Have you ever had that “Footprints” feeling?  That thought that, “I’m not seeing God, so I guess He must be carrying me!”  I have to admit, I’ve felt like that a couple of times over the last four years.  I know that God is there, but it’s just so hard to see him through circumstances.  My husband has on several occasions reminded me that God is ALWAYS faithful!

My family is and will be experiencing transition in several areas over the next several months.  We have had to step out in faith, and I can truly say that I have seen God show up repeatedly.

I was struggling with some events that I knew were coming up, and I knew that each of the events would cause my husband and me to make some decisions that are potentially life changing for the members of our family.  Some of these were unexpected, and others were a long time coming.  It was pretty scary and I really needed to hear from God.  Thankfully, I was able to attend a women’s conference at Gateway Church and just get out of Lubbock, away from daily responsibilities, and relax and spend some time with the Lord.   He showed up (of course) over and over and really gave me peace about the future.  He took away some bitterness that I felt building in my heart and replaced it with confidence and faith.  At one point of the conference, on our way out the door, everyone was handed a small envelope that had a card with something typed on it.  I jokingly made the ladies around me wait for just the right moment to go out the door so I got exactly the word that God had for me.  I quit laughing when I opened up my envelope and read this:

It was an eloquent way of expressing exactly how I felt, coupled with the encouragement/reminder that God SEES me.  He knows my struggles, and is working behind the scenes to help me through them!  What a blessing to receive such a tangible proof of God’s faithfulness!

I came back to Lubbock and began to act on the decisions that had to be made.  The very day I began to feel discouraged, a coworker brought me this flower.

She had attended an event and was offered a flower.  She thought of me and picked one up to bring me.  She explained that this one reminded her of me, because although it is beat up around the edges, there is still a beautiful bloom.  She then pointed out all the new growth around it.  What an encouraging word!

Friends, I have shared these intimate stories from my life with you simply to encourage you!  Please know that God sees you and knows what you are going through, and He ALWAYS shows up!

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Meredith Mitchell is a Core Team member on the Prize Women Leadership Team.

Our blog editor posed the question, “What makes you stronger?”  Well, I have a one word answer – LOVE.  I am at my best and feel most self-confident when I feel truly loved.  That goes for work, home, volunteering, etc.

When I met my husband, I had just come out of a situation where I was NOT truly loved, so a couple of times when I made mistakes, I flinched waiting to be yelled at or told how horrible I was.  But that’s not what happened!

After our wedding pastor signed our marriage certificate, I rushed over to the post office to put it in the mail.  I was so excited that I failed to put a stamp or return address on the envelope.  I was horrified when I realized the massive mistake I had made!  I never did get our original marriage certificate back.  My heart pounded as I finally got up the nerve to tell Allen.  He laughed!  He wasn’t upset, he didn’t put me down, he just laughed.  Now, I can truly laugh at the reason our marriage certificate will always say DUPLICATE at the top right hand corner.

Years ago, Allen and I took a trip to Dallas.  We got pretty lost at one point, and I remember cringing as I informed him that I had read the map wrong and caused us to go miles out of our way.  He just said, “Ok, how do we get back?”  In our marriage, Allen has constantly shown me unconditional love which has given me extra strength.

One day, as I was getting Malayna out of the bath and ready for bed, she asked me a heart breaking question, “Momma, do you still love me even when I act bad?”  Whew.  Tear jerker!  I assured her of my unconditional love and she gave me a great smile and a big hug.  I was so thankful that we had that conversation because only a few days later, she came home from school with 2 tallies in her folder, and as I questioned her, I learned that she had hidden a third from me the week before.  She knew that she was in big trouble, but at the same time, she also knew that no matter what she did, I still loved her and nothing could take that away!

While I gain strength, and hopefully GIVE strength to others through earthly love, there is no greater strength than the full and complete unconditional heavenly love from our Father!

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” –John 15:13

No other love compares, and no other love makes me feel stronger than that of the One who gave His life for all of us!

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What are you reading?    I’m in the process of reading 3 books actually!  Winnifer, Karen, and I at the Outreach Center are reading John Maxwell’s The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader.  For my life group, we are reading, “Every Woman’s Marriage” by Shannon and Greg Ethridge, and in my ”spare time” I am reading “The Shack” by Wm. Paul Young.

What are you watching?   In our house, 2 of our favorite shows are The Amazing Race and American Idol.  I had to laugh a couple of weeks ago when one of the road blocks on The Race was to play a game on stilts!  HAHA!  I’m confident that I would have taken first place in that one!

You may have heard the quote “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft a-gley” from Robert Burns’s “To a Mouse”.  Plain English: “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.”  Do you ever feel like that is the story of your life?  I know I do.  Another way to look at it might be best expressed through a quote from an old Garth Brooks song, “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”

I was so excited this Christmas Break.  I had several days off from work, and I had visions running through my head of all the things I was going to do with the kids-some things outside and some inside.  Then, on the first Saturday morning of Christmas break, I woke up with a stomach bug.  As soon as I got over it, my husband got it.  As soon as he got over that, Alex got an upper respiratory infection.  Not to mention, the weather was really too cold to do much outside the whole week.  The best laid plans…

Another example of the best laid plans gone awry was when I was a senior in high school. I was dating a boy my age, and I had our wedding completely planned out in my head: the songs, the dress… everything.  He told my best friend all the details about when and where he was going to propose and she told me.  Really!?  That’s just not the way it’s supposed to go, but oh well.  I ended up knowing a lot more than I should have, but I could still plan, now with a little more purpose.  That is until he changed his mind and broke up with me- through instant message (yes, this was in 1999-before all the social media, and even before texting was very big).  I sat at the computer in my mother’s living room (in my pajamas with a green facial mask on my face if you like to know every little detail like I do) completely shocked and heartbroken.  I had made all the plans for my wedding even before getting engaged, but alas, the best laid plans of mice and men… However, did I mention that some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers?  I just can’t imagine that getting engaged at 18 years old and married at 19 would have ended well for me, AT ALL!

God sees our endings before our beginnings.  He knew that young Meredith Uselton did NOT need to be a teenage bride.  He also knew that Allen Mitchell was in her future.

God also, “knows the plans that I have for you.  A plan to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)  Can you imagine if the sickness had spread through my house before school let out for the semester or the first week back from Christmas break?

When I can’t see past my circumstances, I hold tight to the fact that God has a plan!

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Any New Years’ Resolutions this year?    Uggh!  No resolutions this year.  However, we did sit down as a family and write up some goals.  Allen and I have copies of everyone’s goals so that each of us will be held accountable to constantly work toward them.

Where did the inspiration for this post come from?   One of our suggested blogging topics was “The best of intentions”.  My mind immediately went to the best laid plans.  When I was in high school, I did a term theme on John Steinbeck who wrote the book, Of Mice and Men (1937).  As I started to write my blog, I quoted Mr. Steinbeck as the author of the quote.  I thought twice and researched it, only to find out that the title of the book was actually a piece of a quote from a Robert Burns poem written in 1785.

What I really wanted for my 16^th birthday was to be handed the keys to a Dodge Neon and to be told that I didn’t have to worry about anything other than putting gas in it. What I got instead was a 1979(ish) Cadillac that I locked the keys in the first day I drove it to school.  When I did finally get a car that I really wanted, I made the payments (to my grandparents, who were kind enough to buy it for me!).

What I really wanted after college was to immediately go to work at the school where I had a job interview that I just knew I had aced.  What I got instead was a letter saying, “Thanks for interviewing, but we chose another candidate.”  What I also got was to stay at the same job that I had been working for a few weeks (and absolutely hated!).

Boo hoo. Does it sound like I’m whining?  Well, I tricked you!  All of the above sound like sob stories, but in reality, I am so thankful that God was turning the wheel in my life and not me! Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God has a plan for our lives!

Let’s start with my Sweet Sixteen wishes.  I started with that Cadillac, totaled it, and then pretty much messed up every other car I drove throughout high school.  I cracked the engine in my Geo Prizm, left my Toyota Camry parked in the street when it rained so hard the streets flooded (and so did the Camry), etc.  If I had been given the keys to my “dream car” (is anyone else laughing at what my first dream car was?) it wouldn’t have lasted a year!  Instead, I was able to drive some great (and really funny) cars without having to make a payment until college!  When I did start making payments on a Ram that I absolutely loved, I really learned the value of a dollar and how hard it is to make it in the real world.  I never owned that Neon, but I think I am ok with that!

Now let’s move to the job situation.  That one’s easy.  If I had been offered that position, I would have immediately quit the worst job I ever had…but I never would have met my husband.  See, Allen worked for the same company, in a different area.  I met him a few days later, and the rest was history.  I never did end up teaching.  God had other plans for me in the work field, and I absolutely love the job he gave me first in women’s ministry and currently at the Trinity Outreach Center.

At one point, I was a person who had heard that God had a plan for me but didn’t fully believe it.  I have so many other stories of tragedy turned to triumph in my life.  As I look back on those events, I can absolutely see that God truly has a plan to prosper me and not to harm me!

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Any other funny stories about that first Cadillac?    Oh yes!  That first day that I drove it to school, I locked the keys in it, but that’s not the full story.  When I realized what I had done, I was in a class with the senior I had a crush on.  My teacher let me rush outside to take care of it.  When I came back to class, I was not only hot and sweaty, but my pants were also unzipped!

How about any of your other cars?   All I’m going to say is Robin’s egg blue, 1970’s model Oldsmobile with plush velvet seats and rust all over the hood.  Ahhh, the memories.

Someone, whom I met for the first time at a 5 year-old’s birthday party today, told me that Malayna looks just like me.  That made me feel pretty good since most people say she looks just like her daddy.  Every now and then, Ms. Gloria will tell me that the “face I just made” was a complete Malayna face.  When I look in the mirror, or when I see a picture of myself, I see a mixture of my mom and dad and even a little bit of a couple of my grandparents.  I can see small traits that I have inherited from different family members.

When my new friend told me that Malayna looks like me, it quickly got me thinking about whom I should really look like.  Ephesians 5:1 says, “Therefore, imitate God like dearly loved children.”  Someday, my physical appearance will have faded, my life will be over, and all that will matter is how much I looked like my Heavenly Father while still here on earth.

Many times I have caught Malayna imitating me.  One day, she brought the clothes that she was going to change into to my bedroom.  She said, “Momma watch.  I’m gonna put my jeans on the way you do.”  She then pretended to struggle to get her pants on as if they were a little snug and made funny grunting sounds.  Yikes!  She might be paying a little too much attention!

More important than whom I look like physically, or who looks like me, is who I strive to imitate.  Maybe the more I strive to be Godly, the more Malayna will understand about Godly traits and how to look more like Him.  When I am gone from this earth, I hope that there will be some parts of my life where others can truly say that they remember the traits that I inherited from my Heavenly Father!

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How did your family “celebrate fall”?    We thoroughly enjoyed Main Event on the 31^st with other Trinity families.  We had a blast bowling together and playing video games.  Then, we took Alex and Malayna in full costume to visit a few friends and family members for special treats.

What did Alex and Malayna dress up as?   Malayna was Strawberry Shortcake. Alex was Ash from Pokemon.  Now, being that I am not extremely familiar with Pokemon, when Alex’s brother Allen asked who he was going to be, I told him “Ash from Naruto”.  (Another popular boy’s tv show/figurine collection.)  He looked at me like I was crazy for not knowing that Ash was in Pokemon, not Naruto!  (Duh)

It’s interesting that one of our topics for this month is “What are you improving or changing in your life?”  I wrote a few months ago that nothing big was changing in my life, and I was just trying to take baby steps and focus on getting through each day.  Well, things have changed since then!  As of these last few weeks, I am changing AND improving something.

The change is with my job.  I have learned a lot and have had sooo much fun in women’s ministry, but I began to sense that it was time for a change and for a new calling.  After Prize Happenings, I will move over to the Trinity Outreach Center and begin a new job there.  BIG CHANGE!  I will still get to volunteer in Prize Women’s Ministry and be a part of the core volunteer team, I just won’t be sitting at the women’s desk any more.  (Don’t get me started on how much I’m going to miss sitting in that particular desk just feet away from Gloria Toti everyday.  I’ll miss my mentor and friend so much!  If you ladies only knew some of the teaching moments I have been blessed to receive as well as some of our completely, deliriously funny moments!)

I definitely knew when I accepted the new position that I was going to need to improve some areas of my life and be ready to jump into a different type of ministry-one that may have me dealing more one-on-one with people and with the various struggles that they may be facing.  In that case, I needed to be able to put my focus more outside of myself and my problems.  I decided the first step I’d take would be joining a lifegroup.  I used to love the lifegroups that I attended, but for a while I was just “too busy”.  Well, it was a matter of making time, and now, I am so glad that I did.  I chose to participate in a Wednesday night women’s group where we would study Beth Moore’s “James”.  From the first week, I knew exactly why I ended up in that group.  Much of the book of James is devoted to loving the poor, and right from the start, Beth Moore referred to Galatians 2:10.  “They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I was eager to do.”   This is what I will be doing at the TOC, so I was so excited to have direct “training” from the Bible just before I start my new job.  I have been trying to do the homework with this study which includes writing out the entire book of James-Great preparation for my future ministry.

It has been amazing how God has not only orchestrated the placement of my new job as well as the extraordinary young lady who will replace me in women’s ministry, but also the smaller details to prepare me for the work He will have me to do in His name!

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Tell us a funny story from the women’s administrative desk:  Well, there was the time that my desk chair was broken at the base and I didn’t know it.  I leaned over to get something out of one of my drawers and…well, you can imagine how that ended.

Any other funny memories?  SOO many! Let me preface this story with the fact that Gloria and I both work more hours that you could imagine.  I have 2 jobs and 4 kids (enough said), and I know that Gloria keeps working on women’s ministry when she gets home because I have received 10pm emails from her many times.  Don’t forget too, that her husband is our senior pastor, so that certainly carries some responsibility.  Anyway, there are many times that we work on not quite enough sleep and even the smallest things have us giggling.  A couple of weeks ago, it took us a good 10 minutes to come up with the word “raffia”.  I kept saying Taffeta or Taffia, and Gloria insisted that it was raffita.  We stood in the unfinished area at the University Campus laughing and stuttering out words like taffy and raffy.  It wasn’t until we got back into my office and looked at the package that we realized we had both been wrong.

I’m so excited that a new semester of lifegroups has begun!  I know that we talk about lifegroups and how life-changing they can be, but we don’t always share specific examples.  Today, I thought I would share a real example of a time when a lifegroup made a big difference in my life…

Last year, I attended Freedom Ministries for a few months.  One week during ministry time, the leader asked me and the other person at our table to close our eyes and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal something about us that He was proud of.  I immediately felt “performance anxiety” and was afraid that the Holy Spirit wouldn’t speak to me.  However, after just a couple of seconds, I very plainly saw the word “Dedication” —in white letters on a black background.  It meant pretty much nothing to me, but I said it anyway.  As I left class, I started to doubt what I saw.  Maybe, I just made it up.  After all, it didn’t really mean anything to me!

Two weeks later, in my Monday lunch lifegroup, we were studying Priscilla Shirer’s “Discerning the Voice of God”.  The discussion was over Moses and the burning bush.  There were so many things said that will forever stick with me because of the absolute relevance of what I was going through in this particular season.

One thing Priscilla said was that the Bible specifically states that Moses had to turn and look at the bush.  She taught that while we are in our desert seasons, we should stop looking at our circumstances.  She said something so simple, yet profound: instead turn and look at what God is doing.  For 45 minutes, I was on the edge of my seat and on the verge of tears.

In the next portion of the study, Priscilla told us that while Moses was in the desert, God was equipping him.  She went on to list 3 things he was equipped with.  Number one was dedication.  That was when it all clicked for me.  God was really speaking directly to me.  He was letting me know that in this desert season, He was equipping me with dedication among other things.  At that moment I realized that, some day, I will actually look back and MISS this desert season —if you can believe it.

During the past 3 years, I have been able to feel God’s presence like no other time of my life before it, and I am thankful for it.   That day in class, even if I hadn’t received such a direct and personal word from God, His overwhelming presence would have been enough.  I feel like the combination of the 2 lifegroups I attended were really a tool used by God to speak words into my life.  Those words were so meaningful and powerful that they will stick with me for the rest of my time on earth!

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