Blessings in Disguise

i drove to michigan this morning...to spend a few days with my family. when i am in the car alone, regardless of the length of time, i tend to call people and chat it up. when i drive to michigan i know that i have the first 2 hours with good phone service and then there is almost 2 more hours with horrid reception and i will be stuck with me, myself, and my singing voice. peter loves that when he is in the car with me...NOT! :) but i love it when he is not there because he cant razz me about not knowing the words or my choice in music! today i spent almost the entire first two hours talking with my high school gal pal, pooter (aka kristin). we talked about the 10 year reunion coming up, our kids, sports, and family. i love talking with pooter because its like nothing has changed...its like we are sitting at her house on the couch, not hundreds of miles apart. the last 2 hours of the drive today were not that bad because it was such a beautiful sunny day...freezing, but so pretty! i didnt bother with cds or my ipod, i just scanned the radio which makes for super random and usually half finished songs. just as i was crossing over the michigan state line i found a radio station play a song i had never heard. my interest was piqued and decided to listen...i was quickly hooked. i waited somewhat impatiently for the song to finish, hoping to find out the artist and title so that i could text myself...i got lucky. i want to tell you a little bit about the artist and then have you listen to the song. if this is not perfect for so many of us, including myself, then i dont know what is!

laura story lives in atlanta with her hubby. she is known in the christian recording world and had won several dove awards in nashville. the song that got me, blessings, was written after the story's journey with cancer. laura's husband, martin, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. at one point martin was alive because of breathing machines and he has since experienced memory loss and significant post-operative vision loss. the faith laura has written and sang about (she wrote "indescribable" sung and performed by chris tomlin) was challenged and put to the test. laura says “Martin hasn’t received complete healing—and that can be hard at times when we view God as all-powerful and all-loving. But here we are now saying, ‘Yes, this is how faith works.’ God has proven to be faithful. We have been truly blessed out of a circumstance that at first didn’t seem like much of a blessing at all. Laura's perspective has also changed for the better; the words of James 1:2 (Consider it a great joy . . . whenever you experience various trials) ring especially true and duly influence the joyful, wisdom-loving tone throughout Blessings. “Don’t get the wrong idea. It hasn’t been easy, everyone wants to be a mature and equipped follower, but would I have signed up had I known what it would take? God has grown us up, deepened our faith, our awareness of our great need for him as a Savior, daily. We knew it before, but we didn’t see it. This is a good place to be.” please follow the link abouve to see the full bio and story on this incredible song. after listening for the first time, i couldnt wait to get to mom's to listen again to hear if i really heard the song correctly. listen...and feel that God has so much for you and for me, even in the hard times!

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace

Comfort for family, protection while we sleep

We pray for healing, for prosperity

We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while You hear each spoken need

Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You're near?

What if trials of this life

Are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear

We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near

We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love

As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea

And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears?

And what if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You're near?

And what if trials of this life

Are Your mercies in disguise?

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win

We know that pain reminds this heart

That this is not, this is not our home

It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears?

And what if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You're near?

What if my greatest disappointments

Or the aching of this life

Is the revealing of a greater thirst

This world can't satisfy?

And what if trials of this life

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights

Are Your mercies in disguise?

blessings, ALo