Be careful, the Lord can take your car keys.

OK, so I obviously don't mean to imply that my husband and I made a mistake and are blaming it on God, (although I have to be honest in saying it did cross our minds). I realized the other day, and God confirmed it this morning, that the keys being missing, and the dealership saying that they cant replace them (unless we pay them ridiculous amounts of money), is a test of faith. Really does God test faith with keys.....ABSOLUTELY! When this happened Jake was mad, I mean mad. And I was confused and mad too. Why God? Why when things were just sort of becoming peaceful, just slightly getting better, would you allow the keys to go missing and not allow us to find them? Well you know how the saying goes that if you pray for patience then God will give you things to be patient about? Well I had prayed earlier that week that Jake and I would learn to take the stresses of life, with Grace and patience. We were in a rut, of just letting everything bring us down. We were not laying anything down at the feet of Jesus. Instead we were living like we didn't have a loving God, a loving Savior willing to take the burden. We just kept tallying up the stresses and piling them on our back. How sad for our children to watch us during those weeks and months. And then the keys happen. But it was as if it was a breakthrough for me. It was as if God was saying "Nothing will go right in this world Valerie, this is not heaven, lean on me and you will be able to handle this life". And so God did, as He has done many times before, he has laid before me the decision of life and death and has whispered, "choose life". Life and death in the sense that life leaning on Him is truly a life worth living, but life carrying your own burdens might as well be death. I may not always choose life, I hope that I do, but I also know God will always call me back to lay down my burdens and have Him carry them. Ahhhh, back in the arms of God. I feel better today than I have in weeks. Have I found my keys? NO. Is Jake still unemployed? Yes. Do I now know God is for me not against me? You Betcha!