Heart of the Home Challenge, Week 8

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
   and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways submit to him,
   and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6.




      This is one of the first scripture verses that resonated in my heart when I first decided to follow God. Nothing in my life at the time made sense. NOTHING. Everything was falling apart. I had been arrested and was facing jail time. I lost my internship that was critical for graduating college, and my marriage was on the rocks. 
      I was finally seeing the consequences of my drinking and careless lifestyle. I was wading through the wreckage of my life; maybe my life was always like this and I was finally waking up enough to care. The scripture above was what I clung to in all the circumstances. I would pray to God telling him, "I don't really know You, but I can feel Your presence in my life. Help me to stand on Your word, Your will. Make everything okay. Change me, I am all Yours. I'm submitting my life to you." 
     As I continually turned my face and heart to Him, peace that I never understood filled my thoughts, my body, and life. As I faced the judge, he gave me mercy which astonished my attorney and others who knew him. When I faced my professors and the vice chancellor about graduation, they gave me grace and time to complete other courses in place of my internship. This is something that rarely, if ever happened. When I came home in the evenings to my husband and baby girl, the mood was lighter and Chris was wanting to be home instead of at the bars. He was being drawn to God's presence. 
       Seven years later, this verse still resonates with me and my life has changed completely. I may not be facing trails like jail time or divorce, but God is still there for me in the little things. When there's chaos, crabby kids, piles of bills, obligations, and a mountain of laundry He's there for me to turn to. Because I put my trust in Him, I am fully submitting to Him. In return He brings peace, and His plans for my life unfold in ways I never expected.  
      As a mother, this is one verse we can teach our children. I've taught it to my youngest child who is 26 months. Though she may not understan all the words, the depth and essence of what God means touches her core. She fully trusts and knows that no matter what situation isn't going her way, it will turn out for the best. 

• What thoughts does this verse bring to mind? 
• Did you have a rough past life, has God made your paths straight?
• How do you teach this to your children?