Love of God

Yesterday I took an inventory of my symptoms and was pleasantly surprised. My dizziness is mostly gone, my hearing is close to normal, and my eyesight is going back and forth. I am so thankful and excited that my head stuff is clearing up, before I started antibiotics the lyme began moving from my head to my joints again and is continuing to move which is such a praise the Lord! On medicine it would take nine months to get it out of my head, I praise God it's doing it on its own much sooner. 

This last week I have had quite a bit of good days, some things I was able to do; went out for lunch and shopping at Jordan Creek, went swimming at Raccoon River, and went to tuesday work night for the first time! 

My family also went camping this weekend, which was so nice to see my extended family and spend time with them but they were harder days for me. With my trouble breathing the humidity really gets to me, and due to lyme I was sick most of the weekend but did have many good conversations and relaxing time with family.  The inhaler I was put on helps so much! Along with the liver pills I started, it is helping my liver keep up, always a plus! 

I finished the book Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor and I would HIGHLY recommend it. He was a man who truly understood what it mean to rest in the Lord, to trust the Lord, and to let the Lord carry his burdens. The main lesson I have learned these last six months is resting in the Lord. I have been learning what it looks like to let the Lord fight for me, to let the Lord carry my burdens. 

This story is from the book Do You Think I'm Beautiful by Angela Thomas. 

A traveler was walking down the road laboring under the heavy burden he was carrying on his back. Along came a man with a horse-drawn cart. Pulling alongside the traveler, the cart driver said, "Sir, I see that you are carrying a heavy load and that it makes you weary. Wouldn't you rather ride in my cart than carry that heavy burden?"

"Yes" the traveler said as he got into the cart. "Now I will no longer have to walk with this burden." A little farther down the road the cart driver looked behind him and was quite astonished to see the traveler sitting in the cart still carrying his burden, held tightly on his back. 

"Sir, why do you still bend under the weight of your burden when you could simply set it down?" he asked. "You have helped me so much already," said the traveler, "I would not want to impose on you any further." 

"But don't you see," replied the cart driver, "it would not be an imposition on me for you to put your burden down. Look at my horse; he is strong and willing. He was made to carry heavy burdens. Besides, both of you are now carrying your load, yet my horse will carry your load wether you do or not! So please put your burden down or you will wear yourself out and make my horse feel unappreciated." 

This story about a man and a horse is true for our lives with the Lord. So many times we choose to hang onto our burdens when we could pass them onto the Lord. He is the one who was designed to carry them, He also carries us. We can either try and fight our way with something too heavy for us, or we can let the Lord carry the burdens of our life which He desires so to carry. 

You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf.  ~2 Chronicles 20:17 

Our God fights for us, He carries our burdens, He meets our needs, and He loves us. One thing that I started doing that has changed my life is to write down every night one way that I felt loved by God that day. The Lord uses a variety of ways to make us feel loved, to give us blessings. So many people see them as a need in their life and they turn to an object or friend to be satisfied, but if we understand who the source of satisfaction is, we can see those blessings as the love of God. 

Love comes in a  variety of ways, some ways I have felt loved by God this week; I got an uplifting text message when I was down, I had an afternoon out with girls, when I was herxing I had the best lemon which made my medicine really easy to take. These are some of the ways that I have felt loved by God, some of them may seem silly but when we put this world in its place we can see all the blessings the Lord gives us on a daily basis. 

Tomorrow I begin a new medicine, it is one I will take ten days of every month, I'm not sure how many months. This medicine is supposed to make me pretty sick, so tomorrow I am headed to my parents house. This way I can have my mom close at hand if I need help. Please be praying for this medicine that it will do its job and make me sick but also that it wouldn't make me too sick. If I get too sick I have to do a lower dosage for a longer time. I will do my best to keep my blog updated while I am gone and am excited to return and see everyone once again. Feel free to text, call or visit :) 

Prayer Requests: 

*That I can handle the medicine in ten days-sick but not too sick

*That Dr. P will get to keep his practice in Iowa and may see the goodness of the Lord in the process

*That I can keep up with my online class and the homework due, especially the next ten days

*That I will continue to see the love of the Lord and keep this world in its place