Change of Plans & Unexpected Blessings

It is hard to believe 2013 is coming to an end today. I am sorry for not blogging in the past month. My end of 2013 has brought a lot of unexpected events. In the past month I have been a caretaker for my sister-in-law who had foot surgery which required me to travel from Texas to Kansas. While her surgery was a tough one with lots of pain during the recovery and left her unable to drive for 6 weeks, God was faithful. I was blessed with some very special time with my niece. Since my sister-in-law and niece live in Kansas, I don’t get to spend as much time with them as I would like.

Sadly, in the midst of taking care of them, my sister-in-law’s mother’s health took a turn for the worse. I flew to Florida with them to take care of my niece so my sister-in-law could spend time with her mom at the hospital. Her mom lost her battle with cancer and went home to be with Jesus on Dec. 22. I remained in Florida for the funeral on the 26th which meant I was away from my husband and daughters for Christmas. Again, the Lord was faithful. I was honored to be part of my sister-in-law’s family for the holidays and they welcomed me with open arms. As difficult as it was for all of them to celebrate Christmas without their beloved wife, mother and grandmother, their love for one another shone brightly. I was privileged to be part of the celebration of life for Ann and see her faith community come together to celebrate the kind, generous and giving spirit Ann had.

As I was preparing to return home, I found out my daughter had been approved for sinus surgery. The only thing was, the surgery was scheduled in Kansas because she had seen an ENT while she was there visiting me, my sister-in-law and her cousin. Again, the Lord provided. My daughter flew from Houston to Kansas and I changed my flight to fly from Florida to Kansas as well. God’s provision prevailed again as my daughter was able to have her sinus surgery and we are hopeful it will help her stay well and not have continuous sinus infections and persistent sinus headaches.

Spending over a month in Kansas and Florida was certainly not my plan for the last month of 2013, but clearly, it was the Lords. When we are open to His plans, we are blessed because He uses us to bless others. It has been a long month and I am eager to get home and back to my normal routine but the Lord gave me everything I needed to get through this past month. I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for me in 2014!

Things don’t always work out the way we plan, but if we are faithful to the Lord, He will provide. He will provide His peace, strength, comfort and hope. We expect things to go one way, but the Lord sees it working out a different way. His blessings often come in unexpected ways. Keep you ears open to hear His call, your heart open to follow Him and your eyes open to see where He will move in your life and you will be abundantly blessed!

Advertisement