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A beautiful gift from a dear friend and sister in the Lord...

What a precious occasion to fellowship with one another,

praising God for every sweet breath of life given.

Even the seemingly simple life of a flower.

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My dearest husband is such a hunk! I must say he has the endurance and drive of a maniac some days, and still has energy left over to spare for 24 hour service to God, his family, his wife and kids. Such an inspiration to me...

I smile and am filled with love for this man as I am writing this because our kids and I wouldn't make it a single hour without the love and support from my main man and I appreciate him more every day we are blessed with life together. Now, it's not just the physical support I'm writing about or the need for him to be right by my side to help every minute of the day, but the knowledge that he has freely and willingly devoted his heart to us, loves us unconditionally and is always prayerfully encouraging us is so much more important and sustaining.

He has been training for a fall down and die of exhaustion... marathon, 26 miles, for about 6 months now... only to hurt his foot a couple weeks before the race and have to postpone his running debut. He was disappointed to be sure, but I truly admire that it was short-lived disappointment and he hasn't given up! After 3 1/2 weeks of no running, he is back at it again this week, er, well trying to get back into with an attitude of determination. His heart is one who longs after God... I am reminded of David in the Bible when I ponder my husband's deepness, his desire to understand God, to praise Him, to fall into His able arms in times of need, and his endless longing to be ever closer to his maker...

Corinthians 4:16-18 says; Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

I can only marvel, be deeply thankful for and full of gratitude to my God who has blessed me with such a wonderful role model for our kids and a shoulder to lean on for me, a true friend. "God will never let us down", "Never throw the towel in!", "Keep it up, it's a new day!" and "No matter what, it will be okay, it will pass." Many, many more words of encouragement have come from my main man's stable mindset, along with scriptures that continually pour from his mouth. Don't get me wrong, he feels with me, cries with me(okay maybe more of an inside cry but still it's evident that he's sharing my feelings, helping to bear the load -smile), is understanding... He doesn't dismiss my fears or failures as being weak or look on me with disdain, though ultimately we are all giving into the pull of flesh on a day to day basis. He draws me in and points me in the right direction... to the arms of my savior.

Romans 11:33-36 says; Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

It's so easy to fall into the temptation of discouragement and be engulfed in an overwhelming heaviness, usually based in fear, self pity, longing or maybe even just a sense of being lost or forgotten... Physical issues tend to top them all for me... I sincerely pray that we all have someone in our life who doesn't just resort to giving us fake, worldly encouragement or remedies but truthfully and lovingly reminds us that real lasting joy is found in resting in our Lord's strength, the giver of life and His infinite wisdom! Our Heavenly Father who loves us, who is with us and will never forsake us; He will make tangible those promises and bring to mind the relieving reality that His plan is infinite and certainly not based on the feelings of flesh and blood and indisputably not usually something we will fully understand(thankfully). Thank you, Jesus for using my husband as an instrument to relay the comfort of your love and grace.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says; Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

I'm so thankful for the perseverance of my husband even when this physical life becomes monotonous and painful. His great attitude, hard work and determination have surely reflected his ever-present relationship with his Savior, Jesus. By God's grace, my main man reminds me daily to be of an eternal mindset not wasting away in overwhelming, worldly troubles and insecurities and to leave those things at the throne of our Heavenly Father. For true peace and rest are found in Him alone.

Psalm 73:26 says; My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.