This is continued from Part 1: Staying still does not always mean you’re stagnant.

“God can split seas and do what He wills, but sometimes doesn’t allow the new to come until our heart is changed and surrendered to HIS.  We are to be pure and undefiled.  We are to be thankful and choose gratitude wherever He has us.

When God says to let go of whatever it is we must understand it is for our benefit.  Whatever we are holding onto could be hindering us from moving forward and into the next season.  Not everyone can go where God is calling you to go.  Some people aren’t willing to grow into the next season.  Some are in your life for a season and some for a lifetime, but we are only to obey God and go where He sends us.

It’s learning to go when He says go and stay when He says to stay.”

‘Everything else will fade away, but what will remain are Your words…’

My butterfly garden was timeliest of answered prayers.  It was honestly a small thought that has produced so much joy my heart can’t contain it.  I don’t know why all of my others went “unanswered”, but when the butterfly door even had a crack in the door I busted through and ran with abandon.  “My God said GO, so we’re GONNA GO!”  I know it was God that did it.  With that ‘little’ answered prayer came so much gratitude you would think He gave me everything I could have dreamed of.  It all happened when I accepted to learn how to “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46).

Sometimes people equate moving with growing, but sometimes we are to bloom where we are planted.

There have been a few things this week that have happened where I saw a door being closed.  I always had an image of how my life was going to go.  If this wasn’t happening then I was to do “B”.  But, without looking for the next God made a way and surprised me when I least expected it.  It’s always the tiniest things that make the biggest difference isn’t it?  It is always an exciting adventure following God..The true, living God.  The King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  My God isn’t just any God.  My God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who had a plan for salvation before He set the foundations of the world by sending His son JESUS to die and rise three days later FOR ME.  That’s my God.  He is alive and the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

He has used someone who is so precious to me to show how He brings His people together.  I’ve tried explaining him to people and told a friend the only way I can try to describe it is thinking of John the Baptist and Jesus in the wombs.  I never spoke to this man except to say good morning, but he always made my day.  He stood out from all of our other customers.  One day I finally just outright asked how He became a Christian because his light shines.  It does.  We had this connection that came out of no where.  He’s an older gentleman who is the sweetest, gentlest, quietest person I’ve ever met and when I see him my soul rejoices.  He always says, “God is with you.  You can’t fake that.”  I asked to take a picture with him one day so that I’ll always remember him and he didn’t even question it.  Nobody else gets it, but we get it.  It’s not the same with others.  It’s the only thing we have in common: Jesus.  We praise Him every morning just with a simple God is good and laughing and a mutual understanding that ‘MY GOD IS SO AMAZING AND HE RESCUED ME!’

To others it’s not a big deal, but when God uses tiny things for answered prayers they become GIANT.  The following story since this is the internet I will say Park A or Park B. 😛

Every weekend I like to run or walk at Park A.  Every weekend I do the same thing.  I park at Park A and either walk there or leave and walk around the city’s fancy neighborhoods and gardens.  I drive the same route to get to the same place to walk the same paths and every weekend I enjoy it.

Suddenly, I thought I needed to make a change in the little ways and explore somewhere new.  What went from leaving the park to going into the neighborhoods to going x, y, z, thought I would try Park B.  I even brought my travel hammock I’ve had for 3 years and never used.  I go there and started walking when a guy asked if I would like to try a boot camp he was having.  I was hesitant, but said OK because I thought I needed to get out of my head and be around people.  He said I didn’t need to pay for the first class, but it’s typically $10.  I went to the car, emptied my purse, and literally only had $10.  I paid.  It’s only right.  The people in the class knew each other from church, I think, so they were all very nice.  At the end I sat next to a lady to stretch.

I didn’t give them my phone number because I didn’t want to join the cult officially, but also kind of planned to go back the next week.

Flash forward to the next weekend.  I lived on a prayer that they would be in the same location at the time they mentioned the week before.  I got to the park, waited, and figured if no one showed up I would just go jogging, but sure enough there they were.

I walked up to them and said, “I was living on a prayer you would be here” and that same lady I sat next to looked at the instructor and said, “See!  She was living on a prayer!” and got a kick that I just happened to walk past and randomly join a boot camp where I never met anyone before.

In the middle of the class she told me, “This is worse than last week!”

Mind you it was about 90 degrees that morning and as a joke I said, “Yeah, I was wondering if it was God who sent me here” and laughed.  She said, “Oh!  It was Him!  Me and Him are close.  I prayed about you all week.  You are His baby girl and He cares a great deal about you.”

Obviously, I did not expect that at all.  I never met this lady in my life except the week before sitting next to her for a few minutes.  I walked around and said, “He does!” and teared up a little bit.

About 10 minutes later she came up to me and said, “Ok, I have a confession: This isn’t about you.  God sent you here to help me.  I didn’t want to come last week because I never worked out before and was praying about it.  You were walking by and did the class and I thought how brave that was.  At the end we kind of connected and I knew God sent you here and all week I prayed you would come back and I came here hoping you would be here… and sure enough here you are.  So, sorry, but this isn’t about you!”

I burst out laughing and said, “I’ll go through it for you!  I’ll do it!”
“See!  It says we suffer for others.”

When class was over she said, “Alright!  See you next week!  Sorry!”

So funny.

The week before I felt like I Was supposed to be there for several reasons.  God uses everything.  He doesn’t miss a thing.  Sometimes we are go to to a brand new park and join a class where you don’t know anyone for the sake of someone else.

That also was a lesson to show He provides the people who are meant to be in your life.  Letting go is scary, but at the same time it’s not.  Change is the only thing that stays the same.  I was having to let go of things and in the letting go also allowing something new in.  You can’t just cut everything and everyone off.  As an introvert that is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT.  He has provided way more than I ever expected in just a little boot camp class on a Saturday morning.  I had even texted my cousin and said, “I decided to go to Park B instead of Park A and am about to pay $10 to try a boot camp.  Why am I so stupid?”

I can’t really explain it, but God knows what we are in need of before we even ask.

In case you were wondering I couldn’t walk for two days after.  Squats. Lunges. Things I clearly have not been doing yet rediscovered some muscles.

Third Day – Your Words Youtube Link

“For Your words bring life and Your voice speaks promises.
Lord, Your love offers more than anything else in this world.

Let us speak Your words more than ours, more than ever.
Let us share Your love with all the world.
The grass will wither and the flowers will fall, but the word of our God will last forever.

Your words give us life that’s never ending…
Your words bring us love that never fails…
Everything else will fade away, but what will remain are Your words.”

“THE VOICE SAID, CRY. AND HE SAID, WHAT SHALL I CRY? ALL FLESH IS GRASS, AND ALL THE GOODLINESS THEREOF IS AS THE FLOWER OF THE FIELD: THE GRASS WITHERETH, THE FLOWER FADETH: BECAUSE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD BLOWETH UPON IT: SURELY THE PEOPLE IS GRASS.

THE GRASS WITHERETH, THE FLOWER FADETH: BUT THE WORD OF OUR GOD SHALL STAND FOR EVER.” – ISAIAH 40:6-8

“REMEMBER YE NOT THE FORMER THINGS, NEITHER CONSIDER THE THINGS OF OLD.  BEHOLD, I WILL DO A NEW THING; NOW IT SHALL SPRING FORTH; SHALL YE NOT KNOW IT? I WILL EVEN MAKE A WAY IN THE WILDERNESS, AND RIVERS IN THE DESERT.

THE BEAST OF THE FIELD SHALL HONOUR ME, THE DRAGONS AND THE OWLS: BECAUSE I GIVE WATERS IN THE WILDERNESS, ANDRIVERS IN THE DESERT, TO GIVE DRINK TO MY PEOPLE, MY CHOSEN.  THIS PEOPLE HAVE I FORMED FOR MYSELF; THEY SHALL SHEW FORTH MY PRAISE.”
– ISAIAH 43:18-21