Well it has been awhile since I have blogged, SHOCKING, lol, we actually turned off our cable,home phone and internet through the summer. It was great! There was more time spent doing creative, fun,things and we did them TOGETHER!!!! The summer was so busy, I don't know where it all went but it flew by. We had vacations, and birthdays, and doctor appointments, VBS, poison ivy, and fairs. It was a summer I won't forget. We went to deep creek MD for vacation again, rented a boat, and had a blast. We bought a tube and all of the kids took turns riding it. Faith and Emily even tried it once or twice. Cayden had his first friend birthday party, went smoothly and he had a great time. Emily is potty trained, Faith is still working on it. Fawn spent alot of time with her friend Kendall, which was good for both of them, learning how to form bonds of friendship! Shannon has been doing fantastic and the growth and maturity we see in her is absolutely amazing. She is back in public school completeing her senior year and is LOVING it!!! Fawn, Cayden, and Bryson are enrolled at Armbrust Christian Academy, their last school had quite a bit of issues so we were forced to switch, 4 days before school started. That was an emotional roller coaster! Well that about sums up our summer months. Now to the heart of things....
I have been having alot of family issues going on since the end of february. We are still dealing with alot of it, and when it first happened I was completely devasted and emotional distruaght by it, but now, I just see so many areas of growth because of it, I can't help but in some ways rejoice in it. Now don't get me wrong I am still saddened by it, it is now how I would have chosen 2012 to go, but God has a better plan than I do. Things that I used to think were huge and so important now just seem petty. My husband is a counselor and has many sad stories to tell that actually happen to real people and families. I look at what people make into issues and just realize how unimportant some of it is. There are families out there struggling with real problems, disease, divorce, death of loved ones. That when you put the daily issues in perspective, they aren't really issues worth getting stressed out about. Life really is too short.
God has been teaching me how to see people through his eyes. How to take every thought captive
2 Corinthians 10:5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
God has continually placed this in my life over the past months and,WOW! one of my biggest issues has always been, looking at others and thinking that if they would have done things my way it woulda been better, or that my way is the best way...lol how self centered and arrogant is that? I have come to realize that I don't know what is best for others, and that how they run their lives and what they do is completely up to them, and between them and God. We can never truly know how it feels to be in someone else's shoes, so how can we say another pair of shoes would be more comfortable for them. The negative, critical thoughts that satan puts in my head, I need to be aware of and I need to change them to thoughts that are loving, encouraging and ones that will build the other one up. It is hard, LOL, but amazing how situations and people seem nicer and less stressful just by changing your thoughts. I do have a long way to go with this, but already I can see a difference. So blessed to have been given the opportunities to grow and draw closer to my heavenly Father, and I will continue to praise HIM in the storms, and the sun!
I just feel like 2012 has been such a HUGE time of personal growth for me. I know that if it weren't for the many issues, I have faced with my family, friends and children, i would never have been able to grow as I have. I am thankful for the opportunities and look forward to the end of 2012 and the blessings and trials that I will face. The second verse that God has been placing on my heart the last 6 months is Romans 12:12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
