Decisions, Decisions...

Sometimes, do you ever get the feeling that your life isn't at all what you wanted it to be at this point along the road? Do you ever see a movie, or hear a song, or think of the dream you have always wanted to fulfill, and wonder what happened to that dream? What happened to it? Then you think, well, life happened. Good ol' life decided to step in and take charge. Right?

WRONG.

For the past year and a half, that had been my mindset. No matter what we do, we CAN NOT control what life holds, just gotta roll with the punches and move with the rhythm of the music. Its easy to fall in that rut, but when we do, that leaves no room for faith and hope. A few weeks back, Thi'sl posted something intriguing on Facebook, which got me thinking... He stated, "You can change your past by the way you choose to live today. 10 years from now what you do today, will be your past. Live with that in mind".

Now think about that for a minute. If we CHANGE the way we live today, years from now we will have CHANGED OUR FUTURE. Whether that be in your relationships, your diet, or even your spending. Sometimes, those things can be hard to change, especially if that is all we have ever known, but that's where God comes in.

Yup. GOD.

A friend recently pointed out to me that according to them, no matter what we want or desire, Gods plan will prevail against all odds. For a second, that statement sounds pretty solid. I mean, God does hold the key to our lives right? He did create us, He does have a PLAN for our lives (Jeremiah 29:11-13), He KNEW US in our mothers wombs (Jeremiah 1:5), but does that mean that NO MATTER WHAT His plan will prevail? I don't think it does.

First, I want you to think about every unborn baby that has been killed. Every life that is taken by starvation. Every murder. Every deadly disease or sickness. Now can you tell me THAT was Gods plan for those lives? You can't, because what good, perfect, and loving God would CAUSE such things to happen? He wouldn't. He doesn't. And He won't. Romans 8:28 talks about how even when we have bad things happen to us in life, God can USE that for some good purpose. In the very beginning of time, God created this world PERFECT. He didn't want any suffering, or any impurity. Genesis 1:31 says, "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." Adam and Eve walked, on a daily basis, in a perfect world. I envy those two! But then, of course, Satan decided all that perfection shouldn't last. So with just a little sin, Gods perfect world was changed to all of its imperfectness. That is the first example ever stated in the Bible that Gods plan doesn't always prevail. Its in the VERY FIRST CHAPTER of the Bible.

Now, some of you thinkers out there might start wondering, "Well, if Gods plan doesn't always work out for our lives, does that mean WE are "controlling God", by controlling our lives?" GOOD QUESTION!

Lets look at 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 in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them."

First, let me just say something. God wants us to decide. He gives us opportunities ever single day where we can make the wrong, or the right decisions. If we didn't have that option to decide, we would be like robots, there would be no point in our existence. We choose to follow the Lord. We choose to serve Him. Yes, He wants us all to be adopted into the Lords family, but He wants that to be OUR decision. How meaningful is a relationship, if YOU are the one forcing it? Its not at all. We love, because he FIRST loved us.

So here is what I'm getting at. YES, God has control over our lives, BUT we have to make the right decisions in our life to "fit" our life in His perfect plan. Its kind of like the story of the man stranded on top of his house in the middle of a giant flood. He believed that God had control, and was going to take care of him, yet he chose to make the wrong decisions. A life boat came to rescue him, yet he rejected it stating, "The Lord will take care of me!". Then, a helicopter came to save him, yet once again he stated, "The Lord will take care of me!". God gave him two opportunities to be rescued, yet he was naive, and rejected them both.

He made the wrong decisions.

So next time you have something to decide, whether it be small or big, make sure its the right one. If you truly seek the Lords guidance, He wont let you down. I always say, if God shuts a door somewhere, He has a gate wide open somewhere else. He wont take away something, or say no without having something so much greater waiting for you ahead.

So trudge forward with a smile!

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Growth Spurts

      Its been a while since I've posted anything on here, so I thought I might update everyone on my little life :) I have been recovering extremely well from surgery #3. We traveled to Dallas a few weeks back, and the doctors and nurses were amazed at how well I was doing, and how well all of our spirits were. Little do they know, we are just so happy that this road is OVER. Hallelujah! 

      School is going good. So far I have 2 A's and 1 B... and you would never believe which class I have the B in... MUSIC! Let me just say, that class is ridiculous. Its a bunch of stuff about classical music, and theory, all of which I have never been interested in... so I'm struggling just a bit. But besides that, I am loving school.
      I just got back in the swing of things up at the church with my worship position. I am loving leading worship for the 5th and 6th grade! Those kids are SO precious, and their heart for the Lord is so big. I get to see them grow closer to our maker, and that is such a blessing. The Lord is doing great things in Extreme!
      So as of right now, life is good. Not much to say except this road is almost over, this desert season is finally ending. God has been showing me some great things this past week in His word that I never have realized before in my life. So not only am I "growing" physically, with my recovery, but my spiritual walk has taken a big growth spurt as well. God is so good folks... I cant express it enough.

More to come when my brain is fully functioning and awake! Love you all <3

-Kait

My amazing team

Just a little clip of my sweet extreme group.

The Blog I've Been Waiting to Write... SURGERY #3

Hello Fellow Friends, Family, and Prayer Warriors,

Its time for surgery #3! Thats right! It seems like yesterday I was first posting my first few paragraphs on here, and now here we are writing about the final step in this long process of getting better... YIPEE! The past few weeks have been filled with ABSOLUTELY NOTHING on my part... which has been sorta nice. Surgery #2 took quite a tole on my fragile body, and needless to say I was in EXTREME pain for about 3 weeks. Last week I started hurting so much more, I was feeling very sick, and was asking for way to many pain meds. Wednesday night I started running fever, so we scheduled a dr appointment for the next morning, bright and early. That was one of the hardest mornings for me, because mornings are already hard on me and tend to be the most painful, only to add feeling crappy, and at the time, ZERO pain meds. We were worried I had accidentally pulled some stitches apart and was leaking bowel into my body, so we were quite anxious to find out what was wrong with me. Dr. Young did a few tests, and soon walked in with a giant smile on his face, high fiveing my mom and says, "She has type B influenza!". He explained that the flu raises the bodies sensors and so all the cuts, and staples, and pain from the surgery two weeks prior, would be multiplied by 100. That explained all the pain... lovely lol. All three of us had never been so happy to know that someone had the flu. I was given Tamaflu, and within 24 hours, I was feeling SO MUCH better.

Books for 9 hours of classes... yyuuuyy

Tomorrow (Wednesday), we will travel to Dallas once again, to consult with Dr. Olsen about surgery #3. We will determine on a date, and he will look at me to make sure im still "up to par" for this next surgery. Surgery #3 is going to be super easy, and pretty painless. They will sew up the tiny hole in my small intestine that is being used as the ileostomy, then they will tuck that into my stomach (where it SHOULD BE i might add lol), and finally they will sew my stomach up. Easy peezy, as 1, 2, 3 folks!:)

I'm also hoping he will release me to WORK and DRIVE again. Now that i'm feeling better, I am so ready to see my friends, and make a little money. Spring is coming, and I need so new clothes... Right?!   HAHAHA:) Clothes or no clothes, I'm ready for spring to come. Spring means warm weather, watching my little bro play baseball (my favorite, and this year on our high school team!), and my birthday! I still haven't wrapped my mind around the fact that I will be 19... crazy y'all. Crazy.

This is pretty much what it looks like... lets tuck her in!

I'm also about to begin my online classes, which start the 14th. I got all the books yesterday, and im anxious to open them up and start reading already! But, i'm pacing myself, and I'm going to give myself until the actual day to open them, just because I know that 2 weeks into school, i'm already going to be hating it. I took 12 hours in high school, i'm taking 9 this semester, and 9 more this summer (broken up into two different semesters of corse)... that way by the time fall rolls around, I will be exactly where everyone else I graduated with and started with at WT is. CAN I GET A HIGH FIVE?! Yeah, i'm proud of what's about to go down:) I also FINALLY got an Instagram, and i'm addicted! You all post great photos! I know everyone and their dog are always like "go follow me, go follow me, go follow me, if you don't follow me you don't love jesus... ect.", but yes i'm guna do this: Go follow me!:) My username is kaitlinmckayla:) Ok, see, it wasn't that bad;)

These people... This place. LOVE

So with ALLLLLLLLLLL that being said, thats whats going down in the life of yours truly. Sometimes, i'm going to be honest and just say, sometimes I wish I could give up. Its easy to be strong and fighting and excited in the beginning, before the GIANT freight train hits you, then runs you over, then invites its friend trains, then they run you over to top it all off, which leaves you feeling like you've been hit by a freight train. *sigh*... But thats what I have my friends, family, and prayer warriors for. Its amazing to me to walk in United or Walmart and see a friend, or my moms friend, or my moms grandma's friends uncles son-in-law half removed, and for them to say that they are praying. It literally tear's me up EVERYTIME, to know just how many people are praying. You truly don't know what an impact you are making. So thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you to my family for being strong when I'm crying at night, or grouchy through the day cuz I'm ready for all this to end. Thank you to the few friends (you know who you are), who will talk to me for hours on the phone late at night when I just need to vent, or come and get me and take me to lunch, or come just to visit. Thank you everyone who prays for me every single day. Thank you for anyone who has ever prayed for me or my family... I am one blessed girl to be loved by so many.

This is the last step... Jesus is good. I will NEVER stop saying it.

I LOVE YOU ALL
-Kait