First Place...or Back Burner

Sometimes God takes certain people out of our lives so we realize, once again, that He's right there beside us, carrying us every step of the way, and has been the entire time. I think sometimes, when we don't have that person right there beside us to turn to, and there's nobody else right there, we turn to God, because He's always there. And for a time, we grow closer to Him, until the next good friend comes along, then we push God to second or third place on the turn-to-list...until those people disappear. Then we turn back to God again.

Maybe if we just turned to God first when we had a problem or question or worry, then to good friends, not the other way around, a lot of troubles could be avoided, and we might still have those friends for years down the road, not just for a little bit before God directs them down another path so we turn to Him first when we need help, instead of turning to them first. He loves it when we lean on Him and ask for His help. He loves helping His children, and He's always ready to...we just have to ask Him to.

Our Path...or His Path

Sometimes we may not understand why things happen. When hearts get broken, shattered, or crushed, God is always there, holding us up and helping us through, even when it appears nobody is there. He has a plan for each life, whether certain ones run together, next to, or away from each other, and His plan for each person's path is always the best one possible.

What He has in store for us is bigger, better, and brighter than we could ever dream, even though some days the sun just won't shine and the whole world is gloomy and we feel all alone. He's always there, and He wants the best for each of His children..even if that means making them wait a bit before they get it.

So if you're in the spot where God is saying wait a bit, just trust Him, lean on Him, soak up His immense love for you, and wait for Him to reveal His perfect plan for your life. He'll show you in His time, which is always perfect. He loves you too much to give you anything less than the best...so don't settle for less and miss out on His blessings. Trust Him. He knows what He's doing.

A Year Ago...

A year ago today, my sister and I were on our way home from school after tanking up the car. We didn't see the car in front of us turning left, and we didn't stop in time. The vehicle we hit was big enough that it just went right over our bumper and up our hood. Dad was furious, and understandably so. We had just wrecked the only car my sister and I could drive the twenty miles to and from school, and finding a good car nearby for a relatively decent price isn't exactly easy.

In three days, we had found a car online. It was a reasonable price, in good condition without too many miles on it, and it was in the same state.

So we got it.

Six months and five days later...crash! The car was totaled when someone didn't look and turned in front of us. Dad was furious. Again. When we called him and told him we had just been a wreck, you could practically hear the steam coming out of his ears. He got there, and when he realized it wasn't our fault this time, he calmed down. A little. You know how parents are.

We got the first car fixed and back on the road, and I've been driving it all summer long. There have been some very close times that have left me crying, shaking, and barely able to make it to my destination, but so far, the car is still in one piece.

Today, I was driving the same car pictured above, with a new black hood, bumper, fender and mirror, like I always do, and heading home from school. I swung by work and picked up my paycheck, then headed home. On the way out of town, today of all days, one of the two cars in front of me was turning left onto the same road that the vehicle had been a year ago. I almost laughed at the irony of being in the same vehicle, different seat, nearly the same situation, as I was a year ago in the split second before the vehicles collided.

God is amazing. He has watched out for me so many times, and kept me safe through two wrecks, the last one of which should have seriously injured, if not killed me. Sometimes I wonder why He kept me safe and alive and unharmed. What His plan is for my life that He's kept me safe through all of it. Today is one of those times.