With A Very Thankful Heart

Wow I am totally going to have to get better at posting!! Almost a year later and here I am. Life has changed dramatically and I couldn’t be any happier. First of all, I only have one more class of graduate school and I will have my Masters in Christian Leadership. This has been something I have been working towards for so long. I knew God was calling to get my Masters in this area. I also knew that while I was taking these classes, I would not know what doors it would open in my life. I just knew that all I was responsible for at this moment was to take the classes and finish. After which I would be given further direction. So here I am at the door of a new adventure once I finish this class I start in January! I am so thankful for the opportunity to get my masters in this area and the many lessons I have learned along the way. In a few months my life will be changing forever, and not just because of my masters degree. It is also changing because I AM GETTING MARRIED!!! Yes, it is true. Not only am I getting married to the man of my dreams but I will be moving half way across the country with him. This is something that I am very excited about. I know God has a plan in all of this and I know finishing my masters will play a key role when I get out there in May. I am a teacher at the moment and once I get my degree, I know it would have been hard to leave and go into another profession in the same town, because I would be unsure of the outcome. However, moving across the country, not have my teacher license in that area will give me a better mind set to leave what was known and travel into the unknown. Such an exciting adventure ahead!!!! I’ve always had faith in God and knew what He was working in my life behind the scenes would always benefit me. However, many times it was hard to accept the place I was at. It was lonely and boring sometimes. I was unsure of who I was and what my life would hold. I always had faith and continued to live life and pursue the dreams God had placed in my heart. I am quite certain had I got married in the beginning stages of getting my masters, I may never have finished. God truly knows what is best and His timeline is better than our own. I was in church yesterday by myself and the chorus of a David Crowder Band song hit my heart, “He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree, Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy. When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, And I realise just how beautiful You are, And how great Your affections are for me.oh how He loves us so, oh how He loves us,” How He does love us and realizing that yesterday while singing this song in church made me feel so incredibly thankful and blessed. I believe we all have seasons, and some seasons are for sowing, and some are for growing, and some are for the harvest. I know we have all heard this before, but this is very much true. The growing season is the hardest part, because most of the growth after you sow your seeds aren’t seen for a while. Its waiting and being patient. I have to say I was not always the most patient person and I am still working on that. However, I always knew that something would happen and it would lead my life in a different direction if I just continued to follow the path God had for me. I am thankful for the harvest season I am in right now. I think it is important to recognize when God has brought the harvest, and be in a state of thankfulness and love to the God of everything. This next year isn’t going to be easy (I’m sure many blog posts will be centered on this). I am a family girl and I love my family with all of my heart and this will be the first time I will be away from them. There will be days that are tough; however, every time I think about that, I am given this sense of how much more I will rely on God and how much closer we will be. Although every season is not always the best when we are in them, it is important to give thanks for the growth each season brings because each season does bring growth, even if we do not see it! God works in all of our lives for good! Hold to that understanding and be happy for each day God has given you. Happy Thanksgiving ! Lora