wisdom...

sporting my overalls the night I met DH, 2000

I may have spent the majority of my life in Texas, but I never have considered myself a country girl...except when it comes to overalls! I have quite the collection of embarrassing junior high and high school (okay, and maybe college) photos of me sporting some overalls--khaki, denim, patched, etc. I was stylin'! Or so I thought;-) I was actually even wearing overalls when I met the love of my life...which, perhaps, is the reason why it wasn't exactly "love at first sight." Thankfully, DH's eyes went more than skin deep, and he was able to look past my fashion faux-pas. I eventually tossed my go-to 90's grunge, but not before a trip to "Saddle Ridge Ranch" in 2010.

All dressed up for Saddle Ridge Ranch, 2010

Shortly after moving to a small west Texas town when Lucy was just 2 and a half, I got to help lead the music for VBS at our church. The theme was "Saddle Ridge Ranch" that year, so it was the perfect excuse to dust off the old overalls! Lucy was like my little shadow back then--we did EVERYthing together! So, when Mommy was working on VBS music and motions, so was Lucy, meaning that Lucy knew the songs better than probably anyone else. Back then, they were really good about incorporating the entire memory verse for the week into the theme song. That particular week's focus was James 1:5:

Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.

It was also during that summer that we began trying to potty train Lucy. Seeing how Lucy was able to pick up on VBS songs so easily, and in an effort for me to not totally lose it temper-wise, Lucy and I used her potty breaks to work on scripture memorization, so James 1:5 was one of her very first scriptures to hide in her heart.

Fast-forward to the summer of 2016. Neither of us were sporting overalls, but we were sporting some confusion instead. I knew the Lord had called us to continue homeschooling Lucy, but every time I thought about ordering her curriculum for this school year, I felt like someone put their foot down on the brakes. If you know me even a little bit, you probably have picked up on my disdain for change. (Hence why I was still so willingly sporting 90's fashion in the 2000's!) I just assumed we would continue using the same curriculum we had used the year before. However, my heart was so unsettled. I had noticed some changes in Lucy over the summer, and I just felt so uneasy with what was going to be best for her for this coming school year. As I looked at different options, nothing gave me a peace. And as everyone else was gearing up for the first day of school, I was feeling the pressure that I hadn't even chosen her curriculum for the school year, and much more actually ordered it! That's when the Lord dug James 1:5 out of the depths of my heart. I sat before him one morning and boldly said, "Lord, I know that You've promised that if I lack wisdom that I should ask You and that you will give it to me freely. I don't know what to do with Lucy this year, but I know You know exactly what she needs. I need You to reveal whatever that is to me. You've promised to give me answers generously and without criticizing, so please do that." Just a few hours later, I felt compelled to do a google search for homeschool academies. The first place that popped up had exactly what I was looking for for Lucy, and when I e-mailed them, I received a response within moments. I immediately had a peace wash over me, and I just knew this was the Lord giving me the wisdom I had boldly asked Him for.

I'm not sure why I get so surprised when the Lord answers my prayers so quickly and clearly. I think my faith is often so small and hesitant, and yet the Lord doesn't criticize me--He loves me and He graciously responds.

I'm sure there will be many challenges this school year, but I want to hold tight to the Truth that God has directed our steps so clearly, so we can be confident that He will continue guiding us on this path.

When I picked Lucy up from her first day of classes, I asked her, "So, was it everything that you hoped it would be?" She paused and said, "Nope. It was MORE!" I think that pretty much sums up what our heavenly Daddy does for His precious children. He so desires to give His children good gifts, and they are always beyond what we could fathom. Big or small, God cares about every one of our concerns, and He has a plan laid out specifically for each of our lives. The journey may be full of twists and turns (and possibly some fashion mishaps), but He promises to give us the wisdom we need to travel to exactly where He would have us be.