God is not a test drive.

Recently I went to test drive a new car that we are thinking about getting. As I took the car out, I asked the sales lady some questions such as, how long has this model been out for?, what do you like about it?, what changes have been made since the first one came out? Super general things. As I took it for a drive I got a feel in 20 minutes how it drove, things I did and did not like about it and the important part was that I got a feel for what to look at once I would test drive the other kind of car we were looking at.

This got me thinking, do we “test drive God?” How often is it that we look at our circumstances and think well God looks like a better option, I like the way I feel when I’m with God, God can change things! Then once we go for a ride and discover this is not what we thought it would be like, this is not how I seen it working out, why is God taking so long?! Do we then just “trade Him in” for what we may think is an upgraded model. Well God is not a test drive but rather the factory that makes the cars. Always working, changing the models to be better and better every year and yes sometimes things break down, don’t work the way we thought it would be God keeps on working. Even in the biggest problems he is working. SO don’t look to God to be a mechanic in your life that you only go to when things are broken down but allow him to be the factory in your life, always working and changing things!

Generations

Happy New Year! Hard to believe that the holidays have come and gone, until I put my pants on a realize I may of put on a pound or 2, but that’s another story for another day. This Christmas it was a great joy for my family that my Dad, who lives in Quebec was coming home for Christmas. 5 days of him along with my half sister who is 16 and his wife. It was a great time together showing him our new house, Kennedy playing in the snow with her Grandpa and as if that was not enough he got to meet Cole for the 1st time! As I watched my Dad hold my Son and play in the snow with Kennedy it hit me, this is what we as parents look forward to one day. Had it not been for the amazing transformation I had made in my life thru Jesus to help me heal from the past hurts of my Dad this moment never would of happened. There would of always been a void in my children’s lives not knowing who their other Grandpa was.

On boxing day my Grandmother who is 87 and the typical “grumpy old woman” (I don’t mean any disrespect but that is just who she is), had for a very rare moment all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren around her. I realized that I want this for myself, that day when I get to sit with my Grandkids and great Grandkids cramped onto a couch for what could be our last family picture. So don’t get so caught up in the everyday stuff of life but think about what are you imparting on this and future generations in your family. How do you want them to remember you? What things do you want to pass down to the generations because I know I  already want to be the “funny” Grandma, but I also want Mark and I to be known as the Grandparents that started a new path for our family in Jesus. Cause of that decision we feel that we have not set our kids up to make the poor choices we made and that we have set forth a path where divorce will no long grip our family!

I have been blessed that I was able to know and have both of my Grandma’s with me up until 3 years ago. Grandma Hogan is the less approachable one but has taught me how to bake and play some card games and taught me that life can be rough but are you going to let that shape how you act and view life, as she has. Where my Nana also had a rough life but choose to be happy and have a good time. I always walked away feeling good after spending time with her and have great memories of shopping, cooking and playing “business” at her place in the afternoon as she watched all her soaps lol. In her later years she got to know Kennedy and treasured her so very much. I got to see as an adult the love I felt as a kid poured onto my Daughter, super cool! So going into 2013 what do you want to leave behind to the next generation?!

3 Generations of Hogans