I have had this saying hanging on my wall for at least a year now. Does that mean that I hung it there because I have earned it as a badge or an award for reaching this on a consistent basis? Absolutely not! It has been a process that I have been working through for a very long time. This has been something that I have been intentional about especially in the last year.
Most of my life I have struggled to deal with being overwhelmed, insecurity, fear, easily frustrated, etc. Anyone else? I can honestly say that I am pretty normal even though many people refuse to admit they may have a struggle in one or all of these areas. I have learned over time that it is much easier to admit it so that God can help you to change it. Whether you admit it or not.....it is not a secret. The people around you already know it anyway :)
So of course when you are working on (focusing on) something that God keeps putting in front of you.....you know you are going to be tested.....and tested I have been. Just when you think....okay....I think I am getting the hang of this whole peace thing.....BAM!! something else hits and you are tested....again! I know that the things that I have been tested with are things that the enemy is trying to use to pull me away from Christ but guess what......each test that I go through I press harder and deeper into my relationship with Christ.
Not only is God strengthening me but also our family. Everything that you do your kids watch you. They watch your reaction. They listen to what you say about the situation and who you go to for help, etc. Kids (all ages) are very impressionable and they tend to mimic the things that they see. If they see you get emotional about every situation then that is how they tend to react as well. My husband and I have had several opportunities over the last couple of months to show our kids the right way to react to situations. We show them that we are trusting God and we pray about the situations and not let our emotions take control.
As I go through each day the Lord is always with me and He gives me little things throughout the day that show me this. Sometimes it is something that someone says or maybe it is something that I read or a song that I hear that hits me right on for the moment. Here are some of the ones that He has put before me recently:
* One thing in life is certain, trials and tribulation will come. However, Believers have the victory. Gods Word is powerful and will surely come to pass.
* If you don't talk it out, you'll act it out.
* You don't have victory if you don't have problems. You HAVE victory if your problems don't have you.
* It doesn’t matter if you don’t do everything exactly right. What matters is that you step out in faith, believing God will help you!
It just so happens that during my latest test Mandisa's new CD came out and there are several songs on there that were very fitting. They are very encouraging for people when they are in the middle of the struggle etc. Yesterday I was at the point where I just didn't know what to do with all the emotions that I was dealing with and I just needed to get them out and for me at that moment it meant crying. Did I still believe God? Yes.....Did I still trust Him? Yes! At that time I decided to listen to one of Mandisa's songs called "Just Cry" and it made such a huge difference. I think sometimes when you are trusting God and trying to stand strong you can sometimes feel bad if you feel like crying but check out these lyrics.....
You don't need to run
You don't need to speak
Baby take some time
Let those prayers roll down your cheek
It maybe tomorrow
You'll be past the sorrow
But tonight it's alright
Just cry
Just cry
It doesn't mean you don't trust him
It doesn't mean you don't believe
It doesn't mean you don't know
He's redemming everything
I guess I said all that to say this.....He can and will use whatever it takes to reach you and to let you know that He is there with you. If you don't yet know Christ as Lord and Savior then it just may be that he is still knocking on the door of your heart.
If you have not asked Him into your heart I am here to tell you that you are missing out on the joy and peace, all the promises and the life that He has for you! Are things easy? Nope....but I would much rather have Him with me to help me through the struggles than to try to go through them on my own. With Him I know that in the end I will be with Him for eternity. I know that He loves me no matter what! He wants to have a relationship with me and He is someone that I can ALWAYS trust. I just can't imagine my life without Him! He is such a comfort and He gives me the peace that I have longed for. I can be in the middle of a situation and still have joy and keep my peace and no one can take that away from me.
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