Being a Jesus follower is the most amazing decision I ever made. Walking on this earth with Him through the good, the bad, and the ugly has been my life’s greatest joy.
It’s no surprise that claiming the Name of Jesus isn’t always a popular choice. His Word tells us that. He was rejected then and still today. As I walked through this part of Nehemiah, many instances of where I allowed well-meaning people to draw me away from God’s will came to mind. We love our families, and we want the very, very best for them. And when we see what we perceive as danger coming their way, we immediately lock into protection mode. For instance, when Jordan and I decided we weren’t going to kiss until we got married, someone told me if he agreed to that, there was something wrong with him. I’m glad I didn’t listen. He and I talk all the time about the desires we have in the area of parenting, Lord willing that day comes. We are very aware there will probably be opposition. It’ll all be well-meaning, of course. Elisabeth Elliot often stated the most dangerous place you can be is outside of the will of God. So if the world opposes what you’re doing, but God has called you to it, although it seems dangerous or odd to the world, it’s the safest place you can be. (Now there are some crazies out there saying God told them to do something that very obviously doesn’t align with His Word. In finding His will, we have to seek Him, walk closely with Him, and be in and know His Word. I’m not talking about agreeing with the crazies. Don’t drink the koolaid. I’m talking about if God calls you to a dangerous mission field, and your family is fearful, remember Who called you to it.) Peer pressure was real in Jr. High, and it’s real today. It’s something I particularly struggle with as I tend to thoroughly enjoy pleasing people and really abhor upsetting people. Jesus, while on this earth, lived a countercultural life. His responses and actions were way different than the norm. In that, however, He showed great character. For instance, I think it would be futile to claim the Name of Jesus and be lazy at your job or rude at a restaurant. These people who were laboring for the Lord and rebuilding the wall were facing a dangerous situation, and they had well-meaning people telling them to skidaddle. It would’ve been very easy to skidaddle, and in my flesh, I can’t say I wouldn’t have. I love safety, and I love comfort. I love logic and having a cushion in which to fall. But as Christians, we’re often called outside of our comfort zone. (Please note I’m saying all of this fully being aware that I fail more than I don’t at standing firm and trusting God through difficult times.) To fleshly eyes, this situation looked terrible, dangerous, and like no good would come of it. But God had other plans. I’m so grateful for the Noahs, the Nehemiahs, and those who chose/choose to walk closely with God when it didn’t fit our fleshly molds. I’m certain they had their faults, but where would we be if they hadn’t been obedient despite ridicule and danger? Sometimes walking closely with God isn’t a smooth ride. Sometimes there are potholes, flat tires, road blocks, dangerous crossings, and more. But there is great beauty in walking through those hardships with a Savior Who truly wants the best for you, and He knows every detail of every chapter of your life. Lord, help me to remember the humility You showed, and the discomforts You experienced for my sake. Help me remember the rejection and ridicule You’ve received from Your very creation. And help me to remember that despite it all, You chose to die, so that I might live. Thank You for Your love and care. Forgive me when I choose the comfortable route instead of what You called me to. I pray I’ll stand firm in Your will for my life.
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For the past few weeks there has been a lot of heartache in the Lee County Community. Recently an officer was shot and a tornado ripped through our community taking many lives and many homes.
While I didn't know these people personally, I was very compelled by the heartache their families were experiencing. I kept thinking of Jude 22, And of some have compassion, making a difference. While I pondered this thought, prayed for these people, and searched for ways to help, I saw so much compassion. I had the opportunity to serve a day with Samaritan's Purse. If you've not heard of this ministry, I encourage you to look into it. It is an beautifully, Gospel focused, well oiled ministry. Total strangers came together with the cause of helping those in need. Another day I had the opportunity to help organize donations at Union Grove Baptist Church in Opelika, AL. People came from Pennsylvania to donate things. There were boxes of clothes stacked so high. Diapers and baby wipes galore. There was food, so much food, tarps, flashlights, dog and cat food, Bibles, shoes, bandaids, shampoo, and more. I didn't go to, but I heard of several other local churches like Highlands and Providence that had to stop collecting items because they were at capacity, and I thought what a wonderful problem to have. I've read countless stories of people and business donating large sums of money. There is a news reporter that published articles dedicated to each of the victims. Someone found a letter of a child that died and was able to give it to her mother. Victims are speaking out and praising God through this terrible circumstances. People are just searching for ways to help. Tragedies are hard, and I'm saying that not having lost a loved one or my home in a tornado. I can't say I understand their hurt because I don't. And I so hate that tragedies happen, but we what I have seen that in the midst of hurt, people can come together in the most beautiful way. It was so wonderful to watch people be the hands and feet of Jesus, living out the Gospel. My situation doesn't compare to these people's in the slightest, but I experienced a lot of good lately, and I just feel like I needed to praise the Lord for it and share it. Several weeks ago, my husband was in a car accident. He was on his way to meet a friend for lunch. As he described it, a wall of rain fell. Some cars up ahead were in an accident, and then his line of cars all slammed on the breaks, and hence the end of Hilda the Honda II. Prasie the Lord, he wasn't hurt at all. Neither of us have had a wreck, so we had no idea what to do. Thankfully my sister's mother in law is our insurance person, and she was a huge help in guiding us offering her sympathies along the way. It just so happened my mother in law was going to be out of town, so we were able to use one of their vehicles while she was away. When she got back, we heard from insurance and learned the car would have to be totaled. And so the journey began. Finding a car in our price range that doesn't have a lot of miles has proven to be difficult. My parents offered to let us drive my dad's 95 Jeep Wrangler. This Jeep has almost 300,000 miles on it. The doors don't open easily. When we picked it up, it had a flat tire. It was stolen and retrieved. It's lived through its prime, and is living out retirement in my parent's old shop. On the way home, it started to rain. I turned the windshield wipers on. They were no good. We needed to stop at the grocery store, and I needed to swing by a friend's house. When we got out at the grocery, I locked the doors. Mistake number one. The key doesn't unlock the door from the outside, so we had to crawl through the back. I swung by my friend's house, and when I got in the Jeep to leave, it took me two or three times to get it cranked. On the way home, we remember we need wiper blades. We get home, hope in my car, and head to Walmart because no auto place is open now. The booklet at Walmart says we need sixteen inch blades, but my clever husband measured the ones that were already on it, and they were thirteen inches long. Well, they didn't have thirteen inch blades, so we went with the sixteen inch and hoped for the best. He gets them on and asks me to come crank the Jeep and try them out. The Jeep won't crank. We think maybe the battery died, so we let it roll back in order to reach the battery on my SantaFe. Mistake number two. The emergency break, which is needed with a manual, sometimes disengages. Remember, Jeep has already lived its prime. So now, the Jeep is on an incline, we jumped it off, it won't crank. I'm worried the emergency break will disengage, so we start to look for a block of wood. We have nothing. This lead to my husband's dumbells being placed behind the tires and many prayers over the Jeep. The next day my dad comes and tries to get it to crank to no avail. We're all totally baffled. We have it towed. It gets to the shop, and it cranks right up. While all of that was unfortunate, praise the Lord we only had to pay the towing fee, and the people at the shop only charged us for the tow. Yay, we finally have two vehicles on my fourth day of Spring Break. That afternoon, we were going to a car dealer to look at a car. My husband calls me to tell me the engine in my SantaFe is knocking, and he is headed to the dealership. Annnnddd we're down to one vehicle again. We head to the car dealer to look at the car. We aren't sure it is what we want, so the dealer says he wants us to take it home for the night any way. Back to two vehicles. Jordan returned the sixteen inch blades and then got thirteen inch ones (different Walmart). He puts them on. I leave on my last day of Spring Break to enjoy a gift card for a massage. I get going down the road, and it starts raining. I turn the new shiny blades on, and one breaks. I try to fix it, and I only temporarily fixed it. I have an appointment, and I don't want to be late, so I brave the rain. I can't see. I pull over in a Neighborhood Walmart parking lot. I hear a male's voice ask me what's wrong. I tell him, and he walks to his truck. He comes back, zip ties my blade, and went on his way. Twice in my life I've had car trouble where someone besides a family member had to come to my rescue. The blade incident today and once on my home to visit my family, my radiator hose came off. Both times, older gentleman came to help me. I know we live in a day and age where strangers can be scary, but let me tell you about these two men. Both men approached me with great caution, said very little to me, stayed at a distance, and just helped me. I think they did all of this to keep me from being scared and just because they genuinely wanted to help. Today, my wiper blade angel was Richard. When my radiator hose came off, my angel was Don Sumner. I wrote to that local newspaper and never heard from them because I just felt like he needed to be honored. So let me tell you about Mr. Sumner. I was sitting on the side of the road with steam/smoke billowing from my car. My husband is over three hours away. God provided the perfect place for me to pull off my car because there hadn't been anywhere. I was in the middle of nowhere, rural Alabama. Mr. Sumner pulls up, slowly approaches me, lifts my hood, sees the problem, tells me what it is, and says he'll be back he was going to the store to get a part. I had zero dollars of cash, so naively I offer this man my debit card because wow he is being so kind. He won't take it. I've called my grandparents at this point, and they were heading towards me. He leaves, and doesn't return for quite some time. When he returns, he explained the parts store was closed so he went to a junk yard and looked for the part himself. He went to a junk yard and looked for the part himself. Here I am, a complete stranger, and he went incredibly out of his way. I find my checkbook and write him a check. He won't take it. He left, and my grandparents came to make sure everything was ok. Back to this week. We found an Olive Garden gift card, so we went out to eat. The gift card itself was an unexpected blessing, but the experience was also one. We had such a kind waiter. I felt compelled to tell him what a great job he was doing because I used to wait tables, and usually I only heard about what I did wrong. When we left, I saw the manager, and I asked if he was the manager. I saw his face drop. I told him I just wanted to let him know what a great job our waiter did, and he was so taken off guard and yet pleasantly surprised. Why do I tell you all of this? I've seen so much heartache in Lee County lately, but I've also seen so many people serving and loving on people who are hurting. Our car situation has been inconvenient, and at this point, almost humorous. But through it all, God has provided protection and sweet moments. It is so easy in this life to see the bad and stay focused on it when there is so much good going on around us. When I saw that manager's face drop, I thought how sad that we often don't point out the good. I know I'm guilt of that. If you know me, you know I'm all about customer service. My friends say I have a face that alerts them I'm dissatisfied with my customer service haha. Psalm 16:11 is one of my life verses. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. When we set our eyes on Jesus, we are much more able to see those glimpses of hope He so readily gives. When we set our eyes on the negative, we give the enemy power. Recently during my Wednesday night class, we looked at the life of Joseph. Wow. What a story of forgiveness, and a series of unfortunate events, but in that we are reminded that God can take terrible things and make them beautiful. Genesis 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass as it is this day, to save much people alive. Romans 8:27-28 And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints accordign to the will of God And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. I know all of these thoughts are sort of all over the place, but the point that was on my heart is that there is so much joy and goodness in being a child of God, and we should share that with others. When there is bad, find the good. Lord, please help me to listen to these things You have revealed to me today. I can so easily get lost in the negativity and temporary circumstances. Help me please to set my eyes on You and find the abundance of blessings You bestow on me every single day. |
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