And I Shall Recover It ALL...

Today was my day to visit another church. I gotta tell ya...I am truly enjoying the

experience. 

In the process, God has let me know that HE is in control of this...not I. 

The reason I say that is because there a THREE churches that I am anxious to visit...THREE. Wouldn't you know...those THREE have not been pulled from my bowl yet. It's as if God is saying, "Nope...not yet."

Even when I pulled today's church yesterday, I almost cheated and was going to pull another to see if one of the THREE might come out. Can you believe that?!? Hey, if I'm nothing else, I'm honest.

I quickly remembered though that this is a "team effort." Where I pull, is where HE wants me to go, even if I'm not 100% sure of the reason. 

The only thing that I am certain of is that every church in my bowl is in there because someone I know has worshiped there. Whether they're a member or were just visiting on a particular day is unknown to me, and most of the time I can't even remember which friend it was who went where.  Not that it really matters because I don't go to see friends (although I've said before that if I do...GREAT. But if I don't...that's OK too.)

Well...I didn't cheat yesterday and this morning I went to the church that I pulled. The one that God wanted me to visit today. 

I gotta tell ya. As I sat there in service I realized that I was right where I needed to be. The songs during Praise and Worship spoke directly to my heart, and the message was one that I truly needed to hear. The key point was RESTORATION -- getting back what was once mine...and then some. THAT was EXACTLY what I needed to hear. 

It didn't stop there though. 

This afternoon I attended my own church's 3 Year Anniversary service. Now here's how I know that God is REAL and that NOTHING is by coincidence. 

Our theme for this afternoon's service was "Growing Stronger, Growing Deeper, Reaching Higher," and the message was to come from Isaiah 40:31

Well...the pastor who was selected to deliver the message had agreed to delivering one, but said that he wanted to speak on something else. My pastor agreed, and although we kept our theme, the message came from 2 Samuel 9:1-7, and was titled, "Welcome to The Table of Grace." Wouldn't you know...THAT message was all about (you guessed it) RESTORATION. 

I almost cried. 

Sometimes God speaks so softly to me, I can barely hear Him. Sometimes He's completely SILENT. At other times, like today, He SHOUTS. And I heard just what He's trying to tell me. In this "season" that I am about to go through, He wants me to TRUST Him and know that no matter what I've lost (and may potentially lose), He will RESTORE it ALL...and then some. 

With confirmation like that, how can I worry? I can't, and I won't. 

Now...Let the DIALOGUE begin: Do you believe in God, or coincidence? 

Talk to me!

Til next time...

Apology NOT Received

Weeks have passed. The apology has not come. The apology won't come because she is simply too stubborn to admit her wrong.

In spite of all that, it is well with my soul.

I have forgiven her (so that I can be FREE of bitterness and anger), lifted her up in prayer and have given her to God.

THIRTY EIGHT years worth of friendship down the toilet because she didn't care enough about my feelings to even ASK about my feelings, when she KNEW that she had disrespected my feelings.

It meant more for her to become "friends" with someone she didn't even know, than to remain friends with ME...someone she'd known all her life.

That's her choice and if she feels that she made the right decision, then as I told her when she asked...my feelings don't really matter, do they?

It's been said that TRUST takes years to BUILD, seconds to BREAK, and forever to REPAIR. That pretty much sums it up. I will not write about her again...EVER.

So...Let the DIALOGUE begin: How long did it take you to forgive the last person who broke your trust?

Talk to me!

Til next time...