My Alien

Four years ago I married an alien. He had come to earth from Saturn seeking...no, no, that's not right. He was only an alien from Canada, a Newfie (sounds like a kind of dog). Well, for the last four years I have enjoyed being married to an alien. He's quite proud of being Canadian and we enjoy teasing each other about our countries. But for four years two countries were united and respected in our home.

Unfortunately, I am sad to say, I am no longer married to an alien. No, we did not split up. He just decided to become one of us. Last week he became a citizen of the United States of America. So, even though he is still a proud Canadian at heart (he wanted to wear a Canadian tie to the oath ceremony) I can no longer say I am married to an alien.

I'm not really disappointed that he is American now. I am very proud of him. God bless America...and Canada!

God Is Listening

God is amazing! He knows just when I need to hear from Him. I have been praying about a lot of things lately, seeking direction, but feeling like He's not listening. Then last night God answered one of my prayers that I prayed for months ago. It wasn't anything big or amazing, but it was like God was saying, "See, I am listing to you. I do care about you and will help you." It was a huge comfort to me and it gave me hope. Now He has given me an opportunity to be used by Him. And I pray that He will use me to make a difference.

What Is God's Will?

What is God's will for my life? What is God's will in certain circumstances? How do you know God's will? I have been searching for an answer to these questions since I was a teenager. The answer that has been given to me by several people is that God's will is to please Him everyday in everything I do. As a result of that advice 2 Corinthians 5:9 has become my life verse: "So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it."(NIV) But even that still doesn't answer my questions for big decisions.

Philippians 4:11 "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

This verse has been popping into my head a lot lately and I think God is trying to teach me this same lesson He taught Paul. (Thankfully I haven't had to go through anything as drastic as what Paul went through.) I think He wants me to learn "in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." He seems to be trying to teach me that in more than one sense of the word "state".

One thing about me is that I like to know what's going on and be prepared for whatever is coming next in my life; to have a plan. I hate being in the dark. I don't like surprises (unless they're good surprises). Well, God seems to have other plans for me. He likes to keep me in the dark. And it drives me crazy. So maybe God is trying to teach me to be content and trust Him even in the dark, even when I don't know what's going on. It's really hard to be content with the unknown because I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing to prepare for the unknown.

There is also the other sense of the word "state" that I am struggling to be content in. We are considering moving. As my husband comes across various job opportunities, we are again faced with the question: "What is God's will?" There are some states that I would be happy to move to, and other that don't sound so exciting. I have to keep reminding myself that it doesn't matter where I want to live. Wherever God sends me I will need to be content. But how will we recognize God's will when we see it?

In the first Harry Potter book Harry comes across a magic mirror called the Mirror of Erised. When he looks inside it he sees himself with his parents who died when he was a baby. As Harry stands there trying to figure out what the mirror does, Dumbledore helps him out. He says, "The happiest man on earth would be able to use the Mirror of Erised like a normal mirror, that is, he would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desprate desire of our hearts." If I were to look in that mirror I would see all sorts of things. But if I could just learn to be content, even if I don't know God's will, I would see myself just as I am now, the way God made me, where He wants me; in the center of His will. Maybe it is God's will for me not to know His will (if that makes any sense). Maybe He just wants me to be content in the dark.