Stepping Stones

     So, I've entered this century.  At Christmas, I got a phone, a smart cell phone no less, with texting.  And I can even text sort of quickly...ok, not really, but I am texting.  And now, here I am typing my first ever blog.  I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm not even sure what a blog is.  What do you use it for?  To whom do you send it?  Who even cares to read it?  And what wandering thoughts of mine could possibly make any difference to the world of bloggers or random people out there?  All questions to be pondered.  Just thinking about 'customizing' the blog page alone on top of everything else I am behind on, is enough to make me hit "delete" and say "forget this".  But, at the encouragement of a few friends, and with the distant memory of how "I used to write" ages ago, before homeschooling and running a small business and taking care of three boys, a husband and a home, and middle age where my mind is scattered and, and, and... I think, I know, I will give this a try...for what it's worth.  So, what's a worthy first-post?  An introduction of "who am I and why am I here"?  A clever ditty?  A scripture?
     I found a quote today that I feel will do quite nicely: 
     "God not only walks with us through the hard times...
       ...He turns them into stepping stones that take us places
       we never could have gone without them."  ~ Holly Gerth
     I have been stepping on many stones these past four years, but truth be known, for most of my adult life (and even childhood if I allow myself to go that far back in memory). As far back as I can remember, I've been faced with continual 'big' life problems and issues intermixed with the 'happy' and 'good' moments that keep me going.  These constant challenges and struggles make a winding path of these stepping stones.  But, to think of it, stepping stones, by name alone, are for stepping..leading us somewhere. They aren't random stones on the ground. They are placed, purposefully, to lead us somewhere..to keep our feet strong and safe on an uneven path, to help us up the mountain, through the stream, or around whatever it is we are supposed to be avoiding.  They are strong and stable. And oftentimes, beauty surrounds those stones; a bit of moss or grass that starts to grow around them, or wind or birds dropping seeds on the ground that sprout into tiny flowers sending dabbles of color between the stone.  
     Could it be that these stones born out of hard times are, indeed, on the path that is intended to be straight and lead us with purpose to God's plan for our lives?  "Trust in the Lord...with all you have and all you are...don't try and figure it out yourself...just talk about Him in all you do and put your life in His hands, trust Him to help you and to lead you and to direct your steps..he will clear the path and and you will walk straight." (Paraphrased, Proverbs 3:5&6)
   Does he not only clear the path, but then put strong, solid, foundational stepping stones there so that we will not need to endure the same struggles again, but move forward?  Does this new path, then, lead us toward His ultimate purpose for our lives?
    "'I know the plans I have for you', says the Lord, 'Plans to prosper you, and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."  (Jeremiah 29:11)
     A hope and a future.
    We could all use some hope for the future.
     So, today, as I finish out this first blog post of random thoughts that I followed as my fingers took themselves on a journey around my keyboard (before I even finished my first cup of coffee no less), my hope today is to focus on the positive...focus on the hope and the future, instead of the situations that created the need for the stones in the first place.