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Let the peace of Christ


April was a very busy month and we are already 11 days into May. I haven’t been blogging because I just haven’t made time. It’s a little weird to start again after so many days of not writing, but there are things that I have been thinking and wanting to share.
I spent a wonderful week with my parents, sister and niece at the beach in early April. It was refreshing and fun. It was also full of conversation because we had just learned that my dad was losing his job as part of a reduction in force. This was very unexpected and I am so proud of how my parents are trusting God and leaning into Him as they walk through this major shift in their lives. It has been an honor to be involved in some of their conversations about what God may be doing and to declare His goodness in the midst of difficulty.
I also told the partners that I plan to leave Glenwood Center at the end of June, when my lease is up. They were very surprised because I had not given them any indication that I was thinking of leaving and strongly encouraged me to stay. This should have been complementary and affirming, but I received it as stressful because I wanted to please them and their feelings of disappointment were difficult for me to handle. I have discovered that my struggle with people pleasing is still alive and well, which is also frustrating. I believe that God is leading me in this move, which gives me peace, but I wish that the whole process felt more peaceful to me. Because I have decided to change offices, I will now have to engage in the process of telling all of my clients and explaining to them how this switch will work. In order to do that, I have to figure out how this switch will work, which involves a lot of details like contacting insurance companies, settling open accounts and actually moving all of my stuff from one place to another.  
I am excited about where my office is moving to. I will be leasing space from Dr. Koepsell and Dr. Gray, two godly men who practice medicine in Rockford. And, their office is literally across the street from Glenwood Center, so I don’t even have to rent a moving truck. I can carry my office furniture from one building to the other. More importantly, God has been doing some really amazing things in their office and I am looking forward to being a part of that.
In the midst of this, I am also planning a wedding and helping my sister prepare for hers. I have a dress and a date and we know we want to get married at the farm where Ben works and where we met. But, there’s a guest list to establish, invitations to create, supplies to rent, a meal to be selected and so many other details to be determined.
There really is a lot happening in my life right now. And, in all my activity, I haven’t positioned myself before the LORD in quietness and trust as often as I would like to. The result is higher anxiety, stormy feelings, racing thoughts and an overwhelming desire to control, everything and everyone that I can.
I have been praying Colossians 3:15 more often.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…
Let. I have to let the peace of Christ rule in my heart. My natural tendency is to rule over my own heart through a combination of fear and control. The Holy Spirit within me is perfect peace, but if I don’t let Him rule in my heart, then I don’t experience peace. I really want that peace ruling in my heart and I know that this is the only way I will ever be able to experience joy in this busy season of change.
So, I pray, God, please help me to let the peace of Christ rule in my heart.
Still Counting Gifts:
·         #729: My Florida family vacation
·         #730: Courage to make major work changes, again
·         #731: How God sends me professional challenges to show me how much I need Him
·         #732: I’ve been running!
·         #733: Ben is officially a full-time farmer and loving it
·         #734: Time in the HOP in the middle of the day
·         #735: 70 degree weather and sunshine in Rockford
·         #736: When God plays hide-and-seek by sending me blessings to find in my daily life
·         #737: Cooking dinner with my mom this week
·         #738: How oatmeal always tastes good to me
·         #739: Getting my teeth cleaned
·         #740: Being able to make progress in getting out of debt

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