It seems that more often than not, God doesn’t give us an instant solution. He takes us on a journey. He takes us through a process. But, why? Because as 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 tells us, He wants to use us to comfort others. He comforts us so we can in turn be used to comfort others.

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This paragraph was part of my devotion this morning... I've been thinking recently about the difficulty we went through at Union Grove. When not only Satan was attacking our church but he was attacking my husband and using God's people to do it. I know that sounds crazy but God can use anything and everything for good... but when God is not the focus of our daily lives he can even use Christians to cause others to stumble. I'm guilty myself. Even now on Sunday mornings before my feet hit the floor I pray that the Lord will use me to encourage Greg to do what he is called to do and that he bind Satan from our home. It happens... girls fuss, time slips away to fast... busyness can stress the morning and before you know it everyone is snappy and the peaceful atmosphere is gone... We're human but I am becoming more aware of the influence our family mornings have on the service. I pray I'm never a stumbling block. The devotion talked about not getting an instant solution but having to travel a road you don't want to be on to minister to someone else later. I see that in so many things... When we in mourning over our church when things were so hard, we would talk and pray at night about leaving and God never gave us peace about leaving. The only message we would receive was "WAIT" and it was loud and clear. Then when things started to improve we were called to move, now on the other side of all the chaos we know part of that wait was preparing us for now. Mtn. View went through struggles very similar to UG and if we had left we wouldn't have been as prepared to go through this new season in our life. Mtn. View went through major pruning and while we don't know everything that happened and don't want to know. I know that right now it's good, we're right where we are supposed to be. Blooming right where we are planted. Thank you Lord for traveling with us down that journey that was so hard and thank you that you'll never leave our side. Even when the road gets bumpy and hard.

Finding joy in the journey one day at a time.