Mar 28 Don’t tempt the devil

I have missed blogging and it has taken a lot of strength not to type what has been going on! I took a short break because what was happening was so important to me that I did not want to put it out there until it was accomplished. There are times when I don’t want to tempt the devil!

We are sooo happy now that we live in Miami Beach! The energy, the environment, the culture, the people, among many other things has made the experience very positive. We do not live in the tourist filled areas or among the crazy nightlife that people assume comes with living in Miami Beach. We live in the most residential area we could find. It has been magical to walk the dog while looking out into the ocean and looking at the downtown Miami skyline-especially at night. All the stress was completely worth it for this life changing experience!

To be honest, getting here was not a magical experience. It took a lot of sacrifice and hard work to make it happen. It seems that the devil did not like that we were about to move into an area that we had only dreamed of before and wanted to get in the way. The weekend of the move Matthew got really sick. I took such good care of him that he got better and then I got sick. At first it was only a cough but the day of the move I had a full blown fever. I felt so weak, my body ached, and I was freezing on a hot day in Florida. Matthew offered to postpone the move but I was determined to fight through it. Long story short, I was able to sweat out the fever packing the truck in Tampa, FL before heading to Miami Beach.

Although the fever was gone, I was not well yet. Praise the Lord that our youth pastor, Laton, came over and helped Matthew and I move. They basically did all the work and I was sitting in the truck directing them and watching our things. We could not be more grateful for his help! When we finally got everything moved in, it finally gave me chance to start feeling better. Imagine being sick, moving to another city, attending grad school, and running a business at the same time. It was not easy to say the least but it has to happen that way sometimes in life so that we don’t get it twisted and know for a fact that everything we accomplished was thanks to God and not our own doing.

We were very stressed (while sick) and even bickering at times. The circumstances were not ordinary and we were not acting like we ordinarily do. We were working hard and it was very tough on our bodies. Yet, the entire experience served a great purpose. Not only do we live in our dream city and have loved our time here but we got to see God’s hand in our life again.  There is one thing that I know the devil is not and that is omnipresent. The devil has to pick and choose who he torments. Since he cannot be everywhere at once, why would he bother ruining the lives of those who are already lost? The devil has to use his time wisely with those who are saved. That’s why experiences like this always serve as a reminder that God is looking out for us and we should give Him the glory in the good & the bad. Think about that the next time you wonder why bad things happen to good people- I do.

For now, we still have a couple of boxes left to unpack and are adjusting to our new lifestyle. Matthew has been singing with the praise team at church and I have been able to spend time with my friends in Miami. One of my friends Jenny and I had such an amazing time hanging out and having laughs. It’s been really nice to live near my family again after 10 years. It makes the world of a difference to have people we love around. We have made new friends and are so excited to get to know them better. In fact, one of our new friends, Pam, was extremely sweet and welcoming and has invited me to join her and the girls at the spa. She has been a blessing and has gone above and beyond the call of duty. I cannot wait! After these past few weeks, a day out with the girls at the spa will come in handy.

Now that the worse has passed and we are finally moved in, I can get back to my “normal” routine. I look forward to having friends over and having a fun time at our favorite place- the beach.  It’s always so nice to be able to look back and give God the glory. There is no other feeling like it in the world. If you are going through a transition now, a tough time, anything at all- try not to stress over it and give it to God. Trust me, when it’s all over, you will just feel silly for stressing because God had a plan all along. I promise!

God bless!

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