What is "Normal" Anyway?

Today I got to spend some time with a great, great friend of mine. Angie came down to Indy for the day and we were able to meet for dinner. It was so fun and refreshing to share a meal with her and reminisce about our summers. We have both been learning a ton and we are able to challenge each other by sharing our experiences. I thank God that he has provided me with such amazing friends. Other than that I had a pretty normal day.

Angie and I went to dinner at Paradise and then I brought her back to the church so she could see my office. I made her sign the chalkboard wall. One piece of advice: if you ever want little kids to think that you are the coolest person in the world, just paint a chalkboard wall in your office and let them color on it. It works. And please pay no mind to the mushroom house. It was just a kindergarten boy being creative. I promise my kids aren't on drugs.

I worked from 9-6 and now I am EXHAUSTED and ready for bed. Today my daycare kids seemed extra loud and extra energetic. So, I quickly solved that problem by busting out the Number Bingo. For those of you who don't work with kids: number bingo is a ridiculously simple version of the beloved game, Bingo. Basically you pick up a number and shout it out. Then the kids put a marker on their page if they can find the number. Last week we played 22 games in one afternoon. Something about this activity is incredibly stimulating and exciting to the kids so I let them play as much as they want.Really, I think they just like to scream, "Bingo!" violently in the other kids' faces. They're a pretty competitive bunch.
Right now my big project at church is making connections with all of my volunteers and setting up a secure check-in/check-out system for the kids. I have spent the last few days at work laminating name tags and working on excel sheets.

In other news, I've been learning a lot lately about God's wisdom and His plan for my life. I've come to realize that sometimes God shows me just a little bit of truth and then slowly reveals more and more of Himself to me through that truth. I always think that I am learning and gaining so much and then I realize....oh wait....I still have a lot left to learn. But for the most part I like knowing that things are out of my control and that God is bigger than my insecurities, fears, relationships and concerns. What a relief to know that I don't have to have it all figured out! I've also been learning about how to cling to God's truth and let the unwarranted criticism of other people roll off my back. I am so convinced that right now I am exactly where God wants me to be and I know that He has called me to do exactly what I am doing. This assurance has helped me through the past few weeks when I have encountered difficult people. God is teaching me what joy REALLY means and how to find it in the difficult situations. Right now I am content exactly where I am and I am excited to see what God has planned for the future....