Blessings in Disguise-The Migraine

Today started out beautifully. I woke up on time (a first for the week) and had time to eat breakfast, call my fiance, AND do my quiet time before rushing out the door to school. I admit was stressed about all the work that had to be accomplished today, but I was trying to take things one day and one step at a time. I made a conscious effort to listen to uplifting songs on my iPod and take note of all the good things that God had placed in the day that He had made. I walked for a while without my headphones and just listened to the birds twitter in trees. I enjoyed the clean, fresh, smell of Laramie and couldn't help but think that it was starting to smell a bit like Spring. I was walking to class in a very cheery and upbeat mood when I noticed that my vision was going away...the red flag that a migraine was on its way. I rushed to one of the school's many coffee shops and purchased a double-shot latte and swallowed a dose of ibuprofen. Having taken these preventative measures I felt certain that my headache would be almost non-existent (except for the inability to see). I was wrong. My head began to pound and my stomach began to churn. I finished up with class and cautiously went home. There, the brunt of the attack hit with a sharp, pounding headache, and a trip to the bathroom where I was given the opportunity to see my latte and breakfast again. I was very upset that this had happened on a day that I had so much to do. However, God had something up His sleeve for me. I emailed the professor of my night class and asked if this scenario counted as an "excused absence". Surprisingly, she said yes. At first I felt guilty about not going to class (I hate missing school), but after some encouraging words from my mom, my fiance, and my friends, I realized that this was an opportunity straight from God. He was giving me an "excused" chance to relax and allow my body to recuperate. He was preparing a way for me to get rested up and take a breather. My stress instantly melted away when I was able to see a very tangible way in which God was working for my best interests. It was so much a God thing because, during my quiet time this morning I had read Romans 8:28 which says that, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (NKJV) God used something that I deemed terrible for good and as part of His plan to bless me with a gift today! God's love is amazing!

Genesis of the Blog

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1 We all know how God, being the all powerful being that He is, spoke the world into being in 6 literal days. Well, I am not nearly as powerful as God, and it has taken me a little bit to get this blog up and running, but I would like to think of today as the "Genesis" of my blog. I know that God saw all that He had made and called it "good". I am looking at my nice little template right now and I think I can safely call it good. Hopefully, that adjective will continue to describe my posts. In this blog, The Hand of God: God's Presence in Everyday Life, I hope to blog about all the different ways that I see God moving, whether it be through an encouraging song that I heard on the radio at just the right time, a Facebook post from a friend who said just the right thing, the birds singing in the trees when I was feeling depressed, or an interesting revelation from my morning quiet times. I hope that through this blog I will be able to encourage those around me to look for God's hand, and His presence, in every aspect of their everyday life. I pray that maybe this blog will be used by God in a way that can encourage others just as others, and the Lord, have encouraged me.