Thank You Lord for...life!

THANK YOU LORD for life! We've all heard it many times, but life is sooo very precious! We are all placed on this earth not knowing how long we will even be here. The thought of not knowing our last day is a little scary but knowing where I'm going helps quite a bit. I've always been told to live every day like it is your last. I realized that today when God spoke to me in a way that we don't always prefer to be spoken to, but boy He sure did get my attention!

I was on my way back from lunch today and crossing a busy intersection in Atlanta when I was in a three car accident. A lady ran the red light at full speed and hit me on the driver's side. Her speed caused my car to spin and knocked it further down the road. It all happened so fast I was in total shock. I wasn't wearing my seat belt and was therefore jarred really bad. Luckily, no one else was hurt. My only injuries were to my back and bruises to both my body and soul. Nothing a shot in the bottom, muscle relaxers or some ice couldn't take care of! I wasn't able to drive my car and it had to be towed but all that mattered was that everyone was okay. It could have been much worse and it was a miracle that no other cars were involved. God was watching over me today but also helped me to step back and take a look at things.

Today made me realize how precious life really is! Our days are numbered, our lives are limited and life passes extremely fast! We give little to the thought of the shortness of life! I searched the Bible for some scripture and found an amazing one below.

"Lord, make me to know my end,and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Indeed you have made my days as handbreadths,and my age is as nothing before you;certainly every man at his best state is but vapor." Psalm 39:4-6

What a great definition of life! This scripture helped me to put things into focus today. When we as humans tend to understand that life is short we will become wiser individuals. We will not only view the issues of life more accurately but have such a better perspective. We will handle problems more wisely and invest our time better. It causes us to carefully choose how we are going to live and what we are going to live for.

So remembering that life is short can remind us of the preciousness of relationships that we most often times take for granted. It can help us to be less selfish, more loving and more forgiving.So take a second today and step back from your life. Try to be more loving and forgiving while letting your loved ones know you care! It might be your last chance. THANK YOU LORD for life!

Thank You Lord for...answered prayers!

THANK YOU LORD for answered prayers. I’ve always been told God answers prayers. He might not answer them during our requested time frame or exactly in every detail we like, but He does hear us when we speak to him. After I looked at one bedroom apartments last week I called my mother so upset. The thought of living alone left me feeling so empty. If you know me, you are aware that I’m a very bubbly and outgoing person who loves to be around others. I’m very talkative; enjoy company and an extrovert to the fullest extent. Yes, I do love my time alone but just couldn’t bring myself to the idea of not even having someone to discuss the day with. I’ve have always had a roommate and at times even more than one. To give you a better idea of how much I love roommates, here is a list of my former ones….Joanna, Caryn, Anna, Megan, Sarah, Maren, Emily, Erica, Katie T, Katie R, Ashley, Laura, Kaci, Evan, Lauren, Marvee and Susanne. And they all made my living experience 10x better!

So, I forgot to mention that Atlanta is not the safest area for a single female and one bedrooms can be pretty pricey. My mother suggested a roommate and I informed her that everyone I knew in the area was either married, living with their fiancé or has had the same roommate for years. I was so stressed and saddened about the situation. I had to find somewhere to move quickly because my storage unit would run up in October. So, I let go of the frustration and asked God to help me through this situation…all I could do was pray about it. And boy did he answer the prayer fast!

Only hours later I was at Barnes & Noble (my new home) when I heard someone from a distance call my name. I turned to see Julie, a girl I hadn’t seen in years! We both cheered together our freshman year at Georgia College and now here she was only feet away. We quickly began catching up on each other’s lives and I asked her to spread the word to her friends that I was looking for a roommate. Well, to my surprise Julie was actually experiencing some crazy times in her life as well. We both could relate to the fact that we felt like nomads living out of our Vera Bradley bags and were ready to settle down somewhere fast. We filled each other in on the past few years and visited apartments the very next morning.

Julie and I have now found a place to live and are super excited about moving in together. We have so much in common and are ready to embark on our new journey. Isn’t it amazing that the Lord works in such mysterious ways? Here He was bringing someone back into my life after 6 YEARS just at the right moment. And to make things even better Julie is such a wonderful Christian woman. I know He placed her back in my life to help encourage me on my new walk with GOD. My experience has helped me to realize that prayer is such a powerful thing. So, Thank you Lord for bringing Julie into my life and for watching over me. You never fail to amaze me! THANK YOU LORD for answered prayers!



" Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours." Mark 11:24

Thank You Lord for...children and faith!

THANK YOU LORD for children and faith! After I met Kian on Sunday, I decided to spend yesterday afternoon at the homeless shelter here in Atlanta. My sister’s house as it is called, houses around 50 kids! To see their faces you would never know they lived in a shelter or had experienced such a hard walk in their short lives. I approached the playground and within seconds 5 children came running up to me. I guess a new face must have been extremely exciting for those who live with around 100 plus. They hugged me, asked my name, told me theirs, grabbed hold of my hands and pulled me over to the monkey bars. I was a total stranger to these kids but they treated me like I was one of their own. I was pulled from one end of the playground to the other sliding down slides, running around and watching their songs and dances. One little girl even asked me to pick her up so that she could grab the monkey bars. I was in total disbelief that she allowed me to touch her and raise her up so high above my head. These children were putting their trust in me and welcoming me to their home. They loved me as God loved us. Did you know that human love is conditional and based on feelings or emotions? God’s love is the complete opposite. He doesn’t love us because we love him or make him feel good. He loves us unconditionally! I am so thankful for the children that day and their unconditional love towards me. It made me realize that I must love everyone as God loved us.

"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him"
1 John 4:16

After about an hour, I headed inside to tutor a teenager. Her mother sat on the computer next to us typing an email. I watched her patiently and slowly peck at the keyboard, one letter at a time. She had obviously never been taught how to type, a skill that we all take for granted. As I turned my head, a word from the screen seemed to jump up and catch my attention. If I hadn’t looked twice I would have thought it was in all bold, italicized and capital letters. But it wasn’t! At the bottom of her email she wrote the word GOD BLESS! Such a simple statement but such a large meaning. Here was a woman who was homeless, living in a shelter, had experienced more in her life than most of us ever will and she was sharing her faith with others. I left the shelter so thankful for having gone and with a challenge to share my faith with others. So thank you Lord for the children at the shelter and how they exemplified your love and for the mother whose faith in you impacted me. THANK YOU LORD for children and faith!

Thank You Lord for...courage

THANK YOU LORD for giving me courage. It is amazing to me how God can work so quickly in our lives. Only hours after re-accepting Christ into my life again I headed to Cheesecake Factory to grab lunch and then off to Barnes and Noble for the afternoon. By the way if you have never eaten there I highly recommend it, it is my favorite restaurant! J I bought the book my counselor recommended, “Changes that Heal” and headed upstairs to find a seat. The book is a spiritual one that helps us to understand our past to ensure a healthier future. Did you know that all your relationships as a child with your parents and friends will always have an effect on your current ones? I will have to blog about the book later.

I grabbed a big comfy chair in a group of 4 facing each other. After taking off my shoes (yes I did in Barnes & Noble) I glanced at my neighbors. One was obviously studying for a test, the other on her computer and well the third one caught my eye. She was dressed in mismatched clothes, shoes that were obviously too big for her feet and her arms and head were tucked inside her shirt. She lay there curled up sleeping with her plastic bag beside her. She was HOMELESS! It hit me that she had come where it was comfortable, safe and dry (despite Atlanta was flooding at the moment). While reading I caught myself glancing up at her after every couple of pages. This is when God began to tug at my heart. He was telling me to act, but I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to embarrass her in front of the others sitting so close. I continued to read ignoring my desires until they became so strong I had to make a move. I quietly walked over and whispered into her ear, “Do you need something to eat?” She simply nodded her head yes without saying a word. She followed me downstairs to the small café where she looked at me puzzled. I told her to order anything she wanted. Without a second of hesitation she pointed to the club sandwich. Isn’t it amazing that people who aren’t usually given options can make a decision so quickly? We ordered the sandwich along with some Cranberry juice. She introduced herself as Kian and I returned the introduction. I offered to sit with her but she informed me she wanted to go to the music section before leaving. She kept saying “Thank you” over and over and did so at least 5 times before we parted. As I turned to walk away she quietly said “You look like a movie star.” My face instantly lit up and a smile took over sending a warm sensation to my heart. You may be saying that was nice of me and I was able to touch a life, but I look at it completely different. Kian touched my heart that moment and brought life to me when I needed it the most. She was the angel that day! Without God’s courage I wouldn’t have been able to share my faith with a complete stranger or wouldn’t have been reminded of how truly fortunate I am. So ,THANK YOU LORD for giving me courage.

Thank You Lord for... a Second Chance

THANK YOU LORD for giving me a second chance. Recently, I have been dealing with one of the hardest things I have ever dealt with in my life. Last week I cried myself to sleep almost every night, had my first anxiety attack, lost 6 pounds in 5 days because I couldn’t eat, took time off from work because I couldn’t concentrate, saw a counselor, took depression medicine for the first time in my life and continually searched for answers to the point where it consumed over 85% of my daily thoughts. As the counselor diagnosed it, I was experiencing bereavement or aka grieving. On Sunday I realized I was only left with one place to turn….GOD. I knew I couldn’t get through this emotional time without Him and realized the lack of him in my life was probably one contributing factor to the situation in the first place. So, drum roll please….. I’m happy to announce that after spending 4 hours praying and crying, I re-accepted Christ into my life at Northpoint Community Church in Alpharetta. A big thank you to Ms. Joann and Ms. Michelle for talking with me, praying with me and guiding me through the entire process. You were definitely angels sent from above.

If you know me at all you are probably confused at this point. You might be asking how I can re-accept him into my life. Or you might even react as my friend Mike did, “But you already had him in your life and you are already a religious person.” Well, the answer is yes I did re-accept him and Mike is right about him already being in my life. Christ has actually been a part of my life since childhood but let me explain…

We all drive down the road we call life. Christ has been in my car for quite a while now. I sometimes even let Him sit beside me in the front passenger seat. When I reach a destination point He is most usually praised for helping me navigate or for helping me make good time. When difficult conditions occur on the road I don’t have a problem handing the wheel right over. I mean who wants to drive in snow or rain when you aren’t familiar with those conditions. Occasionally, I even make Him sit in the back passenger seat, relying fully on the confidence that I know how to drive without His help at all. The fact of the matter is… Christ has never been the owner of the car. I have relied on my own experiences, confidence, and guidance to reach destinations and steer my way through life. After hitting a dead end road last week I turned off my car, unbuckled the seatbelt and slowly opened the door making way for Him. We can drive all day long on our road of life but what we fail to ask ourselves is where we are truly going. I have decided that without a map or clear path we continue to drive in circles, take dead end roads, try to cross bridges that aren’t stable and much more. So I am proud to say that God is now at the wheel of my car and will be my personal GPS from here on out. I know it won’t always be easy being a passenger in the back seat when I’ve been the driver for so long. And I’m sure at times I will even ask for it back, but I have made the decision to give it to Him and this is only the first step. I’m now ready to sit back, enjoy the scenery and His choice of stops along the way . If one thing is clear, I have never felt so much pressure and weight lifted off my shoulders. For once I am not in control, HE is. I’m looking forward to the ride to sharing my journey with you. So, THANK YOU LORD for giving me a second chance!

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’' Isaiah 41:10