West Michigan friends: Our Magnificent Monday Bible Study begins on September 27, 2010. We would love to have you join us! 🙂


Hey friends!

Happy Thursday to you!! I don’t know about you….but I couldn’t wait for today to get here!

A local, amazing church has offered a “writing room” for me this fall! I now have “office days” on Tuesday’s & Thursday’s where I go and spend hours & hours in this beautiful, window-filled, upper floor classroom and pray, study, write, and dig deep into God’s Word. Woo Hoo!! It is a dream come true! 🙂

My time this past Tuesday studying was awesome!! I’m so fired up about the message God is “downloading” to me. I feel like I’m just going to “bust” with all the “redhot” insights I am learning. Oh how I love God’s Word!!

I have been looking forward all week to another chance to sneak off to my “office” today! Plus, I scheduled a quick lunch break in with Julie, my ministry partner and bestest friend. I premade dinner last night, so I can just pop it in the oven after tea time this afternoon, and have a nice, relaxing night home with my gang. What a Thrilling Thursday it would be!

I went to bed last night almost giddy, so looking forward to a fantastic day filled with all of my favorite things!

Imagine my surprise when my daughter Amanda’s little canker sore began to grow last night. And grow. And grow. And then we noticed the spots on her feet. NOOOOOO! It’s hand, foot, and mouth disease. Highly contagious. And she’s unable to go to school…for awhile.

AHHH!

I’ve been praying like crazy! Praying first, of course, that God would heal Amanda and take away her discomfort, but also begging God to heal her quickly so that she could go to school. Having a sick daughter doesn’t really fit into “my” plan! “My” plans are getting tossed right out the window!

However, as I was holding Manda close, I was reflecting on the changes in my day. My hours of studying the Word were replaced with lots of disinfecting, watching an American Girl movie and lots of snuggling. It felt as if I was suddenly given a “detour” on my daily journey.

(I looked up the definition of detour: a deviation from a direct course. Yep, that about sums up my day!)

And then I realized I had a choice. Either I could go on the detour and find the joy in the ride, or be a grump about it all day long and ruin it for everyone! You know what I decided?! I would surrender my plan. And I was choosing joy!

And I did – I’ve enjoyed every minute of holding my Manda, resting with her, playing Trouble and watching movies. In the midst of this sickness, I am full of peace and patience and joy. (Thank You, Lord!)

I also thought of other “detours” that God has brought my way. Thinking my life would go one way, and then a phone call, and suddenly my life was on a drastically different path. Planning for a job opportunity to last forever, and then the sense that my call was at home. Watching friendships and relationships head in a different direction than the “direct course” we had wanted. Life is full of detours, isn’t it??

My dad was given a pretty big detour last year. His company announced they were closing up shop and moving to Mexico. Now he’s unemployed/early retired. Definitely a deviation from the direct course he had planned! My dad was thrown a detour.

What about for you?? Have you encountered a “detour” recently? Maybe it was an unexpected health concern or illness? Or relationship trouble? Maybe it was a job loss or job change or financial challenge? Or maybe in the midst of traveling down the path of life, you somehow turned the corner onto a detour filled with hurts and loss and unexplainable sadness.

My hope is that for each one of us we will look for and find the joy in the detour.

Even though we do not know what the future holds, thankfully, we know Who holds the future. And He is good and faithful and true! And He doesn’t make mistakes ~ ever!

So let’s fasten our seatbelts, take our hands off the steering wheel, and sit back and enjoy the ride ~ wherever He may take us!

Enjoy this Thrilling Thursday!! God’s richest blessings to you!

Hey friend —
 
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