Marvelous molding

Overall, our trip back to the States has been much like a ride Cabila and I got on last week at the Mississippi State Fair.  

It was exciting but also terrifying at moments.  It was exhilarating and fun, yet, exhausting.  It was unbelievably fast with crazy flips and speed and it even included several surprises..some we wanted to experience again and again and some we just wanted to end!

I loved the incredible breeze as our seats slowly began to lift but then our legs all-but dangled from the seats and the metal “U” that held us in as we picked up speed. 

We were whisked around and we hung out at the top for a bit from the same metal “U" and then we did a sort of free-fall towards the ground at a break neck pace.  



Then we flipped around and went back up again.  Over and over and over.

At one point I heard Cabila say, 

“Mama, we are going to die!” 

Between flipping and soaring we screamed 

and we laughed 

and we cried out, "that's enough", 

and then "what??? again!?!".  

We soared and then headed to the ground BACKWARDS a few times depending on the way the seats were flipping so we never really knew what to expect even when our eyes were open.  

At the top we could see over the coliseum and across the city but on the way to the bottom we braced ourselves to “miss the ground” every time.

I laughed so hard I literally cried while riding "Speed".  It was definitely an unforgettable experience.  

I would definitely do it again but Cabila is unsure if he would join me. 

(smiles)

Well as you know, we prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and waited and prayed and cried and prayed and prayed some more to have this opportunity to “come home” with Cabila.  You know because many of you prayed WITH us!  It’s been amazing but it’s also been hard.  

The incredible “breeze” we’ve felt as we’ve witnessed Cabila’s first time experiences have been fun and exhilarating, much like the fair ride we rode.  But coming back to the States and facing things and people that trigger hurts that still haven’t completely healed has been excruciating and exhausting, too.  With every twist and turn we've proceeded with apprehension, we've faced questions still unanswered and we've been terrified of reliving some old pains.  

   

This morning my devotion was exactly what I needed.  (I love when that happens!)  Maybe it’s something you need to read, too, so I decided I'd share…

Jesus said, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

Note the word “rejected”.  The rejection of his brothers put Joseph on a path that led to the throne of Egypt and the saving of his family and his nation.  How often has something happened in your life that you later realized was necessary? If you hadn’t experienced this or walked through that, you wouldn’t be ready for the blessings you enjoy now.  When you begin to see the hand of God in it you understand that what the Enemy intended for your destruction, God used for your development.  

To be “more than a conqueror” means you can stand up and say: “Here’s how I see it.  It took everything I’ve been through to make me who I am and to teach me what I know.  So I choose to be better, not bitter.  I trust the faithfulness of God more than ever.  I’ve learned that if faith doesn’t move the mountain, it’ll give me strength to endure until tomorrow.  And if it’s not gone tomorrow, I’ll still believe that God is able and trust Him until He does.”

Relax, rejoice; your steps are being arranged by the Lord (see Psalm 37:23).  He hasn’t taken His eye or His hand off you, not even for a single moment.  When you get through this trial you’ll realize that “the worst things that could have happened” was, in reality, “the Lord’s doing”, and it will become “marvelous in your eyes”.

It’s so hard to view hurtful things as good...  
But until it’s all “marvelous in my eyes”, I’ve decided I'll keep on believing that God knows what He’s doing.

Thanks for praying with us and for committing to journey with us!

"Sometimes God will take clay and break down the current mold to make something more beautiful. God will mold us and this molding is not from a God who seeks to destroy, but rather from a God who loves to heal." 

~Kristen McNulty