A sudden “Uncharted Pause”

So, some of you might know…. many may not… But these last few months we’ve (my family and I) have been walking through a pretty tough valley, one I never thought we’d experience. Our little 6 year old granddaughter, Leighton Grace went through surgery to remove a malignant tumor from her brain. The whole “event” swooped in from out of nowhere and broadsided our entire family. Thus, “the pause” as I have not blogged since the week prior to this all happening. The pause….what a pause! Life stops, focus changes, and life becomes completely unchartered! It’s in that “unchartered” place where you find where you truly are in your faith! Who God really is to you. How much you truly trust HIM and truly implement “do not lean on our own understanding”(Proverbs 3:5-6). Truthfully, I do not know how (or why) the world would choose to walk through life (both in tragedies and just the everyday) without knowing our God. My family and I have stayed steadfast and close to God and to one another! The outpouring of support and love has been beyond my words! The lessons, the miracles, and the obviousness that God has been involved and through every step leaves me speechless at times!! I can say that some of my most important weapons in walking this out have been #1 Gratefulness and #2 “my weapon is my melody”. A grateful heart is so important in keeping the proper perspective and worship is our greatest weapon in the times of trials and troubles. In seasons of great distress and hardship we have got to make sure we are seeing through the proper perspective. The right “lens”. We have two choices when we journey in the valley…..we can magnify the “issue, the situation, the problem” OR we can CHOOSE to magnify ALL THAT GOD HAS DONE in the past proving HIS SOLID FAITHFULNESS AND BE HUMBLY GRATEFUL! There’s this amazing song “Raise a Hallelujah” and it speaks to this ….. “ I raise a hallelujah, my weapon is my melody. I raise a hallelujah, heaven comes to fight for me. I’m gonna sing in the middle of the storm… Louder and louder you’re gonna hear my praises roar…..”   As we see through the right lens…. being grateful and singing a melody to our Lord,  we soon lose that taunting, glaring obstacle in the rear view mirror. Now, it does not mean we ignore the the situation or hardship it just means we follow in a different manner and more peaceful direction. Here’s a picture for you….when riding motorcycles or horses….where you look is where you go. Where are you looking in times of trials? If you are looking at the “problem” shift your gaze to gratefulness and put a song in your heart! Shift your gaze to the beauty of this life He has given you, Shift your gaze to HIM!!!