Wow - another post in less than 24 hours..

Hey ya'll! Can you believe it - another post.
Normally I ramble about what's going on in my life and just about random happenings in the Hounsel fam - but today I wanted to share with you something a little more personal.

If you know me - like REALLY know me - I am a worrier. It's caused me great anxiety in the past and I hate not controlling things, not knowing where I'm headed, never fully sure of God's will for me. After a lot of prayer, I realized that I've been kind of hypocritical in my life. Maybe I'm being tough on myself, but I realized that if I am going to pray to be a reflection of God's grace for others and tell others about the ultimate Trust I have in Him - I better start living and breathing those words of trust.

Trusting. Really trusting God with today, tomorrow, this second, this moment - is difficult to do. But, if you really believe that God has control of everything - and NOT just the things you pray about and choose to give to Him - tomorrow and today is already taken care of. And aren't we so blessed that we have a God that doesn't just do things half way - but He brings things to completion better than we could ever imagine.

In discovering and really praying on Trusting God, I found a sense of contenment and joy I haven't experienced in a long time. Now -I'm not saying that I have become this amazing spiritual being - but I now understand that if I really believe that God has control over ALL things in my life - tomorrow (and the many tomorrow's there after) is already taken care - and I really just need to focus on today and giving my all to the moments and breaths God blessed me with in the present. I have a lot of work to do and I know that praying for joy and contentment is going to be a daily, hourly, minute by minute prayer in my heart.

My quiet times in the morning is usually spent journaling and reading the bible but I began reading this awesome devotional book called "Calm My Anxious Heart" by Linda Dillow. It's led me to this realization and I am thankful God placed that book in front of me when He did.
The book also talks about how we CHOOSE to perceive things. How our sense of peace and joy can be changed by a shift in attitude and not necessarily by a change in our circumstance.

There was a story about a woman who was not happy in her new marriage. She thought it would be romantic, fun and exciting - but as many of us kn0w - marriage can be all those things - but it's also a lot of work. The young woman complained to her mother about her marriage and how unhappy she was in her circumstance. Her mother said nothing to her but later sent her note that contained these two lines:

"Two women looked through prison bars
One saw mud, the other saw stars."

How do you look at your life? What do you see?

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstance. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."
- Philippians 4:11-13