When Tommy and I received full custody of his two girls in May '11, I immediately turned my head right up to the sky. I was praying like I've never prayed before. I talked to God morning and night; and often a few times in between. Going from one to three kids is quite the change; adding a daddy that is never home makes it that much harder. I was fighting a battle I didn't know how to handle. I wanted to be everything for the kids, but didn't know how to do it right. So, I prayed. I prayed for strength. I prayed for knowledge. I prayed for success. I prayed for patience. I prayed for love. I prayed for just about anything I could think of that would lead me in the right direction with my family. Now, by no means is this road over, (at least not until 2024 when the baby leaves...but who's counting?!), and in no way am I saying this is easy, but having the Lord on my side has put such peace and rest within my soul that I feel like raising my babies and taking care of my family is a cakewalk. Sure, it is definitely difficult at times, but I always have the strength to pull through and come out right side up.
Seeing how God had helped me in that area, I have continued my search to allow Him to be a part of my entire being. God has become my best friend. I tell him everything; even the things I would be embarrassed to say to my mother. In speaking to him, I have learned to pray for others around me. My happiness is based on the happiness and success of my family and friends. I have noticed as I learn to pray not out of selfishness for my own gains, but for the success of others, I hear a louder response. Tommy was laid off three months ago. He had not received one phone call about a job opportunity in over a month and a half. He was depressed (sorry boo for putting you on blast, but I'm trying to make a point here!). It was affecting our relationship and the relationship of him and the children. Nothing major, but everyone could definitely sense a bit of tension. See, Tommy's like one of the toys in the stores that have a button that says push to play. He's not meant to sit on the shelf all day. He likes to work. He has a strong work ethic and an even stronger ethic to provide for his family. Not being able to help or contribute really pushed him into a dark place.
So what did I do? I prayed for him. For his strength. For patience to make it through to the next opportunity God would provide. For the confidence that he would be somewhere soon. The next day he had two recruiters fighting over him for an interview. A week later, the Astros called him for an interview. So, I thanked God for the opportunities he was presenting, and I prayed for him wrap himself around Tommy and guide him to the right path that he wanted him to be on. It turned out that the job prospects, though great, ended up being dead ends. Then a few days later he gets a call from a staffing agency that says they have a position for him to interview for; it doesn't sound great, but we are going on three months now, so anything will do. Tommy glumly goes into the interview, finds out it is completely different than what the staffing agency explained and turns out to be a great opportunity for him, so comes out all smiles. He is called two hours after the interview to hire on as a working interview for a few days with a very strong possibility of a full-time hire in a salary position! God closed the other doors because he knew that this opportunity was available for him. Unbelievable!
To put this into further prospective; I do a five finger prayer every morning. One for myself, one for Tommy, one for the kids, one for family, and one for friends. Last week, I had a blow out on the freeway; literally spun around matrix style on the freeway, barely missing about four vehicles doing 65 mph...and the wall. We somehow ended up pointed in the right direction safely on the shoulder. I'm telling you, ever since I made God my number one go-to-guy, the odds have been ever in my favor. I am so lucky to have been supported financially, physically, and emotionally over the past year by just giving one thing a little more of my attention.
I'm not here to preach to you or tell you that you must find God and pray or your life will be miserable. I am here to tell you that I fully believe in MY God and what He can do for me. I encourage you to find YOUR God if you have lost touch or not found Him at all; you may be surprised at what you find.
Mark 4:26-27, 28-29 - Faith is like a seed; plant it in your heart. God gives the harvest at the appointed time.
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