This morning as I sit here thinking and praying about my day as well as my week, I am reminded of God’s love and provision. I have taken the week off from work so that I could enjoy being at home with my wife and to get some things done around the house that need to get done before she goes back to work teaching at Pleasant Grove High School. Both of our children are also getting ready to go to their respective schools in just a couple of weeks. Lisa and I will actually be semi-empty nesters this fall. So many thoughts and emotions run through my mind as I consider that. How will we adjust to not having someone else here all the time? There are a lot of things to think about with this.
James 1:17-18 (ESV)
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
I started this rambling today thinking about God’s love and provision and drifted off into the circumstances of the week. Today Lisa and I celebrate our 24th wedding anniversary. I think back over the past 24 years and see God’s hand on our lives the entire time. We have had some very good times in our marriage while other times have not been so good. We have had times when we felt that everything was going our way, while other times it seemed nothing was going our way at all. God has stretched us in ways that we (I) did not know that we could stretch. Lisa has always been more optimistic than I have been. I have always said that I am realistic, not pessimistic. Lisa just laughs because she knows the truth about me.
Today, we are at another time that it just seems that there are many rough spots in our paths. God has called Danielle to go to seminary, which we don’t have the money to send her. She began the process of applying for a loan only to find out you can’t get a student loan for seminary. We knew you couldn’t get a federal loan, but you can’t even get a private student loan. What to do? Caleb applied for his loans and was only awarded about 2/3 of what he applied for. Oh my. Now what? Need tires. Have doctor bills. Not to mention daily living expenses. Yes, my children are looking for jobs in their respective towns where they will be going to school. No, I am not complaining today. I am just rambling about where we are in our lives and our marriage. I am not sure what I expected my life to look like after being married for 24 years, but I am confident that this would not have been my vision or dream.
Here’s what I do know this morning. I have a wonderful life. God has blessed me more than I have ever deserved. I have the most wonderful wife, 
who loves the Lord and loves me. I understand why she loves the Lord, but sometimes I question her sanity because of how much she loves me. I have great kids. They aggravate me at times, but they love God and are striving to serve Him. 
No they are not perfect. Yes, they can create some headaches at times. But, I know that Lisa and I taught them and are teaching them to serve God in their lives. It is now their responsibilities to continue in the lifestyle of trusting in their Heavenly Father. I am healthy for the most part. I need to lose weight. I still need to exercise more and eat properly, but my heart is still good and I have not been diagnosed with any serious diseases. Many of my friends have had heart surgeries recently as well as cancer surgeries. I am thankful that I am as healthy as I am. One final thing that I know today is that God loves me. I know that no matter what I am going through, God is there waiting for me to arrive. Many times, He has actually carried me through some of the roadblocks and over some of the rocky terrain. God’s love and mercy is greater than any struggle that we can go through. God is bigger than our difficulties. God is in control. I need to remind myself of these facts along the way. The enemy loves to get my attention off of God’s goodness and put it on my circumstances. It is my responsibility to stay focused on God.
Psalms 121:1-2 (ESV)
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Thank you for allowing me to ramble today. May God bless you richly as you walk with Him.
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