End of one chapter and beginning of another...8/1/07

Today I turned my keys in to my apartment complex office and walked away from my home of the past six years. What a reflective time the last couple of days have been as I have finished packing up and clearing out all of my material possessions. I won't lie and say that this is easy because it certainly is not. But God is amazing! I have had many emotional moments as my comfortable, predictable life's been slipping away and I wonder, "Can I really do this?" The answer is always the same as I sense the sweet presence of the Lord: "Yes, with Me". The thing is, I cannot do it alone. How precious those moments are when I feel alone and scared in one minute and such a calming peace in the next. God is here and He is so real. He comforts me, strengthens me, cheers me on, and shows me parts of the big picture from His perspective. Every day, little by little, I am learning to die to self, to my human nature and to allow Jesus to fill me and reflect Himself through my life, showing His glory along the way. I am incredibly humbled right now. What a special privilege to be called a child of God...how incomparable is a life lived for and through Him. What else really matters? When all else is stripped away, He is constant. His love is so much higher and greater than any love we could experience on a human level. The joy He gives is unexplainable, especially when it coincides with times of trial. How is it possible to have such a complete joy and love in the midst of trials? Because in those times we draw closer to the Lord, seeking and grasping for something firm and unchanging. He shows us that whether all is going right in our world or everything seems to be falling apart, He is always the same, always the essence of peace, always the comforting embrace, always the giver of life, always the dispenser of joy, and always a love beyond all comprehension and compare.