So I know I've been M.I.A.  But only briefly.

I'm back now. After a very interesting, atypical, & in the end extraordinary couple of weeks.

After going through a period of utter confusion & mental chaos, a lot of arguing back & forth with God,  having a large dose of double drama in my house, & ultimately finding myself laying flat on my face saying "OK God, You have my attention", I learned a few valuable life lessons:

1) Never....NEVER invite family (especially mothers & mother-in-laws) to come live with you, your husband & 3 kids. There's no such thing as "temporary". "Temporary" turns into permanently and that, sooner or later, equals trouble. 

Thankfully, my family live in problem will be solved in a couple of weeks, when they move into their own apartment & I will then run around my house in all my giddiness singing " Happy Happy Joy Joy!!" & doing my "Happy Dance".  Oh yes, I have a Happy Dance :-) 

& it is Oh so happy.

2) Never...NEVER try to out-argue God. It's just plain stupid. & in the end you will feel just plain stupid.

3) If you ever find yourself in a place where you figure out that what YOU want and what GOD wants for your life are two totally & completely different things, three words....GO WITH GOD!

Trust me on this one friends. Don't think about it, don't try and convince God that your ideas are better, & it doesn't matter how much you whine - He's not changing His mind. 

Just surrender & Go With GOD. (The sooner, the better!)

4) If you're not willing to listen to God voluntarily, you can rest assure that He will somehow, some way, most definitely get your attention about the matter.  Because it's true our Father God loves us just the way we are, but He loves us WAY to much to leave us that way!

My advice: Just listen.... Listen in silence, listen carefully,  & do it without delay. It'll save you a lot of time, heartache, and drama. 

Ooooh the drama!

5) Finally, I have learned that at times (probably more often than not) I can be stubborn.

(I know! I was just as shocked at this news as I know you are right now.)   

Not to mention, a bit impatient. 

But God's timing is always perfect. His plan is flawless. 

See God was trying to take me in one direction with my life, but I so badly wanted to go in a different direction. I thought that because what I was doing was for God, that it must certainly be the right way. And even though my intentions & motives were good, it still didn't mean that it was God's will for my life at this particular time. 

See, it's not always the case, that what we want to do is wrong, it's that the timing  is not right.

 I was so busy being consumed by Me. My feelings, what I thought, 

what I wanted, what I desired. So busy making excuses to try and justify my behavior. That I really wasn't seeing the bigger picture, cause my big head was in the way.

Finally He used a not so good situation to get my attention. The attention that He's been longing for me to give Him, for some time now, regarding a certain something in my life. 

I surrendered, listened, & am being obedient to His will not mine.  And already God is making ALL things work together for my good. 

So should it have taken a bad situation for God to finally get my undivided attention?? Absolutely, NO!

Shamefully I admit, He had to. But, in His unfailing love and Oh so amazing mercy, He saved me from myself once again, taught me several VALUABLE lessons. & has captured my heart yet again. 

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11