Random thoughts and an update

Well, there's good news and no news...I took 3 of the certification tests, and passed the 3 I took. The 4th I haven't taken yet. I have a few more days before it MUST be taken, and I wasn't ready for it when I had initially scheduled it. I'm thrilled by this latest blessing--and the fact that I now have something to show for all the money I've spent on school!

As far as random thoughts go, I want to talk about getting upset, mad, ticked off, etc. IT'S NOT WORTH IT!

The things that make us angry most often are things we have zero control over. A few examples:

My wife curbed the wheels on our car the other day. A guy behind her wasn't paying attention when she got over, so she bumped the curb rather than being rear-ended. When she told me, I was upset that there was damage to our car--that we're responsible for. If she had been hit by the idiot behind her, it would have been the other person's fault. Personal safety not being considered here, the damage had already been done by the time she told me. I wasn't happy about the damage, but staying in a crappy mood because of it WOULDN'T DO ANYTHING!

Here's another...I worked yesterday to take care of some customers that are unavailable during the week. Casey knew I was working, and what I had planned on doing. Things were going great because I got the first job done early. Unfortunately, the second one didn't take 15 minutes like I had hoped...it took almost 2 hours. When I told her where I was, she was very unhappy about it--as was I. I didn't want to work on Saturday to begin with...but I couldn't bail in the middle of doing my work, either. I could tell she was frustrated when I hung up with her, but by the time I had gotten home, she was just glad to have me there.

Sorry for the long stories. I'm not trying to put myself up on a pedestal, but I want to share a way that God has given me a blessing, and hopefully let you experience the same blessing He gave me.

Quick update

First off, I have 4 tests for certifications in networking this week. I'm half-way through, and have passed both so far. Tomorrow's test I'm not too concerned about, but Thursday's test scares me. I'm working hard at studying, but this stuff is very difficult.

On another note entirely, I saw a bumper sticker I wanted to share. It said "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ." After doing some searching, the statement is apparently by Ghandi. Regardless of who it originated from, it resonates with non-Christians. I hope I'm not one of those Christians who do not reflect my Christ. I know I fall short of Him often, but I hope that I can set a good example and show His love as often as possible.

What a great day!

Casey called me the other day while I was at work. She told me that our dog had just run out the door and would not come back to her. We have been missing our dog for the last 4 days now. We called the local shelters and had heard nothing. Unfortunately, the dog didn't have a tag on her collar telling who she belonged to.

Fast forward till today. We'd given up on finding her. Casey called and asked me to go help a friend of hers with a bunch of kids she was babysitting. I was on the way over there when I spotted a dog that looked--just like mine! I stopped in the middle of the road and told the guy and he found my dog. He said he had her for the last 4 days! He quickly unhooked her and let me put her in my car. I am soooo happy to have her back.

I'm not quitting my blog updates

I've been super busy the last few days, and will be for the next couple weeks...updates may be spotty from now until then.

On a good note, we're continuing to see God support us financially for trusting in Him. Every day I'm seeing his hand provide for us, and time and again I'm blown away.

32nd chances

Sometimes people struggle with right and wrong. Maybe I should rephrase that--Everybody struggles with it. We all fall short of the grace of God. Sometimes we get 2nd, 3rd, 4th chances.

Someone I am close to has stuggled for a long time to find his way. He is going through a divorce, lost his license, and recently got fired from his job. He's really struggled with these things. Tonight I found out that he found a job right across the street from his new apartment. He may not be back on his feet yet, but it looks like God has given him another chance.

I know He won't give unlimited pardons, but He does give us another chance many times more than we deserve. That's just another way I see God showing me what He can do.

The easy way and the right way

Yeah, I took the easy way. I was supposed to be working on homework, but I was goofing around. I was asked how my homework was coming, and I said I was working on it. I wasn't in the mood to get into a discussion over my homework, so I said I had been working on it. Seems innocent enough...but it's not.

Not only have I been thinking about it a lot, but I know that it interferes with my relationship with God and my wife. It's also kind of strange that doing the right thing AFTER doing the wrong thing is more difficult than just saying "I'm NOT working on my homework, but I plan to in a few minutes," and I also have to deal with the repercussions.

I guess the good news is that:
A) it wasn't pertaining to something important
B) I did come clean

The bad news is that Satan can use that against me, to make me feel guilty and to try to get me to do it again. It also makes it harder for Casey to trust me.

That just goes to show that you can feel like you're doing really well, and that's just when you're the most vulnerable. God humble me and help me follow your will.

Laying down burdens

You'll have to forgive my blogging the last few days. I'm short on sleep and it doesn't look like that will improve for at least a few days, so these will be short and to the point.

It's really hard to give up the battle over money every day. I keep trying to pick that burden back up, and I know that I shouldn't do it. I guess the only thing I can do is keep giving it up, and keep praying.