Read #5 - #3 here, and #2 here

#1 Trust Him

This is the biggest thing that I am learning. I think it will always be the toughest thing to learn, and I have a feeling that it will be a lifelong lesson in trust. No matter what change will always be going on. There will always be issues to deal with. I will always have kids to worry about. Because of this I will always have a need to trust God.

I will always need to trust His plans. I will always need to trust His Love. I will always need to trust His protection. In short I will always need to trust Him.

So knowing this why is it so hard for me to do? I wish I knew, but then again if I knew I wouldn’t need to trust His power in my life. If I knew I would probably presume that I could trust Him on my own. Man, I need His help to even be able to trust Him.

I guess it’s just one of those things. I am learning more and more to give up, because in giving up I leave it to Him. That is the only way I can get by in this life. I spent a few years of my life trying to do it on my own and it didn’t work. The only way to survive this life and thrive for Him is to stop trying and trust His Word, His Will, and His Love.

So lately God has been putting the future on my heart. My family and I are coming to the end of a chapter in our lives and are preparing to move forward to the next one. As with any new beginning there is a certain amount of planning, anxious waiting, and yes…worry.

I know I shouldn’t worry. I know God is in control and I feel that He has given me clear direction on the future, but I still spend time worrying about it. Am I doing the right thing? Should I do this? What if this doesn’t work out? What are my back up plans?

Some of these things are just good planning. I firmly believe that God will take me in the direction He has shown me. But i also believe that he may show me a different path as I move forward, much like He gave Abram a goat to sacrifice instead of Issac. So I am also preparing for other options. I guess the hard thing is just realizing the difference between Planning and Worrying.

I wish I had a good answer as to which is which. I don’t. I am just a finite human, but I do believe that in the end I will be taken care of by a loving and INfinite God. So untill God moves the mountains I am facing I am content to just keep climbing, while also keeping an eye open for other paths that He may open up. I’ll keep planning, and I’ll try and let Him take care of my worrying.

Yesterday was my little girls 1st birthday. It seems like just a few days ago I was in the hospital with her mom watching her be born. And it seems like not to long ago I was watching my other kids be born. Life is just so stinkin’ fast.

Makes me realize that every day that God has blessed us with is precious and should be treated as such. i need to take every opportunity to tell my daughters how beautiful they are and how much they are loved because if I don’t one day very soon some young man will be saying that to them and his intentions won’t be the same as mine.

I need to spend as much time as I can teaching my boys how to walk as men of God because if i don’t they will learn how to be men from some other place and won’t learn the values that I want them too.

I need to spend as much time cherishing my wife, building her up, and encouraging her growth spiritually for her benefit, but more importantly for my children’s. They need to see what a godly marriage looks like. My boys need to learn how to treat their future wives. My daughters need to know what a man of God looks like so they can make a good decision about their future husbands

Life just moves too fast. I often kid with my wife that I hate weddings because I am dreading walking my girls down the aisle. And you know what I am. I worry about weather or not I will have done a good enough job teaching and loving them in the time I had with them. I worry about weather they will be marrying a man of God, or a woman of God for my boys.

Life just moves too fast. Dang! Pray for me as I try to be the man, husband, and father God has called me to be.

Life just moves so freaking fast. Embrace your daughters, love your wives, and mentor your sons, cause LIFE MOVES FAST.