King David

Amazingly enough, I am still sticking with reading through the Bible in 90 days. Today's reading started with the last words of King David. Now, reading through David's life in big chunks struck me a lot differently than reading in little bits has. David did some awesome things, but he did some terrible things too. He murdered a man, committed adultery. He was a really crappy dad. And he spent most of his recorded life hiding in caves, being deceitful to others in order to avoid capture, and running. This is not a very impressive life. But like David said,

If my house were not right with God,
    surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant,
    arranged and secured in every part;
surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation
    and grant me my every desire.
                                    -2 Samuel 23:5

I'm trying to reflect on what was good in his life. What I see is a man who knew God was in charge and would win. He didn't necessarily think God was going to always give him his way, but he always knew God would get his way. He was moved to action by this (David vs. Goliath), but he was also moved to wait by this (see how often he didn't kill Saul, because he was God's anointed?). The world tells us a lot that what we want matters most. I strut around thinking that what I want and how I think things should happen matters so much. But I doubt God agrees. It's his glory that matters; luckily, if we are seeking that, our happiness is often a by-product. But it's never a guarantee. It's also good to remember that a not impressive life can also be incredibly pleasing to God.

Back to the Grind

Happy New Year! Sorry not to post over Christmas break. I was busy breaking and enjoying every minute! This year I had the real treat of being off for two weeks of paid vacation with my husband, which is my new favorite thing ever. We got to see lots of family, which Abigail actually loved! My mom's house is very spacious and completely baby-proof, thanks to my 18-month old brother. She took full advantage of the situation, and was crawling EVERYWHERE! She also had a lot of fun with her baby uncle, rubbing his head and tugging on his ears. I know he was excited about the unexpected head massage.

We did get some not so happy news though. My step-dad has been battling colon cancer. We thought everything was on the up and up after two clean CT scans, but he had one last week and there was a mass on his liver. We are praying that it's nothing, or if it's something that God will heal him. There are more tests coming soon to see what the situation really is though. In the meantime, any prayers are appreciated. I'm sure every family says this, but we need him here.