The winds of change............

As I sit here reflecting over the last year & half at the Dream Center, I cannot even begin to tell you all that I have learned.

We had a staff meeting today, my last one, & I got choked up thinking over my time here. God has taken me through so much & I do not even recognize the woman that I have turned into. I am confident now, not in myself so much, but in who I am in Him, & I have seen God's provision & plans for me be fullfilled. The memories of the fear I had before I came out here, & the fear that I had after highschool are so fresh in my mind.

I remember asking God, what would I do with my life, would I get married, would I be in ministry, or would I be stuck in a dead end job with no hope of making a difference for the rest on my life? All of the normal fears that we have as we pass through the threshold of childhood into adulthood, are just now beginning to fade. It is so odd to realize that I am a woman now; not a little girl, but I am being molded & fashioned into the woman that God wants me to be. He is making me into His Danielle.

I feel a sense of peace & faith like I have never had in my life. He holds my hand & He knows every step I have taken or ever will take. He has not left me thus far, & He will not leave me now! Those times in the past where I was most afraid & shaken, are all calm now & He takes care of every single one of them. I have survived things I did not think I was capable of surviving & He has shown me that I am stronger than I thought I was; of course this recognition is that He is my source of strength, not me!

What an interesting realization to have, He is faithful! He has always been by my side & never will leave me or forsake me, but I freak out at every wave that comes. I feel like the children of Israel when they were delivered from the hands of Pharoah; they saw God's incredible miracles & how much He loved them, but they still forgot & lost faith at the first test. When tests come, I do not think that I do very well. I can look back at His faithfulness, but at the first sign of a storm, BAM, I freak out & complain that God has forsaken me! What a foolish woman I am, how dare I question the love & faithfulness of my God? Has He not been with me through every pain & trial, & has He not worked it ALL out for my good? Of course He has! May this resonate & penetrate deep into my spirit. I do not want this to be "head knowledge" as they say, but I need it to be truth & life to my spirit.

My wedding is in one month, I am leaving the Dream Center this Saturday, & I am embarking on a new life & a new adventure! This new chapter in my life is filled with promise & dreams, but I know that He will take me where He wants me to go. I cannot wait to see what I look like in another year!

Little Vel