Winds of Change

I don't do well with change - and yet God has set things in motion (or at the very least allowed things to move). I refinanced my house in order to get out from under a ballon mortgage. The interest rate was slightly higher, but still below 6% and now I know it is locked for the term of the loan, and I will not have to worry about it all coming due too quickly. The only changes from now on will be the insurance premium and the taxes. One thing we did do was to take some equity out of the house to replace our aging minivan. It was eleven years old, needed brake work, cooling and exhaust system work, and had several cosmetic things wrong (sliding door would not lock in place - caused a few bruises). Just to fix the mechanical things would have been about $2k, so for peace of mind in the short term we replaced it. There are some other things, but I'd prefer to not post them here. The valleys can be long and dark, but when we hit those hill tops walking with the Lord - the view is spectacular. And my valleys are nothing compared to what some have to deal with. For me I try and focus on what God is showing me where I am at. Just like I try not to compare my blessings, I try not to compare my hardships. God has His own plan for each of us. How he molds me into the image of His Son is not the same how he will mold another. His ways are not my ways... and for that I am very, very grateful. Verse for today: Ecclesiastes 8:14-15, ESV There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. And I commend joy, for man has no good thing under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.