"God comes to us disguised as our lives"

This is both a reflection and a prayer.  As I started to pray this morning I was thinking, "What's on my mind today?  What do I need help with?"  And this quote popped into my mind immediately.

"God comes to us disguised as our lives." 

I've got a lot of God going on right now then, and mainly I need wisdom.

I need wisdom to deal with the the trials surrounding aging loved ones, to say the right words, to savor the moments and plan as best we can for the future.

I need wisdom with how to deal with a good person whose bad life choices are coming home to roost.  I want to be compassionate, to use this opportunity to effect real change in his life, but I don't want to be taken advantage of and honestly, I don't want to be sucked into any drama.

I need courage to make the business changes needed to make my company rock solid and set up for the long haul.  And strength to carry them out.  That may be just continuing on the path we're on now, or cutting costs and services - or hiring people and spending more.  So I guess I need wisdom there too.  Lots of wisdom.

I need wisdom with how to be a great leader - the right mix between discipline and structure and compassion.  I find it remarkably similar to parenting.  And speaking of, I could use some wisdom there as well, especially with regards to figuring out this internet connectivity piece and keeping them safe while also allowing them to learn and grow.  Or with how they interact socially and become good people.  And how to instill in them that they are beautiful the way God made them, they are smart, and they are amazing creatures despite all the crap they're eventually going to have to take that tells them they're not good enough.

I need wisdom to see that these struggles are actually the things I will miss.  There is a vitality to struggling, a sense of being alive and a part of something - even if it's tough.  Some day when I am not a critical piece to these structures, I will miss this.  I will be sad.

But mainly I need peace.  Peace that all these things are normal in the course of our lives, and that God has control.  More than anything I want to surrender to that and feel it flow through me.  My struggles are so mundane.  Every person around me is so absorbed in their same versions of these struggles.  I want peace so that instead of being caught struggling in the river, I can float on top of it and see the beautiful scenery around me.