~Food For My Thoughts Today~

The past week, I have been consumed with thoughts of the future for our country, our lives , our family and our future.

On Monday, Roger and I were talking about the Social Security information that you receive each year a couple of months before your birthday. It is sad to see what you "might" draw when it is time to retire at 62 after working for so many years. But, they make looking at retiring at 65 and 70 more appealing because your benefits go up at 65 and just about double at 70.

Who wants to be working at 70 years old? I don't and I don't want Roger working at 70.

We sat outside that evening and began talking about retirement. Roger will be eligible to retire in 8 years...yes, 8 very short years. Roger can retire the year that Tyler will graduate college if he goes 5 years instead of 4. Wow...that shocked both of us when we realized how close it really is.

Then, the next day was the 20th anniversary of my sweet Daddy's death at the age of 63. He never got to retire and travel the country with my mom like they had planned for so many years.

All of this has weighed very heavy on my heart all week. Add the state of this country, financial crisis, Social Security benefits in jeopardy, Wall Street destroying all your invested retirement funds and the age of people dying younger and younger everyday....well, let's just say...has overwhelmed me.

Are we financially ready to retire? Will we remain healthy to see our retirement years? Will we get the opportunity to grow old together? We will be able to retire and not have to work some type of job to suppliment our Social Security benefit check (if there is one by then)?

I needed to take time this morning on my day off to get in the very presence of the Lord, cry out to Him, ask for His guidance, His peace, His hope for our future and I prayed He would lead me to the encouragement in His Word that I needed this morning.

This is where He lead me to:

Jeremiah 29:11For 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. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD , "and will bring you back from captivity. (NIV)

My devotion said: For every individual, every life, God has a plan for the future. God has given you a future. Don't drop out of life for any reason. With Him, your best days are yet to come-better than you can think or imagine.

Ecclesiastes 4:6
Maybe so, but I say it is better to be content with what little you have. Otherwise, you will always be struggling for more, and that is like chasing the wind. (NCV)

When it come to evaluating your life, God's scales weigh differently than yours. Seeing through His eyes, the smallest things can bring you the deepest joy. When you embrace your life just as it is, you can lay down the struggle for what might be or might have been. You can feel the blessing of contentment that, for this moment, your life is the perfect starting place for the next step in the journey.

Philippians 4:11
I have learned to be content with whatever I have. (NRSV)

Having what you want and wanting what you have. It's amazing what a difference the order of those simple words can make. What a gift it is to feel that sense of enough, to not always be thinking more, to believe that God has given what you truly need. As I focus today on the pockets of my life that I "wouldn't have any it any other way", I whisper a prayer of thanks.

As I am meditating on God's Word...I am listing to Jeremy Camp...WALK BY FAITH.It is a choice to fret, worry and dread the future or we can WALK BY FAITH...trusting Jesus Christ to do what is best for us, our family and in our lives. His plan is always perfect and He has already been in our tomorrows...He sees over the hills and around the curves. I am choosing to trust Him today.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!