So...I lied...I haven't been any better at this. My sincerest apologies to both of you that follow me. :)

Anyway, I have recently been feeling overwhelmed. However, not in the way you might think. It isn't that I am fretting or concerned with all the responsibility I have, all that is on my plate, or even all that is required of me on a daily basis. I have full and complete trust in the God I serve to guide me through that...

...What has been overwhelming is God. I will never understand why...He cares for me. I thought about just writing about what God has done for me until my fingers fell off from typing, my head hit the desk from exhaustion, or I died of starvation. None of those are on my "Top 10" list (amputation, exhaustion, starvation)...so I'll bullet point a few things that blow my mind about God:
- Creator - getting a heavy dose of some creation videos that Cade loves - talk about an immense and transcendent God. Why create me?
- Love - "But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners...Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) - Why love me? nuff said
- Patience - as a parent, you get a ton of practice in this category. I wish practice made perfect. God is so perfectly patient with me. Why be patient with me?
- Physical Provision - Jehovah Jireh - He gives the ability to make wealth and in America, we are incredibly wealthy. Why provide for me?
- Spiritual Provision - Jehovah Jireh - He gives us everything pertaining to life and godliness. Why provide a way of salvation for me? Why provide sanctification for me?
- Protection - shield of faith, belt of truth, sword of the Spirit. We are armed for battle in a spiritual warfare. Why equip and protect me?
-Compassion/Mercy - No reason to...but He shows it. Why?

So that's just a few. SOME questions about God are fairly clear. But any time you get into a discussion at church, in a small group, at home, or out and about and the questions comes up of..."Why would God..." or "Why did God...", you are entering a new stratosphere. Anyone can have a knowledge of what God does, or what He is capable of, or facts about Him. But those people are the same ones that truly ask these "Why" questions and are not only befuddled but extremely frustrated by the answer. Most of the time, the answer is quite simple: "Because that's who God is" or "Because that's what God does" or "Because that's what God wanted to do" which all end up at the core answer of: "Because that is what brings God the most glory".

That drives an unbeliever NUTS! The natural person cannot understand the things of God. Look people, the Psalms say that God sits in the heavens and does whatever He pleases. This life...this existence...is NOT about you or me. It's about God. It's about God getting glory. It's about God being on display. If you can't be satisfied with the answer to the "Why God?" question for your life, there is something wrong with YOU...not God. More than likely, it is because YOU are trying to be God...or you are trying to tell God what is supposed to happen or how things are supposed to be done. Rant over.

To sum it all up...I am overwhelmed in a good way because I cannot fathom WHY GOD does what He does. I know that the same God I described above...cares for me, loves me, provides for me, and brings me joy...joy incomprehensible. The best part is...I know I'm in a good place in being overwhelmed of these WHY GOD thoughts and questions...because I trust Him. I have full confidence that God knows exactly what He's doing. This may be a completely obvious conclusion...but it was one I needed to come to. When faced with this...you can respond in 1 of 2 ways...either trust or distrust. The way you respond to those situations in life, tell a lot about you...and about where your hope is fixed.

The ending wouldn't be fitting without leading into a song that has warmed my heart:

"Trust and obey...for there's no other way...to be happy in Jesus...but to trust and obey."

Until His glorious return...