Permanence

After a bit of a hiatus and some sincere badgering by my lovely wife Tammy, I return to the blogging world. It has been too long I admit, but it is much more tough to write when you have a job...not that I am complaining after being unemployed for 4 months, but I have missed writing.

So let's see! A lot has happened since my last post. The swine flu is still making itself around the world, celebrities are dropping like flies, and my beloved Cubs suck, but lucky for them though the rest of their division does too, so they still have a chance for the playoffs.

From a personal standpoint a lot has happened as well. The summer has been chock-full of activities. (Sidenote: Using 'chock-full' in a sentence was number 999 on my list of 1001 things to do before I die! Check! ;). My gardening has been a wonderful way to stay outdoors. My tomatoes have really done well and they taste amazing. Our friends Jon and Kelsey stayed with us for about 5 weeks and that was great to have housemates! We were happy to open our house to them as they returned from Jerusalem. Also I started a new job after being unemployed for a time. It isn't necessarily what I wanted, but I feel blessed to have a job and to be able to bring an income into the house. Regardless of how long I am at Lowe's, God has me there to learn something that will be valuable down the road.

With the busyness of the summer and now a new job I definitely have had my moments of being stretched thin. That always brings vulnerability in my emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. June was a tough month. Tammy and I barely saw each other due to work schedules. I was adjusting to the new job plus trying to deal with the fact that it was a major paycut. I felt so isolated even from God. Prayer didn't seem to matter. Needless to say my mind was assaulted with negative thoughts that were pulling me away from the Grace of God. I was even letting it affect my marriage. The turning point came when I began to wrestle and get angry with God for allowing these demons to creep into my life. There is nothing like trying to fight with someone you can never defeat that will bring you to your knees and humble you like a little child. It wasn't God letting this happen at all. It was because of my lack of focus on Heavenly matters that I found myself apart from God. My worries, my insecurities, and my pride had begun to corrupt me.

The good news is that like always God showed up!! The permanency of God is a gift that should never be overlooked. When we find ourselves apart from God we can be sure that it was us, not God that moved. God shows up in a variety of ways...through the Holy Spirit, through friends and family, circumstances, and prayer. He wants the best for His children and like a good Father he corrects our mistakes and embraces us when we need Him most.

In a world that can be turned upside down by pandemic fears, deaths of people we respect and grew up with, and economic turmoil, just remember the permanency of God in your life!! It will never fail you!