Knowing God's Plan

Life's Like This — Sometimes the paths that God sets for our lives are not the shortest, most direct routes, or at least that is how it appears. Quite often, we want to get to our destination on our own time schedule rather than exercising the patience needed to arrive at our destination according to God's plan. Knowing God's plan for our lives and what blessings He has in store for us are questions that many of us seek to know the answers to. It would be nice if we could just give God a phone call, or meet Him for a cup of coffee to discuss questions we have and to learn all the details we need to live our lives fully and in accordance with His plans for us. But God does not work that way; He wants us to exercise faith and trust in HIs Word that whenever we come before Him in prayer, that He will hear us and answer the burning questions we have in His time and in a manner that He chooses. And He wants us to know that He has our back, that He is always looking over our shoulder, keeping an eye on the road ahead, and speaking to us through the Holy Spirit with words of comfort and guidance as we face the trials of life. If truth be told, most of us are not willing to wait on God. We want His blessings now, on our own time schedule, and in a manner or way that we choose.

Keeping The Faith

Life's Like This — Faith is oftentimes a battle, especially in the midst of overwhelming grief. It has been said that nothing on this earth lasts forever, except perhaps the love you can hold in your heart for one of God's creations. Such is the love I have in my heart for my beloved Golden Retriever, Sweety. If ever there was a dog that could capture the hearts of people she came in contact with, Sweety was such a dog. For over seven years, Sweety lived up to her name. Not only did she enrich the lives of my family and friends, but she touched the hearts of countless others with her beauty and loving personality. Sweety was a true blessing from God. On July 5, 2012, Sweety went to “Doggy Heaven” after being diagnosed with Osteo-Sarcoma, a bone cancer that left her lame and with a poor prognosis of leading a healthy and quality life. But while she is now gone, the memories of how she touched my life are firmly embedded in my heart and mind. And for those memories I am deeply grateful. And yet, coping with her loss is a daily struggle, one that I wish I did not have to go through. Sweety was such an integral part of my life. All around me are reminders of things we did together and of the life we shared since she was six weeks of age.