Revelations....

I am so not a fan of Oprah. AT ALL. I can't stomach one thing she says or does. She's highly overrated and I have never understood all the hoopla surrounding her. However, I have heard people say "I just had one of Oprah's A-HA moment's". I assume that it means when something has clicked in the brain and the lightbulb goes off and we either understand something we never thought we would, or something gets revealed to us in our lives from ordinary, day-to-day things. Well, instead of an "Oprah" A-ha moment, I have had a Mandy A-Ha moment. And really, it wasn't even a Mandy moment. It was a God moment. And really, it wasn't even a God moment, it was a God series. Back to back. Lots of revelations in a blinding, side-sweeping, knock-you-off-your -seat, shock-the-socks-right-off-your-feet, moment after moment after moment series of revelations this week.

This past Sunday, our Sunday school teacher asked those of us who felt comfortable doing so, to share something that had happened to us in the past week where God had revealed Himself to us. I couldn't for the life of me think of ANYTHING that had happened where God had shown Himself to me. Try as I might, I just couldn't come up with anything that stuck out in my brain as a revelation to something. Well, I believe in my heart that God was saving this week to knock my socks off. And all I have to say is WOW.

I have emerged from a season of being a dry Christian. We all go through seasons where sometimes we're up, sometimes we're down, sometimes we're drenched, and sometimes we're dry as a rickety old bone. I spent the past 6 months of my life being dry. I love going to church, I pray (sometimes) and I have been kind to others, but I wasn't soaking stuff up. I wasn't growing and I wasn't putting my gifts to the true test. Whether it's because of this Spring fever and all the beautiful things blooming everywhere, or whether it's just God doing what He does in his omnipotence, I feel just like the flowers look outside right now. Things are happening in my life and in people's lives around me and I stand amazed at how I feel God trying to say, "See Mandy? Here is joy. Here is healing. Here is what happens when you truly seek the Desires of your heart. Now, why did you ever doubt for a second what could be done in your life and those around you?"

I can't reveal too much now. I don't want to jump the gun on anything as of yet, but God has answered a prayer regarding a situation concerning Chad and me. (Now, I've said before I believe ALL prayers get answered--there's no such thing as unanswered prayers, but sometimes we just FEEL like they don't get answered because they aren't answered the way we want them to be.) But, Chad and I have LITERALLY prayed over this situation for almost a full year, and have asked others to pray for us. It's been a slow process, but in just the past 24 hours, God answered in a way that amazed both Chad and me. We are ecstatic, yet apprehensive about new boundaries, but God has given us something that is a personal testimony to us both. (And no, we are not having another baby NOR or we adopting... clear that out of your brains right now!) But, it's proved to us good things WILL happen and blessings will be showered upon those that believe, yet it's always in God's perfect timing and God's perfect will, if that's what we seek.

On a similar note, yet another revelation: we have a fairly new family in our church and in our Sunday school class that we have gotten to know and develop a relationship with. Thomas and Carol and their 5 children. Well, Thomas has had a very sick mother. She had a serious form of cancer. From what I understood, she was knocking on death's door. It was severe. His mother also wasn't saved from what I understand, either. Thomas was desperately seeking answers and prayers from everyone. Lots of people prayed and prayed and prayed. They prayed for him, they prayed for her, and they prayed for the rest of his family. I just got a text message from someone else in our S.S. class saying they had received a message from Thomas today. His mother is cancer free. The cancer is gone! This is someone who just 2 months ago almost didn't survive surgery. God is not through in her life. I really don't think that she was miraculously healed and that's the end of the story.

And to add to the growing list of revelations--I had gotten it in my head that I just couldn't make it to Nicaragua this year. I just knew that it wasn't going to be my year, that I couldn't afford one dime towards the trip, and that it just wasn't in God's plan for me to go this year. I was heartbroken, but I knew I would survive. However, just this past week, God has proven me wrong yet again. Things have been put in place for me to go, people have come forward to help me financially, and once again, I am preparing my heart to be able to get on that plane and be used in lives that truly need the Savior.

I'm telling you, I turn on the news and am horrified and scared and disgusted with so many things I see. This week seems to be one of the worst weeks for news-watching in awhile. It starts to get to a soul. Yet, at the same time, God is doing some incredibly jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring, miraculous work. As if the flowers and sunshine He sends us as gifts every spring weren't enough to keep doubt from entering my heart and mind, He still shows us Who He is if we'll only seek Him and believe in Him and the promises He's made. If we'll only let Him reveal Himself to us in the good AND bad.