"Faith is a Gift"

You know, it's interesting the way God guides you, or teaches you, or comforts you, or reminds you, or makes you. 

For instance last night a sad thought and the rain weren't enough to turn me around. After all I'm stubborn. You know what turned me? The thought, "Why are you doing this? Wouldn't you rather be where there are people who love you?"  And back I went, to nestle my head on the shoulder of a friend, and spend my night on a couch.

Which brings me to another point of significance:
 Couches are the best place to sleep.

Be it cold leather, scratchy plaid, smooth grandma floral, or good ol' hide-a-bed, I want to be on the couch.
The Couch means there is family come home to visit.
The Couch means I'm come to visit my family.
The Couch means I'm crashing at a friends.
The Couch will one day mean we had a fight, but in spite of differences where you are is my home, so if you're sleeping on the couch, can I come too?

The Couch means Love. 

But on we must go. I woke to the birds chirping, soft light through curtains, the snug couch at my back, the smell of house plants, and the feel of an old town house. Took me 10 minutes to realize it felt like a little paradise I knew from an exchange down south. ...Islanders and Orange Blossoms.

But all that, and summoning my courage to go alone places full of uncertainty, led me to the right person. A person just suited to teach me. I heard of her a month ago, as an example to help, and then unexpectedly she is the person I'm sent to for answers. We have the same friends, we have the opposite backgrounds with the shared experiences. Questions. Answers. Tangents. Laughter. Understanding.

Best of all the message:

Our God is a Merciful God. 

Well that He is.

He is our God. 

And He is full of Love and Mercy.

  

So yeah, faith is a gift.