10 Years Ago Today

Had an interesting weekend this weekend. Hard to articulate what is going on inside of me right now but something is going on. I had a moment this weekend where the Lord said some things about me and my situation 10 years ago. Here are some of the highlights..

Then out of nowhere He said this, "Preston you have already forgotten where you were, what you were, and what you had 10 years ago today."

You may read right through that sentence and mentally bypass it's importance...but I can't. That sentence represents nearly 4,000 days (or 1/3) of my life. That sentence represents 1,000's of moments where the Lord showed himself to be faithful. That sentence reminds me someone I don't even look like anymore. That sentence reminds me of how good God is.

10 years ago today I was a sophomore in college who had nearly dropped out as a freshman because of a broken heart.

10 years ago I was sitting in my campus apartment still thinking about a girl I was still in love with that was engaged to someone else.

10 years ago today I was making $8 an hour working graveyard security for an apartment complex that housed the Phoenix mafia (it felt like that wondering around the place at 4am with gunshots going off).

10 years ago I was dominating intramurals.

10 years ago I had more girls that wanted to marry me who honestly thought it was the Lord's will than I have friends now. (At least that's how I remember it).

10 years ago today I was fearing graduating college in 3 years because I had no idea how I was going to get a job at a church.

10 years ago today I was thinking it was time to get baptized.

10 years ago today I was dreaming of the day someone would love me, marry me, raise children with me, spend forever with me.

10 years ago today I was halfway into racking up $15,000 of school debt and $3,000 dollars of dumb debt.

10 years ago I drove a convertible that seated 2 people.

10 years ago today I was wondering if what God had been telling me for 20 years that he would use me to do would ever come true.

Today I thank the Lord for how he spared me from a relationship that could have changed everything.

Today I sit in my office enamored with the woman I dreamt for 20 years about meeting...let alone marrying.

Today I have the job I never imagined I could ever get let alone keep.

Today I am not dominating much of anything athletically.

Today I see girls who look at a man's finger to see if he is married and couldn't care less.

Today I look back at the last 7 1/2 years that I have worked at one of the fastest growing churches in the country.

Today I am more intimate with the Lord than I ever could have comprehended was possible.

Today I wake up every morning to the sweet voices of Rylie, Tyler and Preston and to the kisses of the greatest mother to my children I could have asked for.

Today I have no debt and more money in our retirement than I make in 18 months.

Today I stare at the new house on wheels that is my wife's Suburban.

Today I still listen to what God is telling me he will use me to do and wonder how in the world it will ever happen.

You have brought me so far in 10 years Lord. It's truly hard to understand.

You have saved me, spared me, protected me, provided for me, guided me, spoken to me, overwhelmed me, disciplined me, taught me, used me, been faithful to me, laughed at me, grown me, molded me, prepared me, appointed me, quieted me, launched me, more than I ever could have hoped or asked for.

You are God alone and you are good to me. Thanks for the history lesson. Thanks for yesterday and thank you for today.

Where where you 10 years ago today? What were you doing? Who were you doing it with? Who where you? Don't forget how far God has brought you. Let it remind you of how far he can take you from where you are today to where you'll be 10 years from today.