I recently discovered that I can market my artwork. I have sold several paintings since my divorce, and this gift has been my provision during this season. I don’t think anyone is meant to go through half the things that have happened to me in my short 27 years on Earth, I DO think that if we listen for guidance, we will hear it, always in ways you would never expect…
On Divorce
Divorce is a disgusting thing. It destroys.
Having faith that the Lord can use anything for the good of those who love Him is the only thing that helps.
I’m not okay now, but I will be.
On Leadership
If my position, title, role, formal authority were removed, would the people I’m leading still gladly follow me? – Scott Williams
Remember Ravette…
Sunday Afternoon
We went for a Sunday afternoon trail drive in our new jeep. Brian’s Aunt and Uncle went along in their own. This was one of the shots I took from the dirty, cracked windshield. It’s amazing how the light hits something so imperfect and makes such an interesting memory.
What a blessing to have woods, and perfect weather to enjoy them in on a Sunday afternoon with my husband, and family.
How do you get connected with God’s creation and your loved ones?
How Did I Get Here?
Picture this –
I am a girl of 9 years old. A man is speaking to our congregation one Sunday about a ship he lives on and travels the world with, performing surgeries for the world’s poorest nations. His PowerPoint presentation has pictures of the ship, the people of the nation they were currently working in, pictures of his family. I watch, wide-eyed, amazed.
I tap my daddy on the hand and he leans down to hear what I have to say.
“Daddy,” I whisper, “I want to work for them one day.”
“Well, you better go to school to be a doctor, then.” He replies.
“together” Photo Credit: Spirit Fire via Flickr
Fast-forward past all the heart-break and trying times of my teenage years and early-20s. Of course, I didn’t go to Medical School; and I lost sight of my goal temporarily in-between.
I’m sitting in my very own office at Claims Administrative Services (A Worker’s Compensation TPA). It’s a good job, one that any 25 year old girl would love to have. I’m Corporate Trainer, I’m making a decent income, I have finished school, I’m very respected in my field. And I’m utterly unfulfilled.
At the time, I was married about a month. He tells me “I’m going into Officer Candidate School for the US Air Force… you should figure out what you want to do.” As if I wasn’t doing what I wanted to do…
God had been weighing on my heart for a while that I was not where I belong.
The very next day I’m conversing with a friend about moving on; I had given my two-weeks notice. She says something that I was already planning to do – to check on LinkedIn for jobs in the area we were planning to move to. In true Brian nature (which I was, and am, only starting to discover), he changed his tune about the Air Force. He says it will be at least a year before he hears anything for sure. That means that I wasn’t moving anywhere for at least a year!
I’m clicking around LinkedIn, and at the very top of the list: Curriculum Developer for Mercy Ships. The 9-year old girl lights up. I click apply.
Rocks in My Pocket
Today is Easter Sunday. Brian and I went to church, and sat by a woman and her little girl. Elizabeth, the little girl, liked everything that I liked, but wanted to hear none of the things that Brian liked. She asked a million little questions, until her mom quietly shushed her.
We were given a tiny little pebble at the beginning of the service. They were supposed to be representative of the harbored thoughts, sins, etc. that hinder us in our walk with Christ. When we took Communion, we were supposed to lay them on the altar, but I forgot mine in my pocket. It’s not often I wear a dress with pockets.
So as I was changing into my “regular” clothes after church today, and thinking how terrible my allergies are this year (seriously – I’ve NEVER had allergies before this year, and they kill), I found the pebble in my pocket. I started thinking – If I really had a pebble for every sin, bad thought, grudge, or angry feeling I’ve ever had, I could probably own all the rocks on the planet. So what makes this rock so special?
This pebble represents the thing that is a burden right now. If I pray for one problem that I have right now, and ask the Lord to take that away, then I can move on to the next. And then the next. It all starts with the first one.
So, what does this pebble represent for me? Considering it is six days until my anniversary, I think the pebble represents how I speak to Brian. And how funny I thought it was that the little girl next to us didn’t care what he had to say.
I think her mom was trying to help me out when she answered the questions about who my favorite person was with “it’s probably her husband.” And she’s right.
654 – Pebble Art. Photo Credit: Pshutterbug via Flickr
What does your pebble represent today?
The Work in Progress 