Been a wee bit quiet in blog world for me the last little bit. Reality of life just seemed to come full speed lately and slowing down to put thoughts to "paper" hasn't been on the agenda it seems! It has literally been one thing after another every day.
Tonight, Kevin and I finally got to return back to our normal schedule of Monday date night. With traveling and the holiday, we had not been able to take that time away. Though date nights for us are not the typical date night of the "average" couple, we find them as our lifeline. It is typically just some food to go and a bench at the park for some overdue conversation. Tonight was Great Harvest and a quiet spot at the U of I Arboretum, followed by Jarlings (with NO line!). The best part was the ability to have some deep conversations that can't easily be had at home with a house full of kids (especially with how crazy things have been with us trying to keep Bradlee entertained so his "battle wound" can heal!). It's a blessing to have a best friend that you can TRULY talk to about anything. Someone that listens without judgment, offers advice when available, and just offers encouragement when no advice is available. It's a gift from God when that best friend is also your spouse.
Tonight we talked a LOT about some struggles we've been facing, the path we are on and directions we want to go, changes we feel led to make, and how are attitudes are changing about some different things in our lives. We talked about being under "attack" lately and what our response is and what our response should be. We both talked about being physically tired and emotionally bogged down, but neither feel depressed or defeated. We talked about how past situations had shaped our current lives---some in good ways and some in not good ways. We talked about our trip home and how it felt to not have Dad there and how some of that was different than I expected----not bad, just different. Probably not the average "date" talk.
We talked about our stumbling blocks though neither one of us used those words.
Just before going to bed, as Kevin was praying and putting some of the things we discussed before God for direction, he used the words "stumbling blocks" in his prayer.
As soon as he used the words, I clearly heard the Holy Spirit speak to my heart these words....
"No longer stumbling blocks. Stepping Stones."
To be honest, I don't think I heard anymore of what Kevin said. For all I know, he could have been praying for that motorcycle/trike he dreams of owning someday! :)
Those words meant everything.
HE is doing a new work in us. He is changing our perspective to see that some obstacles we've faced are not defining us any longer as blocks in our path. They are stepping stones that lead us to Him.
Some stones are difficult...
Yet, they connect us to Him because we can't make it on our own.
Some were once blocks in our way, but now we see them as a stone that led us closer to Him. Our perspective changed once we saw ourselves on the other side of the battle.
Some were blocks in our lives at the time, but now they are stones of opportunity. An opportunity to share with others. An opportunity to see where God never left us. An opportunity to see where it might possibly lead now.
Some were big "blocks" that seemed impossible to get out of our way. Wedged in our lives and no matter what we tried, we couldn't remove them. But now we realize, they aren't as big as the once were.
Some blocks were stacked around us to the point of being trapped, but we realize we put them there by our own bad choices or by our lack of willingness to be obedient to Him. Yet now we see that as soon as we bent our will to His instead of demanding He bend his will to fit ours----they became stones. Both in size---no longer trapping. And in purpose---leading us to Him.
Praying that God continues to change our blocks into stones and that if the blocks are still in our paths, to show us how they really are stones, can be used as stones, or how to battle until they become stones. Stones leading our paths to Him.
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