highs and lows

It's been a bit of a roller coaster type week, with some really hard moments, and some really great moments.  Most of you know me and you know that a family in my church suffered a tremendous loss this week.  I don't know that I've ever prayed so much in my life, and I don't know if I've ever been woken up in the middle of the night to do the same so many times.  I was struck with that thought last night, how sweet it is of the Lord to wake us up out of a sleep, even, to pray for our friends who are suffering. 

A sweet moment the Lord gave me this week was reuniting me with the small group ladies I had last semester at church on Wednesday nights.  I am a small group leader for a study on Galatians we started this week, and we meet twice a week, to give every lady an option of coming.  We have a Monday morning option and a Wednesday night option.  Originally I was going to lead on Monday mornings, but that group is much smaller in size than our Wednesday night group, so I was switched around to that night.  And as a reward, I got to see almost my entire old small group!  I love that, and it was a really sweet night.  We had a few new ladies who joined us, and only one that I didn't already know.  I look forward to getting to know her, though, and growing closer together both in our walk with the Lord and with each other, along with all the other ladies. 

I also treasure the moments when I get to sit and talk with the other small group leaders.  This is all of us from last semester, one night when we went out to dinner to end our time together in leading the study on Malachi we had completed.

Talk about the type of friends that are the iron that sharpens iron type of friends...that is what they've all been to me, in the last year. 

Through all the moments in the week, both bad and good, I have been thinking on the characteristics of the Lord.  He is faithful.  He is our Healer, even when He may not heal in the way we pray.  He is trustworthy.  He is sovereign, even when we may not understand His plan.  His ways and His thoughts are higher than ours.  He is good, no matter the circumstance, because He is God.  Those are His truths, His promises that I am standing on and praising Him for. 

Will you help me pray for my friend Brooke, her husband Josh, and their other daughters, Harper and Ollie?  They're facing a very long and difficult weekend and days, weeks, and months.  I know the Lord will carry them through, and I pray that He will comfort them like only He can, and bring them peace.  (Brooke is pictured here, third from left.) 

Thank you, in advance.  Love to all.