18 Yards Airborn!

How do you survive when you are thrown up in the air?

This is something I have been thinking about since several days ago. What got me thinking about this subject was really quite interesting. I volunteer on the local ambulance, and we were dispatched for an accident. We arrived to find the fire company already there, and fire fighters out in the field beside the road. Also in the field was a very very nice looking corvette. The gentleman had swerved to miss several deer that ran in front of him. The only indication of trauma to the car was that the air bags were deployed and there was some minimal damage to the front bumper. If it had not been for those things, you would not have known anything had happened. And the man in it? He was fine, or so he said. He complained of some neck pain, but did not want to go to the hospital. We did all our paperwork, and continued down the road to turn around and head back to station. As we did so, I only then could see a little more clearly how the man had come to be so far into the field with so little visible damage to his car. He flew there! :)

Yes, literally! As in, flew through the air! He was in the air for just less than 20 yards before his car landed, and yes, I think he may have been going faster than the speed limit! Coming towards the vehicle, the way we drove in to the scene, we could not see exactly where he went off the road. I thought it seemed strange as we looked at the vehicle that there were not many visible tracks in the field, and as we left I could see better why there were none. His car went off a small hill off the edge of the road and you could only see tracks again a few feet before the car stopped in the field, where he had actually landed.

All that, to say this... How do you end up when life throws you up in the air? Granted, the man probably would not have flown so far if he had not been going so fast, but I guess there are times in life when we all get going at a higher speed than we should! What does it take for us to slow down, and enjoy right now, instead of racing so fast toward tomorrow that we miss the meaning of today?

Sometimes we do get going that fast, and we get thrown up in the air, but maybe more importantly, is how do we come down? How do we land again? Do we land on our feet, and slow down, or do we crash and burn? This particular gentleman seemed to survive quite well. I am sure he was quite sore for several days, but he did not have any major complaints. When we land, are we able to find some grace for ourselves, and then continue as we should (at a slower pace probably), or are we so damaged from the landing that we need to stop for some time to patch ourselves back together again? Either way, God can use the time to get our attention, and to point out to us the things we need to change, to work on, to do better! He is the one who will help us find the grace to get up on our feet and follow Him again.

Remember to keep your eyes on Him! (It's usually when we forget to watch Him that we end up getting thrown...)

~Amanda

On Learning Contentment

 So I guess I needed this today!! Seems like so many times lately, I have been having a hard time trusting that God will take care of us... I called several businesses the other day to see if any one is hiring right now, in search of a job for Mike. Only one even sounded very hopeful, so we picked up an application, and Mike filled it out, and took it in this morning! I am really hoping that it will work out, and either way, I still need to remember this: "If God is all you have, you have all you need."

That's such a hard concept for us Americans. Maybe it is for people in general, but I think in America, we are so used to getting whatever we need as soon as we need it. It's hard to remember that God will do what is best for us when I see that we will soon be out of diapers again, or food, or money to pay bills, or... the list goes on, and you can fill in your own needs.

So how do we do it? I guess most of us have probably heard the saying, "Easier said than done." That is usually the case! God has a way of reminding me to keep trusting in Him. It seems that every day that I have a struggle, He brings a reminder into my life to trust Him, just as He did this morning with this picture! If He can give me so many wonderful reminders, so often, then He knows! He knows what we are going through! He knows our struggles! He knows what the future holds! And even though I do not know the future, I can rest in the fact that He is there, and He holds the key to all we need!

So many of our "needs" are really just "wants!" So through this time, perhaps He wants to teach us something. For me, one thing He is teaching is contentment. You know, it really can be hard to be content when you spend part of the day looking at the things that would be nicer than the ones you have (like I did last week!). It would be nice to have that sweater that I think would fit better, would look nicer, and would be one that I actually like! However, the ones I have are not all worn out yet. In fact, they do their job well. So, I will do my best to be content with the ones I have, and remember that there are those in other countries that may not have any sweaters, let alone sometimes a way to heat their homes, or the resources to heat their homes. We in America are blessed, and I know that I, for one, could do better at helping those who are less fortunate!  So, may God teach me to be more content with what I have, and to trust Him for the real needs, and leave the "wants" for later!

~Amanda

I Am Rich

I will admit it... I spent the morning worrying. The bills are coming due. My husband has work, but he is not able to do it until the ground is frozen over so that it is cold enough for him to drive the equipment in the fields without getting stuck in mud. So, I did some laundry and dishes, and worried as I did them.

I sat down to hold my crying baby. As I rocked him gently back and forth so he would fall asleep, I felt contentment in my heart, and I knew, that even though we may struggle to get the bills paid, I AM RICH. God has blessed me with two beautiful children, and I still have today to hold them close. They are precious treasures to me, and I protect them carefully.

And isn't that how God thinks of us, His children? He holds us in the palm of His hand. He sees the sparrow that falls. The song says, "If God can hold the little bird, I know He loves me, too!" God wants me to rest in His arms just as my sleeping baby lay in mine... without worry... without knowing what the future may hold. I may not know what may happen, but God does, and I can rest in the security that He will make a way and He has my best interest in mind.

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." ~Jeremiah 29:11

Promises of God

The last two months seem to have been a rollercoaster of emotions. Two weeks before Christmas, my husband was laid off. Since then, it seems like I have struggled more with a wide variety of emotions.  But I thank God for His faithfulness.

As humans, we all have times of doubting God and mistrusting Him. And I would guess that that is much easier to do when we face struggles and hard times. In my humanness, I am so glad that God can understand my fraility. I am glad that He is still there for me and loves me just as much when I doubt Him.

I think if God seems far away, it is me that is far from Him! God always knows what is best for us, but sometimes, I believe, He wants to hear from us. He wants us to make our requests known to Him. He wants to know that we know we need His help. Not a day goes by that we make it through without His grace. "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." ~Lamentations 3:22 & 23

Thank You, Lord, for your faithfulness!!!

Good Intentions

Good intentions... Things like exercising more, drinking as much water as I should, being more patient with my children. They are all a little like this blog... I am probably not doing as good as I should with any of them, and I need to keep working at them. I did start with good intentions! That is a start, but how far do good intentions carry me?

Well, in my case, apparently not far enough. Good intentions are a good start, but if they are not carried out, what good do they do us? In order for our intentions to do any good, they must be carried out. We can make goals to help us carry out our intentions. We can learn more about the things we want to do. More information can help us to carry out our intentions with more profit or in a more productive manner. God can also help us to carry out our intentions if they are within His will. Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." God knows our intentions before we even have them, and I should be looking to Him for the strength to carry them out, and the wisdom for which ones should even be carried out.

So, when I have good intentions, where do I begin? I often start by thinking about or learning about it. I know that I do not pray nearly as often as I should. That would probably be a better start than thinking or learning. When we feel as it something is inside of God's will, then we should be able to go ahead with that. Some of these things take work, like sitting down and actually typing out my thoughts. Some of these things take choices, like going to the water faucet with a cup instead of heading for a soda. And some of these things take temperance and long-suffering, like being more patient with my  children. And in the end, they are all choices, and they all have a result. Maybe if I stopped to see the results more often, it would have a greater end!

And as an encouragement to you, if you feel that God has called you to do something, remember: it may take hard work, it may not be easy, it may require discipline! But in the end, if it is God's will for you, it will be worth what it takes to complete it! And, without God, it probably will not be worth the price you pay. Psalm 127:1 "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."

Amanda

A New Year and A New Start

The new year is as good a time as any to begin again! I have heard recently, several times, that those who are most successful are those who set goals for themselves. So, over the next few days, that is what I want to be working at, along with my usual jobs :) I have some general ideas, but need to put a few more specifics in place for the coming year! My general ideas include more advertising, more connecting, more networking, more sales, etc. Hopefully that is a possibility!

How about you? Has the new year helped you to evaluate your life and find ways to do better this year? It is good for all of us to take the time to evaluate our lives now and then and see how we measure up. Not only to our own plans, but also making sure that our plans are within God's plans for us.

I not only want to do better with my business this year, but also in my personal life. In that area, I want to pray more for my family as well as pray with them more often! I want to spend more time getting to know God more, so that I can know His will for me.

Best wishes to each for this year, and I hope you can fulfill your goals!
Amanda

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