A new season..

It's funny how life works sometimes. Things that you wait forever on finally happen, God answers prayer in mysterious ways, plans change, things become more clear as God refines our hearts.

I feel as though I have entered a new season of life.... filled with new joys, delights, and experiences. There are new challenges as well, but so far the joy has been greater than the challenges! God has blessed me in so many ways and I am so thankful.

I never expected God to transform my relationship with my brothers. I am in awe of what He has done between the 3 of us over the summer. We all changed and learned alot and our relationship has done a complete 180. I am so excited to see what more God does in the next few months!

I never thought I would be surrounded by such amazing people this year. All but one of them have stepped into my life through various ways just in the past 6 months. This is truly an act of God's grace. Bloggy friends, this includes you too. I have learned much from you all in the past year!!

We have shared, laughed, and cried together (but mainly laughed).

I never thought that I would get to spend part of my week playing with 2 precious little boys as a job.

I didn't believe that our family would ever get any bigger. I had prayed and prayed for that to happen and I had finally surrendered that dream to the Lord, believing that it was not in His will. But He has shown me that He does change hearts, and this new season of my life will involve nurturing whatever foster kids He brings into our home.

And lastly, I most certainly did not expect to be looking at this beautiful flower sitting on my desk given to me by my boyfriend. Yes you heard me correctly. I am now dating my friend Spencer, who I've grown up with at church. And I am delighted to enter into this new season! :) So, to sum it all up, this is definitely a new season of life for me.

Ecclesiastes 3 talkes about how there is a time for everything.

There is a time for everything,and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

He has made everything beautiful in His time.

I am slowly learning to embrace this verse. As aspects of my life change, I am learning to see that God is unchanging. His love, His mercy, His grace withstands time and trials. They are there yesterday, today, and forever. Through trial, pain, doubt and through smiles, laughter, and joy He stays the same.

I am also learning to see how He truly does make everything beautiful in His time. Sometimes, we don't see the beauty for years afterwards. I think there are occasions in which we won't see the beauty this side of heaven either. But I've found that if I seek the face of Jesus and ask Him to show me the beauty in a situation, He will guide my eyes to the place I need to look. Sometimes, He will turn my head 180 degrees. Other times, He will keep my face directly on His, because in Him, you can always find beauty.