Reflecting

It's the day after Christmas. People will be rushing from store to store, jockeying for sales so they can have more "stuff." Probably stuff they don't need. Am I tempted? Yes. Am I going? No. I have a house full of things that need to be sorted, discarded, and given away, so I definitely don't need more stuff. I just need some time to think. Anybody else there today? Christmas was quite different this year. One daughter and her family are in Texas, and we haven't had Christmas with the extended crowd yet. This is a first, and I guess it won't be the last. We had a new baby to celebrate, which is always a blessing, and I did some things differently this year. This is the first time in years that I haven't been directly involved in Christmas music, instead choosing to be a spectator and worshiper. I was a little sad, wishing I could sing somewhere for Christmas, and God provided at the last minute. Wow, He never fails, and His timing is always amazing. So now what? Now I'm pondering my life, where I am, what I'm planning for 2013, how I need to change my life since I'm getting ready to be married to a retired man. I have spent the last year of my life, visiting churches, loving worship, and asking God to guide me to where He wants me to be. That answer is elusive, and this morning I feel a little lonely, but here's what I know: when God is ready for me to know, I will know, and not a second before then. In the meantime, He has blessed me with wonderful Christian friends who really love God and live like it. He has answered prayers, and He is already planning for ways to answer some other petitions. He is faithful. I might be a little somber, but He is faithful, and my joy in Him is complete. So why am I sharing this? Because you might need to know this morning that God has always answered prayers, and He hasn't changed. He is still in the business of answering prayers for every one of us. We just need to ask. We need to cast our cares on Him and let Him shoulder the burdens. And when the answers seem slow in coming, know that He has a reason for the delay, and in His timing, there is no delay. He knows exactly what needs to happen, and He is putting pieces in place for you because He loves you dearly. Trust Him today. Let His joy fill you completely, and know that you have a heavenly Father who has plans to bless you in 2013. Give Him your heart and ask Him to open the storehouse of blessings. You will not be sorry you did.