July 4th --Deserttime

It was not your typical July 4th way to spend the day.  We got up around 4:45 AM, yes AM. We wanted to leave as early as possible to ride in the cooler part of the day. We got away from the hotel around 6:15 and headed out to cooler weather hopefully.
Off we went. We rode and rode and rode and rode. More and more desert and more and more desert. Norm mentioned that he now knew the meaning of the saying "as the crow flies". The road we were on went straight for about 60 miles. On either side was the desert and the mountains...deserty mountains..no trees, no bushes, no greenery, just brown and dusty.  At times there was wind and lots of it and also HEAT! And, even though it is a dry heat, it is still hot, even the wind.  We all were looking for a cool, refreshing spot.

Ever felt that way spiritually? As I was riding, the Lord brought a "desert" time in my spiritual life. I would never have thought that I would have felt the way I did, all alone! As I sat in my "private time" area of the house, I asked the Lord.  What is going on with me?  I feel so alone and out of sorts. The Lord answered me specifically.  Just take a few minutes to think about what you have gone through the past 6 months- your daughter left for college, your church closed and you had to find a new church home, you changed jobs, you sold your house and moved to the country and you becamse the SC CMA State Coordinator. Those were 5 major changes in your life. WOW! I thought! No wonder I feel depressed. As I looked at each of the good changes, I realized that in all of them I had lost a "support" system around me. It should not have been a surprise!  Of course, the way I am I just thought that even with good changes I loved change. It wasn't the changes that were the problem it was that I felt alone.  The Lord gently reminded me, You are not alone. I am here and I am all you need. You do not NEED people, you need ME! WHOOPS!!!   Was that a spanking?  I'm not sure, but it did get my attention.  I know God allows all things to happen. Nothing takes Him by surprise! I constantly remind myself and others of that.  

Max Lucade says, When God is alll you have, then all you have is all you need.

2 Peter 1:3 says His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness

He is the Lover of your soul.
He is the friend who sticks closer than a brother.
He is our present help in times of trouble.
He is our salvation.
He is our peace that passes all understanding.

These are just a few reminders of who God is at all times.

Sometimes, we just need a gentle jolt of reality to get us back on tract. None of my changes were bad in my estimation, but God used them to get me to see all I need is Him.

Go to Him today and trust Him for all you need. You can't go wrong.

We finally made it to Bishop, CA that afternoon. We found a campground and got a camp site in the shade. That night were watched fireworks from the camp site that the town fire department put on. It was a great time of fellowship!