A few years ago when I was feeling very down and out on the way my life was going I decided to have coffee with a friend. We were new friends back then, but I valued her opinion and her gentle ways and kindness. She has always had a way of bringing us closer to our faith and seeing things through different eyes.
I was feeling useless and helpless living with my parents after my 2nd divorce and generally feeling like a failure. I kept telling her I had nothing to offer others as much as I wanted to make a difference.
She said I had a story to tell and would one day be in the audience the first time I truly told my story of attempted suicide, the stay in the psych ward and the decision and process to finally file for divorce from a man that was a thief, a manipulator and who was very toxic to me for most of the years we lived as husband and wife.
Now that all these things have come to pass, I look back and wonder just what was I afraid of in telling my story to other women. I was afraid of being made fun of, that they would scoff at me or just tell me to get over it. I tell my story when needed to encourage others that are in similar situations and to show them there is life and new chances on the other side.
That day in that coffee shop when I was feeling sorry for myself, she reminded me that God was taking care of me. And I simply said, "I Know". She put her hand on my wrist, and said, "Do you really see it all?" And I asked her what she meant. She told me that I was being provided for by our God through my parents who gave me a roof over my head and I was being provided for with a job that may not be my favorite, but that I was doing fairly well at completing daily. She spoke about my candle business and the church family I had joined as well. That conversation has rolled over and over in my head in recent days because I have been stuck on the word provision.
I tend to look at blessings, provision and my beliefs very differently in 2019 than I did in 2013. God has surely brought me through many trials and blessed me with a husband that loves me just as I am, a husband who showed me that unconditional love exists here on earth and is not just a bible principle of how God loves us no matter how much we mess up.
From the car wreck in January, to job changes in March and family moving in in April and supporting them on their journey as we all learn to exist together in our little brick house, God has provided more than we ever dared to ask for.
I cry at all the blessings showering down on us this year and I pray I remain thankful and humble in what the Good Lord is doing.
Be thankful
Pray every day
BE Kind to others (whether you know them or not)
Encourage someone you know
Smile at those you see
Call a friend
Text another friend
If you are in danger, seek help and the number for the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-7233
I pray for all of you and that you all find a way to stay thankful and count your own blessings. God Loves You!
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