Well...whatdoyouknow??

Amazingly the past year of my life has been...SHEW!! Busy, chaotic, aggressive, calming..you name it! But over the past year I have learned some valuable life lessons. I don't want to ever forget them so here they are...

In the midst of chaos, you can have peace.

Seemingly normal people will do anything to feel more important including abandoning their family and call it God for justification.

Never confuse boldness with rudeness OR vice versa!

Until my children are grown up and moved out I will have mismatched ornaments and kid friendly Christmas decorations.

Don't EVER leave your car lights on (not even for a minute)

Change is inevitable...GO WITH IT.

No matter where you go...there you are! Running never solves a thing.

Even folks with the best intentions can twist scripture to make it line up with what their flesh believes.

People LIE.

Some things you dread can turn out to be so easy (like potty training a 2 year old boy) when you make the decision to refuse to apply pressure.

What's in your heart will for sure come out when the pressure is on.

It is neccessary to be content with where you are before you can really go anywhere else.

I have the best pastor ever and an awesome church family.

Never, ever assume that you know what someone's home life is like.

Although 24 hours in a day is never enough, 24 hours in a day is plenty.

Girl time is a MUST.

I have the best book club members!

Dunkin Donuts has YUMMY hot chocolate.

I have a GREAT husband that loves me.

Praise and Worship isn't about who is on stage. It's what I make of it.

TV is overrated.

Mickey Mouse Club House must have subliminal messages because my son is addicated (HOT DOG)

I know lots more about football than I give myself credit for.

It's ok for friends to grow apart and go separate ways. It happens.

I am NEVER gonna be satisfied with my hair :)

When I am open to give, I am open to receive (GULP!)

Kristen Miller ROCKS! Heather Seyer ROCKS! Michelle Rodgers ROCKS and I love the new bonds being created.

Pinterest should have a 12 step program. Hello! My name is Michelle and I am a Pinterestaholic (Check out itsthesmallthings blog...it's awesome! I found it via Pinterest)

I am called to minister to women. Just typing that makes my tummy flip flop. I think that is God prompting me to believe it!!

When something doesn't feel right...listen! It's probably God ;)

The biggest thing I have learned so far?? God speaks to me loud and clear. I will never, ever misread the signs from him. He is my rock. My provider. He has called me to his kingdom and takes me as I am. I will be bold. I will be honest (with myself and others). I will yield to the annoiting and just BE!!

The End!

Call a tow truck!!

Funny story...my two kiddo's had an incident a couple of days ago. My son asked my daughter to start his car one cold morning. Now my daughter is only 14 and has only driven maybe twice. Both times she was driving my AUTOMATIC car. Well, his car is a straight drive. He gave her instructions but she said to him, "I don't know how" his response, "Yes, you do"...needless to say that turned out with a car stuck in the mud in the neighbors yard and my clothes line on the ground. Well, a tow truck came and pulled the car out and all is well but today I was thinking that I would take some pictures of the tire tracks and the fallen clothes line just so we could look back some day and laugh when all of sudden it hit me. This is exactly what happens when we expect someone to do something they are not capeable of.

Don't we do that with people all the time? We expect them to fulfill our lives, create our happiness, complete us and when they don't...CRASH goes our world. There is only one person that can fulfill our lives, create our happiness and complete us and that person is God. What a great remembrance. I knew this but it was a sweet reminder this morning.

It goes along with something else that I have learned over the past couple of months. I have felt so invisible for such a long time. It seemed like I would show up to events and remain unseen. Now, I don't know if that is true or not. That could simply be a vain imagination. Either way, I have to remember that if NOONE else in this world ever chooses to sit beside me, if NOONE else ever chooses to invite me to lunch or a dinner party, if NOONE else ever SEES me in my happy times or my times of need GOD SEES ME. Think about Haggar a minute. She was going along minding her own business working for Abraham and Sarah. Sarah asked something of her and she did it then Sarah turned on her. Because Sarah was so mean to her Haggar fled to the desert(side note: Haggar's name means "Flight", interesting huh?) anyway, while out in that desert you know Haggar must have felt invisible. Invisible to everyone around her-especially to God. But then an angel appeared. Another side note: God didn't wait for Haggar to come to him...he met her where she was in her desert. Everyone knows the story. After the angel appeared to her and gave her instruction, Haggar gave God the name "El Roi" the God who sees!! He sees US. He sees YOU and ME. He sees that we are scared. He sees that we need comfort. He sees when we are happy and when we celebrate. He sees everything and CARES about US. That is such an amazing thing.

So, remember...don't expect things from people that they aren't equipped to do. Expect everything from God knowing he SEES you. If you expect things from people they can't provide, we might have to call a tow truck! :)