Lessons

Well, this past week was somewhat disappointing. I had two interviews, with the same company, only to find out that they chose someone else for the position. This was a really good job and a really good opportunity for me to get into the medical field. My hubby has yet to hear anything back from the places he's applied to. The job market is really tough out there right now!

But I think I'm finally starting to understand why we haven't been able to get past this hump. It has nothing to do with God not doing his job or that we have done something so wrong that He is ignoring us. I will be honest, there were times when I thought we were going through this because we must have really screwed up. And also times when I felt like I was screaming at the top of my lungs while God just turned His ear from me. But after spending some more time in His presence this past weekend I think I'm finally hearing His voice again and starting to understand this all...maybe at least a little...maybe.

God uses every situation for good, right? He gives us trials and makes us struggle sometimes to teach us lessons, right? And of course, He won't ever give us something more than what we can handle, right? Well, I'm sure there's going to be a situation in the future where God is going to have us cross paths with someone who may be going through a similar situation as we are now. Going through this now will help us be able to minister to those people. Score! I also have always hated the "p" word: patience. I have never been very patient. God has been working with me on this patience thing for awhile now, but I really think I'm starting to get it. It's been extremely difficult to "give it all to Him" in certain situations. And I really think He's been waiting for me to finally give it all up. I have no control over this situation, only He does. When He feels like we're ready for the next step, whether it's harder or easier, He'll do it. Not us. We can only do so much to change our circumstances. God's got control of the rest.

And sometimes I think He wants to test us in how faithful and close we'll continue to walk with Him through situations. Keith and I were talking about our situation last night. I always thought that when I got into a tough spot, that I would handle it like a champ. Keith always thought that he would be a complete basket case. Well, guess what? We're in this situation, and our attitudes are the opposite of what we thought. Keith's been so strong through this and really faithful. I've been struggling so much. I've wanted this to be over so quickly and felt like I deserved for it to be over. But, whether God feels I deserve it or not, He wants to see just how faithful we are and how close we'll really walk with him through this, in order to bless us later.

Okay, well I guess I'm done venting...for now. I hope that this will eventually help someone with what they're going through. A good friend once told me that if she had to go through all her rough times again just to help someone else out, she would. Now I know what she means. I would go through this all over just know it's helping someone else. My word to you: Continue to be faithful and walk with the Lord. He'll get you through this. And in His timing, He'll bless you so tremendously. It'll all be worth it in the end! It will get used for good! You CAN do it, no matter how hard it may seem right now!

Our Life In A Boat

Picture this, if you will:

You decide to make changes in your life and journey on a new adventure (your journey is mostly in a boat to get from your old destination to your new life). As you set see you encounter a storm. Just as you think it's going to get worse, the storm almost blows you overboard. You don't think you'll survive. Finally, from what seems like an eternity, the storm ends. But you're not at shore yet. You're just floating on the water, in your boat, no land in site. Out of nowhere, God drops a whole bunch of different looking oars onto your boat. It's up to you decide which oars you want, which will determine which direction your boat will take you to your new destination.

This is exactly how the past 3 months have been for us. We had so many "disappointing" things happen to us. It felt like our boat was tipping and we were not going to make it. Then the storm stopped. There was absolutely nothing going on, good or bad. And now in the past week, the oars have dropped. It may sound easy to choose which oars of life you want, but it has been extremely difficult. Last week I got a call to start a temporary position. I took it, only because we need the money. Keith has two interviews lined up and possibly a third on the way. I got a call Friday for an interview at a fantastic place. So what's so hard about this, right?

One of the opportunities Keith has is to be a welder four hours away from where we currently are. But, God has big plans for us this year, so we're not sure if He wants us to start a new life out there. His other job opportunities are in our current area. My job opportunity is in our area as well.

We really thought we had this thing figured out. As of yesterday, we really thought God wanted us to stay here. Which was great news. There's lots of opportunities for us here, and we're already established. But after one of Keith's interviews today...we're confused again. After a lot of deliberation, it seems like our decision will be based off of my interview. If I get this job, we're staying. If I don't, we're starting a new life in a new area.

Pray with us that God will help us. We just need some kind of peace and guidance in this situation. My headache just keeps getting worse thinking about it...I will miss everyone so much...but I do look forward to meeting new people.

Oh, one other thing I should add to this mix, is I've been doing a decent amount of tattoos lately and have others lined up. I just need prayer that this will keep going and I truly feel like a new ministry will flourish out of it.

A new job awaits!!

This is actually Keith (Ash's Husband), and I just wanted to let the people know that I will be applying to the WORLDS GREATEST JOB. That is if the web site isn't busy one of these times, (Apparently the worlds best job is a little popular with the ....... well the world!) this job entails sitting on a beach in Australia, observing the Great Barrier Reef, as well as blogging and speaking about your experience........ Nice! I would love to do that, the qualifications for this position are 1. you must be alive... 2. Must enjoy being outdoors..... 3. Like the water/ocean.... 4. Can't be afraid of public speaking. That's about it and I can say "Check" on each of those. The way I see it is if you don't apply and try for it, then you don't stand a chance anyway so why not.... I serve a big God and if this is going to happen it will have to be a God thing.
Happy hunting and god bless.

Reflecting and Moving Forward

Looking back to 2008, it was a roller coaster ride of a year. Some of the great things that happened were in between lots of trials. Towards the end of the year I constantly felt like I was in a boxing ring and just as I was standing back up I was getting knocked back down only harder. I can gladly say I am glad it is over.

I am really excited to see what God has planned for us this year. We were just talking the other day about preparing for the next step in our walk with Him. We're both laid off, bad news right? Wrong. God has given us a perfect opportunity to start making better changes. It's like we have a fresh start. Where do we want this year to take us? We know we definitely have got to move closer to church. We both want to be more involved with the marriage ministry and other callings. I, personally, am super excited about my tattooing. I've gotten two under my belt so far, and I'm so excited to express God's love through art on all the people He's lined up for me! We want this year to be one of the years where we take a gigantic step in our faith walk. We're giving it all to Him!

And even though it's only the fourth, I've already learned this: Never, EVER, put goldfish in the same vase, no matter the size, with your flowers. Fish do not like flowers...sorry girls...we'll get you new ones!

Verse I'm reading that has inspired me today: Joshua 3:1-13. It all so easily has been interpreted into what we're going through.