My Release....

Hello, everyone! I'm sorry it's been a little while since I've posted anything. We've had a few bumps in the road here lately, and I have to admit I really needed some encouragement from the Lord, and wouldn't you know, He gave it to me. These verses meant so much to me and I thought I'd pass them along in case any of you are feeling "overwhelmed"...

"Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For You have been a shelter for me,
A strong tower from the enemy.
I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;
I will trust in the shelter of Your wings."
Psalm 61:1-5

I just love that line, "When my heart is overwhelmed," because that is exactly how I've been feeling lately! But, despite the unexpected "fun" that we have been faced with lately, how grateful I am that He is my one constant rock and I can trust in the shelter of His wings!!! Honestly, where would I be without that? I know we are so extremely blessed, and I feel bad even being discouraged considering the blessings He's poured on our lives, but how sweet He is to love me enough to encourage me when my heart feels overwhelmed. I sat this morning and just started thinking about some of the "little" things I'm thankful for right now. Here's a few:

-my incredible friends, who despite their very busy lives have demonstrated the love of Christ to me in such a tangible way lately
-the weather--sitting outside listening to the sounds of the birds and my boys playing
-how the boys are truly becoming best friends...despite the fact that they really have different personalities, I'm so thankful to see God give them kindred spirits that truly love to be together, play the same things etc. I love hearing Griffin refer to his brother as, "my best friend Anderson." I think they could play together for hours and hours and be completely entertained.
-new neighbors
-getting to go on a long awaited date with my husband a week ago and have several hours just to talk face to face, uninterrupted
-watching the VOLS dominate on Saturday!!!
-worship music
-all the fun pumpkin foods (i.e. Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake ice cream from Bruster's and Pumpkin Spiced Latte ala Starbucks)...this week I'm making Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dip (thanks, Lauren)
-watching Anderson learn to say more and more things--he's really started to communicate so much, and seeing his personality develop fills my heart with joy (even if now every time I sit food in front of him he says, "idon'tlikethees!"
-seeing God develop compassion in Griffin...recently he's become so much more concerned about others (wanting to bring things to people who are hurt/sick, wanting to pray for others, offering to bring a trash can when we're throwing up--it's the little things). Maybe that's one of God's purposes in the little issues Griffin's had to deal with lately, and if I'm truly more concerned about my children's character development than their comfort, I should be so grateful for this lesson!
-how Michael stayed home from work all day with no hesitation or even a request from me to help with the boys when they were both throwing up
-the screened in porch
-having my parents live so close now
-seeing pumpkins and fall decorations everywhere
-my memory foam flip flops--how did I ever live without them?
-watching Griffin smack the ball off the tee in the backyard
-the excitement of having a new baby
-having fun with all things pink!!

Now, after He'd already encouraged me so much with those things, came the icing on the cake! This morning in Sunday School a friend of ours offered Michael 2 tickets to the Talledega 500 this afternoon. Now, those of you who know Griffin and his obsession with cars know that spending the afternoon with his daddy at his first race is probably close to the top of his list of most fun things to do!! What a great surprise and illustration of God's love and thoughtfulness to Griffin, and what a neat reminder to me that although God is so dedicated to the character development of His children (which sometimes means difficult things), he's also so gracious to give us presents we don't deserve just because he loves us! I hope you are encouraged today!