Secret Blessings, Hidden Gifts

...we moved...

I don't know what else to say.  Exactly one week ago was our first day here in a new house with new neighbors and a new town.  Our "purple" home, as my baby sister calls it.  (Our bedroom is purple on three walls and mint-colored on the last one - thus the whole house is dubbed as "our purple home") =)

Moving was a new experience for me.  The last time I moved was when I was a toddler; I don't even remember it.  So how can I describe this process to you?

It was crazy.  Stressful.  Exhausting.  Emotional.  Tiring.  Oh yes, it was all of those and more.  But it was also fun.  Character-building.  Faith-stretching.  Family bonding.  There were some terrible days, but there were some amazing days.  While moving was just as hard as I expected, it was also so much better than I expected.  Though Satan threw some hard obstacles in our way, I think I can safely say that we overcame them through Christ.  We cried, fell down, and got hurt, but we got back up again - holding Jesus' hand.

What I want to say is thank you so much to everyone who prayed for us.  You and I might never know what those prayers did, but thank you.  They truly made a difference.

There's so much I could talk about here...but I want to focus on the many hidden blessings God gave us during this time.  And, in the comments, I want to hear about your own life.  How has God been showing Himself strong to you?

Oh...how blessed we were by all the amazing people around us!  During the first few days, our house was full of people who made meals for us, cleaned, organized, put up cabinets, and did everything in between.  But even before moving, friend came over to help us move, put together beds, take apart our trampoline, and just make the job less stressful.  They made us laugh even when we were having a bad day.  My online friends offered constant encouragement and prayed for us during this time.  What a blessing it is that God has given us such great friends. ♥

Last Friday as we prepared to leave, one cat decided that he would not come with us.  My little sister was heartbroken.  We tried everything to get her to come out from under the shed.  Food, coaxing, kind words...nothing worked.  But *somehow*, after I sent one last desperate plea to God, the cat walked right out from under the shed.  He seriously came up to me and let me pet him and pick him up.  He doesn't even like me!  But that cat went right into a cage and is now safe and happy here in our new house.  Can anyone say that it wasn't a miracle?!?

The hardest part of leaving is saying goodbye.  Looking at something or someone knowing that you might not ever see them again hurts.  It leaves a hole in your heart.  This was the part of moving that I feared the most:  saying goodbye to the home that I've lived in.  The home full of memories, laughter and tears.  But God let me avoid that trial.  As I got into the car to watch the landscape roll by one last time, it just so happened that it was my job to hold our border collie on my lap.  Did I have time to be emotional and sad?  Uh, not at all.  Instead, I tried to keep our dog from falling off the seat, hoping she wouldn't get carsick on our windy roads. (Praise God that she didn't!)  As she fell asleep on my lap, I was thankful for that hidden, God-given blessing.

There are so many other hidden gifts that I could share.  Across the road, there is a potential new friend...someone I might be able to pour into and point to Jesus.  Our bedroom is perfect for us and very similar to our old one; we already love sleeping in it!  Our family's sickness is going away.  Though we had some issues with stray dogs, I think they are ended.  I got my first letter in the mail and a gift from a friend.  Blessing...blessing...blessing.   ♥

Don't get me wrong; it's still hard.  If you get anything out of this post, know this:  hard times will come.  But God allows them to enter our lives to strengthen us and make us grow.  When you fall apart, look to Him for your strength.  He will always give it.

Psalm 46:1-3, 10 reads,

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;  Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah ... Be still, and know that I am God."

Now I want to know...

How has God been working in your life?  What are some of the secret blessings in your life?  Comment below!

p.s.  Please forgive me for not responding to messages and comments as fast as normal.  I'm still trying to get back to "normal" life through all this busyness. =)  Thank you!