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Remember the Goodness of the Lord

Your love is all around. All my life Your love pursuse me and I'm found in You. Oh Holy One, the King of Glory, You're the Author of my story. Your love is all around. ~ All Sons and Daughters ~

When I was reading through Deuteronomy, the theme of remembrance is repeated over twenty times.."remember the Lord your God, who brought you out of slavery." I think one of the biggest temptations for a Christian is to forget all that God has done. I think back over the last few years and and I can't help but be grateful. I don't always wake up every morning in a state of gratefulness but I have to remind myself of all the many ways that I'm coming to know Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. Two years ago those were just words but now they are life to me.

This week I was traveling home after living in Montana. I was fortunate enough to have my little brother road trip back with me and boy was it an adventure but I really came to see through the trip that God's love is all around and pursues me everyday.



Day 1: We were driving through one of the bigger cities of Montana and stop off the exit to get gas and eat our packed lunches. I said to my brother wouldn't it be nice to have a park with a bench to eat our lunch. I thought it wouldn't be possible since we were in the middle of the city but about a minute later I see this and I couldn't help but think immediately, wow God cares about even the smallest details of my life like providing an awesome place for lunch. Remember the goodness of the Lord.


Day 2: As we passed through Wyoming, I was able to stop by the Visitor's Center and leave a note for an awesome older gentleman who volunteered there. I met him on a plane last year and He is a passionate Christ follower and really encouraged me and prayed over my time in Montana. I was reminded that God interrupted that day I was on the plane to use this man to encourage me and confirm that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Remember the goodness of the Lord.

At the Visitor's Center in Wyoming
My bro and I were back on the highway when I noticed that something didn't sound right. I pulled off to the next exit because it sounded like there was an issue with my tire. Turned out that the mud flap over my tire had come loose again. Unsure of whether to try to reattach it or take it off, we planned on finding the nearest Wal-Mart to tape it up. But about a minute later, a cop pulled over to help us and then one minute after that a tow truck pulls up and asks if we are okay. Turns out the cop knows the tow truck guy and says he's a good guy who will help us. He ended up taking off the mud flap b/c it was torn up and this man had all the tools to do it. We offered him money but he refused. So in a matter of 5 minutes we were off and back on the highway safely. (Sorry Mom this is the first time you're hearing of this. We thought that you would have been worried :) Remember the goodness of the Lord.

Nice Man Who Stopped to Help Us
We were back on the road and I was so thankful for this quality time that I got spend with my brother. We made it to Mt. Rushmore and I was reminded of all the men and women who served our country sacrificially so that I could live in freedom. Thank you! Remember the goodness of the Lord.

Mount Rushmore
We camped that night but found that our tent didn't have the right amount of poles. After many hours of trying to assemble it, and many who came to help we were able to find a man who loved physics and came up with this contraption. He walked 20 minutes into town to get string and more stakes so the tent would stay up a little. Remember the goodness of the Lord.

Campsite that withstood 35 mph winds

Day 3: We traveled through Custer State Park and were able to hike and hammock through this beautiful landscape. We also saw tons of bison roaming freely on the roads. We drove a few more hours down the road and a nice lady ended up offering us more rope and duct tape in order to keep our tent up. Also, we ended up camping right next to the same man and his family who helped us set up the tent the night before and got to talk to them awhile. Remember the goodness of the Lord.

Custer State Park
Day 4: We traveled to the Badlands National Park and I was so in awe of all the beauty around. Although there were some miscommunications and hold ups with the hotel, we were able to stay in a nice hotel this night that our mom blessed us with. We got to go to the pool and sauna which was a relief after some not so relaxing nights of camping. Remember the goodness of the Lord.

Badlands National Park
Day 5: We had a long day on the road and it was problem free! (minus having to drive in traffic for the first time in two years). We made it home and were reunited with our family. Remember the goodness of the Lord.

Overall, it was an awesome trip full of some set backs which turned into adventures but God's hand was so evidently over us and blessed us in so many ways, even down to the smallest details. I always want to remember this week where God's clearly showed me His goodness.

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