Learning to Pray and Trust

I am overwhelmed by so many things. So many things that seem so big to me, and I don't see the solution anywhere. It's easy to complain and be unsettled and worry, worry, worry. Often I forget that these things that cause me worry are good things and blessings in my life that the Lord has given to me, things that I was hoping and asking for - my job, my friends, my church family, my service at church, my health insurance, my health.

I was convicted on this while listening to one of Ginny Owens songs, Free. 
Towards the beginning of the song, she sings "bearing gifts as if they're burdens..." There are so many people in this world that don't have a fraction of the things I do. I should be ashamed when I complain about the problems I face that come with all of these gifts that have been bestowed on me.

I'm so thankful for my friend Jill's blog for her continual discipline to praise God for all of the good things (in the midst of difficult circumstances) He has put in her life.

Living a life of praise and thankfulness is a discipline, not a natural outpouring of an easy and charmed life.

It's funny - I was mentally reviewing my list of worry-causing things yesterday as I was driving home from work. I am seeking to pray more about them instead of spending my time worrying about them. It was so much easier to live worry free when I was 18, 20.... when my life was mostly void of difficult and/or complicated situations and problems.
As I try to think about all those things right now, they are refusing to coalesce into my mentally compiled list. And I'm okay with that. I don't want to review it. Again. I need to learn to entrust these things to God, to believe His word.

I Peter 5:6-7 (ESV) 

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Psalm 40:17

As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!

Psalm 40:5
You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.

Oh, to live my life believing what I say I believe... it is what He intended.

On Changing My Name - Phase #2

After the trip to the Social Security Office, it's been fairly smooth sailing.

One trip to the Tag Agency (aka DMV for the non-Floridians) for a new license. Done.
I went after work, and the wait was over an hour. So I got my ticket, went home (I live conveniently close by), put in the chicken for dinner, went back and waited for about 15 minutes til my number was called. Not too shabby. I even got a nice guy that asked if I wanted to update my voter registration at the same time... 2 birds with 1 stone.

I was hoping that they would take a new picture of me for the license, even though I just had it updated within the last year. The reason I had to have it updated... argh, it makes me angry to think about it. Long story short, I needed to have the corrective lenses restriction removed from my license (because I had Lasik!!...5 years ago - oops, slight oversight). Unfortunately, the whole incedent also required 2 court cases to get my CRIMINAL charge dropped because of the ticket (okay - not really a ticket. I couldn't just pay a fine and get out of it. I had to go to court) I got because I was driving without my (unnecessary) corrective lenses.  Needless to say, my driver's license picture that day looked like one of the pictures they air on the news when someone has committed an awful crime, and they look for the worst, meanest looking picture possible of you to show to the condemning public.
My new picture is much nicer - no uni-bomber or child-killer picture for me.

Credit cards are way easier to do - just a phone call or a secure email does the trick.
A trip to my bank with my marriage licenses will take care of them.

And then it's all of the other random places I'll forget that I need to change my name at. I guess I'll figure out what they are as time goes by.

Next stops - combined insurance? combined bank account? budgeting???

Oh, and I really need to practice signing my new name - I'm having a hard time getting all the letters in there!