To Have Belief Like Job

Good morning son! So I hear on the news this morning that today is the first day of Fall, or Autumn, which ever your preference. Dad and have spent the last two days super cleaning. When you leave your windows, as we often do, the dust, dirt and spider webs make their way in. Wood floors show too. Also, I've been drilling and sawing, just with a small handsaw, in my studio lately working on Christmas gifts. Dad's studio space...well let's just say, he had a place to sit. Our house is always a place of projects in one room or another and one project or another. I have both my crochet and flower projects in baskets under the coffee table so they are readily available in the evenings while we watch or movie or are having quiet time after devotions. I began the transition of clothes in our closets from Summer to Fall seasons and am weeding out those items that we no longer use. Now I need to bundle the non-used items and get them off to someone who can use them. Dad is working on the kitchen floor! Again and still. It certainly looks great when he gets finished though so it's worth the wait.  Jamison? Well, he's wandering around the house and trying to find a corner in which to hide and stay our of the way. His favorite place is on his rug under my work table in my studio. But if I'm sawing or drilling he's looking for another spot.

My body can tell the weather is changing. My joints ache and my fibromyalgia  is acting up but it's standard for this time of year so I just work around it. As I tell dad, "It's not as if we don't get it finished it's going anywhere. It (whatever we're working on at the time) will still be here tomorrow".

Tuesday afternoon I spent with Jamo, Dylan, Josh and Josie. It was a school day so after school

it was homework, piano practice for Josh, chores, and make lunches. While all that was going on I got Fiesta Chicken in the oven for dinner and picked and prepared fresh green beans out of their garden. Sadly it's about the end of the green beans for the season. It certainly was nice to have them again this summer.

I plan to do some sketching this afternoon. My arms and shoulders are tired from the last two days so it will be nice to just sit quietly and sketch. Dad has some emails and notes he wants to write so I see a quiet afternoon later in the day.

Grandma spent some time with Aunt Lena in Oregon during the Rim Fire and they had a great visit. But, they both ended up falling toward the end of the visit. Grandma didn't break anything but she sure is sore. Aunt Lena ended up in the hospital a couple of days and is not in a rehabilitation center. I would imagine it won't be long before she realizes she can't live alone any longer and Jim will move in to give her a hand. I'm so thankful he and Sue are there

While at church a couple of weeks ago we were given a copy of Our Daily Bread, a small devotional for daily use. Grandma use to use it every single day when I was growing up. Dad and I have been reading it together during our evening devotions. During my devotions I've been reading the book of Job. I've read this book many times before but never has it been as clear as this time. This conversation between God and Job is amazing. Job's belief and faith in God, unsurpassable. How on earth

did Job get a belief in God that strong. Well I guess if you really think about it, he didn't get it on earth, the belief had to come from the Father. Having a strong belief is one thing, holding onto it during the times Job was going through is yet another thing. God allowed the unspeakable to happen to Job. He not only lost all worldly possessions and positions, God allowed the death of his children. Loosing a child can literally rip your reality away. And yet, Job's belief in God and God's goodness remained. As many times as his friends told him to "just curse God and die", Job trusted in his belief and remained true. I've been thinking on this "belief" quite a bit this last week. Belief in God has been an integral part of my life since a very early age. My personal relationship with Him began at the age of 11, on a Palm Sunday,

when I asked Him to be my personal Savior. I know many people will not understand this relationship. There comes a time when you've talked and explained all you can and your life becomes the explanation when the words make no sense. Living the belief is more important than any words you can speak. So many times I have failed to be the example I need to be to a world that does not understand. Some may never understand and all I can do is pray and only God knows when, if and where others will make a choice for Him. I really struggle sometimes with how to make someone

understand my belief. Peoples belief systems can be so different. My belief is that God is a living being who loves me and cares for me. He is my Heavenly Father and I have a personal relationship with Him. I can call on Him for any reason. He knows my wants, needs and desires. He knows what's best for me and wants what's best for me. I am his child and I am the child of a King of unlimited resources. Where others believe they need to know every detail of God's plan, I believe I need to know God has a plan and I should do it whether I like it or not. (Now where have I heard those words before? Hmmm.) I'm not saying I walk around blindly and am led around through a ring in my nose. But what I am saying is that God provides the resources for me to know His plan; through His Word, by having conversations with Him (prayer), and by consulting and counseling with those who are well established in their like belief. God is always faithful, sometimes He guides us around circumstances and sometimes He guides us through circumstances. But my belief is that He will always be with me as I make the journey. I could not live this life without my belief in Him.

Until next week, be Aaron, love mom.