Praying For The Right Thing

So, I've wanted to start a blog for a while, and my friend Tonya inspired me by starting one herself. Besides the fact that my default, when times get tough, is to hide my little head in my little turtle shell, I've also thought that it would beneficial to journal so that I can look back and remember. Well this is my attempt at journaling as well as putting myself out there for anyone who cares to read what I have to write. My hope is that whoever reads this will be encouraged and inspired, even if it's as simple as learning from my mistakes. So, here goes...

Life is hard! It's as simple as that. Since Paul's layoff almost two years ago, our family has been stripped down to simplicity at best! I never would have guessed that it would have been this long for Paul to get a real job-- the one he wants, the one that even today keeps itself unknown and out of reach. As I was praying for this elusive job a few weeks ago, I heard a gentle voice say "you're praying for the wrong thing." What the heck?! How could praying for a job be wrong? Well, it's not, but their is so much more that is at work in our family than just lack of a job. We have nothing of ourselves that we can rely on. Family, friends, and God are ultimately all we have. Getting to that place of trusting that God is truly all we need is so much easier to talk about than to actually live out! We live day by day now. Today, we have a place to live, a warm bed & food in our bellies. I'm thankful for today. I'm also thankful for some truths that I'm learning. Love of, and for those in my life will never go away, no matter what! No job can take the place of the abundant, overwhelming and unconditional devotion that I have received from so many in my life. Undeserved, undoubtedly! I can honestly say that I wouldn't have ever realized it if it weren't for this difficult predicament. I know who my friends are! I also know is that I am a rich woman! I may not have all the "stuff", but what I do have is irreplaceable, and no amount of money can buy it!

So my prayers have changed; First of all, I'm thankful for the blessing of what the world would call "nothing". I pray that I will never take for granted or lose sight of all that I've been given-- Grace beyond anything I deserve and for the hope of heaven most of all!! I also pray for endurance to finish running the race that is marked out for me (Go read Hebrews 12:1), to go to God for the strength I need when I'm weak, and to allow Him to change me so that when the job finally comes, I'll be a little more like Jesus!