Thursday, March 1, 2012

Whoo Knew

I'm not really an emotional person. It's rare that I cry during a movie. However, there are a few exceptions like Steel Magnolias and It's a Wonderful Life. I also don't typically cry when reading tear-jerker books, like Charlotte's Web, to my class. But who would have thought I would have almost a complete meltdown while reading a Dr. Seuss book?! Yes, you read that right...I almost couldn't finish Oh, the Places You Will Go by Dr. Seuss because my emotions almost got the best of me. If it has been a while since you have read a book by Dr. Seuss, you might be surprised by the deep underlining themes in his books. 

I read numerous Dr. Seuss books to my class each year. We usually laugh and giggle at the silly rhymes and my first graders are amazed by his creativity and imagination. However, Oh, the Places You Will Go is not a giggly book for me. For me, it has a different tone because parts of it speak so perfectly well for the season of my life right now. 

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles cross weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or the waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for the wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
So, as I sit here in my weirdish, wild, waiting place, I'm a bit encouraged by the poet. I'm encouraged because I know that it is just a waiting place. All "waits" come to an end at some point--some sooner than others. It just so happens that this particular waiting place has no exit signs in sight and I'm still waiting for my number to be called. I kind of feel like an out-dated magazine in a waiting room. But, I have hope...not because of the words of Dr. Seuss, but because of my Savior. He knew before time that I would be found in this waiting place. And here is the good part...He is waiting with me.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Whirlwind

Ever since Christmas I have felt like I have been living through a whirlwind. Life seemed like it was spinning out of control and I couldn't do anything to stop the confusion, hurt, and utter turmoil. I was so thankful that when it was time to flip the calendar from January to February. I don't think I have ever been more ready for a month of the year to be over than January 2012. 

However, through the dark days of January I was desperate for a fresh glimpse of the Lord. I was desperate to do as the psalmist urges us to do in Psalm 34:8...To taste and see that the Lord is good. So in attempt to taste and see my Lord, I began reading the book Desiring God by John Piper. I haven't finished the book yet, but it has been an encouragement to my soul and a challenge to my faith at the same time. 

Piper makes a statement so simple, but it is so profound to me...Life is hard, but God is good. I have found myself repeating that over and over again the last few weeks. Regardless of my circumstances, God is still good. He will remain good despite my shortcomings and failures. He is good even when the darkness closes in and we have lost our hope. Through my whirlwind, He is good. He is good--that's a fact. 

So, as I live my life with the promise that God is good, I am content that He is enough. I am learning to be most satisfied in Him despite loss, despite hardship. He is my portion. He is my treasure. He is my joy.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Thoughtless Tuesday

Yeah, we were there and it was awesome. That's all. Roll Tide.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Tailgating Extravaganza

Well, the game of the century was last Saturday and we arrived bright and early Saturday morning in Tuscaloosa with our game faces on ready to battle. But before the showdown actually began, were prepared for our tailgating extravaganza! We had the ultimate set-up: big screen TV, 4 canopy tents, PLENTY of good food, lots of great friends, and the perfect place to people watch for the day.
 We started the extravaganza with a bang...CORNDOGS!! In case you don't know, LSU fans smell like corndogs...you can get the full story here. I have to admit, I think the corndogs were the highlight of the event. While we waited for THE game to begin, the rest of the afternoon consisted of watching football, snacking, and watching the people next to us change their camping portable toilet. Yes, you read that right...and of course they had to be Bama fans.

Some of the food...

We had a great time hanging out, but of course it would have been a lot more fun had our team won.
????
Matching houndstooth!

The family!
Roll Tide!!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Happily Ever After

Mike and I recently went to dinner with some dear friends who are newlyweds. They are a precious couple and it was so fun watching how giddy they were with each other after being married for just a few weeks. And that got me thinking about married life...


This summer Mike and I celebrated our 5th anniversary--that is craziness!! Those 5 years have flown by!!! It really seems like yesterday we were still dating! I really love being married to my best friend. We have so much fun together. In our 5 years of being married we have gotten to...
  • go to Maui
  • go to London, England
  • go to countless Bama games
  • serve and minister to a great group of students and their families
  • go to Jamaica on a mission trip
  • survive a bathroom remodel at our house
  • walk through the trenches with each other as we both completed graduate school
  • go on 3 mission trips with our students to the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina 
  • and the list could go on and on...
But, that is just a short list of the fun or cool stuff that we have gotten to do or be a part of. There have, however, been some lows in those 5 years. Thankfully, we have each other to lean on as we sometimes have to "walk through the valley of the shadow of death." I really don't know what I would do without Mike. He is my biggest and strongest encourager. He can always make me laugh and make a bad day better. I'm looking forward to our happily ever after.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Pinky Promise

I teach the high school girls Sunday School class at church and I have an amazing group of girls to study Word with each week. It seems like a recurring theme I share about is that God always keeps His promises. He never fails on His word and will never fail His children. I share with my girls that when we experience trials we have trust Him and lean on His promises in order to make it through. Well, I have a confession to make...I haven't been paying attention to my own Sunday School lessons. I have been wavering on believing a promise that has been spoken to Mike and me through the Scripture.

About a year ago, the Lord revealed a piece of scripture to Mike and me that we have claimed as a promise and we are still waiting for that promise to be fulfilled. Throughout the course of this year I have doubted God's promise and have battled through my doubt. However, through my doubt, the Lord has given me a song that has been my anthem...
Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always, always
("Always" by Kristian Stanfill)
So, regardless of my doubt, my God is unwavering. He is sovereign and His Word is stronger than any pinky promise anyone can offer.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Persevere

Recently my sweet husband gave me the greatest compliment. I asked him if I looked okay and his words were, "Yeah, you look great. And Erin, you have never looked as good as you do now at this time in your life." I melted and swooned, and then we laughed because I could have definitely taken that as an insult...I mean, what was he trying to say about how I looked 5 years ago!

Mike and I have spent a decade of our lives together. We started dating in March of 2001 and got married in June 2006. I can honestly say the time that I have spent with him has been the time of my life. I knew before our first date that I would marry him and I am so grateful that the Lord set him a part for me. Mike loves me completely and totally for who I am--blond moments and all! And in return, I love him completely and totally for who he is--football obsession and all.

However, marriage isn't always peaches and cream, and I think if marriage requires one thing of us it is perseverance. In our society today it is too easy to get married and definitely too easy to get divorced. Our culture looks for an easy way out and doesn't make any excuses for it. However, the Scriptures tell us something different...
...suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope...
-Romans 5:3b-4
Perseverance is something that the Lord has taught me a lot about in the last several years--not necessarily about persevering in my marriage, but in other areas of my life. I can only pray that through my perseverance that I have developed character and a hope that reflects my Lord.