Look on the bright side!

As my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, came and passed I focused on all the many blessings around me. Justin and I were on our honeymoon and sat around our dinner table and shared the things we were thankful for. Usually during this time you try to not focus on the tough stuff in our world. Justin and I personally have tried to be positive because honestly we can't stand complainers that don't see there blessings around them.

Anyway, my dear friend, Sarah sent me this Thanksgiving message and I thought it really shinned a new light on the way we should all handle "negative" circumstances.

BE THANKFUL
"Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to? Be thankful when you don't know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn. Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow. Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement. Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character. Be thankful for your mistakes.They will teach you valuable lessons. Be thankful when you're tired and weary, because it means you've made a difference. It's easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the set backs. Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings."~Author Unknown~


I am so thankful for my new family that I have with Justin and my dear family back in South Carolina that has walked and sometimes carried me through life and continues to encourage me and spur me on to look at the positive and press on to the future that's so full of adventure and love. May God bless you all, whether you are in a moment of learning or teaching, growing or mentoring; we all should be able to find gratitude for the people and things in our lives.

Love always, Rebekah

Links to Literacy

In college, I learned the best way for a child to learn is by connecting to the material. I too, am the same way, I learn life lessons by having deep connections to literacy around me. The past week there have been two quotes that have touched my soul. I'd like to share these in hopes that they will also impact someone that may be needing them. The first quote is from a book I'm reading, The Shack by: Paul Young. (Mackenzie is a man whose daughter has been murdered, Sarayu is the Holy Spirit, and Papa represents God) Through reading this section...it was as if God stopped and put my name in place of Mackenzie's. It was a very powerful experience for me....especially the last half. May you also know that in order to trust God, we must acknowledge and believe He loves us.

"Papa said 'If you knew I was good and that everything-the means, the ends, and all the processes of individual lives-is all covered by my goodness, then while you might not always understand what I am doing, you would trust me. But you don't.' 'I don't?' asked Mack, but it was not really a question. It was a statement of fact and he knew it. Sarayu spoke 'Mackenzie, you cannot produce trust just like you cannot 'do' humility. It either is or is not. Trust is the fruit of a relationship in which you know you are loved. Because you do not know that I love you, you cannot trust me.' Again there was silence, and finally Mack looked up at Papa and spoke. 'I don't know how to change that.' 'You can't, not alone. But together we will watch that change take place. For now I just want you to be with me and discover that our relationship is not about performance or you having to please me. I'm not a bully, not some self-centered demanding little deity insisting on my own way. I am good, and I desire only what is best for you. You cannot find that through guilt or condemnation or coercion, only through a relationship of love. And I do love you."

The second quote came from a song that I have heard a couple hundred times, but for the place I'm at now, it really hit home. This song is called Praise you in the Storm by: Casting Crowns.

"My strength is almost gone how can I carry on if I can't find You and as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain "I'm with you"and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away. And I'll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands for You are who You are no matter where I am and every tear I've cried You hold in your hand You never left my side and though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm."

I hope that no matter where you are in your life, you are allowing God to speak through the songs and literacy around you. He is a creative and beautiful God!

Love you all, Rebekah

"My Sustainer"...My Looooongest post...but special...

We are at T-minus 13 days until the wedding and never in my life have I realized how much I was sustained by my loving relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It's funny because I am marrying a kind, compassionate, hilarious, smart, and strong man...but I know that he cannot fill all my heart's desires and neither can I fill his. I was talking with a friend and they began to ask me, like many people have, "so what are you going to do being that far away from your family and not seeing Justin a lot?". I can honestly say thank you to them because of their genuine concern, however I cannot answer their question with a specific and detailed plan of action for when those harder times come...simply because I don't know when they will come, what will cause them to come, and how I will feel in the moment, but I do know that they are my times. Times that the Lord has destined for me to grow closer and more intimate with Him. Times to joyfully and humbly accept the will of the Lord and make the most of every learning experience by coming to Him first and foremost every good day and every hard day. Thankfully I have a man that agrees with my thoughts, that I am not a 'tag-along' on this USAF journey; this is just as much God's plan for me as it is for Justin. He has a specific need for me wherever we go...it is my job to search for that...and believe me, I have been searching and will continue to. The past weeks have been amazing for me! I feel that the Lord has revealed a stronger spirit in me that I never knew existed; a spirit of confidence and trust. He has shown me how to find control when the world around you is full of fear, unknown, and stress. Friends and Family members, please take joy with Justin and me as we begin this amazing journey that our Lord has for us. For we believe that "He has prepared us for such a time as this" and we are not fearful because our trust does not lie in money, things, or people...it must and forever will lie in our unwavering Savior and Sustainer. For He is the one that brought us together and will lead us in the path ahead. We want everyone to know that this time is not a time of fear or sorrow for Justin and me...We are so excited to see new places, new people, and take new and deeper steps in our walk as a Christian couple. We know that the best way is not always the easiest, cheapest, or shortest.

I have to take a moment and thank my family. Through the past month, they have guided, loved, and encouraged me so much! They have built my confidence in myself as an adult, teacher, and wife. These precious times we've had sharing past stories, making new memories, welcoming new advice, and praying together has blessed my heart more than you or anyone will ever know. I have had a new type of appreciation for the family that the Lord blessed me with and I will never have the ability or words to show them the gratitude that overflows from my heart. People ask if it's hard for my parents, but honestly it's like a little caterpillar that grows and builds it's little cocoon in your jelly jar...when the butterfly emerges, the child gets so excited and can't wait to see the butterfly fly and enjoy the world.

I also have to thank my Justin. He rarely gets the acknowledgement that he deserves for all of his love, patience, and growth. He has accomplished so much and continues to set higher goals. He has met these goals by using his strength, faith, and talents...and his humility just makes me even more proud of him. He has led us to become a stronger couple in prayer, in trust, and in patience. His sense of humor has spurred me on through the tough days of working long hours or being emotionally drained. And he has really used his creativity to show me love when we are doing the 'long distance' thing.

Last, but never least, I have to thank my Jesus for our relationship that continues to grow. I am beginning to understand just a small part of what Paul meant when he said, "for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard!"

Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers. Let me know how I can be praying for you. Don't forget to smile and live in the moment...don't wish away every day :)

Love you, Rebekah