A "Fixer" And The Sovereignty Of God

What happens when you have a Tinker Bell personality and a Sovereign God? Well let me tell you my story, a story that continues today.

...He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ...

Philippians 1:6 

I find this to be so true in my life. I see Him working in me through so many different situations.
There was a time when if even a mouse (I enjoyed saving the little mice from our kitties when I was younger) died I would cry. When our first lamb died I was crushed, then our family milk cow died - crushed, then 4 kid goats died - you got it - crushed. Each time it was a lesson. I had such a hard time when each animal died because I couldn't control the situation. I wasn't in charge. God was NOT obeying me! How unfair, right? Haha..well I learned. Slowly, but I did. I finally learned that all I could do was my best and my best needed to start with God. I learned that each injured chicken and sick goat belonged to God and that He loved them too. I learned I could trust Him with the life of HIS creations.

...Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? 

Luke 12:6

He wasn't done though. Life involves a lot more than sick and injured livestock. As a lot of you know, Daniel Justice Wood came into our lives. You could say Daniel is the apple of my eye. God did some amazing things to bring Daniel into our lives. I am not sure if it is possible to  properly convey to you how much I love him...He is my little brother, he dances with me through the kitchen as I prepare meals, he hugs my neck as he slowly drifts to sleep, he smiles and waits for me to kiss his forehead before nap time, when I call his name his blue eyes light up and sparkle...I know he loves me too. He does this with each of my family members.
Daniel was born with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy though. We knew this when we brought Daniel into our home but I don't think I really understood how DMD would make such an impact. Well, DMD didn't change anything - Daniel changed EVERYTHING. How could God create a child that would change my life so completely and then give that same little boy a deadly thing like DMD? What was I going to do if/when Daniel went back to Jesus? How was I going to react when Daniel could no longer walk? What was I going to do? Questions like this bothered me...haunted me. Each day God has chiseled at my heart, slowly, carefully, lovingly. He was being faithful even when doubt surrounded me.
He reminded me of Joy (our milk cow), the wounded livestock, the goats, and every other little animal that I had ever cared for. He was faithful then, why would I question Him now?

 ...Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. 

Matthew 10:29-31

Is this not true? I found myself looking through the Bible and actually looking for God not for pretty sounding words. Not for what I wanted to hear but for what He wanted to tell me. I started looking for a relationship with Christ. As I did this, I found God showing me that He had a plan for everyone's life. Just because there is a diagnosis doesn't mean He isn't still the same sovereign God he was before the diagnosis. I learned that everyone's life is numbered. He opened my eyes. I was being selfish and prideful.
I am happy to say that nearly 2 years later I can say "thy will be done", and mean it. Daniel hasn't gotten healthier, but God hasn't changed either. God is a sovereign God who we can trust with the simplest and most urgent matters. Nothing is too big for our God.
God doesn't have to heal Daniel. God's plans are better than mine. I may not understand them completely but I can confidently say that I don't have to fix this. This situation doesn't need pixie dust or a fairy tale ending because God already has it under control. I know He will let me know when I need to move.

Thank God we do not have to "fix" things ourselves! Thank God that He is sovereign! Thank God that He is God!

To God be the Glory.

Bethany Joy

Spring Lambs and Beginnings

We had our first surprise lambs this week! Such cuties..
Elisha, my older brother, is their shepherd. He cares for all our sheep and recently decided to start selling them to the company our family hauls for (Azure Standard). We are excited about this for him! Although this new business adventure is all Elisha's, he has allowed me to work along side him in search for pastures, equipment, and livestock. It is such an honor to help my big brother as he gets started with this work. He is a wonderful caretaker of all our livestock.
When I returned from California last fall he informed me he had found a herd of sheep he was considering purchasing. Because he was going to leave to California that next week I needed to help make sure the sheep were of good breeding quality and that sort of thing. My mother and I went out to visit the farmer who had raised this herd and he shared with us about his livestock and how he raised them. It was very nice getting to know him a little! He was very helpful and after several phone calls we decided to purchase the sheep.
Elisha was pleased with them when he returned home. We both agreed he needed a border collie to help herd the sheep though so we started that search. My sister actually found out about a breeder that had a couple pups for sale. We were excited and after visiting the man we brought home a fluffy fur ball of energy. Cara loves Elisha! It is so sweet to watch the little pup and her master work with the sheep.
Like I said, this week we had our first lambs born. Although they needed a little help at first, momma and ramling are now doing well. We were surprised at how early they were born and are now anxiously awaiting the arrival of the rest of the lambs. If Elisha and I are right we should have 40 lambs this spring! How exciting...I can hardly wait! Cara (Elisha's pup) is watching that momma and lamb like a hawk. She loves he job and I would be surprised if she let those two out of her sight for more than a minute. ;-)

Looking forward to many more happy beginnings this year! 

To God be the Glory.

Bethany Joy

Horse training, dog training, and everything else...

Chloe has the habit of running off with no thought for the poor human that will have to try and catch her. Or perhaps she has put a lot of thought into this and enjoys the chase? Hm, I don't know. Either way, it takes a lot of work to catch that fluffy pup! A couple nights ago I decided to just open the gate and willingly let her run around like crazy while I fed the horses. She actually stayed. Didn't run off without me. Just STAYED! It was rather nice for a change. I told her "okay let's go" and she took off like I had expected she would. As I fed the horses Chloe would run around to me and see what I was doing. When I finished I called Chloe and she nearly knocked me over! I can be happy she came though. What a good pup! We plan to take our Good Citizen Test later this year. Our trainer thinks we have a good chance of passing! :-)

Miracle is getting to be a "old" horse. 12 or 13 years old now...Where did the time go?! Well, I haven't been able to ride the silly old horse because his bridle broke in the pasture. I'll be getting that fixed soon so that we can start riding again. I sure can't wait for those summer day horse rides and playing in his water trough!
Promise is also doing good. She insist on covering herself in mud or anything else that she finds any chance that she gets. What an odd little thing! It is fun to see how different my horses are. Miracle is rather spooky when it comes to certain things (like his shadow, the dark, anything that resembles cardboard, haha!) while Promise will gladly play with the tarps and conquer anything she sees as a challenge! This is good and bad. Good, because she doesn't bolt at the sight of a trash bag blowing in the wind. Bad because sometimes she thinks I am a challenge! I often wonder what have I gotten myself into but then she comes up and nuzzles me with her soft nose and I think it is all worth it. ;-)

My trips to VA, KY, TN, and Cincinnati Ohio are coming up. What are your traveling tips? I am so excited about these trips! We will be going to the Derby, several other events, and the creation museum. My mother and I will go to VA for a homeschooling/online marketing conference and then do some touring. I am pretty excited. I'll make sure to keep you all updated on my travels! It is bound to be eventful!

Have a great week.
To God be the Glory.
Bethany Joy