May This Journey

My bags are packed; the CR-V is loaded.  I'm ready to call it a day and get a good nights sleep, for tomorrow, I leave my home state. When will I return? I don't know.  Hence the feeling to take much more then I need to . . . but I've put things back in attempts to be a 'light traveler'.
Tomorrow I head for the south, where, I'm told, it's hot and humid. My first instinct is to worry because I don't like hot and humid weather.  I'd be hard pressed to find someone who does like it.  I'm trying not to think about the time when I almost passed out from over heating after picking green beans once.
I've been in a war the past few weeks; a war between worrying, and letting the Lord be in control.  Satan has made me doubt myself, my ability and physical state of being, as to whether I should go and volunteer at camp.  Then the Lord will put Satan in his place and proceed to show me a verse, or a book that makes me stop in my tracks and marvel at how He knows what I'm going through.  He's reminded me that He'll be with me, every step of the way, one day at a time, in everything I'll be doing.  He's taught me to be on the look out for Him, because where He is, there will be a victory (I love that word!).  He's taught me to have faith instead of fear, to trust instead of worry, to believe instead of doubt, to be faithful to His calling, to believe that I have what it takes to do what He's given me to do, to take one step at a time, and to look forward to what He's going to do, and how He's going to help me this summer.

"Jesus guide me through the tempest, keep my spirit staid and sure. When the midnight meets the morning, let me love You even more. 

May this journey bring a blessing, may I rise on wings of faith; And at the end of my heart's testing, with Your likeness let me wake." ~ Margaret Becker   Song: Jesus, Draw Me Ever Nearer

A list of verses that has helped me as I prepare to leave:

 1 Corinthians 15:56-57

 2 Corinthians 9:8

 2 Corinthians 12: 9

 Ephesians 2:10

 Romans 15:13

 John 10: 3b-4

The Parthenon

Some pictures of the full-scale, replica Parthenon:

 

Don't forget to look up!

Those Greeks knew how to make a building that showed strength and power!

Ordinary Days, Under active thyroid and God's Grace

Well, the bearing is in the baler (still don't know what a bearing is or does), and I've been to Point Park on Look Out Mountain, walked through Fat Man squeeze at Rock City, saw seven different states from one location, went to a real rodeo that had real cowboys with belt buckles the size of Connecticut (as apposed to the 'want'a be' cowboys at the county fair), marveled at the architecture of the full size replica Parthenon, attended a wonderful vocal concert which my uncle sang, walked around in a train station converted into hotel, visited Lincoln's birthplace and boy-hood home, played music with Aunt Rita at church, made a rhubarb pie, made butter, visited my cousins, started reading Kisses from Katie (wonderful book!), and took the Myers Briggs personality test (I'm an ISFJ).

Point Park, TN

Point Park, TN

Dad and his new friend at Rock City

So glad there wasn't an earthquake when we walked through here! 

As the month of May tick tocks by, I am getting ready to return to the south for the summer to volunteer at a Christian camp.  In addition to making sure I have enough clothes to make it through one week at a time, I've also been trying to get my thyroid levels up in the middle half of "normal" range, and my adrenal glands to not get stressed out over stress.
My thyroid has been under active for seven years and I've been to seven different doctor's who've put me on different supplements and prescriptions and was told "This will make you feel like a new person; you'll have energy, you'll loose weight, you won't be tired, and you won't have cold hands."  If all those pills had worked, I wouldn't be sitting here writing about trying to get my thyroid back to normal.
As excited as I have been about the opportunity to work at camp, I've wanted to loose 15-20 pounds, be fit and toned, and have energy to run around with the campers. I wanted to be as healthy as I could in order to serve the Lord this summer.  But the Lord must have other plans, because I can't shed the extra fluff, nor can I get a good and peaceful night's sleep (due to adrenal fatigue which is caused by stress).
Over the last few days I've come to the place where I'm tired of trying to get healthy, I just want to live life and be used of God.  I will continue to take my T-3 supplements, watch the amount of sugar I eat, and work out and be thankful that the Lord can use me the way I am. However, I am ready to back away from what I want (and have prayed for).  The Lord has opened my eyes and heart to realize that I don't have to be completely healthy to be used of Him.  "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV 
I may never loose a dress size or two, sleep like a log, or be able to handle stress without my body going into fight or flight, but I will marvel in the fact that I have a Savior who loves me enough to help me through the ups and downs of camp life (and ordinary days) by making his power perfect in my weakness.  After all, He's the One who made me this way, so He has to have a plan for me and I praise Him for that!

Point Park on Look Out Mountain