge that reminded us so much of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.  Come to find out, engineers patterned the Brooklyn Bridge after this bridge in Cincinnati!  It was the very first suspension bridge built, and once completed, no one trusted it enough to cross it.  In order to prove that it was indeed safe and structurally sound, they had 21 elephants cross. That worked!  Now there are suspension bridges all over the world.

What a wonderful two days God gave us!  We came home a little tired but so grateful for all that we had seen and experienced together.  The memories built will last a lifetime.

The Queen City: Day 1

Before we woke up on Friday morning, we had already decided to spend the day in museums and reserve our outdoor plans for Saturday.  This proved to be a smart move since the day dawned overcast and uncomfortably muggy.  Little did we know, however, what would be in store at the end of the day.

Our first destination was the Newport Aquarium.  I had heard rave reviews from several friends about this place, and we were all eager to see it.  The entrance fee was worth the money!  We had never been to an aquarium before, so seeing all the sea life up close was an incredible experience.  I stood amazed at God's creation - so intricate, delicate, and beautiful!  All different shapes, sizes, colors, and serving varied purposes in this world - and God just spoke it all into existence!

Since sea creatures are constantly on the move and I only had my point-and-shoot camera, taking pictures was a bit of a challenge, but I did manage to get a few.  You'll just have to go there one day and see it all for yourself. :)

Perhaps my favorite exhibit was the rainforest with the birds and otters.  The latter in particular are so cute, and it was fun to watch them being fed!

And don't forget the penguins!  Funny creatures...they seem to like to stand all in a row.

Toward the end of our tour, we rounded the corner of an exhibit and came face to face with an impressive mural along with this description:

The ironic part was that previously on Monday, we had our last Bible study meeting of the summer and completed the book of Acts where we had just looked at Paul's shipwreck on the island of Malta.  So as I was reading the above description, the word "Malta" immediately stood out to me, and I let out a squeal!  We had to, of course, snap a picture with our phone and send it to our Bible study leader (Kathy). :)

After a thrilling experience here, we headed to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in downtown Cincinnati.  Again, if you have never visited this museum, then you should put it on the top of your list for your next vacation!  We learned so much about the history of slavery, the underground railroad, the Civil War, and the unique role that the city of Cincinnati played in this part of history.  A wealth of information is contained here, and we had difficulty absorbing it all.  It reminded me of the day that Dad and I visited Ellis Island in New York City, only this time it was slaves rather than immigrants.  Seeing the faces, reading their words, re-living their experiences - it was all quite sobering.  We came away with a new sense of gratitude for those who gave so much to end the terrible practice of slavery in this country.

By the end of this day, we had enjoyed the beauty of God's handiwork in His creation and traced His hand through the course of history.  As if that wasn't enough, we had to finish the day with an authentic summer American experience - a baseball game!  Yes, the Reds happened to be playing in town that night, and though we had not originally planned on this, we found ourselves sitting in the Great American Ballpark.  This was Rachael's first time at a major league game, and she enjoyed it.  It was a gorgeous evening, and the game was an exciting one!    Not only did the Reds win, but the evening concluded with a spectacular fireworks show!

By the time 12:00 midnight rolled around, my heart was full of gratitude for God's abundant provision for us.  It had been a wonderful day with many special memories, and we looked forward with anticipation to what the next day held in store.

The Queen City

I just returned from a wonderful 2-day vacation with Dad and Rachael!  I mentioned in my last post that Rachael had requested we not tell her where we were going or what we would do while away.  I thought both Dad and I did a good job at trying to keep it a secret, but come to find out on Thursday afternoon, Rachael's sharp mind had nailed the location due to a few comments that had been made the day before.  Oh well...  She still didn't know the planned activities, so we discussed those details while on the road.

Many of the activities we desired to do were outdoors, but the weather forecast for this particular weekend didn't look too accommodating.  I was a little disappointed but continued to pray that God would change the weather pattern and knew that He had the very best in store for us, whatever turn it would take.

So, where did we go?  See if you can guess from this picture:

Cincinnati, Ohio (also known as, ""The Queen City") was our destination!  Being only 2 hours away from Indy, it was the perfect location for a mini vacation, a city filled with intriguing history and fun recreation.  The full story and more pictures will follow soon!

Life...

Well, it certainly feels like we've shifted from studying and typing to the new vocation of professional packers and movers.  The house continues to be in quite a disarray, but progress is being made, and we look forward to resuming normal life again by the end of next week.  The stairs were re-carpted yesterday and turned out so nice!

And this will be gone by the end of tomorrow...  

Life has held other things besides this project.  On Monday, I had the great privilege of taking some friends of mine to the Statehouse for a tour.  We enjoyed lunch and wonderful conversation with Matt Barnes from Capitol Commission.  We were also allowed to step inside the governor's office!

I returned home that evening just in time to prepare for our last Bible study meeting of the summer.  Unknown to Kathy and I, Rachael had emailed the entire group ahead of time and asked them to bring a small snack to the study as a thank you to me and Kathy for hosting and leading the study in our home the last year.  We were very surprised.  And since all the girls could attend that night, we had a grand feast!

And last (but not in any way least), it was a special day today: 

What a godly and wonderful mother God has given this family!  We thank the Lord for her and her invaluable contribution in our lives.

So now I'm preparing for a weekend vacation with Dad and Rachael beginning tomorrow night.  The location and activities are a complete surprise to Rachael (at her request).  Details and pictures will come next week!

Happy Chaos

Well, it's been quite the week, and we are all a little weary.  Yesterday was a long, hard day of putting back together two rooms and then immediately undoing two others.  (E-books are looking better and better...)  But in the middle of all this, some sunshine burst in and brought giggles and refreshment.  Rachael came home from school yesterday afternoon as we were starting to dismantle her bedroom.  We couldn't believe how much stuff she packed in there!  She firmly believes in preparedness, though I'm not sure what random pamphlets stuffed in between the books on her bookshelf have to do with being prepared.  And then there was the back of her door, and her closet, and under the bed...the list goes on and on.  E.v.e.r.y square inch of space was utilized, and the whole time I was wondering how everything was going to go back in!  All this brought about much laughter from her sisters and mother who continued packing box after box and carrying load after load down the stairs.  Then in the middle of all this, we suddenly heard, "Mom?  Where do I put this???"  When I turned around this is what greeted my eyes:

All this has been hanging on the back of her bedroom door (minus the hat box).   Ahh!  Another puzzle to solve...

True it's been a lot of work, but the end result is rewarding!  The new flooring is beautiful and so soft.  We thank the Lord for what He has provided for us!

The old and the new.

Our new bedroom!