October – A Mile in my Shoes

Often times we have our own plans… we think we know what is best for us… we have dreams and desires… and often times those plans don’t happen as we desire.  At times we are disappointed by the news or the circumstances we are facing.  While we may not be able to control what happens in our life we can decide how we are going to respond. 

This past month some of our plans have not gone according to what we wanted… it wasn't what we thought was best but we know that God has a purpose in all things.  That doesn't always make things easier but we choose to trust in God. 

One can respond to a trial in many ways… some can be healthy and others not so much.  I have chosen to take my stress and deal with it in a positive way… I have started walking (That and watching football).  At the beginning of the summer I was walking 5-10 miles a week and feeling good about being active.  When Matthew was in the hospital and life got a little more stressful I started walking between 10-15 miles and was feeling even better.  In September when things got even more stressful I started walking even more… my goal was to walk at least 20 miles a week and I accomplished that for a couple weeks but then that wasn't even enough.  Last week I walked 9 miles a couple days and walked a total of 34 miles for the week.  This week I decided that I wanted to walk over 40 miles and within the first three days I was already up to 34 miles so by tomorrow I will accomplish this goal.  Walking has been my way of dealing with stress.  Not only does it help with my physical health but also gives me time to process things.  At times I listen to sermons by Chip Ingram which have been very encouraging, other times I listen to worship music and praise the Lord, and other times I just think and pray. 

I don’t know how long I will keep up this pace but I do want to continue to walk even as the weather becomes rainy and cold.  I know my motivation will go down but it is something that I need to do.  Another factor that will affect my walking is whether or not I get a job.  While I didn't get the position at the school I am still hoping to be able to work as a sub.  We shall see if that is what God has in store for me or not.  I am at a point that I can only follow Him one step at a time and that is what I am doing. 

This month hasn't been all bad though.  God has given us some direction.  I know I mentioned awhile back that I was praying about working with the Junior High group.  Well, after lots of prayer we decided that this is the ministry that we would like to do.  I love to disciple youth and have enjoyed the times of just talking with the girls and getting to know them better.  I pray that throughout the year I will be able to influence their life and be an example that they can follow.