peaceful

What a beautiful morning!

I made ham, eggs, and toast for the boys and one of their friends who spent the night. It took a while to cook everything, so it was a bit disheartening to watch them inhale it. Oh well; growing boys...

I plan to go to church, take care of a food ministry concern, make the bulletin, come home, do some laundry while I make a cake for dinner at Mom's house tomorrow, and then go back to bed (hopefully by 8:00). We have a prayer vigil tonight, and my hours are from 1:00-3:00 a.m., which means I'll need to get my sleep in patches.

Although my schedule is a bit hectic for a day "off," I'm so calm right now. I feel peace, and I'm grateful to finally be able to trust God to keep me sane through the crazy moments. The Lord is amazingly compassionate, isn't He? I'm in awe of him. He blesses me by taking care of my needs, but, every now and then, He reveals his knowledge of even the trivial aspects of my life.

For example, I wasn't feeling very feminine or particularly attractive yesterday (perhaps all ladies go through that periodically, eh?), and the Lord sent a grandma, a woman I didn't even know, to walk to the other side of the church just to tell me, "You know, I saw you at band concerts and at the grocery store, and I just had to come tell you that I think you're the most beautiful woman I've seen in a long time."

Me?

I was a bit stunned, but I gave her a big 'ol hug.

Then later, at the Good Friday evening service, a former student introduced me to her Dad. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him be so obvious about what he thought of my looks.

Believe me, it doesn't happen often. ;o)

I see his daughter every day in the halls, so it won't be hard for him to find me. If it's meant to be, it'll happen. If not, then I totally trust God.

It's nice to be cool with it either way. (Thank you, Lord!)

I've finally discovered that I like me. I embrace me. I like my heart. I like my mind. I like my attitude. I like my desire to make people smile. I like spending time with the Lord in prayer and worship.

I like the woman I've become.

Perhaps that's partly why I feel so much joy right now. I appreciate the way God chose to make me, and I think it's beautiful to be loved by Him.

So be encouraged! God sees you where you are, including the small stuff that you may not think is important enough to include in your prayers.

What would you like to do or to have happen? What would bless your heart today?

Let's pray:

Lord, thank you for my friends who are reading this blog. Father, I pray that you bless us generously in every area: emotionally, financially, physically, and spiritually. Lord, you know what's going on in our heads, even if we're too embarrassed to admit it to anyone else. We don't naturally run to our friends and say, "Hey, do I look beautiful to you?" But you know when we're feeling inadequate. You know when we'd appreciate a sincere compliment, and you provide! Thank you for that!

Father, I pray that you surround me and my friends with people who will understand our needs and desires and help us to pray fervently for them (as long as they line up with Your will). I'm feeling like a whole woman for the first time in years, and I'm so thankful, Lord!

Jesus, as we celebrate your resurrection tomorrow, please know that we will never forget your sacrifice. You are truly an amazing, compassionate, forgiving, loving example of how we should be living right now. Help us as we stumble through life! Yes, there will be days when others can lean on us for support, but please don't let us fall in our weak moments. Strengthen us, Jesus, to look like you even when it's incredibly difficult.

We love you, Lord! In Jesus' name, amen.