2/28/25- His Timing is Beautiful

Do you recognize all the beauty that surrounds you each day?

As I look outside after waking, I see the birds have returned. They fly all around my trees in the backyard. They are nesting and readying for Spring and new life. We will soon see nest's emerging in the most unique places. And if we are lucky, we may catch a glimpse of a few bird's eggs. Spring brings about a reminder that we long and anticipate the changing of the seasons. We love the beautiful flowers that start to pop through the soil, and the trees that are sprinkled with blooms. We love the hope of a new beautiful life.

The changing of the season's are constant. They come around like clockwork every single year, we see the four seasons. We long for change. Change gives us something to look forward to in the coming days, months. The things we anticipate in this world can become our sole focus. The world wants us to lose focus of the small wonders that occur around us every single day. Each day is filled with gifts. Do you see your gifts?

This world makes us believe that with comfort in life, we will have happiness. Comfort in this life can look very beautiful from the outside. However, comfort can put a wall between us and others. Comfort can make us focus on what is surrounding us, instead of the connections we can make throughout our days.

At times throughout my life, I wanted so desperately to live in a specific neighborhood, because of location, yard size, character, and architecture. I would often extend my trips home from errands with drives through this neighborhood, just longing for what I could not have. It consumed hours of my life. I thought that my plan and desire to live in this specific neighborhood would make my life and ultimately my families lives better. Selfishly, I would like to think the discipline I had established in my life, along with my husband, helped me to stayed focused on what was most important to me, being a mom and raising our kids. Ultimately, the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life, a gift bestowed on me by accepting Jesus as my Savior, enabled me to make every thought obedient to Christ regarding this desire. This changed my heart and allowed me to think, speak and act positively in the place that God had put us. This is almost impossible to do by ourselves.

To my surprise, after living 28 years in the same cookie- cutter neighborhood, the blessings that overflowed from our neighborhood amounted to more than money could buy. Our entire family was blessed with beautiful connections. There were families in our neighborhood that all of us connected with and enjoyed countless days with shared activities that were filled with joy, laughter and friendship (love). God gave us a community.

My plan was not the best plan. It was not the answer to prayer that would have ultimately fulfilled and blessed mine and my families lives, as I had imagined. God listened to my prayers for friends. He answered them by placing us in a surrounding that was not as beautiful, in my mind. By working together, our family made our home beautiful, and we reaped the benefit of loving friends. God makes things beautiful in His time. We must keep the faith.

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."

-2 Corinthians 10:4- 6