I decided to be brave today and go check out a new church all by my lonesome. I haven't been going to church for a while because 1) I haven't found one close that I like going to or have anyone to go to with, 2) If you know me well you know how much I love to sleep in, and 3) lately Sunday mornings have been days that I have been able to talk to my husband online and that is cherished time. Last night I felt motivated, so I looked at the website of a church that I have been considering and read through it all, read the pastor's blog, and listened to last week's sermon online.
I find that with the little bit of technology smarts that I possess combined with my way of getting a "feeling" about people and places, I can learn a lot about a church community from their website (if they market themselves correctly that is). What I was looking for was a place that had a younger feel to it, a deeper biblical teaching foundation, and somewhat of a "cool factor" to it and people that I can connect with on a more real basis. Websites that include things like google calendars, blogs, and podcasts are generally up on the cool factor. Good design, layout, and graphics also says something. This church seemed to have what I was looking for, so I went by myself this morning. I'm generally not a risk taker, I don't like new things, and I hate small talk and introducing myself to strangers. I did all of that today, and I felt good about it. I enjoyed the service, met some nice people, and wouldn't you know it, God called me there today and the pastor gave me just the sermon I needed to hear.
I have been struggling lately with accepting the way my life has taken a turn, being away from my husband for the first year of our marriage while he is in a war zone, and trying to figure out what direction we should take for our future together. Should we re-enlist, should we come back to MN, do we choose family or career, stability or risk...tough questions about the plans that we have for our lives. The teaching series they were in at church was going through Ephesians, today chapter 1: 7-10
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
God created us as his children to live out his will, because he has a bigger plan for the earth and for all of us. I knew this already, but the way the pastor described it as a story that we all play a part in really resonated with me. He said that we may have a picture of the way our life, or our "story," is going or will go which seems to be our reality, but it's God's reality that matters and is true. We may see things totally differently that he does at any given moment, but to him it all makes sense because it's all part of his greater plan. We may not understand it, we may not like it at the time, but looking back we can find comfort in the fact that things happen for a reason. I know that I can say that just looking back at my own short life and some of the things I have been through thus far.
I am trying harder to trust in that greater plan and know that someday I can look back at this difficult year and smile knowing that it had a purpose greater than what I knew at the time.
After church I had a nice day with my family which included a Bonzai burger from Red Robin (love) and a walk in the woods on this amazingly beautiful November day. Then I watched some Army Wives with my mama, and came home to a letter and a really sweet card in the mail from my husband. There's nothing like getting a love letter from someone you miss more than words can say.
This was another book that I just pulled off the shelf not knowing what it was about. I had heard the name many times, seen it on booklists for years, but never knew anything about it. It was a little hard to get into right away because it was like reading a fairy tale bible story, but it actually turned about to be another spiritual read for me. A boy goes on a journey to find a hidden treasure and along the way he meets people that help him learn valuable lessons about faith, life, and love. I think the appeal of this book is that the lessons can be pretty universal depending on your religious views, probably why the book has been translated into 56 languages. The ones that stuck out to me are that you should never give up on your dreams, true love lasts despite time and distance, you should live life one day at a time and not worry about the future, you should constantly be seeking and living God's Will for your life, and that God can be found in everyone who believes in Him. I recommend reading it, it's an interesting story and not like the typical fiction that I normally read, and it's full of great reminders about the gift of life.
I had heard good things about this book and my mom found it for me at a book sale. I think this book has actually helped change my life. Every military wife should read this book. I am new to military life, but we all go through similar struggles, things that other people don't always understand. The challenges we face may seem impossible and sometimes we feel like we can't do it, we can't live this way, but we do it because we love the amazing men in our lives and we want to support them in serving our country and helping others.