"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." ~Isaiah 43:18-19
There was a moment that I remember distinctly, sometime last year, when I sat in this same chair telling my husband that I just believed things needed to change. I wasn't content with the way things were. Ha! Nearly everything in our lives has changed in the last month. When we came home from Ethiopia, obviously our family had changed from 4 to 6. Praise God. A few weeks after we arrived home, the kids and I were in an accident with a bus, yes, a bus. The van was gone. No one was hurt. Praise God. The van returned yesterday, all nice and new looking. Praise God. Prior to leaving for Ethiopia, we sold our house. Praise God. Yesterday a family accepted our offer to move to our new home on the same day we close on this one-April 30. Praise God. Yesterday I handed in my keys at work. I am officially (almost officially-just have to write the letter) a stay-at-home mom. Praise God. Julia and Cole love our new house. God renovated their hearts on this one over the last few months. I praise Him. God has called us to a new church. We praise Him, though we don't know where we're going for sure. He's allowed us to rest in a particular church which we love for a time. Truly we are praising the Lord moment by moment in this place.
Truth be told, this last month, and particularly the last few weeks have been incredibly difficult. I would like to say I was trusting that everything would work out, but I wasn't. I was doing some serious panicking and having major control issues over not knowing where we would live. In addition to this, all of us were sick by Jim. I'm not saying this to gain pity. One thing I learned over this past month is that complaining does not please the Lord. I felt a bit like the Israelites in the desert, complaining when God was supplying all of my needs. I was even eating "manna" each day, as I was having my own intestinal issues for a week. (I know-too much info.) The parallels with the Israelites were hard to digest, no pun intended. That was me. A big whiny cry baby, and for what? As Jim said yesterday, I knew the Lord would come through, I just didn't know how. Boy, I wish I could have been in that place of trust. But, as the title reads, He is making all things new. With that, I pray that He is building my trust of Him and Him alone. I pray that He will show me more of who He is and not who I make Him to be.
Everyone is doing well. Julia wants to move to the new house tomorrow. She has plans, baby, for that establishment. Cole has plans to start a gun rack business. Ana is pulling up on things. Gabriel is still sitting well and still laughing like crazy. Jim and I are trying to take things moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day. So thankful. So blessed with God's richest blessings.
