thoughts for thursday.

i sat down this morning to write a completely different post. but i guess you could say that the Lord kept pushing this on my heart over and over... so here i am writing it out. {it's a long one, so just be forewarned!}

the campaign.

i guess it's no secret that the hubbs is running for office. i don't talk about it on here much because there are those certain people out there who would take some sentence i wrote and construe it to say that i'm not supportive of my husband or that it's ruining our family, etc. etc. so i tend to leave it be. 

but today, i feel the desire to share a few things.

first. when j and i got married, i knew that he was made for this. for office. for public service. for leadership. i knew it. it took me a while {the seven years we dated} to completely accept that idea, but there was no denying where his heart was and what the Lord had called him to do. someday.

i have come to love this about my husband. his desire to serve. to make texas better. to fight for the rights of the unborn children. to be a light in a dark world. he is truly one of the strongest {and strong-willed!} people i know. i am incredibly blessed that he is my husband.

that being said, when this opportunity was 'proposed' to us at the beginning of august {august 3rd to be exact} we thought "they're crazy!" to think we'd want to do this. we'd have to move. we have young children. what if we want to have another child? j would be gone six months at a time every two years and then some. what would i do? could i handle it? could he handle it? could we handle it?

the answer - immediately - was no. absolutely not. 

but the 'presenter' as i will call him asked us to pray about it.

sure. but the answer's still no. find someone else.

but here's the thing, people.

for the next three nights we couldn't sleep. we didn't talk about it for three days. and then finally one of us looked at the other and said, "have you been thinking about that? because i can't stop thinking about it!" 

it's amazing how God works, y'all. He places people and circumstances and things in our lives to orchestrate HIS plan and HIS timing. the last six months have, of course, been a roller coaster ride... but they've been nothing short of amazing. seeing the Lord's hand in everything - even when we think He isn't there, He's more present than when we notice Him. the hubbs and i have experienced a faith we never knew that we could have throughout the last six months. it's deeper and wider and stronger than we ever knew possible.

but in the last few days, i've lost my way. i've lost sight of the big picture as i get stuck in the nitty gritty of the every day. the doing laundry and bathtime and bedtime and battles at dinner and battles at lunch and on and on and on. 

so i prayed. 

i prayed, specifically this morning, for a word of encouragement to come. to be reminded of the beginning when we saw Him ever so clearly as He directed our steps.

and He answered that prayer. almost immediately.

back in august when we were making our decision, our pastor preached a series on the psalms. and on one particular sunday, he preached a sermon on taking the step that's right in front of you. tears welled up in my eyes because that is exactly what he had told j when he met with him earlier that week. that we put our sails up which is our knowledge & training in the Word of God and then let His will take it where He wants. 

it was one of the countless divine coincidences during that time in our lives. one that gave me a huge peace about making this decision.

so - back to my prayer. 

unknowningly, a friend of ours emailed j about this sermon. apparently he had listened to it for the first time on his way to work this morning. and he wanted to encourage j to keep on sailing.

this may seem small to the world but it's huge for my heart. it reminded me of all of those answered prayers time & time again throughout my life. little prayers & big prayers.

a little light from heaven letting me know that the Lord still sees. He sees the daily grind. the good & the bad. and He cares. 

He loves me. and He loves you. 

so look for Him today. in the small things & the big things. 

He's there. i promise.