Fallen... A Prayer Request

I took my very first college class the summer before I headed off to the University of Kansas.


It was an English composition class.  One of our first assignments was to write a character sketch of sorts about someone we knew.


I wrote mine about her.

This is my Aunt Alison.  My Confirmation sponsor.  My dad's baby sister.  The youngest of five siblings.  Her mother's greatest blessing.  The class valedictorian.  The head cheerleader.  The most popular in her class.  An artist.  A friend to many.  A really, really good Christian.


She was one of the most caring, funny, holy, and all around wonderful people I've ever known.


She also endured the most scary, devastating, painful disease I've ever witnessed anyone endure.


She had Brain Cancer.


Her attitude amidst a horrific disease was so inspiring that it made my writing assignment an easy one.  She used to wear a pin to her chemo treatments that said "I'm having so much fun I could throw up!"  She kept a journal every day for most of her life.  Even on her worst days, she would find something positive to write about her day and follow it up with the letters "TYJ"... which meant "Thank you, Jesus".  She had an amazing spirit and a love for the Lord that was infectious.  


If ever there was someone who truly lived life in the moment and "celebrated the little things", it was was my Aunt Alison.  And that is why I chose to write about her for my first major college assignment.


I remember driving in the car with my mom and my Aunt Jane and reading aloud to them from my "assignment".

I read...

"I don't know why God chose Alison to have such a terrible disease..."

My Aunt Jane stopped me before I could proceed.  She said...

"Honey, you know that God didn't choose Alison to get cancer, don't you?"

I don't remember the details of the remainder of that conversation, but it involved a discussion about how sin entered the world and how we all suffer as a result of it.  I also remember that it was one of the first times I really tried to understand the age old question of "why do good things happen to bad people".  It is a concept that I still struggle to wrap my mind around.

I am now older, wiser and more advanced in my faith.  And although my heart still struggles to understand, my head knows that the answer to that question is because we live in a fallen world.  

What my Aunt was trying to explain to me at that young age is that nothing bad, painful, or evil ever, ever comes from God.  They happen because we live in a fallen world.  One that, thankfully, is temporary.

My Aunt Alison only lived a short 29 years on this Earth.


She went to be with Jesus in her eternal home mere months after I completed my assignment.


And while I know that God, in fact, did not choose for her to be the recipient of such a horrific disease, I also know that He did allow it to happen.  He could have cured it.  He could have miraculously erased every cancerous cell from her body.  He could have done it.  But He didn't.  He allowed it to happen.


No matter how strong my faith is, I will never fully be able to understand His plan, His will, His timing.  I will never understand why He didn't cure Alison on this Earth.  


But I don't have to understand it.  


I just have to know that His plan, His will, His timing is perfect.  And I just have to know that everything that happens to us in our Earthly life is part of a bigger plan to get us to our final destination.  For we are not destined for this world, but we are destined for Eternity.


I guess that's why it's called faith.  It will never make sense to my human heart.  And it doesn't have to.  


I thought about Alison a lot today.  Another young girl, in the prime of her life, heard the same devastating words that Alison heard so many years ago.


I'm on a prayer chain at our church and we have been praying for the 31 year old daughter of one of our parishioners, Sara.  Vance works with Sara's brother.  Sara has had a persistent cough that doctors could not identify the cause of.  After seven months of tests that yielded no explanation, she underwent open lung exploratory surgery this week.  They found cancer in her lungs and in the surrounding fluid.  And it doesn't sound promising.


This news was another reminder to me that we live in a fallen world.  And it has nearly torn my heart to shreds.  My heart is so heavy for her, for her family.  


I don't know what God's plan is for Sara.  I know He did not choose for her to be the recipient of this awful diagnosis just as He didn't choose Alison to endure such pain.  But for now, He has allowed it to happen.  It is, somehow, part of His plan for Sara.  


Even though we live in a world that is fallen, where bad things do happen to good people, we can still be witnesses to miracles.  We can intercede for Sara and ask Jesus to wipe every cancerous cell from her body.  


Just because He has allowed this disease to invade Sara's body right now, He can wipe it away.  I don't know if He will or not.  I don't have to.  I just have to have faith that he can.  


And so that is what I am praying for.  


And I have a special Aunt in Heaven who is interceding for her too.  


Will you join me in praying for Sara?

The Difference

The year was 1996.


I remember driving from Wichita to Norman, Oklahoma with a college friend to attend another friend's bridal shower.


Somehow, the topic of artificial contraception came up during that drive.


My friend knew that I was Catholic.  She also knew that the Catholic Church opposes artificial contraception.  She also knew that the Catholic Church encourages responsible family planning through the use of Natural Family Planning.


What she didn't know was why Natural Family Planning was different from artificial contraception given that preventing pregnancy was seemingly the objective in both methods.


And so she asked me.  A logical choice of persons to ask, I suppose.


The only problem was...


I didn't know the answer!


At 22 years of age, I was a "cradle Catholic".  I attended 13 years of Catholic school.  I made straight A's in all my religion classes.  The nun who taught me my Senior year apologetics class had a letter I wrote to her from my freshman year in college pinned to the high school bulletin board next to a sign that declared me "Apologist of the Year".


You would think that the "Apologist of the Year" would at least be able to give a logical explanation to this very simple question....


What is the difference between artificial contraception and Natural Family Planning (NFP)?


I didn't have an explanation at the time.  It would take me close to 8 years before I could answer that question in a manner worthy of the title "Apologist of the Year"!


"Apologist of the Year" I am not.  I am just a person who came to know God more intimately and learned to trust Him more fully by embracing an age old teaching against the use of artificial contraception.  


Artificial contraception is an issue in which many Christians feel that the Catholic church is just "behind the times" or "uptight".  You might be surprised to know that up until 1930, all Christian religions, including all the Protestant denominations, opposed artificial contraception.  So did Martin Luther, John Calvin, and the other early reformers.  It was in 1930 that the Anglican church gave in to growing social pressure and announced that contraception would be allowed in some, very limited circumstances.  That was the first major break in Christendom on matters of social morality and it opened up Pandora's box.  Today, every Christian religion has changed its stance and now allows for contraception, likely due to similar social pressures.


Every Christian church except one.


The Catholic church continues to proclaim the historic position that artificial contraception is in conflict with God's natural law, scripture, and Apostolic tradition.


Even if I were "Apologist of the Year", I wouldn't attempt to explain the many, many historic and scriptural reasons for adhering to this teaching.  I could write for hours about how the birth control pill and other forms of contraception have contributed to a frightening decline in the moral character of our country.  I could list statistics showing that the predictions about how the birth control pill would lead to happier marriages, reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies, and control so-called overpopulation were flat out wrong.  The opposite happened.  I could discuss how the founder of this country's largest abortion provider admitted that contraception and abortion are uniquely intertwined.  I could show you the manufacturers insert from the "Plan B" pill that states if an egg is fertilized, the "Plan B" effectively causes an early abortion.  


But I won't.


Instead, I would like to provide an answer to that question that was asked of me so many years ago.


Plain and simple, the difference between artificial contraception and NFP is that one method includes God and another blocks Him out.


Natural Family Planning works within God's natural law and allows families to use a women's regular, God-given fertility cycle to responsibly plan or postpone children.  Someone once told me that if God didn't intend for couples to have an active role in planning their families, He would've made women fertile all the time!  But He didn't!  And the Church has always taught that married couples should cooperate with God in planning their families, provided it is done in a responsible and just manner and is done with proper motivation.


The difference is that even when a couple has prayerfully discerned a decision to postpone having any additional children, God has not been completely blocked out.  The door is still open for God to reveal His plan should it be different than what they thought it was.  


A couple using NFP never completely closes the door to God's gift of life.


In contrast, artificial birth control always closes that door.  It removes God from the act.


That is the major difference!


There are other differences too.


Did you know that God created the marital act for two purposes?  Those purposes are procreative and unitive, sometimes referred to as "babies and bonding"!  


Artificial contraception violates the procreative purpose of the marital act and in doing so damages the unitive purpose.  


There are so many additional benefits to practicing Natural Family Planning.  I've written before about how Natural Family Planning changes your heart.  It did mine.  


And I am beyond grateful that the Church has not given in to social pressure and changed its stance on this issue as "unpopular" as it might be.  I can truthfully say that were it not for this teaching, I don't know if this precious child would be a part of my life.

She is the difference!

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord,

children a reward from Him...

Like arrows in the hands of a warrior,

are sons born in one's youth.

Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them."

~ Psalm 127:3-5

This week is Natural Family Planning week.  And so I thought I'd share a few facts about NFP:

• It is 99% effective when used properly
• Almost zero abortions result from NFP as opposed to nearly 60% of abortions resulting from failed contraception
• The divorce rate among couples who practice NFP is only .2% in comparison to the national average of 50%
• Couples who practice NFP report better communication and greater intimacy
• NFP enriches the mutual respect and dignity of each spouse
• In contrast to almost all artificial forms of contraception, NFP has NO harmful side effects
• NFP is extremely successful in helping couples of marginal fertility achieve pregnancy

Lastly, please don't read this post as a judgement of those who do use artificial contraception. It is certainly not that.  I, too, have used artificial contraception.  I am simply so grateful that I opened my heart to God's teaching regarding the matter and decided to embrace it,  regardless of how scary it might have felt.  I feel like the "light was turned on" for me.  I share my thoughts because of my experience in hopes that it might encourage someone else to trust God wholeheartedly with their fertility.  

After all, His plan is always best.  

Always.

And now for your viewing pleasure...

I found this series of "commercials" comparing NFP and contraception in a "Mac versus PC" fashion.  They are a bit on the corny side but do highlight some of the differences between NFP and contraception! 

Be sure to pause the blog music on the right so you can hear!

TireD

I got my contact stuck inside my eye today.


I mean, really stuck!


I couldn't get my eye to open wide enough to get it out!


That's how tired I am.  


As a matter of fact, I'm almost certain that I have not ever experienced this level of tired-ness in my entire life.  It's the kind of tired that makes me want to physically insert toothpicks into my eyelids to keep them open.


Now that, my friends, is tired!


Given that my mind is just as tired as my body, I don't have the brain power to come up with a thematic post, or even one that is well written!  So, instead, I'll just show you a few pictures from our very busy week... the one that made me so tired that my contact got stuck inside of my eye!

I attended the Willow House National Convention, enjoyed some much needed "girl time" with my Willow House gals, and ate ice cream for the first time in months... while dressed up in full 50's regalia!

Noah played his last baseball game of the season...

and was awarded the "Dynamite" Award... 

because Dynamite comes in small packages!

Emily had her first special "Girls Night Out"

Mommy & Nonny took her to see Annie at Music Theatre.  She was super sweet and pleased as punch to be hanging with the big girls!

We all had a "play date" to see Cinderella at the Children's Theatre.  We danced at the Prince's Ball and munched on pizza and cookies!

Molly went and grew another month, hitting the 4 month mark!

And just this one part of her hair grew nearly 4 inches longer than the rest!

We also discovered she is cutting her first tooth, which we hope and pray is the explanation for the many waking episodes she is having at night!  She wants to eat her fingers or anything else that nears her mouth all day long!

Looks like I'm not the only one who is TireD!

*****

We leave in the morning to take Molly to Kansas City for her dermatology appointment.  Please say an extra prayer that all will be fine and that the appointment will be nothing more than a reason to QUIT worrying!

Thank you!

What If

As I’ve mentioned before, the primary purpose of my blog is to record the moments and memories that comprise my life… the joys, the struggles, and everything in between!  I hope that my children will one day be able to read through these stories of their childhoods and get a unique glimpse into how much I enjoy and cherish my vocation as a mother and a wife.  Second to being a good Christian, being a good wife and mother are the two most important things to me.

I feel incredibly blessed and grateful that I am able to be a “stay at home mom”.  Being a mom has been my full time job for five years now.  And as I’ve said before, it has been the hardest best job I’ve ever had!

Since I spent most of my time in my home raising children, I have a love for trying to make my home a place I truly love to be.  I really believe that there is “no place like home” and even though my home is a big fat mess on most days, I still enjoy finding fun and unique ways to "pretty it up".  And I’ve always enjoyed making things pretty.  Like many things, I learned this from my mother.  She has a gift for decorating and making things look pretty. 

When I went to college, I went through the sorority Rush process.  On the first day of Rush, my parents stayed in my dorm room to help me unpack.  When my  roommate and I returned to our dorm room that first evening after a long and confusing day of meeting new people, our dorm room was sparkling clean, the beds were made, clothes were put away, decorations were on the wall, curtains were hung, and there were big cookies on each of our desks waiting for us to share with our newfound friends.  We had the prettiest, most welcoming dorm room on the floor!

I didn’t realize it at the time, but in making my room pretty, my mother taught me a lesson in hospitality.  That very night, we invited the girls across the hall to come into our room to visit and eat those cookies.  Those girls became our friends.  Friends we shared our first year of true independence with.

Thank you, mom, for helping me decorate my first “home” and teaching me how to throw a “party” in it!

Why does this matter?  Well, almost 5 years ago, we had just moved and made the decision that I would stay home with our then 6 month old baby.  We were in the process of purchasing a new house and I was dealing with the adjustment of being a “stay at home mom”.  Our finances were tighter than normal and I was craving a conversation with someone who could actually talk with me!

At that time, my love for decorating and creating a feeling of hospitality prompted me to do something I never thought I would do.  

On a complete whim, I took a risk and made a $199 purchase.

I decided to become a consultant with Southern Living at Home. I was so excited about decorating my own new home.  The only problem was that I didn’t have the excess funds to actually accomplish that decorating!  Southern Living at Home offered beautiful, high quality home décor that I could use in my new home AND gave me an opportunity to have those “adult conversations” I was craving while making money in the process!

As easy as it sounded, I never, ever in a million years thought I would be in direct sales.  I was a CPA and an Etiquette Consultant for crying out loud!

But I decided to give it a try.  After all, $199 didn't seem like much of a risk given that I could use all of the "pretties" it bought me to spruce up my own home!

Never, ever in a million years did I think I would love it so much!

In the past 5 years I have enjoyed so, so many blessings through my Southern Living at Home business. 

... I’ve created and decorated a home that I truly love to be in.

... I’ve developed family traditions with “pretties” that my children will one day inherit and pass on to their children.

... I’ve met and become friends with wonderful women in my hometown and across the country.

... I’ve traveled (for FREE) on seven amazing vacations… often taking my family with me!

... I’ve treated my kids to enrichment activities and special things I wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford.

... I've grown as a person and had a lot of fun!

All this to say that first and foremost, I still am, and hopefully always will be a "stay at home mom" and a wife.  Those are my primary jobs and my primary passions.  But my Southern Living at Home business has been my own "little something" that has fulfilled many needs for both me and my family.  

Over the weekend, I was challenged to ponder the question...

What if it could get even better?

And the answer was it can!

It is!

  

On August 4^th, Southern Living at Home will relaunch as Willow House with over 100 new products, a fresh feel, and opportunities for founding ground floor consultants.

Willow House will continue to carry the same fabulous, high quality products that Southern Living at Home has always produced.  

But it will offer even more!

On August 4th, Willow House will launch with ground floor opportunities to join the first ever company of its kind.

Willow House will be the first and only "Ecommerce Community" in the world!

What does that mean?

In addition to the traditional home parties that provide a reason for friends and families to get together, shop and learn about design trends, Willow House will also create an Ecommerce Community.  It will be a one stop shop for all the decorating and design products and ideas you could possibly need or want.  It will introduce its own TV channel, "how to" lifestyle videos from professional stylists and designers, the best design blogs, chat rooms, an Idea House, an Eoutlet to purchase discontinued and older products, EBotiques that carry unique specialty products from other manufacturers, and more!

It's a concept that I have yet to completely wrap my mind around.

All I know is that I want to be a part of it!

And so I started asking myself...

What if there is a blog reader that might be like me?

What if there is someone "out there" who would like to make some extra money?  A little bit or a lot.

What if I could introduce this opportunity to my friends and have them join me on the ground floor of this one-of-a-kind company?

What if I could help someone else experience the fun that I have experienced in the past five years?

What if I shared my story?

I feel lucky to know about this opportunity!

And now you do too!

Willow House's slogan is "Simply Good Design".

It's also a Simply Good Opportunity...

... an opportunity to earn a little or a lot of money.

... an opportunity to learn about design.

... an opportunity to meet new friends.

... an opportunity to travel (for free!)

... an opportunity to be a part of something big, something new, something different.

... an opportunity to make YOUR house a place YOU truly love to be!

"They" say that the best time to join a new company is 6 months before it opens its door.  The second best time is to join in the first 6 months it is open for business.

If you have even the slightest bit of curiosity, ask yourself...

What if I could make some extra money in a way that is easy, fun and fits into my life?

In August, the "getting started" cost is only $99 and there will be a limit on the number of new consultants who are able to join this ground breaking company.  

For more information, please click here.

It just may fit into your life as it has mine!

Email me for more information

Me and my friend, Vince, celebrating the launch of Willow House at the inaugural Convention this past weekend

The White Flag

I feel like waving the white flag.  


Giving up.


Surrendering.


The pint sized army of two that resides in my house has taken over and pushed me to my limit.


I feel like waving the white flag and allowing them to claim victory over my patience, my endurance, and my will to form them into children who show love and respect to all around them.  All the time.


The battle has been brewing for a while now.  Phrases and words such as "antagonize", "sassy", "negotiate", "argumentative", "disrespectful", and an occasional "because I said so" have been used much too frequently in our household as of late.  


But the battle came to a climax today. 


Today was THE day.  The one that I said, in my unknowing pre-parent years, would never happen.  


Today was the the day I got "the look" from not one, but two, fellow shoppers in Hobby Lobby.  You know... the look that implies "why can't you control your atrocious behaving children?".  I admit that it is possible that I may have given that look in my pre-parent years a time or two.  Okay, is it probably more probable than possible!  Whether I actually gave "the look" or not, I thought about it plenty!  But heaven forbid, I didn't think I would EVER be on the receiving end of such a disapproving look!


So receiving "the look" today was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.  It was what caused me to literally start crying in front of my children.  It was what made me consider waving the white flag.


Giving up.


Surrendering.


Parenting is hard work.  An ongoing battle.


I'm having flashbacks to the numerous times my own mother said to me...


"It takes a lot more work to care about you than it does to let you do whatever you want to do.  I love you too much to let you have your way."


She was right.  It does take a lot more work to care.


To care enough to teach them respect.
To care enough to discipline them.
To care enough to expect good manners.
To care enough to not let them have their way.


It would be much easier to wave the white flag and not care.  


To let them run wild through the store.
To let them talk to me and each other in an unkind way.
To let them fight and be territorial with their toys.
To let them have a new toy any time they ask.
To let them use bad manners.


The only problem with waving the white flag and giving in is that I care too much.


I love them too much.


So, instead of waving the white flag I've decided I need a new battle plan.  


I need to get off of defense and get on offense.


In examining the battlefield of our day, I've discovered that the morning is the single most critical indicator of how the rest of the day will go.  If the morning goes well, the day generally goes well.  Beds get made which makes me feel happier and in control of something.  We get out of the house earlier before it gets unbearably hot.  We get more accomplished and have more play time.  All of this results in less time for fighting among the soldiers which results in less disciplinary action on my part.


In order to be on the offense and have a good morning though, I have to be up and ready to go before they are.  Sounds simple enough.


It's not.


A week ago, Molly reverted back to her extremely unhappy self (we enjoyed about two weeks of delightfully happy baby).  I have no idea what caused the sudden and unwelcome change.  She has started waking every 1-2 hours at night.  Her tummy seems to be in pain.  I get no sleep at all.  My mind is worried about the reasons that could be causing her unhappiness.  My body hurts in the morning from sleeping sitting up and trying to nurse my baby into a deep sleep all.night. long.  I feel a bit crazy from the ongoing routine of it all.


So when morning comes, I am far from ready to jump up, shower, dress, and gather the troops for a day of activity.


I'm on defense.  They have the advantage because I'm not prepared for the day yet.  They have much too much unstructured time to create chaos with each other as I struggle to keep up. 


So I've decided that as tired as I am, I simply have to change my strategy.  Come Monday (because I leave town on Thursday), I intend to claim victory over the morning once again!  


Beds will be made.
Breakfast will be more than a granola bar.
Kids will be dressed in clothes that match.
The bathroom counters will be free from BandAid wrappers, empty cups, and toothpaste ick.
I will have clean hair, clothing attire that is not a robe, blushed cheeks and gloss tinted lips.


Parenting is hard.  An ongoing battle.


A battle I intend to win.


Because I love them too much not to!


I can almost hear the "Glory Glory Alleluia" now!

A Spirit of Fear

"For God did not give us a spirit of fear but rather 

of power and love and self-control."

2 Timothy 1:7

I'm not proud to admit it, but I feel like I have a spirit of fear.


And I know it is not from the Lord.  Rather, it is from the one who knows how to prey on my weakness.  And these are some of my strongest weaknesses.


Fear...


Worry...


Anxiety...


I come by it naturally.  My mom is a worrier.  I like to blame her and think that I inherited these unbecoming traits.  


Whether it's inherited or not, regrettably, worry is something that is a part of who I am.


And there is nothing I long to change more than my inability to trust.  To not worry. 


For as long as I can remember praying, I've given my fear and worry to the Lord.  But almost as quickly as I give it to Him, I take it back!  


As I've grown older, and know more about life's realities, I find myself worrying more.  
Not less.  


As my relationship with Jesus has grown, my worries and fears have grown too.  
Not weakened.  


I know what that means.  It means I'm having a trust issue with God Himself.  


My family often laughs at me.  


They call me Dr. Internet.  


It seems I am always able to (mis) diagnosis anyone and everything by looking on the Internet.  And of course, my (mis) diagnoses' are almost always a cancer of some type.  Or some other life threatening, debilitating disease.


I have a mental calendar that knows when every person in my family is due for a physical, a mammogram, a colonoscopy, a PSA check, a heart check.  I read about supplements that they should take, that I should take, that I should give to my kids.  I read about not using plastic in the mircrowave, using organic sunscreen and bug spray, using plastic that does not contain BPA.  I use natural laundry detergent, give my kids probiotics, clean with natural cleaning products, take Vitamin D3 supplements.  All of these things... I obsess over them in the hope of keeping every single person in my family healthy.


And then there are the blog stories.  Vance has all but begged me to stop reading blogs because too often, I accidentally happen upon a blog about a baby, a child, a mother, a father with a devastating illness.  I think the blog world makes the real world seem small.  Like everywhere you turn or read, someone has cancer or has suffered a devastating accident.    Granted, I don't personally know most of these people.   But their stories make me realize that bad things, really bad things, happen everyday to good, God loving people.


And so to top off all of my other worries, I now find myself checking bruises on my kids, watching markings to see if they change, feeling their limbs for lumps as I put lotion on them at night, watching their gaits as they walk, worrying over a headache or a growing pain.


I, definitely, have a spirit of fear.


I look at my three healthy children, myself and Vance, my parents...


Sure, we've had our fair share of crosses to carry.  But truthfully, in the grand scheme of things, they are nothing!  We have been blessed with a very happy and healthy life.


And my fear....


My worry...


My anxiety...


It tells me that at any point in time, all that might come crumbling down on me.  


These thoughts, these fears... they are not from God.


Last week, when my mom and I went to church in Texas, the priest preached on fear and worry.  Two things that he said really hit home with me.  


He said, "Worry sucks the life out of your soul."


I can most definitely relate to that.  My worry and fear overwhelms me.  It exhausts me.  I desperately want to rid myself from it so that I can fully enjoy the blessed life I have.  My worry often robs me of joy.


He also said, "Worry is the antithesis of faith."


And right now I've got myself wrapped up in a great big ball of worry over my little Molly.  She has a rare birthmark.  Four different pediatricians have looked at it.  All of them say they have never seen one like it.  It has started to change in color and size.  So now we have an appointment with a pediatric dermatologist at Children's Mercy in Kansas City.  And, well... I've allowed the worry and fear to enter my soul.  I've convinced myself that my baby girl has some form of rare cancer.  And even though my pediatrician tells me she is not overly concerned, I am still afraid.  Very afraid.


I think that worry IS the antithesis of faith because it doesn't allow a person to wholeheartedly trust a God who is trustworthy.


Sometimes, I'm afraid to trust.  Afraid because as I've grown in my relationship with Christ and in my faith, I've come to realize that God's will and my will might not be the same.  


And that's what I'm afraid of.  


My will is that Molly's birthmark will be nothing.  
My will is that every single member of my family will live long and healthy lives.
My will is that we will be safe every time we get in the car. 


But what if God has a different plan?


That's what I'm afraid of.

I don't have the answers to my own questions regarding this matter.  I know the answers lie in continuing to work on my relationship with Christ.  


For I know that He did not give me a spirit of fear.


And I know He is trustworthy.

Lord, help me to trust you today, tomorrow, always.

Give me peace from my anxiety.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”

Phillipians 4:6-7