Green pastures - quiet waters

God continues to amaze me on a daily, nay hourly basis. 

Last night I was feeling guilt and remorse at the decision to break up my family after watching some videos from a decade ago that were truly great times.  After a long cry and a phone call to my daughter for her perspective (after all it was her family I took away from her) I went to sleep with a somewhat heavy heart even though her words were reassuring.

So I wake up this morning to Psalm 23!  God once again gave me the direction and comfort I needed at the very moment I needed it.  To add to the beautiful words, I logged on to post my gratitude and went to 'The Paper Chase' a friends blog and she posted a gorgeous picture of her childhood home that went perfectly with the scripture.  When the enemy tries to put darkness in your mind and heart today, please go enjoy Psalm 23 as I was blessed to do.

Psalm 23 -

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul!  (RESTORES MY SOUL) He guides me to paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

He Restores My Soul!  - May he restore yours today as well.

I want recognition!

Do you ever have those internal thoughts that say:  I'm a good person, Ive done this for this charity, another thing for this friend, I've tried to show my loved ones that I want to support them and on and on?  I admit I do.  Sometimes I just want someone to say WOW you are such a giving and loving person look at all you do.

God though is a very loving and caring God and knows that this would not be good for me at all.  How do I know this...last night I was laying in bed thinking how this loved one of mine should see all I'm doing to help him only to wake up this morning with my devotion and guess what!  I was reminded why I don't want nor do I need this recognition.  It is more important for me to have that glory when I go to my next life rather than here on this temporary earth.  So the next time I'm wanting all those kudos I will remember this:

Mathew 6:1

Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them.  If you do will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

My prayer today Lord is that whatever kindness or acts that I do in the name of charity to another be between you and I alone so that you may be pleased.

Stress is halved with friends

This week was one of the most difficult at work in a long time.  Really it had the potential to devestating the faith my colleagues have in me and damaging future growth at work.  The IT world can be a stressful one especially in today's market as there are so many out of work vying for what few IT jobs are out there and especially for the good paying ones.

So I stressed, had a headache cried on and off over the last portion of the day (not in front of the guys tthough!) and when I was at my wit's end...I asked for prayer.  I'm not sure why I always wait until I'm in the middle of a crisis to ask for prayer as it would seem much more beneficial to ask before the crisis occurs, but I seem to always learn the hard way.

My parents, my scrapbook friends prayed for me and a potentially big mistake that would have cost the company big big money had the strangest thing happen.  The multiple runs of the job caused the database to lock up and write nothing to any of the files.  That means the mistake made had no outcome - nada.  That's some great answer to prayer if you ask me.