Destination: Sarasota, FL

I always have enjoyed traveling! It always been an experience I looked forward to. Well this trip to Florida was the one exception to normal experience of traveling. The reason we were going to Florida was for an unfortunate reason.

The day we left for Florida started off as typical Thursday. I went to class, and then I went to my internship. I had plans to have dinner that night with a friend. Well while I was at my internship I started getting text from my mother. They were about my grandmother falling and hurting her hip. Then my mom texted that grandma needs surgery, and that they weren’t certain she was going to make it through surgery. My mom sends a text asking if we should go down to Florida to visit here.

My family decided to hop in the car and start driving to Florida that evening. Well except for my dad, he had to work and take care of the dogs. Though this wasn’t a trip I wanted to take originally it wasn’t all bad. I still saw God on this trip, and many blessings came from this trip.

The first blessing that came was when I told my internship supervisor what was happening. He immediately had him and some staff members pray for me, my family, and my grandmother. I also texted a few other people about the situation, and they said they were praying as well. It was nice to know that people cared about us enough to pray for us, and it was nice the support and encouragement these people gave me.

The second blessing was that most of my extended family was reunited. My grandmother had 6 children. Four of her children were at the hospital for her surgery, which included us from Virginia and one of my uncles that lives in Alaska. It was nice being reunited with all of them, and I think it was reunion that didn’t have any conflict. We all had the same common goal, which was to keep peace and support grandma as much as possible.

Another blessing was that my grandmother survived the surgery. The doctors weren’t certain she was going to live through the surgery. We were also all able to talk to her and have some of our last conversations with her on this trip.

I’m saving the best blessing for last. Before the trip, I wasn’t certain if my grandmother was saved. During one of my brother’s conversations with her she asked him for prayers, and admitted she wasn’t certain about her relationship with Christ. Well the next day my one uncle decided to talk to her about salvation, and she ended up accepting Christ! This is one of the best things I could have heard! So now I know that one day I’ll see her again!

So even though the trip to Florida wasn’t one I was expecting or hoped for, it was still one that I’ll cherish forever! If you look for blessings, then I am certain that God will reveal them to you! Even in the hardest times.

Scripture References:

• “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” ~ Isaiah 41:10 NIV
• “my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent people you save me. 4 “I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies” ~2 Samuel 22:3-5 NIV
• “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” ~Ephesians 6:18 NIV

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There is one aspect in my walk with Christ that I have realized could use improvement in. I haven’t been studying the Bible like I should be. Recently my devotions have consisted of reading the Verse of the Day on the YouVersion application on my phone and a few scriptures in a devotional. These are good things to be doing, but I have only done them when I had nothing else to do or I couldn’t sleep.

Going and spending time with God is something we should do every day. It should be our top priority for our day. I realized I was giving God my leftovers and not my first fruits. I have gotten so distracted by the busyness of the day and doing good things. I have become easily distracted by the world that I forget to spend time with the one who created me.

Reading the scriptures daily is something I am going to be working on. Starting today I am going to strive to spend time in the Word of God every day for the 21 days, because it takes roughly 21 days to form a habit. I want to read the scriptures and for it to become something that comes naturally for to me to do. I don’t want to keep this bad habit of only going to God when I am bored or need something from God.

I want to ask you to encourage me in this. Please ask me what I am reading in the Bible, and what I have been learning from reading the scriptures. This summer I started reading the New Testament again, and currently I am halfway through. I look forward to seeing how reading the scriptures frequently will change my life, and I look forward to what He will teach me during this time with Him.

Scripture References:

• “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV
• “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” ~ Romans 15:4 NIV
• “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” ~Psalm 119:105 NIV

Feel free to Comment below, or email me at:  matthew712girl@gmail.com

Want to know when a new blog is posted? Email me at: matthew712girl@gmail.com, or if you have a WordPress account, follow!

Lastly, feel free to Share on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! Use the hashtag: #matthew712girl to let me know you are viewing it!