focus

This post has been through several titles over the course of a couple of days as I have tried to decide what to post about this week.  In the end, I have decided to share the blessings of the week and let the rest fall by the way.  I will admit to having run the gamut of emotions this week and allowing circumstances to overwhelm me, but rather than choosing to focus my attention on my bad attitude I am going to focus on how God has blessed my family and me this week.

• My mom received wonderful news from her scan this week and will have a month off of chemo before they evaluate again.  This is a direct answer to many prayers that have been offered on behalf of Mama and all of our family.
• God provided an answer to a question that has been hanging over our heads off and on for several months now.  The answer is a little different from what we were hoping for, but we are claiming God's promise in Roman's 8:28.  We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. We are thankful that God has answered our prayer and provided the answer that we needed ... and, in light of other things that have been happening this week, we are pretty sure that we can now see why the answer had to be what it is.
• I am thankful for the answer God has provided for us to get D's dental work done.  This issue has caused quite a bit of emotion in this house this week and I believe that God used our emotion to send us to the place where we could get the answer we needed.  I won't pretend that it has been fun, but I do believe that the solution we are working on now is the right one.
• I am thankful for family and friends who have been there for me this week when I just needed to vent my frustration.  I am not proud of all of my reactions this week, but I am thankful that God has put people in my life who can help me look past the moment and look to God for all of my answers.
• Finally, I am simply thankful for the little things in life.  Things like the fact that no one in our family has gone hungry this week and we have clean running water and showers and heat.  I am thankful that my kids are all healthy ... this fact was driven home to me as Ronnie and I sat with D this week waiting for his dental consultation and watched the children who were waiting for surgical procedures on their eyes.  Most of them were there for repeat surgeries.  In other words, I am thankful for a new perspective on my children and the blessings of health.

God has reminded me this week that He has not left us, even when we can't see where things are going or what the answer will be.  This song brings that truth home to me in a special way.  I may not always (or ever) understand circumstances in my finite mind, but I can trust my Father, in His infinite love and wisdom to guide us where we need to go.  What an awesome promise.