You are my Strength when I am weak...You are my All in All

All In All...How I love this song.  And a little over a week ago when I posted, I was feeling weak and overwhelmed and fearful.  Yet, I wrote....fearing very much what others might thing or how they might respond....

ENTER MY ALL IN ALL....He knew that posting would not only help me process, but in turn, allow others to see into a world that is very hard to understand and process.  And even though I had some not so positive responses, I became ok with that...knowing that God was still working in their hearts, despite their responses.  I also had many positive responses, as well as encouragement. 

And in this week, God is showing me in a deeper way some ways and situations where I thrive and discovering new things that bring me great joy.  As part of VP3 a few years ago, I took a strengths finders assessment.  One of my top strengths was empathy.....for those that don't know what this means...a friend described it this way...which is SOOO accurate.  I literally "feel" (in an emotional and a physical sense) others' joys and sorrows (especially sorrow and pain).  So, a tough day with patients in the ER is a tough day for me.  A tough day for friends becomes a tough day for me.  Praying intensely for others brings me great joy and relief.....as does private, personal reflection time.  With that empathy strength also comes a great joy in partnering with others to bless.  Whether it be simply donating leftovers from farmers' market, partnering with a foreign missionary on a special project, or just jumping in and learning something new and beneficial brings great joy! 

Tonight, thanks to a mission partner in my life, I was able to treat a couple young ladies to froyo (frozen yogurt for those of you going HUH??) and we had a rather short, but good conversation.  These two young ladies are entering their junior year and have such hearts for others and for the LORD.  I've had a great privilege of getting to know them (and others) better over the past year and am looking forward to even more in the next year.  Even more fun...we're going to have a Christmas movie party when the new Veggie Tales Christmas movie comes out....featuring who else? Uncle Si from Duck Dynasty as Silas the Okra!!!  P.S.  Don't tell the girls that we'll be having okra as our main food that night!! Just kidding!

Praise God...for the good...for the bad...because He is Still God.....All the Time!