it's been a while since i've written.... i can't believe it's the end of christmas break already... and the end of '06...weird.  christmas came and went very quickly this year since our break was a little shorter than last year.  it was great to be home again...to see friends and family and celebrate Christ's birth and to relax.  i am so thankful. 

so time has really flown since i graduated...i have lived in the same apartment for the last 2 years, and over these 2 years, we've had a lot of people move in and out .... you gotta love the roommate shuffle.  3 girls got married off, some moved out of state... either way, it seems we are constantly trying to fill spaces and make rent.  my knee-jerk response each time we are scrambling to find a roommate is to be anxious and frustrated.  money is tight and it's hard to find good roommates.  but God has graciously reminded me of the beauty of this situation that i find myself in time after time.  every time someone moves out, i am reminded of my utter dependency on the Lord. everything i have is a gift from the hand of God and sometimes...often... i tend to forget that.  i start acting self-sufficient as i go on with my life...just going to work and paying bills and forgetting to pause and remember that it is by the grace of God that i have a job and have an apartment.  i am thankful for situations that force me to remember that the Lord is my provider. 

my sister gave me a book for christmas called "I Married Adventure".  I have only read a few pages so far... in this book, the writer challenges her readers to delight in the unknown, to greet change with excitement and anticipation, to be thrilled to watch God's perfect and sovereign plan for your life unfold as you live a day at a time.  the unknown can be daunting and a bit scarry... when i was in high school, it was hard to imagine what life after high school might bring... same thing with college.  but the Lord has proved Himself to be faithful... and so good...  i can't wait to see what He has in store for 2007!  may God give me strenght to fight against self-sufficiency and anxiety.

and it "just so happens" that we just had another roomate move out and get married this month... and so the shuffle continues...praise God!   

                                  "she smiles at the future." proverbs 31:25