"Ask, and it shall be given you..." Matt 7:7

It was about 3 years ago when I began to want a different job. My degree and a lot of my experience is in human resources. I had a little time as a full time Human Resource Manager. I didn't like the industry I was working in but I loved the position and job duties I had as the HR Manager. You could say HR is my passion.

I was discouraged at times and questioned why God was leaving me at my current job. I sometimes wondered if Human Resources was what I really wanted to do. I received my answer while reading about our spiritual gifts. (maybe future blog topic??) I prayed about it a lot but always the answer was the same..."not yet." I could imagine God shaking his finger while telling me to wait and be patient.

Then it happened! It was 3 years to the exact month I began wanting to find a job in Human Resources. I posted a revised resume on-line and 4 days later received a call from a Senior HR Director about a new position in Oklahoma. The interviewing process went on for a couple of weeks. I tried not to get my hopes up but there were little bits of encouragement along the way. After I made it through the interviewing and pre-employment screening, I was offered the position! I start my new job in just 5 days.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: Matthew 7:7

I have thought a lot about the verse and I have come to learn that God answers our prayers but in His timing. He had a job for me and it's one that I wanted but I had some growing and maturing to do first. There were friendships being developed as well. I learned about being content, being faithful and tolerant of others personalities. I am so thankful that God chose to develop qualities I didn't have (still working on them). My personal life couldn't have handled a change in jobs. My family needed me to be here as much as possible. My spiritual life couldn't have handled it either. I have matured as a Christian and continue to mature and grow with each day and experience.

God didn't just answer my prayer for a new job. I also wanted to grow in the Fruits of the Spirit. I have learned a lot about each one and took some time working on them with God's help. It is a work in progress, believe me. It is a amazing to look back and see what God has done in the last 3 years. I'm looking forward to tomorrow as well.

God Bless

Monica

Grace

I recently read the book "In the Grip of Grace" by Max Lucado. It's one of his older books and I loved it. Max is addressing the concept of grace. Grace is a tough one for me and probably for most people. It's sometimes difficult for me to realize that I am in God's grace. I know in my heart that I don't deserve it but the bible tells me I have it unconditionally and so do you.

Becoming a saved child of God wasn't the tough part for me, it was forgiving myself of the things I had done. I mentioned before that I was almost 24 when I got saved. There are a lot of years that I was lost and doing things without much thought or regret (or so I thought).

I was dead inside and hurting so much. I was looking for happiness in moments that are unspeakable. I was very defensive by nature. Let's just say "kind" wasn't a word people would have used to describe me. It was more like..."Monica is really nice, you just have to get to know her." After I got saved it seemed like my past seemed to come crashing in on me. I could see how wrong the decisions I was making were but I didn't really know how to change everything. I wanted to be a good person but I didn't know how to get past my past or my present.

My uncle told me that all I needed to do was take a step forward (admit I was a sinner and accept Christ as my Savior) and God would do the rest. This was the first mention of grace I had ever heard.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" Ephesians 2:8

We are so accustomed to working for everything we have. It's what my grandparents taught me and it's what I teach my kids. However, God's love isn't earned and we can't pay for our sins. Christ died for our sins before we were even a thought in any person's mind. We were a thought in God's mind when he sent his only son to save the world.

It's been 10 years now and I would have to say that I am not the same person I was yesterday much less 10 years ago. My uncle was right. I took the first step and God did the rest. He continues to speak to me about choices I make and I continue to grow as a Christian. Am I perfect? Of course not, but I am a sinner saved by grace. No matter how far I fall, God is always right there picking me up and giving me a big hug.

I realized a few years ago that the person I was before I got saved is a way for me to witness to others. I have something in common with most people I meet and I pray for God to use me to be a blessing to others. I don't regret my life or the choices I made because they are what makes me who I am today. I choose to let God forgive me so I can look forward to tomorrow.

God Bless
Monica

"Train up a child..." Proverbs 22:6

Our children are wonderful gifts from God. My son, who is now 16 ½, got his driver’s license last week. It is a blessing for us because he has track practice after school and works part-time at Mardel. It has made the morning routine easier because he motivated to get up in the morning and leave for school all by himself. Getting my 4 year daughter ready for school is somewhat challenging on most days of the week.

The day he got his license I started to remember back when he was a little boy. I remembered a time when depression had taken me over and my little boy was all the reason I could think of to get out of bed in the mornings. This was a time before I knew Christ.

He was 5 years old when I got saved in 1997. I was 23 years old. Want to know the funny part? He was 7 years old when he got saved! We have been in the family of God for almost the same amount of time.

He was such a good kid growing up. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still a good “kid” but the teenage years are becoming more and more challenging as the days go by. He is struggling with decisions he makes. He knows all the right answers but doesn’t seem to make all the right choices. Does this sound familiar? It certainly does to me. I struggle almost every minute of the day with making the right decisions.

It is difficult for me to let him grow up and make decisions on his own. I want to tell him what to do and control every aspect of his life. I can’t do this because he will never learn anything if he doesn’t have his own experiences. The one fact that continues to bring me comfort is… he is saved by grace. It’s not my job to control his life, it’s God’s. God is in control. My job is to give him limitations and guide him and pray for him.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

The verse is promise to us that if we train our children and they stray from God, God will get their attention and draw them closer to Him. Doesn’t he do that for us over and over again?

As I am writing this even now, I struggle with letting God do what God does. I love my son so much and it hurts me and breaks my heart when he makes poor choices. I want to protect him from the “world”.

I want to praise God for listening to my prayers and answering them in His perfect time according to His perfect plan.

God Bless
Monica