Something Beautiful

I woke up with a song on my heart this morning, as I was preparing to go to church.
It goes something like this:
Something beautiful, something good,
All my frustrations, he understood.
All I had to offer him, was brokenness and strife,
But he made something beautiful of my life.

And He really has. God, I mean. I first saw, at age 11, that I was a sinful person, and I needed to ask God to forgive me of my sins, and take charge of my life. I had good parents, who modeled the Christian life before me. They took me to church and family reunions and to funerals in the community. They provided the things I needed; food, clothing, discipline, housing, and school, etc. Sure, they had charge of my life, and were doing a good job. But while I was still under their watchful eye, it was nice that the Holy Spirit showed me that I must become responsible to God, myself, for God has no grandchildren. So, began my journey with God. I was a willful human being, so I was in for some adjustments down through life. As my teenage years approached, and boys became an interesting item, I had to commit that new part of my life to Him. Then I married a preacher, and had to ask God to help me navigate the adjustments of marriage. (Boy, talk about laying down your own will!) Then came children. I had to commit them and their salvation to God. Then we became pastors. That was a big group of people and relationships to commit to Him. Now, we face the 'Empty Nest'. With all these adjustments and new relationships, came some frustrations, some brokenness, and some strife, just like the song says. But God has been faithful in every event. Because, with every stage of life, God has also brought blessing, and built character. All I had to offer him was one willful human being, and if I had run my own life, it might have been broken and full of strife. But I didn't run my own life. I trusted God to take charge and call the shots in my life. So He has done a wonderful job, and He has made something beautiful of my life. And you can trust Him to make something beautiful of your life, too. "I know the plans I have for you,
plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

A MILLION MILES?

I was following my husband back from a neighboring town a few days ago, when I thought,"I bet I've followed him a million miles".Sometimes we have to take two vehicles to pull the various toys; boat or four-wheeler trailer, when we go on vacation, to visit family, to campmeeting, or a road trip. Sometimes, I have memorized the current car license he was driving. We used to talk on two-way radios, which embarrassed our children to no end, because they said every one else could hear us. Now we have cell phones, and our conversation is private,much to our children's relief. I've followed him to transport vehicles, and to move our furniture to a new church. I followed him when he answered the call to ministry. He hasn't often lead me wrong, except those rare occasions when he ignored a detour sign, because he couldn't see the road blocked from where he was. We have had to backtrack a few miles for that, sometimes. He lead Bethany, our second daughter home one day from Grandma's, and ingored a detour sign. She just followed him. When he got to the place where the road was blocked a few miles down the road, he turned around in the road, and she followed him, hanging out the window trying to say,"Didn't you see that detour sign back there?" He said, "Follow me, and kept on going back to the detour." He may take the long-route-shortcut, but he always gets where he is going. I hope I can follow till we've been married at least 50 years. Then we'll have a party to celebrate. It'll be nice to both still be driving at that time, right? At least, for us. Maybe not for you all. Anyway, we're gonna keep leading and following till our purpose is done. How far? A million miles? Maybe.