As we prepare to move to another state, we are living in (not so beautiful) chaos.  Boxes are everywhere, nothing feels settled, and the nagging fears creep in.  We know that where we are going is the right place, yet those "what ifs" whisper...sometimes really loudly at night.   My faith is certainly my rock right now - the assurance that He knows better than us and keeps us in the palm of His hand while we tread in unfamiliar waters.  I'm reminded of one of my favorite Acapella songs from my teenaged years: 

Afraid...aren't we all afraid of something?  The unknown is a frightening thing for our tiny, feeble human minds.  Especially mine.    I take solace in these words:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; 

I have called you by your name; 

You are Mine. 

When you pass through the waters, 

I will be with you; 

And through the rivers, 

they shall not overflow you. 

When you walk through the fire, 

you shall not be burned, 

Nor shall the flame scorch you.”

Isaiah 43:1,2

And I know that these trials and fears that I endure are helping me...I'm assured of that in the book of James.  This uncertainty about our future is productive, it's helping to make us "beautiful"...

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)

     As we mature as people, parents, and Christians, we're reminded of the passage in Ecclesiastes that reassures us that things don't always start out "pretty". Our lives are incomplete without Christ, dark without His light, lost without His hope. When we are children we marvel at the world around us, but as adults we realize how much hard work,struggle, and strife there is. Our everyday lives, even in the smallest examples show us that if we put in the work, we will reap the rewards - such is even greater in our Christian lives. 
     I hope to chronicle here our family's journey to maturity (physically, mentally, and spiritually) and the beauty we create and encounter along the way. We may not always understand His timing, but eventually it's "beautiful in His time..."