Today I am thankful for God's love, God's wisdom, and God's perfect plans.

My family and I have been facing some "unforeseen" and difficult changes lately, and these changes could lead to even more difficult ones in the near future. It's interesting because a couple of years ago, I would never have dreamed that these changes could possibly take place. They DO NOT coincide with my plans...and even though these changes aren't tragic or unbearable, they are still stressful.

However...

It's been sooooo comforting to realize that God's got it all under control! Even though I never saw these events coming, He's known they were coming since before I or my parents were even born! When I focus on that concept, I feel so much better! BELIEVE ME, I have NOT controlled my mind perfectly. Yes...there have been times of hyperventilation!! But God's truth is still truth!!

Last week, our pastor spoke about Saul's conversion. He, as well as several of the men who shared, pointed out how Saul's/Paul's story was timed by God. For example, why didn't God appear to Saul before he had traveled 5 out of the 6 days it took to get to Damascus? In fact, why didn't God appear to Saul before He started arresting and killing all those Christians? The answer, Pr. Gerry pointed out, was that God had a plan. He works all things together so that He is glorified!! That means that the changes that my family is going through are for God's glory...He has it all figured out!! Thank you Lord!

I just read this Psalm, and even though plenty of people care about me (vs 4) and no one is hunting me down (vs 6), I can still take it's main message personally.

Psalm 142

1 I cry aloud to the Lord;

I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy.

2 I pour out my complaint before Him;

I reveal my trouble to Him.

3 Although my spirit is weak within me,

You know my way.

Along this path I travel

they have hidden a trap for me.

4 Look to the right and see;

no one stands up for me;

there is no refuge for me;

no one cares about me.

5 I cry to You, Lord;

I say, "You are my shelter,

my portion in the land of the living."

6 Listen to my cry,

for I am very weak.

Rescue me from those who pursue me,

for they are too strong for me.

7 Free me from prison

so that I can praise Your name.

The righteous will gather around me

because You deal generously with me.

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HYPERVENTILATION!!!

I don't normally respond to stress very well. When something challenging comes up, I usually... kind of...sort of...definitely...hyperventilate! Mom normally tells me, "Brianna, think truth. Is this really a big deal?" I know she's right, but I usually just go right on stressing for a while.

OK, so last night, Mom and I were working on my blog. We were looking at templates and trying to find one that would match my header. Well, we decided to experiment, and we downloaded a template that didn't really match...so I started stressing! We also deleted stuff from the sidebar by accident, so I was stressing out about that, too. Then in the middle of all this, our Internet went down, so we couldn't change anything, and so I REALLY stressed out...did I mention I was stressed??? :-)

Well, then I started thinking, "OK, Brianna...this IS NOT WORTH LOSING A NIGHT'S SLEEP OVER...you need to start listening to your mom and thinking truth! What's the truth? Well, I know I'll be able to fix this tomorrow, and I also know that in 20 years, when I'm fondly reminiscing about my first blog, I probably won't remember that time that I had a funny looking template for a few hours. And obviously, God has some reason for all this happening. Maybe He's trying to teach me how to respond to stress." Well, it took me a while, but I did finally calm down, and I slept VERY WELL!! :-)

Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is TRUE, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."

This is something I'll be working on for a long time...until I die!!! THANK YOU LORD (and MOM!) for your patience!!

SEEK HIS FACE WITH ME!
LOVE~BRIANNA