Only one constant for me

After Brady was born, he was jaundiced like many babies.  My mom and I took him home to Eric's and my apartment.  We enjoyed every peaceful moment with him while we held him near the window in the sunshine.  The whole process of becoming a mother for the first time was incredibly amazing to me.  But I particularly remember looking down at him and seeing the sunshine highlight the teeny tiny vessels and veins in his ears.  It was at that moment that I truly realized that something else was in contol of this world and my baby didn't just happen but was created by God.

Most of you know that I have had trial after trial during the last few months.  We are unfortunately not unfamiliar with trials in our lives. Everyone goes through trials. But it just seems that everything that could possibly go wrong while Eric is serving has gone wrong.  I have had more car issues that I can remember in 25 years of marriage.  In fact, I can talk a pretty good car lingo now which is something I never aspired to do.  I would have never imagined that I would have a fire in my house during deployment or that my furnace would break down not once, but twice.  If you remember, I only received the "how to change the furnace filter instructions" pre-deployment. 

The one thing I thought I would never have to think twice about was my new Ford Edge that Eric bought for me before he left for just that reason....no stess, no thought..just a nice car to drive while he was gone.  But amazingly enough I have learned that even those earthly things you think you can trust are still just that; earthly things.  My car has now been in the shop for the third time since the accident.  I can't tell you how shocked I was as they towed my car away on Monday evening.  But as I watched with sadness, I started to think of how perfect God's timing was in all of it.  I had just gone through my planner and decided to keep all of my phone numbers to my insurance agent, Noble Ford, and Enterprise.  I had also taken my planner with me to run my errands which is something I don't normally do.  I dropped Ayden at the gym and proceeded to Breedings to get a quart of paint mixed and that is where I decided to idle while I talked to my sister.  Had I not sat and idled my car wouldn't have had the chance to heat up and explode like it did.  I quickly shut off my car, reached for my planner, and called Noble Ford who was still open for one hour.  They sent out a tow truck and my car was gone by 6pm.  If I had decided to exercise first, Noble Ford and Breedings both would have been closed.  And I still would have been unaware and would have taken off on our trip Friday with a car that had no fans to cool the engine.  I can't put everything to coincidence.  I was not in charge of my timing, God was.

 There are things that happen that forever change your heart.  I can't imagine how the people of Japan feel.  What I have experienced is miniscule compared to what they are going through.  So while it has been difficult and I've shed some quiet tears as I've climbed into bed at night, I continue to realize my one constant in my life: my faith in God and in my Savior Jesus Christ.  Nothing changes for me in this aspect ever on a daily basis and I always know He is the only constant for me even in light of the disaster in Japan.  Whether big disasters or life's daily trials, if life didn't have them would we look to God for any reason? 

Psalm 20:8 Some rely on chariots, others on horses, but we on the name of the Lord our God.

Love,
Monica

Prayer requests:
1)Please pray for my car to be fixed and for travel safety this weekend.
2)Pray for peace of mind for Eric and Brady as they try and finish these last few months.
3)Pray for Eric's fellow soldier who was evacuated with suspected Malaria.  All of the soldiers overseas take medication daily to prevent them from contracting the disease.  Pray for protection for all of them.
4)Please pray for protection for our family from any further trials at this time.