the race toward Counseling

..a third of the way done after 2 years...

Lessons I'm learning..

1) God shows us He is with us through the little blessings in life.

2) Little blessings include supportive & loving friends, good health, things that happen exactly when they need to happen.

3) I need to DELIBERATELY make time to spend with God.

4) Friendships evolve over time. Receive friends with an open hand.

5) Don't plan too much of your life. Leave a little room for God work His "magic."

6) Patient endurance is a virtue...although the finish line looks far off, endure with a good attitude knowing that God is in control.

7) Stop and enjoy the simple things in life.

8) GOD. I AM.

9) Revere. Reverent fear of God.

10) ENJOY the race...don't let opportunities to have FUN pass by.

God is showing me that He is with me through this journey. I have doubts about a lot of things...but that's when I know that if "it happens," God will get the most glory b/c "it" will not be dependant on my abilities, but by His grace. His grace is sufficient.

Decision Making

Wow, life decisions are hard to make at times. I wrestle with factors such as wanting to do the "right" thing, the "smart," economical, efficient way to do things, then I also have to consider how it might affect others around me both positively and/or negatively, weigh out the costs and benefits, then sit down and figure out simply if the desire is mine or God's....wow, so much thought and process goes into the art of decision making.

I think I tend to give myself a headache this way...I wish sometimes that I am more of a simplistic person when it comes to these things. In terms of God's will, people say that even if you end up making the "wrong" decision, God's purpose will still prevail at the end. Does that really give me peace knowing that or do I want to do it right the first time? (haha, corporate America has corrupted my thought process)

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your paths straight."

Please pray for me that I will have peace to make the decisions which will glorify God the most even if it means putting my plans on hold for the moment.

"In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." - Prov. 16:9

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" - Matt. 6:27

It's interesting how certain Bible verses come to mind as I quiet myself before God.

first blog!

hello! Wow, I don't know why I didn't think of doing this [particular site] before. I used to love blogging on xanga back in the days to post up thoughts, pictures, just share a bit of myself with the world, or friends. I guess when xanga started changing their layouts & such, it got confusing and I stopped blogging.

I know that the best way to maintain a relationship/friendship is not through the internet, but actually seeing each other face to face and spending time is the right way... and that's not my intention at all.

But throughout our daily lives, God interacts with us, speaks to us, and a lot of the times, I want to share those moments with my friends before I forget or just ponder on what God is doing... I get really excited and moved, really, when I sense the Holy Spirit doing something, teaching me something about myself, others, and God. Also, I usually have questions that might need answered, so your feedback is welcomed greatly. I simply love looking back and seeing God's fingerprints throughout my life over the years. I don't wanna MISS him on the move...know what I mean? Plus, I don't why but this is therapeutic for me. haha.

Thanks for visiting today! more to come later... love, rita