Life Is Not A Snapshot

Yesterday was just one of those days for me. I really struggled throughout the day and there wasn't really anything specific that happened it was just "blah". I was feeling alone, overwhelmed being the only parent, frustrated, and had a terrible headache. After 4 days straight of receiving letters from Abel and a 15 minute phone call on Sunday night you would think I would have been on a high, but it was almost like when you have a sugar rush and then you hit that really miserable low. Yep, that's what it was.

As I prepared Karina for bed, I could feel the tears coming and as we laid down in her bed to pray, I lost it. And Karina in her sweet little voice said, "mama, just think good things about daddy and you'll be ok". She is such a gift to me during this time, God knows I couldn't have gone through this without her :) So I pulled myself together and finished praying and put her to bed. I went to bed at 9:45, which I NEVER do these days...it's usually midnight or well after by the time I go to bed, but I couldn't sleep so I went and got my devotional book and it was all about God being near to the brokenhearted, and not only is He near, He is here. Well, that was all I needed to hear, and everything else just drifted away. I also had the words of a song running through my head:

"would you dare, would dare to believe,
that you've still got a reason to sing,
cause the pain that you've been feeling,
can't compare to the joy that's coming
so hold on you gotta wait for the light
press on, just fight the good fight
because the pain that you've been feeling
it's just the dark before the morning"

I absolutely do have a reason to sing, and as I read Psalm 42 verse 8 literally jumped off the page at me: "Through each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to the God who gives me life."

Today, I just felt joy. Joy that no one except my loving, heavenly Father could give me. I may feel discouraged and lonely and frustrated at times, and I think we all do, but you can still have joy because Joy that the Father gives is not just an outward expression of feeling, but it is and inward state of being.

I was also given a gift today that added to my joy, more pictures of my incredible man.


Love, love, love this smile!!

Here he's on the practice shooting range, preparing to qualify for the next level

Ok, now this one just makes me laugh, part of me wonders, was it a fluke that he happened to be "itching" his nose, but my gut, says, uh NO! If you know Abel you'll agree with me that this was totally on purpose!!

So with the title of this post being "Life is not a snapshot", there's another verse in the song I mentioned, which by the way is Josh Wilson, Before the Morning, and I've got it on my play list here on my blog, so you can click on it to hear the whole song. But anyways another part of that song is:

"My friend, you know how this all ends
and you know where you're going,
you just don't know how you get there
so just say a prayer.
and hold on, cause there's good for those who love God,
life is not a snapshot, it might take a little time,
but you'll see the bigger picture"

And as I look at the pictures that I've posted of Abel at Basic, I realize that even though these are "snapshots" of his life right now, there is definitely a bigger picture, which God is revealing, ONE SNAPSHOT AT A TIME.

If you are experiencing a hard time in your life, just know that it's just "the dark before the morning". May you experience His Joy, unspeakable, FULL of His glory today.

Have a great day everyone!