a sHouT ouT: tO The waY iT ouGht tO Be, To cOffEe, anD tO JeSus

this could take on the form of a rambling mess, but i have got 4 months to catch up on, so it's fine. anyways, the longer i live, the more i realize why the Bible is so full of truth and tidbits which some look at as limiting in nature, but in reality are quite the opposite, they are freeing and good. the Law, which God has laid out, is there for a purpose, and it is not to make us miserable. true, only in Christ is our salvation, however, what it takes time (i think) to realize, is that in living in obedience to His law (and of course trusting Him to enable us to fulfill it), our lives will, quite simply, run much more smoothly. He has given us His law because He loves us, and He knows that in living according to it, it is only going to benefit us. this has been a learning process for me, but its truth is blatant right now in one very specific area of my life. and that would be family. God created family as a good thing, as the right thing. He knew that it took a mom and a dad to successfully maneuver the multi-faceted task of raising children and essentially, just living life. when both of those components are not there, as God designed, it just makes things a heck of alot more complicated. and this is a truth which i can personally attest to. never would i throw out the woe is me, i'm a single parent card, yet i will throw out that God did not design family to be this way, and it is hard, really really hard. God was/is gracious to me, even in the transition into single parenting. He enabled me to be able to work from home and stay with Joey until i was finished with school and he entered kindergarten. when i started working away from home, i realized even more fully why it is not a task for one person. my time, my energy, everything seems to be completely drained. the details are irrelevant, i only state the circumstances to point out: God's law is Good, and it should be obeyed. for His glory. and for our good. that being said, i have also learned much about the sustenance of God. a) He's provided coffee. this is not a joke, if i did not have this in my life, i would be in bad shape. this is a gift that helps first thing in the morning, and sometimes in the mid-afternoon where i just want to fall down on my face and not move. but even more importantly b) He's given me Jesus. God knew we'd be unable to keep His beneficial law, and in His beautiful plan, He provided everything we'd need in those circumstances through His Son. first and foremost, forgiviness. but then grace. wherever we may need in our lives. i've seen Him over and over in this latest journey of mine, and He shows up, each and every time. i really don't know how anyone in this situation could do it without a Savior. He provides, He comforts, He sustains, He gives hope, He picks me up and helps me start again each time i stumble. i need Him and i am thankful for His unveiling my eyes to realize that i need Him. while this journey of single-parenting is not over, God will and has provided in ways un-imaginable. and so, i leave you (perhaps again for awhile) with this...Do it God's way, but when you mess that up, Jesus is there.