1st Anniversary

Has it really been a year since our wedding? I cannot believe how fast time has flown by. Over the past year a lot has happened. There have been many adjustments, new beginnings, and a lot of chaos that has become part of our lives. I  am pretty sure that out of this whole year I have seen Jonathan for about half of it, if you count the time he spent away training and of course the deployment. Do you think that is how I pictured our first year of marriage to be? Absolutely not, but isn't the first year suppose to be the hardest? ;) Over this past year I have learned so much about being an Army wife (which is something I told the Lord I never wanted to be!) I guess He showed me who was in charge! :) I have been so blessed by this past year because even though it has been one of the hardest years of my life, I have also been able to experience the true power and faithfulness of my Lord and Saviour. Let's first start off with our church. The Lord led us to a wonderful church here in Fayetteville. There are so many wonderful people that we have met and people who have really been my support system through this deployment. There is no better company to be in than a group of believers who truly can encourage you and lift your spirits in prayer and love. Ok, switching gears: When we moved here I knew that I needed to get a job (I have loans to pay off!). I applied to every school that you can imagine. Only one school got back to me and they put me on their sub list. I have to say that I was a little disappointed  because I was so eager to teach but I felt the Lord telling me to be patient. Well let me tell you that I subbed A LOT! It was wonderful! I was able to really dive right in and felt like part of the school family! :) Through this entire time the Lord had a plan. He knew exactly what He was doing and He opened up a full time position for the end of the year which I absolutely enjoyed. I am also so excited to start teaching next year. I am anxious to see what the Lord will do as I take on my first full year of teaching. There is no doubt in my mind that I am going to be challenged and blessed at the same time. This past year has seen many tears, fears, and doubts but I have grown so much in the Lord. He has taught me how to be independent and how to fully trust in Him. Without the Lord, I don't know how I would have made it through this year. He has given me strength to do things I never would have thought I could do. I had to deal with things that I never thought would happen to me and yet the Lord was with me each step of the way. Have I always had a positive attitude? No. Do I ever question the Lord on why He allows these stressful situations to happen? Of Course! But Looking back on every situation He has put me through especially since my husband has been gone (everything seems to happen when they leave!) has made me realize just how much I need Him. I never imagined that my husband would be deployed for our first anniversary and it is really hard to be away from him but I know the Lord has a reason for the timing. I often think that maybe I needed this time on my own to become closer to the Lord so that I could be a better wife to my husband. I have learned so much and I am so thankful for what the lord is doing in my life and I pray that He will continue to grow me and Jonathan so that when we are reunited (hopefully soon!) we can be more focused on Christ and have Him even more front and center of our life together. Although this has not been my "ideal" first year, I wouldn't trade any part of it because I know the Lord has used it to grow me more spiritually and I hope this next year I can focus more and more on Christ!