Aroma of an ... Onion?

I slept with an onion on my foot last night.  Don't judge me.  Onions are natural toxin soaker uppers (I read it on Facebook - again - don't judge!).  I have had some nasty virus plaguing my body for 5 days and decided desperate times called for desperate measures ... hence the onion.  My foot smells like body odor and my room smells like there has been a pot roast cooking in a crock pot for a really long time ... but ... I feel better!

A new year.  We recently attended a dinner party.  The host for our evening went around and asked his guests what had been the single-most exciting/inspiring/challenging event of 2014.  I had a list of experiences that could be exciting/inspiring/challenging.  Honestly, most of them fit into the challenging category.  As I chewed on his question, that night and for the next several nights to come, I stumbled quite innocently on a life principle.  Life is hard.

Because LIFE is hard, we were given more than adequate tools to combat those challenges on planet earth by a loving, powerful, intelligent, practical, and imaginative Father.  Not one of my "challenges" that I faced in 2014 overcame me ... killed me ... left me for dead on a dark highway ... caused permanent damage ... shook the world on it's axis ... robbed me of my family ... left me alone ... or sucked the life plum out of me.  Looking back ... I can say that rather pragmatically.  However, at the time, there was nothing pragmatic about my hurt ... or they way it affected my heart.

In 2014 I:

• lived on 2 different continents
• moved 5,324 from my closest friends and family
• resigned a job
• started a business
• moved 3 times
• changed my hairstyle a couple of different times
• experienced a hurt there are no words for
• watched one daughter enter high school
• bought starter bra's for another daughter
• and left an adult daughter standing at an airport while I climbed on a plane to move far, far away ... while she was left behind.

What I said during that dinner party was simple.  During all the ups  ... there were plenty ... I was most struck by the lessons learned during the "down".  When I found myself unable to sleep, worried, questioning the wisdom of a Father who runs the world at his whisper command, I found Him to be ... enough!

The hurt still stung, but just like my onion remedy, the toxins of the situation were removed ... leaving an aroma that my situation had been affected and directed by Christ ... by God ... by the presence of His Spirit.

One thing I know for sure, 2015 will bring hard LIFE.  I'm a fool to think otherwise.  However, hard LIFE has already been given REAL tools by the Spirit of God.  I am more than adequate to tackle whatever it brings.  My goal is to roll with it ... to allow God's Spirit to so change and mold and transform and repurpose all situations that are allowed in my life to bring HIM glory.  May the aroma of HIM surround my life ... like my onion remedy still lingers in my room!

scrubbing away onion juice from my foot,
christina