Everyday is a new and amazing set of challenges and blessings. My life is not perfect...FAR from it. It is not struggle-free, not even close! It is not some euphoric wonderland. But, it is also not a gray and gloomy place. It has its ups and its downs. And from them, I learn and grow and change DAILY. And I love that! I always want to be growing...the other choice is stagnation... have you've ever seen stagnant water...HELLO???...It is GROSS! I don't want that for my life...no way!
So yet again, I find myself rejoicing--rejoicing in my trials. Rejoicing because I followed God's nudges and that gives me more peace than I ever imagined. I want to make something clear so that I don't misrepresent reality: Neither situation/conversation ended up with a fairy tale ending. In fact one of them was quite a fiasco at the time. God does not promise us that there will not be trials, unpleasant discussions, hardened hearts, and the like. We are living in a fallen world. So even when we do the right things, the Godly things, the difficult things, it may not be all sunshine and rainbows at the time. But if we allow ourselves to follow His call, move forward when He nudges, and obey Him, GOOD will follow. Peace will prevail in our lives. It is happening for me. I let Him carry me through the thorns and briars, and I made it through another challenge--stronger, wiser, and more joyful! I don't know how either situation will end up, I just know that I did what I know God wanted and what was right and biblical. I can trust that "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him" (Romans 8:28).
Peace follows doing God's will and and it follows speaking the truth in love. PEACE follows, it does! I struggled and stumbled through it, but God held me close through all of it. I know He will cause everything to work together for my good and the good of those involved who love Him too! Knowing that takes off ALL the pressure. God's love is strong and He can carry us through the muck and mire.
The two things I was struggling with, that I wrote about in my previous post have been dealt with. Praise God! Neither situation was "easy" or pleasant, to be quite honest. However, I am better off for having faced those challenges head-on. I learned more about myself than I imagined that I would. I have also learned a lot about allowing God, through the Holy Spirit, to guide me, my words, and my actions. Don't get me wrong, I did not handle either situation perfectly. I was open to His Spirit and I spoke from my heart with love and I know that's what He required of me.
So yet again, I find myself rejoicing--rejoicing in my trials. Rejoicing because I followed God's nudges and that gives me more peace than I ever imagined. I want to make something clear so that I don't misrepresent reality: Neither situation/conversation ended up with a fairy tale ending. In fact one of them was quite a fiasco at the time. God does not promise us that there will not be trials, unpleasant discussions, hardened hearts, and the like. We are living in a fallen world. So even when we do the right things, the Godly things, the difficult things, it may not be all sunshine and rainbows at the time. But if we allow ourselves to follow His call, move forward when He nudges, and obey Him, GOOD will follow. Peace will prevail in our lives. It is happening for me. I let Him carry me through the thorns and briars, and I made it through another challenge--stronger, wiser, and more joyful! I don't know how either situation will end up, I just know that I did what I know God wanted and what was right and biblical. I can trust that "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him" (Romans 8:28).
Peace follows doing God's will and and it follows speaking the truth in love. PEACE follows, it does! I struggled and stumbled through it, but God held me close through all of it. I know He will cause everything to work together for my good and the good of those involved who love Him too! Knowing that takes off ALL the pressure. God's love is strong and He can carry us through the muck and mire.
No matter what you're dealing with, no matter how big or small, God can and will carry you through it, He can and will cause the Holy Spirit to work inside of you to do and say the things that you must in order to get through it. Don't try it by yourself, it will end up wrecked! Walk with Him, follow His calling, His Word, and His gentle nudges. Peace and joy will prevail!
1 comment:
We have all put off unpleasantness.
But, like you, when we finally "do the right thing," our pain, is almost always lessened, simply because we did do the right thing. Deferring doing the right thing is always a "weak" position, and it carries with it certain liabilities. If something goes terribly wrong, or matters worsen, we, because we did not do the right thing, can, and should, be held somewhat responsible. Most of the time, saying or doing the right thing will not save the day, but on those wonderful occasions when it does, it is glorious. If you've ever held back, and disaster strikes, blame will be your closest companion and someone will, rightfully, wonder why you didn't say or do the right thing. We all need to be proactive in saying and doing the right thing, but it takes faith in God when important relationships are on the line. Thanks for your example, and for sharing with all of us.
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