Thanking God

Two synonyms for "patience" are composure and stability,

That is how I try to face life. I try to be in control; I try to be stable and not fly off the handle with quick reactions. I wait for the solutions to situations (good and bad) to reveal themselves. Yes, I make the choices of what to do or how to react. But I do it with patience, waiting for the right choice.

I wait for the breath of God to fill the sails of my little boat. Then I will pilot my vessel in the right direction.

Patience is not an option that you can buy or add to your model number.
It is a standard accessory.
You have to learn how to turn it on.

I just believe it because I have felt God's existence.

Can I prove it to you that God is there?

No. You have to feel God for yourself.

I can only tell you about my experience, and show you through the way I choose to live.

More than 15 years ago I had an "experience".

My husband who was 45 at the time, had been diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor. The doctors could not say how long he would live, but I knew he was eventually going to die as a result of this horrible cancer growing in his head.

We had two daughters, a home with a mortgage, bills to pay, etc... I only had a part time job. He was employed by "Ma Bell" and we had good benefits. However, we were not rich. We needed his income.

I was worried that we would run out of money and loose everything. Crying in the car or in the shower was something I learned to do really well.

Then, one day I was in the car, stopped at a traffic light. Right in front of me was the building where I attended a Bible Study. That week we had discussed Matt. 6: 25-34. The part of the verse that came to me was "God provides for the birds, don't you think he will provide for you?" (my interpretation). Verse 26 in The Message goes like this: "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."

At that moment, I absolutely knew there was a God. I felt a warmth spread from the top of my head to my toes. I knew that my family had the gifts and tools to take care of ourselves and survive.

And we did. Honest.

My husband passed away a few months later.

I was able to keep my part time job and stay home most of the time. Social Security was a real help. A friend recommended that I go to a grief support group. The college fund investments grew. My girls found jobs babysitting in the summer to supplement their allowances. You name it, our needs were met.

Sure, we still had problems but we still had each other, our home and food on the table.

To paraphrase the Rolling Stones, "You can't always get what you want, but ... you get what you need."

My Faith and Trust In God helped me survive.

Thank you, God for being there with Your support.