He attends to the wildflowers

Matthew 6:33-34 paraphrased by The Message 

If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

photo via pinterest

As I live into this phase of my life that I dare call adulthood, I have been faced with a question time & time again: Do I really trust God? Of course it is easy to trust Him when life seems to be falling into place and meeting your expectations, but what about when disappointment never quite leaves you and parts of your future seem hopeless? This. This is the hardest time, the testing time, to see if you really believe what you think you believe about Jesus. About His love, character, goodness and sovereignty. John Piper asks, 

"Will we see in the sovereignty of God as our only hope for life in our deadness? 

Will we see in the sovereignty of God as our only hope for answers to our prayers for the impossible?

Will we see in the sovereignty of God as our only hope for success in evangelism among the walking dead?

Will we see in the sovereignty of God as our only hope for meaning in our suffering? 

Or will we insist that there is a better hope than the sovereignty of God, or no hope? That’s the question we will face." 
The Sovereignty of God

What I have received in dwelling on the passage above is this:

"He attends to the wildflowers and

Oh, to his children

All the more" Tiffany Oliveira 

pink or blue?

Yes, one of our best friends Angie & Jon are having a baby!! This news has been so exciting to hold since they told us this past May, and we are just so happy for these two people. Not only because they are gorgeous inside & out but because they have been together for so many years and love each other so well. As surreal as it is to see a friend who you've known since you were learning how to walk and talk together (well, maybe not talk...wink wink*) now transition into motherhood in her pregnancy - it has been one of the best memories I have had with Ang and I just love her!

Yesterday, Ang & Jon found out the sex of their baby. When she told me I literally screamed & called her right away! All this happiness & anticipation for everyone to learn the news (soon!) has been making me smile all day, so for that simple reason this memory will now be forever saved into this little blog of mine. I love having a tangible way to document these days I am so thankful for.

So let the guessing game continue until Ang & Jon share the news! What do YOU think? Pink or Blue? (image via pinterest)

wftw: comparison

I love this conversation about comparison from Brooke & Summer, my favorite Girls with Glasses. 

"Don't compare yourself because you are special just the way you are. All the intricate details of your life, no one else has those details." Summer Bellessa

four things

top left: Peonies! I know peony season is officially over, but a couple weeks ago our local TJ's finally had some gorgeous stems to purchase. That was the happy part but here's the sad part: they started to bloom the first 2 days, then stopped & slowly withered away. It was so sad. I think the unpredictable weather may have had something to do with it but either way I feel like I am the worst at taking care of flowers & plants. But I'm determined to get better, for their pretty sake. (I've also noticed that almost every four things post includes flowers; I'm more than ok with that!) // photo via: pinterest

top right: Italy! Just because I have traveling on my mind. There are so many places in Europe and around the world that G & I desire to go. & I can't help but think I don't want to be THAT couple who plans to travel but never gets to it. So we'll keep dreaming & planning & hoping that traveling will continue to be a part of our adventure.We sure hope so! I think this quote depicts how I feel about traveling well, "Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living" Miriam Beard // photo via: pinterest

bottom left: This Album! I know I' already mentioned it last month, but I've been listening to it everyday still- start to finish on YouTube & it has encouraged me again & again. This seasons life anthem for sure. If you haven't yet, take a listen. I don't think you'll be disappointed. // listen here.

bottom right: Summer Sunsets! I mean, they're gorgeous. A couple days ago I even asked G to remove our window screen so I could put my phone out of our 6 story window to capture a sunset. They just leave me breathless. // photo via: sunset picnicking post