Strength will rise as I wait upon the Lord

So, Mike and I have a tendency toward being "smarty-pants" folk. We can pretty much think our way through or out of most things. We are really great at being Theoretical and coming to broad truths that shape our lives. Case in point. Right as we were leaving, Mike thought that it would be awesome to come up with the Frisco Family Core Values (a la Good to Great, you know that book?). And it is a super cool idea, I think, and has lots of practical applications, but, as implemented by us, could lean more toward the Theoretical. I mean, hello, we had a great church family, a house, financial stability - there was luxury there to consider things such as core values. And now we are in a situation where we don't have a great church family (I think we've found one, but we're not intimate yet), don't have a house, and money stuff has become Scary. And now, as God would have it, we are in a position where we aren't Theorizing about values, we are having to make really hard decisions based in those values. We are getting the opportunity to hold them, turn them around, look at the implications in Real Life, even when it means that life won't be comfortable. In the midst of all the Uncertain, I am remarkably certain that if we continue to make decisions based in God's truth (even if we don't, I suppose, too) that God will take care of us. Of course He will says the theorist. Of course He will says the family that has no idea how He will make it happen but decides to trust Him anyway.

It seems that God keeps taking us to this point where We can not come up with a solution. Where it just looks like there is No Way Out. We can't smartypants our way through. We really have to rely on Him to provide. And the words to that song keep running through my head. Strength will rise at I wait upon the Lord... Not only to we have to trust that He will provide, we also have to wait on His timing. And, are you kidding me?, be joyful?! It just so happens that the church that we're going to just started looking at the book of James. Amazing. We're in the midst of the biggest trial in our lives and God gets us to a church - one of how many hundreds we could have looked at - where we could be taught again (guess it didn't stick the first times, huh) His truth in James about trial. Joy in this place - right. All I want to do is Fight it - I'm so not almost 30 and living with my parents. And the only reason we're here is because stuff that was supposed to happen didn't and it is So Not Fair. It can make me sick to my stomach. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. Col. 3:2 I just think about how perfect God is, how He knows just what I need to grow, and how this is where He put me. Why would I desire to be anywhere else? Is it wrong, though, that I desire to learn my lesson Quickly? :) Thinking about it this way does make me joyful - to be loved by a God like that. Dang.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4