God's Grace

God’s grace. God’s grace is what keeps me going in spite of pain. His grace is what gives me the ability to smile when hurting. God’s grace is responsible for who I am and all I do. In my own strength, I am nothing, but by God’s grace I can do all He asks of me.

God has truly given me the strength and grace to keep relying on Him one moment at a time. He has taught me so much of Himself and given me a new appreciation for the sufferings of others. My "suffering" does not even come close to what the Lord Jesus endured-on my behalf.

1 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

Made it!

I made it! I made it back to Lincoln for the weekend. I had to come back to get some things taken care of. I was looking forward to coming back and seeing family and friends. But, I was apprehensive (fearful) to come back because of the drive. I had not driven outside of Ames in months due to neck and back pain. Also, I am not supposed to drive while on the prescription muscle relaxer. Notice how many times "I" appears in the previous sentences? That was precisely the problem. I was thinking of human resources and getting bogged down in fear based on my reliance on medications and therapies. I did communicate my fears to my family and friends and asked for prayer for the trip. Focusing on God's goodness and faithfulness helped! Instead of worrying, I thanked Him for giving me the gift of pain. He has taught me so much over the past few months-lessons I would not trade for anything (and would not have learned any other way). I did refrain from taking the muscle relaxer the day I drove back. God was faithful! I made it back without anyone having to come and get me! Praise the Lord! Yes, I was on very high doses of both Tylenol and ibuprofen and stopping to stretch as often as possible. The last part of the trip was not pleasant, but by giving thanks to the Lord for His goodness and praying for others, the time passed. The Lord brought me safely home with pain that was still in the relatively "manageable" range. Once home, I could take the muscle relaxer and start to bring things back under better control. I'm so grateful for a loving, supporting family and a God Who has everything under His control! So, it was not in myself that I made it back, but due entirely to God's grace that He brought me back safely!

Strength comes from God

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

This is going to need to continue to be my motto. There is no way I can make it without His help. I have come through several very intense weeks where I am putting in a lot of extra hours at work and there is also a lot going on outside of work. I am struggling with a lot of fear, but trying to trust God fully and not allow my fear to interfere with His perfect plan for me. I need to rest in the Lord and allow Him to have His way. God is sovereign and good no matter how things may appear-I must simply trust!

The Beginning

The title simply refers to my first attempt at a blog! Not sure how much or how often I'll update this...

Today, I'm thanking and praising the Lord for getting me through an intense week. There is no way I would have survived the week without Him upholding me!