The Pictures We Paint

Forgive my week off. I took a much needed getaway which will be a little piece in our story. So, thank you for letting me go a week without posting anything. Right before I left, my friend and counselor, Ken Edwards came to speak to our Bible Study. He talked that day about the pictures that we all have of what our life would be like. You know, who you're going to marry, what you're going to be. We've had these pictures since we were little.

My first picture included being married to Donny Osmond, (that didn't work out to well, although he has officially touched my right hand.) And it also included be a school teacher. (Okay teacher yes, school, not so much.) But through life we continue to try to fit life into our picture. If something is outside of our box, but we think it should be inside our box we'll do our best to cram it inside, relationships, careers, friendships...you name it. We'll stuff and cram and stuff and cram until we look like Monica in the early years of Friends.

But what if instead we opened up that box? What would happen? Dare I say, would God have room to actually get inside, begin to orchestrate our lives the way He sees fit. Begin to Author our story the way only He can do when given the freedom to be the amazing Artist that He is. I have to say I thought I had released my picture. I've released more in these past two years than I even thought I had to release! But I found myself, that even though I had let go of so much of my picture, I was creating a new picture. And once again, I was deciding what I thought should and shouldn't belong. And with Ken's words came the challenge to once again, undo the frame and give God the freedom, the ability to design my life the way He chooses too. I don't know what my future looks like. I never thought I'd be where I am today, so I'm sure past guessing where I'll be tomorrow. But my prayer is that everytime I begin to place the frame around my "What should be's." God will graciously remind me that my picture is so limiting. And if I desire anything, it is to place no limitations on a limitless God. Our pictures are nice, I'm sure. But God has amazing waiting!

(Me and Donny's nephew, Justin.)