This year has undoubtedly been one heck of a year so far. In fact, when I think back to all that has taken place thus far... it all seems to be one big blur. I have lost some friends but have made a lot of new ones. I have had to say a lot of goodbyes and for the first time, to people whom I will stay in contact with for the rest of my life. I have been truly impacted by some people and completely heartbroken by others. It has definitely been a season of non stop forgiving and a whole lot of forgetting and moving forward. I will however say that the days ahead look brighter and brighter each day. My relationship with God is on a whole new level today than it ever has been before and I have a whole new outlook on what a family dynamic truly is. Thank goodness for that because I sure have missed out on a lot. :(

For the first time last night, I picked up the Bible to read at my own leisure to learn, to absorb, and to follow the words God has given my earthly body to abide by. I opened to the book of Matthew and started at the first chapter. The Genealogy of Jesus. A couple excerpts stood out to me and I will share them with you.

Matthew 1:18-25
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.


and Matthew 2:13-19
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.

What spoke to me was the simple fact that Joseph, a human with an earthly body just like our own was approached in his dreams and rather than following what made the most logical sense to him or any other human being, followed what God had ordered. It is so easy for us in our every day life to get caught up in what makes the most logical sense to us. We do what we see and know but have such a hard time trusting in the unknown and the "invisible." These changes for Joseph were not or at least didn't sound to be very convenient yet he knew that what the Lord said was good. Had he not obeyed, who knows where we would be today, what kind of culture and season of sin that we would live in. Would we ever be forgiven? What we don't realized is that we are challenged to do this every day. God is always calling us to do something, to be somewhere, with someone, for some reason. It may not be a move to another country or maybe it is!! The important thing to remember is that Gods word IS good and although the alternative route may make more sense to us and our earthly bodies, God has a purpose and it is our duty to fulfill that purpose. Wow... In just those two chapters... Gods lesson is SO powerful. Lord forgive me for falling short! You are so good.