I've been struggling with some circumstances lately and in turn struggling with someone who is attached to those circumstances. It is nothing I would want to or could post about here. And, even if I did, I wouldn't be pointing in the right direction. I would be pointing to my circumstances rather than the One who is in control of them - the One I am to respond to with honor.
My new friend, Karen/irritable mother, from Surviving Motherhood left me an encouraging comment on the last post. Here was what she shared with me: Being Real
The whole post was helpful to me but the very last statement is what the Holy Spirit has been posting on the billboards in my head ever since I read it, "...I can be an encourager. I don’t need to point to my circumstance. I can point to Jesus!!!"
Then the topic in Sunday school this past week built on this for me. That is what I hope to share more about sooner rather than much later. The questions He keeps asking me are "How are you going to respond to Me - show others Me in you - how will My Name be glorified through all of this?"
"...All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
'God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.'
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time." - I Peter 5:5b-6 NIV(click for multiple translations)
I want God fighting for me...not opposing me!
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5 comments:
AMEN SISTER!
I am so glad you were encouraged!
See??? Isn't God good? Using even our crummy circumstances to bring hope to one another?
God is good. All the time. If we keep that Truth in sight, the circumstances and struggles don't stand a chance! :)
Love,
Karen
The hardest thing for me to get my heart and brain around is having joy and contentment regardless of my circumstances. Because they're just that...circumstances. Hang in there.
I was reading all of these posts yesterday but didn't have time to respond right away which gave me time to think and pray about how God wants me to respond. So here it is. I am so greatly encouraged by all of you bloggers and I couldn't help but remember the verse in Proverbs 27, As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. We need each other so much, to do this very thing. I had E-mailed irrationallove a couple of days ago about how God reminded me not to depend on my circumstances and she encouraged me to share it: As I was driving down the road I glanced down at my gas gauge and it read above full, so this gave me great satisfaction to think I could drive all day and not have to worry about the gas. So as I continued down the road I remembered that the gas gauge read just as full yesterday and the day before and Oh No! I think I have a faulty gas gauge. Of course my immediate thought is to get to a station and fill it up as soon as I could. It then hit me that my circumstances are like my faulty gas gauge and that the only way not to trust in them is to keep my tank full, full of His Spirit and His word. I'm so thankful that He loves me enough to show me these things. I'm also finishing up a Bible Study on Paul by Beth Moore. God knew that we would all struggle with this very thing so he gave us Himself and Paul to show us how to get through it. Based on Eph. 6:19,20 Paul wrote powerful letters of encouragement from prison. He did not ask the ephesians to pray that his chains be removed, but that he would speak fearlessly for Christ in spite of them. God can use us in any circumstance to do His will and even as we pray for a change in those circumstances God can use us right where we are. Praise Him!!!
I've nominated you for an award. Come and see! http://surviving-motherhood.blogspot.com/2007/04/im-so-excited.html
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