Provision comes in all shapes and forms

This one happens to be my favorite!






The other day this seemed to actually help...I am not lying it really did :)




But on a serious note, I was amazed this week at provision. Nothing spectacular just everyday average provision. I went running every day this week and saw this each morning as I watched the sunrise over the water....(I took this with my phone so I could remember how wonderful each new day is)



It is still mesmerizing to me to see the sunrise over the water...I have seen it set over the water living in Cali, but there is something about the start of a fresh new day, the light that the sun brings, the colors that usher in the warmth, the way it happens so fast if you blink you miss it. Sometimes I forget that life is about moments like that. It is so easy for me to get caught up in my life plan...which if you know me at all you know that is the most comedic part of my life. I really try to plan and it just never seems to go the way I think it will go...EVER!

As I sat one morning and watched the sunrise I was talking to Sea Jay on the phone and just in awe of how provision comes in all shapes and sizes. That little run on the beach gave me energy, perspective and helps me not be too emotional. The ring that comes at the right moment that says "sea jay calling" made me laugh, even made me cry a little, but at the end I felt known and refreshed. The sunrise reminded me that life is pretty big and I do not control it. Each day the sun rises and sets without my help (I know, I was shocked too when I realized this!) The colors reminded me that there is a richness in life that if we will wait, sacrifice, be patient, and just enjoy the moment we will see it.

Funny thing is too, that this week I was reminded again how necessary parents are in our lives. I have not lived with my parents for 13 years now (YIKES I am old!) but you still need them. The perfectly timed emails and text from my parents...with the perfect words and encouragement reminded me of that. How do they do that living on the other side of the world in an entirely different day?! And this week I had two different women play such significant roles in my life. They weren't my mom, but they were a lot like my mom. In fact, at one moment I giggled to myself as I was talking to one of these women thinking how funny life is that all the way in a different hemisphere there is someone that is just like my mom and I happen to stumble into her. I don't think that it is an accident, I think God does those things.

I believe He is kind and good. I believe He actually has a plan for our lives. It isn't too just go to church or give money or to obey all the rules. I think if He really is who He claims to be it would be scary that he needed me to do those things. He sorts the World without my help, I don't think that he needs my money or my time. But I do believe that He invites us into a life where we can impact other people's lives. I believe he has cool stuff for us to do, that would blow our minds if we would try it. I believe that He is gracious to people and I believe that sometimes HE seems very distant, very unloving and very unprotective. While I have felt those at moments, here is what I love most about God...He can take my accusations and he can take them as long as I need to feel like that. He isn't insecure. He is not unsure of who He is. He loves people and this week I am so reminded that no matter what happens in life He is a God that loves people and invites those people into a life that is about something so much bigger than themselves.

I wonder how you see provision...I hope this week you see it in the everyday things in your life: your kids smiles, your husbands job, your friends laugh, your messy house, your wife's yummy food...and mostly I hope you remember that you can't take your life too serious. Remember: Stressed spelled backwards is DESSERTS...have an extra piece of chocolate :)