October 1st already! I read a post this afternoon by a dear friend of mine about her love of October…it reminded me how much I really enjoy fall. Crisp days, cool nights, beautiful scenery and that feeling of slowing down for just a moment. A time to take a breath and look around. What a beautiful feeling fall can evoke! Something about fall makes me ready for change.

I’ve learned to embrace change over my lifetime of bumpy roads and dark nights. Looking back over those years the most amazing times of my life have come through change. Sometimes those “changes” have been bitter and painful. Not always the “blessings” this world tells us we so deserve. There’s this beautiful song that I’ve been listening to a lot lately and it speaks words to my heart that are beautiful and so very true.

Life is always challenging and often painful, but those moments remind me of God’s faithfulness.

He is a good God, a loving God, a just God. He is always the same, he never wavers. There will be moments that we need reminded that God doesn’t ever leave us, that he loves us so much. There will be times that the “aching of this life will reveal a greater thirst….. than this world can satisfy”. Those moments remind us that our treasure is not here on this earth.

But sometimes, we listen to the lies of this world. That we need a life of comfort and security to be truly happy…that it’s okay to blame others and even God when things don’t go the way we think they should. We buy into debates of why bad things happen to good people and why God “lets” things happen to us. Never intending ourselves to face the bad choices we’ve made or the bad behavior we exhibit! My prayer recently has been that I know that the “blessings” of this world are not meant for me….that I look to God for the blessings that he has for me and the knowledge that those difficult times are bringing a change in me I desire…a change that always brings me closer to God! Haiti reminded me that I have much to do before I leave this life and still so much to learn! No time for complacency or ideas for my own comfortable life. In just a few weeks Michael and I will be back in Haiti and I look forward to that very much but I’ve realized that wherever God sends me I will go and whatever he asks of me I will do….. whether that’s in Haiti or here or to the ends of the earth!

We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things
‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

Blessings by Laura Story