I've been a daughter and a sister for 55 years.
I've been a member of the family of God for 50 years.
I've been a mother for 26 years.
I was a wife for 29 years.
I've been a widow for 8 months.
I've lived in 9 houses, 5 apartments, and 3 dorm rooms, 7 cities and 4 states.
I've had 3 jobs as a speech pathologist, 4 seminary jobs, 3 jobs at FBNO, and a number of miscellaneous jobs. I've been a distributor for 4 different direct sales companies.
I attended 1 preschool, 3 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 1 high school and 4 institutions of higher learning.
I've been a member of 8 local churches, and attended 1 that had a mailing list instead of membership.
I've driven 10 cars that I've called my own.
I've totaled one car in an accident, another in an explosion and another rusted through to the point that I could see the street beneath my feet when I was driving.
I've received God's new mercies for a total of 20,090 mornings in my lifetime.
For the last 249 of those mornings, I've received a daily reminder of those mercies via text message.
The way these days have played out is nothing like what I had planned.
But even though I've sometimes been surprised, taken unawares, shocked, and even devastated -- not one of my days, hours or moments has caught my Lord and my Savior by surprise.
"All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be"
Psalm139:16.
He knows.
And he cares.
And he does not forget me.
He doesn't grow tired of my sorrow.
When I sleep, and when I don't sleep, he's there for me.
"How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
They would outnumber the grains of sand --
When I awake, I am still with you"
Psalm 139:17-18
I don't always number my days. I only did it today because it's my birthday. But I don't have to. God has them numbered. God has thoughtfully planned each and everyone of them. He has my back. He has all of me. He hems me in before and behind, and he's got me covered.
This is comforting to me. It gives me courage to get out of bed in the morning and face my day.
