Learning to live in content....

This week has been incredibly hard......It's funny that even when God gives us amazing, good gifts, He still wants us to learn to dependend on him for everything and to be satisfied in every situation.....

I'm in my last semester before I sit for boards, and so everything is crazy....Not to mention that UAB is not the most organized place in the world and my graduate program is brand new so my class gets to be the ginny pigs.....I am currently in a Public Health Nursing class and it's an online class with clinicals at different places throughout the community.  The first week I spent time with a hospice nurse in Bessemer, this week I was privileged to ride with a VA Home health nurse and visit 2 different nursing homes, and in the coming week I will participate in a Good Health Screen and also get to perform a puppet show in an Elementary school through a program at Children's Hospital called "Kids on the Block"....not to mention that every Friday I spend time during another clinical at a Mental Health Community Day Program.  The Lord is truly challenging me, working in this facility, to be a listener.  (As you all know, I am much more of a talker than a listener!) So many people have been through crazy traumatizing experiences and I am completely blessed to have an awesome family who loves me.  Although there has been much pain and hurt in my life, the Lord is faithful and has become my father, my love, my Bride, and all that I live for.   

 In the midst of crazy business with clinicals, I have a great deal of work in my online course and my Psychiatric nursing course.  Every Monday and Wednesday I have a test over multiple chapters.  Yesterday, besides working out and getting a quick dinner with my grandma, I stayed in my PJ's all day and night and studied.  Today I am also studying all day....I'm not going to lie, I get pretty sick of reading and studying and taking quizzes and trying to prepare for tests that will cover so much information.....Not to mention that I live by myself and spend so much time alone.....And there are various situations at work with scheduling and those over me that I am struggling with and praying about.

I know that God has Ron and I separated right now due to the huge amounts of work and learning both of us must get done, but it is such a challenge to not being able to be with him and not be able to minster together.   Skype makes things a little easier, but I find myself so alone sometimes.  I realize that if I let Satan use this against me I would fall into a great depression and every day I truly have to fight this battle against this black cloud and also find complete contentment in my situation, even though, most often, I truly wish thing were different..... 

"No one wants to be alone"... How true are those song lyrics...and it the midst of anguish, desperately missing those I love, and stress on the outside, I realize that Christ has called me to be a Conquerer, and through him I am complete.   My prayer has been that His desires for my life will truly become all that I want....it's so hard to not question, "What's going to happen in May? When are we going to get married? Where am I going to work?" And at the end of the day, the Lord calls to me saying, "Jenny, trust me, I am here for you....When you are alone, I am here...." And there is just a sense of peace I find in knowing that I am not alone, but the Lord walks with me, studies with, and finds joy and delights in me......

When David writes in Psalms 51:12, "Restore to me the joy of your salvation 

       and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me....."

Notice he doesn't say, restore his joy, but rather YOUR joy....the Lord's joy.....

This has to be my prayer, what I lean on.....

Here's something you could join with us to pray about......

1. Direction for where to go in May.....Whether is be in Florida, Birmingham, a third year for Ron, or to possible get married......

2. Favor at work with those above me

3. Questions to finally be answered at a big meeting with the Nursing Director at UAB tomorrow (Monday morning)

4. That I will pass my board the first time

5. Contentment as we're apart......

trusting in things unseen and learning to be satisfied daily....

jen