Are You not the closest when it's hardest to stand...

For a while I have been wanting to update but unsure of what to write... Well I just wrote an e-mail to my sister that I think was just what I needed to hear also, So I have included it here.

First I will include my brother Shaun's e-mail...
"We all love you and think you are great. I am glad you are figuring things out. As you all know, it took me a while to figure things out myself, but one thing I did while I was figuring things out really matterred. Even though I did not know eventually what I was going to do, i still worked to improve myself and better myself in the meantime. Meaning, I did not know if I really wanted to be a pilot, but in the meantime it was a pretty cool thing to learn and it would get me a bachelors degree so I might as well get it done. When I went to lawschool, I did not know what I wanted to do with my law degree, but until I figured it out I was pretty sure a doctorate in law would not hurt me and would only put me in a position to do better things when I figured out what that was. I spent my time doing things that most other people deemed where smart things to do even though I did not know where they would lead me. You dont have to have a plan for your whole life, most of my plans have only been 6 month commitments.

Wether you realize it or not , you are doing the same things, you are sewing the seeds to success. You have 6 years and one tour under your belt in the United States Marine Corps, you completed your training for Corporal, and while defending our country you have even had the time to knock out some college credits. You have done more and learned more than most people have at your age. If I were you I would just keep on keeping on, you cant live in the past, it doesnt do anyone any good, look at all the bright things in your future, set goals and work toward them. Pray for God's guidance and set the goals, if he wants you to do it, you will as long as you bring the effort. Love you."

Now my e-mail...
His little sermon reminds me of a verse I have been thinking about a lot lately -- James 4:13-17 "Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."

It's important to let God consume your life and not live for self-righteous things but rather God glorifying things in order to hear where God wants us and what we should be doing there. Even if you don't know why you are somewhere at that time you should still give 110% in everything you do, and be a good steward of what God has given you.
Last Thursday at church we talked about how we would want to be remembered, if you were to move somewhere or if you worse yet only had 60 days to live what would be our 6 word catch phrase... we had a "cardboard confessional" that was very moving -- check out this youtube for better insight on what that is, this isn't from our church but same concept shown here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niMhRvzS5aw

So after seeing that have you thought about what people could remember you by, at one point in my life ... "Addicted to drugs and alcohol..." now... "Addicted to my True Healer!"

This reminds me of a Christian song called "Here I am" by the band Downhere, one of the verses says,
"When setbacks and failures, and upset plans,
Test my faith and leave me with empty hands,
Are you not the closest when it's hardest to stand?
I know that you will finish what you began."

It's trust. We have to trust that these low parts of the road are going to better us because we CAN"T LET THEM GET THE BEST OF US! Satan can't win here! We can't let him! We have to know that when we are at our lowest He is at His nearest with His arms around us.
And we have to trust Philippians 1:3-6 which I can't think of a better group of better to apply it to than my own family, it reads ...
"I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

God planted that seed when you planted your mustard seed of faith in your heart and if you give up on Him He isn't going to give up on you, HE began a GOOD WORK and HE WILL CARRY IT ON TO COMPLETION! Once you acknowledged Him He decided that He will perfect the good that He started in you!

So don't hold back, let go and let God do His work -- because He is feverishly spending time with you and working things out for you whether you acknowledge Him or not. You know the good you ought to do...
Give a brother some credit.

Praying for you and always proud of you
-Brooke