Blogging Challenge -- Days 14-18

Hey everyone! Where in the world have I been with my Blogging Challenge posts? Well, I'll tell ya. I've had the pleasure of hosting some nasty virus for the past 4 days. Today is by far the best day yet, but I'm still feeling rough. This thing started off like a cold, then turned into what felt like the flu and then progressed to something resembling a stomach virus. Lovely, I know. That's a good part of the reason why I haven't blogged in a week. BUT I wanted to get back to it today and answer questions 14-18 of the blogging challenge. These questions are all really interesting to me and it's funny how a lot of them are harder to answer than I would have ever thought. They are really making me think...which is a good thing! Hope you enjoy! :D

14. What's on your iPod? I really like a variety of music! Country music is definitely my favorite, but I also like pop, contemporary Christian, and 90's music. Scrolling through my Pandora stations I found: Matchbox Twenty Radio, The Grinch Radio, 3 Doors Down Radio, 90s Pop Radio, Today's County Radio, Lady Antebellum Radio, Today's Hits Radio, Hillsong Worship Radio, and Passion Worship Band Radio...to name a few.

15. List 10 things that make you awesome:

1. I am one big, recessive gene (red hair, green eyes, left-handed, fair skinned).
2. I enjoy running long distances.
3. I am very organized.
4. I've jumped out of a plane.
5. I'm a good friend (or at least I try really hard to be).
6. I love to encourage others.
7. I have the best husband, son, and puppy around!
8. When I want something, I work hard to achieve it. I'm driven.
9. I have always adopted my pets from the local animal shelter.
10. I exercised throughout my entire pregnancy, up until 3 days before I had my son.

16. What's your biggest accomplishment? Gosh, this is a hard one. There are a lot of things that come to mind, but one of the biggest accomplishments I can think of is how hard my husband and I have worked for what we have. We started off with very little and have worked so hard and come so far. We still don't have much, but what we do have, I am proud of because I know the hard work that went into it. I'm proud that together we have overcome a lot of obstacles, especially financially, and stayed dedicated to what we wanted. I'm thankful that what I have wasn't handed to me because I don't know if I would appreciate it quite the same.

17. Why and when did you start blogging? I started blogging in August of 2013. I have always loved writing and found blogging to be a way to rekindle that passion. I wanted to share bits of my life with people and hoped that someone would find my posts encouraging and relatable. I figured if I touched one person's life with my blog, that would be wonderful!

18. Where are you happiest? I am happiest when I am with those I love, my family and friends. Yes, that corny, but it's true. The older I get, the more I realize the importance of my relationships and how those are the things that will carry on when everything else fades. At the end of my life, the reflection on the relationships I had will bring me far more joy than anything else ever could.

LAURA'S STORY

Have you ever heard a song a million times, but never really listened to the lyrics? Or maybe you have paid attention to the words before, but for some reason, that song just hits you differently than ever before? And all of the sudden, you find a brand new meaning in the music?

I go through phases of listening to Christian music all day, every day to wanting a break from it. Lately, I find that it has a way of really soothing me during my time alone in the car. It's comforting to me even if it's just background music.

Recently on a long drive, I was listening to the radio. I was driving along when the song "Blessings" by Laura's Story came on. When introducing the song, the DJ talked about how great it is to hear songs inspired by real life events. These songs make you realize that not only were the emotions felt when writing the lyrics genuine, but so was the faith shown. The DJ shared that Laura's husband had been diagnosed with cancer and from the outside; it seemed like a pretty miserable situation. She wrote this song during that storm in her and her family's life. Since then, her husband is on a much better path to recovery and the family seems to be healing.

BUT, when I heard the story behind this song, it put the words into a new perspective for me. The lyrics are ridiculously powerful especially knowing that Laura wasn't just telling us these things in a superficial Christian way, but that she was experiencing gut wrenching pain in her life and was still able to proclaim these words. I find people who truly cling to their faith when it is most difficult to be inspirational. Most people wouldn't have blamed her for taking time off and feeling sorry for herself, but instead she chose to glorify God during her darkest hour. I admire this type of boldness and strength. I only hope that I will have the courage to find the "blessings in the raindrops" like this song suggests when I am going through life's hardships.

"What does it look like when I spend years praying for healing for my husband that never comes? I feel like we’ve gotten to a place of having to make a choice-are we going to judge God based on our circumstances that we don’t understand? Or are we going to choose to judge our circumstances based on what we hold to be true of God? I’m learning that every morning when I wake up, to choose to trust God. And that’s what “blessings” is about. It’s just considering… maybe the blessing is actually found in the absense of the thing that I'm praying for."
-Laura Story


I have attached the lyrics to this song. Please take the time to read and really meditate on these words. If put into action, these words have the power to be life changing.


"Blessings"

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not,
This is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise