When my anxious heart forgets that He is my shepherd.

   I have been reflecting on what to write. Simply put there is so much going on in my life and my heart, so I decided to pray about it and let the Lord guide me.

I received a call today from a dear friend of mine who lives in Washington and is going through some rough times herself. As I spoke with her and prayed for her and with her, I felt a call to write about something dealing with struggles.

   The truth is we all have them. They are part of our daily life. For better or for worse they are meant to teach us something. We rarely know when something is going to hit. We get so carried away with joy when things are going great, but woe is me when they don't!

How do most people stay afloat on situations that could turn a normal person insane? Well I can't speak for most people, but what I do know for sure is that I turn to the LORD. He is my safe haven, my rock.

When I say there is so much going on I am not kidding. My husband will be leaving for the Army in 3 short months, we are trying to rush to renew our wedding vows, celebrating our oldest 7th birthday, financial hurdles and just your everyday struggles. It feels like things are closing in sometimes, but just when I feel myself about to cry or get overwhelmed I think of the words found on Psalm 23

 "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want...He leads me beside still waters: He restores my soul...Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I fear no evil for thou art with me.." RSV Translation.

It calms my anxious heart to know I can trust everything to Him, who walks with me ALWAYS.

 I know sometimes when the stress (small or not) gets to us is hard to place our trust in the LORD, but as we walk by Faith and learn that God is not bound by human limitations, it becomes comforting to know that no matter the size of the problem He offers us His undivided attention and a readily available solution if we just let Him!

I pray that you keep searching and eventually find the comfort that only comes from working on your relationship with God. Until then, I will pray for you.

Karla