Many of my prayer requests for 2013 involved relationships in my life - relationships with my husband, our children, my extended family and Jesus. The intent of this post isn't to update you with a play-by-play but rather to modify my requests and again ask for continued prayer.
Two of the most difficult relationships this year include the ones with my stepdaughter and my mother-in-law. 2012 ended without my husband and mother-in-law being on speaking terms. Praise the Lord that they are speaking again. Not everything has been sorted out but at least we are heading in a direction instead of being at a standstill. My stepdaughter has moved back to Florida, yet again, to live with her mom. This is the second time she has chosen to leave in two years and this time was not any less drama filled than the first. Sadly our relationship with Brandy is very strained right now. Brandy's coping mechanism is to "run" or leave when she is unhappy or upset. Unfortunately she never shared what was making her unhappy enough to leave but it is our prayer that she learns how to cope with difficult situations before becoming an adult. These two relationships are at the forefront of my prayer priorities. I am struggling with frustration and anger in some ways and am asking for patience and a continual reminder that God extended grace and love to me even when I didn't deserve it.
Please continue praying for protection upon my marriage - I have a special unspoken request for my husband. Please pray that he would be strengthened and upheld by the Lord's right hand as he faces a struggle of his own. Also, I have been convicted recently that I need to be more expectant of God's provision in our lives and finances. I don't expect, much less look for, God moving in this area of my life and I know that He is. I need to pray more and worry less about our finances. God has never not provided what we needed. May His faithfulfullness in this area of our lives be at the forefront of my mind.
Finally, please pray for my father-in-law. In the same week that we celebrated my grandmother's life, Kelly and his mom starting talking again, and Brandy left for Florida my father-in-law was in a life changing car accident. The throttle in a hot rod truck of his stuck and he ran into a tree going roughly 45 mph. He has been in and out of critical care, regular hospital care and a rehab facility since the beginning of April. He is recovering from 13 broken ribs, 9 shattered vertebrae and a stroke that occured the first time he started rehab. He is now in stable condition and is in rehab learning how to live life again is a parapalegic (he is paralyzed from the waist down). While this is a life changing event for my father-in-law Kelly and I are both praying that this might do good things in his heart. There have been several praises born out of this situation - Kelly and his dad were "reunited" after being estranged several years and Kelly has reconnected with his half-brother who also became a Christian recently.
There are two things that I have learned more this year than at any other time of my life:
- The Lord's timing is not our own but it is perfect.
- Pray persistently. Pray in all things. Pray patiently. Pray when life is hard, when life is good, when life is uncertain. Pray even when it's the last thing you want to do because you think you have something more important to do.
