Peace and Security

I am extremely excited about being able to network this blog to Facebook, especially since I feel like the more people that join in the conversation, the more we all get out of a blog. I am also glad because I feel like I am going to explode if I don't get some things out of me that have been weighing me down for quite some time now. Unfortunately, the time is not yet come to completely divulge everything that may be on the horizon, there are a few things I would like to make known...

I am in a bad financial situation at the moment. The only thing that makes this worse is that I will very shortly not be, thanks to the wonderful first time home buyers tax credit that is currently in effect, as well as being able to get some money back that has long been missing, but these last couple of months have really been a challenge. We have really learned how to make due on very little in order to invest in the future and move forward. On top of that, it seems that Murphy's law is still alive and well, and at times (and I'm sure many of you can relate) more effective than gravity. All these things and more have really pushed us to the edge, and have filled me up with more than one feeling that I have not been entirely sure how to deal with, but the one that surpasses them all is the one that I can least explain...

It's this feeling of peace. Not just hope, or expectancy, and I am not saying that there is not a measure of fear mixed in with it all, but pure, calm and surety about the future that seems to come from somewhere deeper than all the others feelings swirling around on the surface. I had read the verse in Phillipians 4:7, about the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, but it really does defy logic and everything that I know should be controlling my mind. As I said, it's not as if I don't worry, it's just that, it doesn't consume me.

This feeling seems to stem from many sources. First, I am constantly reminded of all the times God has been faithful to me in the past, and like David, I am encouraged within myself. The last three places I have worked have all gone out of business, and each time I have lost a job, God has given me a job that is better than the one I had lost. Second, sometimes I find myself thinking, without knowing how it even came to mind, about the future, not in this world, but in the world to come, in the world that Jesus is coming back to redeem and reclaim, and I know that know matter what happens in this life, I have my promise. I know that doesn't seem very relevant or practical to some of you, but is the one truth that stands through the ages and has encouraged greater men than you and I.

Most of all, I am confronted daily with the richness of my life, no matter what my bank account balance is. I am surrounded by an amazing family, friends, and the greatest church family that I have ever known. I am married to my best friend, and our life is incredible, even with it's troubles. I would rather be broke with her, than rich with anyone else. My future is bright, and every day points toward a grand destiny that has already been chosen for me.

For those of you who don't find this helpful, or practical, or for those who think that this has been said a million times too many, perhaps it is time to return to one of the basic truths that God teaches us, and that Jesus seemed to hold so dear. Our treasure in not entirely in this life, and the part of it that is can not be found in banks and handbags. Sure, we can't live without that kind of wealth...or can we? Whatever you are facing, I hope that you will be encouraged by this, and I hope you will in turn encourage yourself and those around you, to know that even in the darkest of times, there is more to life than what we own, and that our security is not the FDIC.

There is so much more that I would like to write about the things that I am being shown at the moment, but this will have to do for today. It seems God shows me the most in the times when things are the hardest, which is another reason that we can take joy in trials...

If you can relate to this, let's discuss it, or if you have anything to add, feel free to post. That is my favorite part. I'll leave you with the chorus of a song that is really bringing me through right now...

"There's a raging sea right in front of me, wants to pull me in, bring me to my knees,

So let the waters rise, if you want them to, I will follow you, I will follow you..."