Many of us are familiar with the verse, “And I am sure of this: that the One who
began a good work among you will keep it growing until it is completed on the
Day of the Messiah Yeshua.” Philippians
1:6 (CJB)
A more popular translation is, “being confident of this very thing, that He
who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (NKJV)
But what I’ve found is I can sometimes get
so familiar with a scripture I forget its living and continues to deepen and
expand in meaning.
After living the past 4 years in a house with my oldest
daughter, 4 grandchildren and my youngest daughter (when home from college), our
family dynamics changed drastically this past summer.
My oldest daughter moved and got married. My youngest moved
to Honduras and I became a roommate—big adjustments for everyone.
Truthfully though, I thought mine would be the easiest
transition of all. But that has not been the case.
Having strangers live with me over the years (at a moment’s
notice) and living the past 4 years, with four adorable noisy (sometimes
downright loud) grandchildren, I figured it would be an easy transition. Also,
God knew I needed a well deserved break from it all and a nice quiet place to
write the final touches on my book. This was going to be a piece of cake—so I
thought.
Once my youngest shipped off to Honduras and I began to
settle in, I found my living situation to be nothing like I had hoped or
envisioned.
Old familiar feelings began to arise and I found myself wanting
to respond in old ways.
While talking to my dear friend and mentor about my
situation, I made the statement, “I thought God would give me a break.” “If you
needed a break, then a break is what you would have gotten.” was her response.
Though it stung for a minute it was the truth. We’ve been friend’s a long time,
no more beating around the bush. She knows me well enough to know, I was on my
way down the wrong rabbit hole and she was there to warn and help redirect me.
(If you don’t have a godly friend such as that, please spend time praying for
one.)
She reminded me there are times the lesson is not complete
and a break will not come before God’s end result is achieved.
Since the feelings were familiar, it meant that something
old was coming to the surface and I needed to take a look at that, versus
looking at my circumstances around me.
Well, long story short—I am still having trust issues with
God given the right mix of elements.
Though I know God loves me, I can still struggle with the
reality of His love, especially when I feel He has put me in a situation (not
of my own doing) that doesn’t seem fair or is not comfortable.
But here’s the thing—He’s going to keep working on the good
work He has begun in us, no matter how old we get or how long we have walked
with Him.
I had somehow convinced myself it was going to be smooth
sailing from here on. After all—I had paid my dues—now it was my time.
Wrong again!
People are personality types that we can never escape. And
God uses these personalities to help expose the hidden things of our hearts. Selfish personalities always remind me of my
mother. Takers and thoughtless people do too. People who give under the guise
of being generous when really in truth keep a record and think you owe them,
reminds me of an aunt. Manipulators and controllers are also personality types
who bring up old feelings related to my childhood. And as a child I learned to
shutdown and cut people off. But as children of the King, He wants us to be
free. Not keeping people at bay and trying to protect ourselves.
I allowed the disappointment of my new living arrangements
to start stealing my joy and here lies the reason God didn’t allow a break. If
things were all rosy and comfortable as I had hoped, I would not have seen this
particular area that needs work and be able to make the adjustment.
Sisters, our joy should never be contingent on our
circumstances and I knew this, but given the right mix of circumstances—I
forgot!
I forgot to look for God versus look at the circumstances
and how it made me feel. I forgot that God has already been in all my todays
and all my tomorrows and has made provision for all situations.
Living the life of a Believer can be very challenging and at
times hard! But, as long as we have the right perspective and the Word of God
in our hearts—we will always come out on the other side of whatever it is we
face in victory.
Disappointments are a huge part of life. We face them in our
marriages, love relationships, with our children, jobs, friends, churches and
even ourselves.
The best way to face and handle life’s disappointments is…
…look for God in all of them.
And without a doubt—He will be there!
Remembering that God is completing a good work in us and believing
with all our heart, Romans 8:28, “All things work together for good
to those who love God, to those who are
the called according to His
purpose.” is a great start!
But we just can’t pull scripture out of the Bible and stand
without doing what it says we must do. If we are not reading and studying the
Word of God, then how can we really love Him? It’s a requirement to get to know
Him and know what He expects from us as His daughters. It is impossible to live
a life of victory and one that pleases the Father if we don’t have any idea as
to how it works.
Maybe you are in a place where you are finding it difficult
to be joyous. If that is so, it’s time to change your perspective on the
situation and look for God and the good in it.
The subtitle to Barbara Johnson’s book, Stick a Geranium in
Your Hat and Be Happy, was, “Pain is inevitable but misery is an option.”
And she was one who should know, she
lived through a lot of pain and sorrow in her Christian life, but through it
all came to know that for the Believer, “misery”
is an option that we choose or not!
God takes our pain and suffering and uses it to grow us, so
that we may not only live a victorious life here on this earth, but also
help others do the same. We live in a world of sin and bad things happen every
day, but He can use it all for good. We just have to keep looking for Him.
My living circumstances haven’t changed much and probably
won’t before I leave. But I can rejoice because His love for me is using it for
my good.
When life changes hit you hard, don’t forget to look for God
and the good that is going to somehow come!
Until next week...
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