Our lives are meant to be a sweet smelling aroma, refreshing those around us.
(Picture by Lisa R.)

Wow only sixty-five more days till this year ends. What a year it has been filled with changes, growing, and learning. The last three hundred days have been blessed, beautiful and at times brutal. Today was a day of learning, God used this day to gently remind me of where my mind should be. I don’t know about you all, but sometimes I forget that I am not lead by my mind, but that I can choose what I think about. It is not the situations in life that shapes and defines us, but how we choose to interpret them. Today Pastor Doug reminded me of this very important truth. This was one of the very reasons I started this blog, I wanted to have a mind set different from the one I had held to so stringently for all the years prior (the one that left me feeling sad, empty, and defeated). Today as Pastor Doug was speaking I realized that while I had made great strides, I still had areas of fear. I trust and believe God (I genuinely do), but I still haven’t been able to let go a 100%. I will give an example we are house hunting, I know that we need to move, but I am afraid to commit because, “What if I don’t get accepted”. What if I am not good enough? I know it is stupid, but the thought is there. Today God gently reminded me that I can’t trust halfway it is ALL or nothing. I can’t trust Him for somethings and not trust Him for others. Trust and belief need to be a 100%. Even if I am rejected I have to believe that it was for my good. On this journey you have to fail to become strong, and you have to fall in order to get up. Failure and falling are not meant to keep us down they are meant to build us up, if we view them as tools in God’s capable hands.

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

So what am I thankful for today? That my failures have made me stronger, and falling has taught me how to STAND.