My Promised Land

Oh my goodness, I am SO excited about the graphic I designed for this series! Not bad for an amateur photoshop girl, huh Hansel? I guess ya'll can probably tell that it doesn't take much to excite me... lol!

Like I said in my last post, I have been thinking about a lot of things and will be posting on a pretty regular basis on the two topics mentioned there (promise and preparation.) In the midst of this busy season, I have wanted to get started, and I've gone back and forth a few times trying to put things together. But, now that the graphic is done and there is no more reason for procrastination :-) here goes... caution! Throughout this series, I may be sharing some excerpts from the journal (the written one) I kept several years ago. If you're not comfortable getting personal here, you might want to stop. If you are, then read on!

*****

It all started back in 2003... no, I guess it REALLY started a long, long time before that.

Ladies, do you remember that game from childhood? the one with the folded paper where we would write down things like who we would marry, what colors our bridesmaid's dresses would be, and how many children we would have? We would hold the paper in our fingers, opening and closing the puzzle as we said the little rhyme, and whatever selection we "landed" on was sure to be the answer fate had for us. Of course, we always made sure that ALL the choices were ones we would be happy with!

Back then, we all had definite ideas of what our perfect lives would look like. Too bad life doesn't work that way. Don't misunderstand me. God has blessed my life in more ways than I could ever recount. He is good, and He is faithful. It's just that sometimes life is not what I imagined it would be. Sometimes, life is hard. Sometimes, life is broken. And we can't fix it.

Back in 2002, after the loss of my dear Gram, God began to prepare me through my quiet time for our upcoming move. I had been working my way through the book of Deuteronomy, and God had been speaking to me for weeks through the example of the Israelite's journey through the wilderness. I could definitely relate.

About the wilderness, that is. Let's just say that MS and infertility weren't on my list. Just like broken marriages, babies gone home to heaven, or cancer weren't on yours... whoever you are.

Let's just say that I was READY for my promised land.

I still am. And, I'm still trying to figure out just what that means in life today.

I DO know that back then (2002/2003, not middle school) I thought my promised land would happen **here** in this place we were preparing to move to. Now? Not so much. Or maybe it is. I just don't know and I'm struggling with that right now.

Yes, we have made it so much farther on the journey than I ever thought we would. But, somehow, that journey still isn't what I would have chosen in the beginning. Sometimes, I think it's just not the way it's supposed to be. Maybe my vision is just a little clouded at the moment, and I can't see the end of the road.

I could go on, but I'm sure it would only make sense to me at the moment. For now, let me end with the passage of scripture that inspired these thoughts:

Deuteronomy 8:6-10
Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and revering him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land--a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.

More to come...

Living in His JOY, HOPE, and PEACE...