We're Closing!!

I haven't given many updates on the house lately, and trust me it's been an experience and a ride, but we are finally closing on the house today!

It leaves me with all sorts of emotions, but mainly just a relief to close that chapter and fully concentrate on the one we're in.

Interestingly enough, as God would have it, we got the call to do a showing for the guy that's buying it on Myles' birthday, and received the final approval on my birthday. Ironic, huh?

This whole process has made me think a lot about the future and what is in store. I have heard the same message repeated several times from different sources lately, which almost always means I need to listen up.

The point of the lesson has been:
1. Being happy with the season of life you're in.
2. Realizing that God has blessings in store for you so great you can't even imagine if you just hang on during the tough times.
3. God is watching what we do and how we react while we're going through tough times. And he's willing to let the Devil test us to see how we respond.
4. You have to rehearse what you want/what you speak is what you get. If you listen to all the naysayers and negative things going on and convince yourself you will lose your job/your house/have marriage problems, etc etc...YOU WILL. YOu will speak it into existence. And most importantly...Vice Versa!!
5. Joel Osteen gave a message I loved last Sunday regarding all of this. He used the analogy of bamboo, explaining that for 4 years after it's planted it doesn't grow. You water it and fertilize it and all the while the root system is growing and expanding, reaching deeper and wider. But you can't see any visible results of the work above ground. THEN...in year 5 it shoots up as tall as 80 ft. From 0-80 in one year.
But too many of us want year 5 results in year 1. We want the results wihtout doing the 4 years of harvesting. And we have to remember that during those 4 years of harvesting our roots are growing and expanding, we are getting stronger, so that we can shoot up and receive all the blessings God has in store for us.
This analogy really impacted me and I wanted to share. I don't tell it nearly as well as he does (and I don't have the cute southern accent to go with it), but I hope it makes a little sense.

So, right now I'm in year one and I'm harvesting...and can't wait to see what God has in store for us!